“Eia na pua Ihiihilauakea. I kui ia i lei a he lei hookahi”
The chant to honor the late kumu hula Darrell Ihiihilauakea Lupenui echoed vibrantly through the crowd-filled Edith Kanakaole Stadium in Hilo. More than 130 kane dancers joined by musicians and hoopaa (chanters and drummers) performed at the Merrie Monarch hoike in April to pay tribute to 50 years of kane hula at the festival and the kumu who revolutionized the dance as we know it today. It was the largest gathering of performers on stage during the festival’s 63-year history.
“His legacy is well cemented for all time,” says kumu hula Blaine Kia, one of Lupenui’s former students from Men of Waimapuna. “And he left it with us to continue in his footsteps.”
Kumus Blaine Kia (front right) and Chinky Mahoe (to his left) with the Men of Waimapuna.
The performance was a culmination of many months of practice from Lupenui’s original Men of Waimapuna dancers and their downlines in Lupenui’s hula lineage – his former dancers who became kumu and their students.
“Most of the dancers on stage were not even born when Darrell was alive,” Kia noted. “But we all came together with one purpose. The performance wasn’t about us. It was about honoring kumu Darryl and the legacy he left for us.”
Kahiko during the hoike at the 2026 Merrie Monarch Festival.
They performed some of the kahiko (ancient hula) that Lupenui’s halau performed when they dominated the Merrie Monarch stage 50 years ago, including “Kupee O Molokai.” And they danced auana (modern hula) from some of his favorite mele, including “Waikaloa” and “Ka Maui.” The Merrie Monarch hoike was also graced by Lupenui’s former wahine dancers from the Ladies of Keala o Ka Lauae.
A record 130 dancers, hoopaa, and musicians performed at the 2026 Merrie Monarch Festival hoike.
Larger than life
Lupenui founded Men of Waimapuna in 1976 during Hawaii’s renaissance, a rebirth of Hawaiian culture and traditions. In 1978, the halau was the first all-male group to win the Kane division at the Merrie Monarch Festival, dominating both the kahiko and auana categories. The halau would go on to dominate male hula at the festival throughout the 1980s, breaking down the stigma that hula was only for women.
Lupenui was known for being larger than life in everything he did. In addition to innovative choreography, he had a distinct chanting and singing voice. He won a Na Hoku Hanohano award as Most Promising Artist for his first recording. Lupenui died in 1987 at the age of 34.
Hula dancers chant to honor the late kumu hula Darrell Lupenui.
Personal journey
Kia remembers when he first joined Lupenui’s halau while still a high school student. “At my first practice, I gagged,” he remembers. “I thought I was going to die. It was extremely physical and athletic. It was painful and hard. But it also felt so good, so right. My body just loved it. I told myself that I found my home. This is where I belong. And I never looked back.”
Lupenui’s powerful, warrior-like hula set a new standard for kane hula that continues today in his former students, including kumu Chinky Mahoe of the award-winning halau Kawailiula.
Dancers honor Darrell Lupenui with a kahiko at the 2026 Merrie Monarch Festival's hoike.
Lupenui’s reach is worldwide. In addition to his halau in Hawaii, Kia also has halaus in California, Japan, New Zealand, and Tahiti. And hula helps keep his family connected. His wife and three children are involved in the halau. On stage at the Merrie Monarch hoike, he danced alongside his son and two nephews.
“I carry kumu Darrell’s spirit with me every single day,” says Kia. “We’re a reflection of his discipline, love, and compassion.”
Love for a kumu
Zosimo Arista started dancing in Lupenui’s halau in 1980 at the age of 15. He remembers Lupenui mostly for his humility. “He was strict, but he never yelled at us or called us out by name to correct us,” Arista says. “He would just say, ‘Do it again. One more time.’”
Zosimo Arista at a Merrie Monarch Festival rehearsal. (Photo courtesy: Zosimo Arista)
Arista, who went on to become a kumu, said Lupenui’s creativity came from his mom and connection to Hawaiian spirituality. “A lot of the hula was passed down from Aunty Muriel,” he says. “But he would also dream about the hula and teach it to us. A lot of his intense, amazing creativity in the dance and costumes came from his dreams.”
The halau’s love for their kumu was strong. When Lupenui’s health was declining, Arista would spend hours with him at his bedside. “In college, I’d go to his hospital room after class and do my calculus homework and stay with him until late at night,” he remembers.
Kumu hula Darrell Lupenui (center) and his Men of Waimapuna after winning at the Merrie Monarch Festival in 1986. (Photo courtesy: Zosimo Arista)
Arista says dancing in this year’s hoike was bittersweet. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity,” he says. “To dance in Men of Waimapuna and be part of his hula lineage was an honor.”
Carrying on the tradition
Lupenui’s legacy also lives on in Eo Lei Iliahi, a nonprofit foundation that Kia and other former students created about 10 years ago to perpetuate Lupenui’s hula traditions, teachings, and stylings. The foundation was named after his favorite flower – the iliahi from the fragrant sandalwood tree.
A commemorative badge and pin to honor the late kumu hula Darrell Lupenui.
Although the Merrie Monarch hoike wasn’t televised along with the three-day competition, this year was the first time it was streamed and posted on the Merrie Monarch webpage. A hana hou performance was presented at John F. Kennedy Theater by the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s annual Asia Pacific Dance Festival.
A documentary about the 50th anniversary of the Men of Waimapuna and their return to the Merrie Monarch stage is currently in production.
“It’s up to the next generation to carry on his legacy,” Kia says.
HMSA has respectfully removed all diacritical markings from this article for formatting purposes.
Merrie Monarch hoike photos courtesy Eo Lei Iliahi.
Celebrating Hula
Read more stories in islandscene.com about Hawaii’s hula tradition.
