Kumus: Hawaiian Culture Practitioners
Kehau Glassco
Aloha, Iʻm Kēhau Glassco from Kahaluʻu, Oʻahu. My husband, Jerry, is a project manager and we have two kids. Our son is in the Coast Guard, and our daughter is a senior at Ke Kula o Kamakau, a Hawaiian immersion school. I am a vice principal at Kamehameha Middle School and was previously a social studies teacher at Kamehameha and Kailua High Schools. My passion is Hawaiian history and education! It is essential for people to have a deep understanding of the history of Hawaiʻi, as it enables them to empathize with the Hawaiian people and appreciate their vast and amazing knowledge and the intricate process of Westernization. A comprehensive understanding of Hawaiʻi's history is crucial for embracing cultural diversity and the Hawaiian people’s historical trauma.
Kumu Malina Kaulukukui
C. Malina Kaulukukui, MSW, retired from the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa in 2015, where she focused on behavioral health and cultural programming for MSW students. She currently assists the University of Hawai’iʻs John A. Burns School of Medicineʻs Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence to develop and implement cultural immersion programs for medical students and residents. She is a haku ho’oponopono – a ho’oponopono practitioner, who ‘unikiʻd – graduated - from Likeke and Lynette Paglinawan, who themselves were mentored by Tutu Mary Kawena Pukui. Kumu Malina also teaches this family-based culturall practice to others who want to become traditional ho’oponoono practitioners. She has been dancing hula all of her adult life and is a respected kumu hula, with a halau in Kaka’ako. Since her retirement, Kumu Malina has been teaching hula at the womenʻs prison, using her professional background in substance abuse treatment and trauma-informed care to help prisoners embrace hula as a cultural “tool” to effect healing.
C. Malina Kaulukukui, MSW, retired from the School of Social Work, University of Hawai`i in 2015, where she focused on behavioral health and cultural programming. She currently assists the University of Hawai’iʻs John A. Burns School of Medicine develop and implement cultural immersion programming for medical students. She is a practitioner of ho’oponopono in the traditional methodology of Mary Kawena Pukui. She has been dancing hula all of her adult life and is a respected kumu hula. Since her retirement, Ms. Kaukukukui has been teaching hula at the womenʻs prison, using her background in substance abuse treatment and trauma-informed care to help inmates embrace hula as a cultural “tool” to effect healing.
Elijah Kala McShane
Elijah Kala McShane is a kanaka oiwi o Hawai’i (native descendant of the Hawaiian islands) and direct descendant of both Hawai’i/Maui & O’ahu chiefly lineages. Elijah, also known as Kahu Kala, is the co-founder (with his wife Jazmin Yong) of Awakened Aloha, an organization focused on “inspiring a world where aloha is the heartbeat of humanity.” Awakened Aloha’s work bridges ancient wisdom and ancestral connection to modern wellness through the mauli ola (healing arts), la’au lapa’au (plant medicine), aloha education, and community development. His work has inspired hearts in the educational, political, and spiritual sectors of modern Hawai’i to visioneer a future that promotes harmony for all people beginning with Hawai’i and her children. As an ambassador of aloha and messenger of lokahi, Elijah shares a universal message that lays at the foundation of all people and cultures, “aloha ‘aina, aloha akua, aloha kanaka” (a deep honor and reverence for the land, the spirits, and the people). May this message of truth reach all dimensions of existence and call forth unity from the depths of po to the peaks of the lewa lani. E ola mau.
More on Elijah:
The Chiefhood
As a passionate coach for healthy masculine development and an avid participant in mens work, Elijah founded The Chiefhood in 2021, to create spaces for “men of worldwide heritages to grow in their power, love, and connection to lead ourselves, our families, our communities, and the
world into a heart-centered humanity.” This space creates a container for men who battle with mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational issues in their lives plaguing the hearts of man with depression, anxiety, insecurities, and a loss of identity, purpose, and contribution. The Chiefhood gathers men weekly for conscious conversations around such topics and dives deep into cultural connection twice every mahina (moon cycle) to cleanse, activate, and empower the sacred embodiments of the inner chief.
Ryan Keali`i Souza
Ryan is on a forever journey of discovery. There are many labels that could describe Ryan, but they all fall under the title of The Journey. It could encompass the artistic, the spiritual, the professional, the athlete, the son, the father, the husband, the friend, the brother, the Reverend, the singer, the teacher; all titles inseparable from the man. This is who he is and who he strives to maintain and elevate with every step upon his peculiar journey of life.
Through his gifts and talents he is able to share with and connect to those who are open and ready to dive into the depths of spirit, of self, and of Aloha.