UH Hilo names Kealiʻi Lum as first doctoral candidate to receive Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship
Kealiʻi Lum’s dissertation examines the connections between younger audiences and the Hawaiian language through experimental musical expression.
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has announced the first doctoral recipient of the Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship.
Nicholas “Kealiʻi” Lum, a doctoral candidate in Hawaiian and Indigenous language and culture revitalization at UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, is focusing his dissertation on the intersection of traditional Hawaiian mele (song) and modern music.
His dissertation, “Pewa: I Ola ke Mele Hawaiʻi i kona Mele ʻia” (“Pewa: The Life of Hawaiian Music in Its Song”), examines the connections between younger audiences and the Hawaiian language through experimental musical expression.
“In my dissertation, I define mele as being logogenic, which means that words in a genre of music are more important than the musical treatment,” says Lum. “And I believe that represents mele Hawaiʻi. It’s always the language within the text that is more important.”
Lum is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, and received his bachelor of arts degrees in music and Hawaiian studies, as well as a master’s degree in Hawaiian studies, from UH Mānoa.
In addition, he is a graduated ʻōlapa and hoʻopaʻa of Hālau nā Kamalei o Līlīlehua under the direction of Robert Cazimero, and was a member of the multi-award winning traditional Hawaiian music group Keauhou. He works with the Kaiapuni Assessment of Educational Outcomes (KĀʻEO) team where he aids in the development of standardized assessments for the Hawaiian immersion school system.
With the Makuakāne fellowship, Lum will build on his 2023 debut album “Pewa,” using experimental approaches to mele Hawaiʻi that “promote both cultural resilience and linguistic vitality.”
The Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship
Established by the daughters of Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne, the fellowship honors their parents’ lifelong advocacy of Hawaiian language and culture education.
“Our parents did not have formal educational opportunities beyond the ninth grade in Puna,” says Teresa Makuakāne-Drechsel, a linguist with a doctorate in higher education. “Therefore, seeing this fellowship support Kealiʻi’s doctoral journey is a powerful reminder that their legacy continues to uplift future generations of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi leaders.”
UH Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language is the only institution worldwide offering a doctoral degree in Indigenous language and culture revitalization. In 2023, the college was designated as the first National Native American Language Resource Center, further expanding its role in advancing language revitalization across the United States.
“The Makuakāne family has been longstanding supporters of our college, ever since their mother (Lydia) played a big role in the movement that started the Hawaiian language revitalization,” says Kaʻiu Kimura, director of the college. “It’s such an honor that the family continues to work with us to forward our purpose.”
The Makuakāne Fellowship ensures that students, like Lum, have the resources to complete their research, while also carrying forward the cultural knowledge and values that make the College of Hawaiian Language a global leader in Indigenous language revitalization.
“Keeping Hawaiian language alive for future generations has always been important to our family,” says Makuakāne-Drechsel. “This endowment is our way of honoring our parents’ values while giving others the opportunity to carry on this important work.”
For more information about the Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship or to support Hawaiian language initiatives at UH Hilo, contact the UH Foundation.
Update: Video
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