Pūpūkahi I Ke Alo Ō Nā Pua Hula teacher Lanakila and his students at Te Papa. Photo: Lave Mauga
Lanakila Michael Casupanga teaches Hula at Mid-Pacific Institute, a college preparatory school for school children from ages 5 -18 years old in Honolulu, Hawaii.
As part of their school programme, the Hula students and staff of Pupukahi I Ke Alo O Na Pua Hula group travelled to Aotearoa to perform, share stories, and exchange cultural knowledge. During the trip, the group of forty one staff and students spent time in Auckland at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Mangere, they were looked after by host families in Whakatane, and Wellington based Kapahaka group Nga Tai Hononga o Marutawhiti hosted the students at Maraeroa Marae, Porirua.
It is at Maraeroa that Justine Murray talks to Lanakila Casupang about their trip, while High School Principal Thomas MacManus provides his perspective of experiencing manaakitanga (hospitality), and witnessing the practise of tikanga and Kawa on the Marae.
