Posted: 11/11/25
Honolulu Star Advertiser
June 6, 2025
By Jamm Aquino
A hula ki‘i exhibit opened Friday at Capitol Modern in Honolulu. Hula ki‘i, or Hawaiian puppetry in the form of carved hula figures, is a little-known genre of hula that marries hula (dance), mo‘olelo (story), no‘ono‘o ulu wale (imagination/creative expression) and hana no‘eau (visual arts). The hula ki‘i on display were created by students from Halau Ku Mana New Century Public Charter School in Makiki, under the direction of Kumu Auli‘i Mitchell — an expert in hula ki‘i.
Tenth-grader Kekupuohaoha Loo-Ching, middle, shows her hula ki’i to Karen Ewald, executive director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, left, during the opening of the hula ki’i art exhibit at the Capitol Modern, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Honolulu. Hula ki’i, or Hawaiian puppetry in the form of carved hula figures, is a little-known genre of hula that marries hula (dance), mo’olelo (story), no’ono’o ulu wale (imagination/creative expression), and hana no’eau (visual arts). The hula ki’i on display were created by students from Hālau Kū Mana Public Charter School in Makiki, under the direction of Kumu Auli’i Mitchell—an expert in hula ki’i. Photo by Jamm Aquino/jaquino@staradvertiser.com
Kumu Auliʻi Mitchell, right, greets tenth-grader Kekupuohaoha Loo-Ching during the opening of the hula kiʻi art exhibit at the Capitol Modern, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Honolulu. Photo by Jamm Aquino/jaquino@staradvertiser.com
