Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu

Germaine Kamalia Hopkins of Pu‘uloa, O‘ahu has two children with an amazing partner. Although it is a challenge to balance hula with her family and professional life, hula is something she cannot live without.

Germaine grew up listening to Hawaiian music all day long with her mother (who at the age of 13 won a hula contest that took her by vessel to 40 of the 50 states to perform hula). When Germaine was five years old, she had enough interest in hula to learn and execute the instructions given from her mother—how to bend her knees, sway her hips and place her hands—so she began hula lessons with Minerva Pang.

In 1993 Germaine joined Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, during the humble beginnings when the hālau just consisted of Kūpuna and a small combined group of Kāne and Wāhine. She remembers spending a lot of time together just to practice; creating the deep connection and unbreakable bonds which they now share.

Germaine has taken many of the values and passion from hula and incorporated them into her life.

“Hula has allowed me to experience and learn my culture on a level that cannot just be taught. The more I learn of the culture, the people and the events that took place long ago, the more amazed I am and realize how little I knew of the incredible existence of my ancestors. Hula also compelled me to research my family genealogy. This gave me a connection to hula that became a part of me and blended the traditions and beliefs of the Hawaiian culture as I remembered growing up, in the stories from family members and the teachings in hālau. My culture can only thrive through its mere existence, so I will share with my children what I have learned so they too can not only have koko, but know and live some of the traditions passed down. Hula is a regenerative function in my family, so the most important thing about hula is that the things I have learned are passed on to my children.”