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In 1986 William "Sonny" Ching established Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu
which is currently located in the Kapahulu and Kapalama areas of Honolulu.
I was preordained that I would be the one to continue hula in my family.
Both my grandmother and great grandmother could foresee it. After I was born,
my great grandmother said I was going to be a chanter. At the age of four
my grandmother started teaching me some of the chants and we would progress
to the dancing. When I was twelve, my father decided that I shouldn't dance
so my grandmother taught me without his permission. Now he is my biggest
supporter.
My grandmother Lena Pua'ainahau Eleakala Nahulu Guerrero was my
confidant, my roommate, and my best friend. She taught me on a one-to-one
situation and we usually did things on a daily basis. We always preceded
our training with a prayer and because my grandmother was of pure koko and
was fluent in the language, she prayed in Hawaiian. That's how I run my class
today. Before we dance, we pray to Akua and to Laka. My grandmother told me
I can never set up a kuahu because my halau is to be dedicated to God.
But it was all right to do the chants that honor Laka because those chants need
to continue otherwise it would be forgotten. For us this is part of the ritual
that prepares us spiritually, physically, and mentally for the hula. This is one of
the ways we build our mana.
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