Kōlea, Courage & Community | Hula Manu October Newsletter

Ka Pā Hula Nā Manu Hoʻoheno Aloha | Hula Manu

Nūleka - ʻOkakopa 2026

Aloha nō kākou!

October is here! During these very hot days, I know I’m not alone in hoping that cooler fall weather is just around the corner.

There is much happening at Hula Manu this month as our inaugural Papa Kōlea hui completes its first learning period, and we prepare to welcome our next hui in November.

Final 2026 Enrollment

Registration is now open for our next Papa Kōlea: Foundations learning period, beginning November 5.

This will be the final opportunity for new haumāna to begin with Hula Manu in 2026. (Our next new-student learning period will not begin until February 2027.)

Papa Kōlea is the required eight-week foundational course for adults entering Hula Manu. No previous hula experience is necessary, and class size is intentionally kept small.

A $25 reservation deposit holds your place and is credited toward your first month's $65 tuition.

Reservation Deposit: $25
Monthly Tuition: $65
Remaining First-Month Tuition: $40

Learning Period 2

November 5, 12, 19
December 3, 10, 17
January 7, 14

Reserve Your Spot for the November Hui

Upcoming Papa Kōlea Learning Periods

Learning Period 3
February 4, 11, 18, 25
March 4, 11, 18, 25

Learning Period 4
April 8, 15, 22, 29
May 6, 13, 20, 27

LEARN MORE

October is Filipino American History Month, a time to recognize the history, contributions, and experiences of Filipinos in the United States.

This history has particular significance in Hawaiʻi. The modern Filipino community in Hawaiʻi traces an important chapter of its history to at least 1906, when a group of 15 sakadas (Filipino plantation laborers) arrived to work in Hawaiʻi's sugar industry. Many thousands followed, becoming an important part of Hawaiʻi's labor history and the generations of Filipino families who have helped shape Hawaiʻi ever since.

The connections between the Philippines and the Pacific reach much further back than this more recent history. Pilipino and Polynesian peoples have their own distinct histories and identities, but both are part of the much larger Austronesian story. Languages, voyaging traditions, and modern genetic research point to ancient movements of Austronesian peoples through the Philippines and Island Southeast Asia and onward into Oceania.

As someone of Pilipino heritage, whose life and work are also deeply connected to hula, I find these histories especially meaningful. They offer another opportunity to learn about the many migrations, relationships, and histories that connect people across the Pacific.

LEARN MORE - FANHS

Manu Highlight: Kōlea

During our last visit to Hawaiʻi Island, the kōlea was one of my target birds, (a bird I was especially hoping to see.) I was absolutely giddy when, not long after we landed, it became one of the first birds I spotted at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park!

A male kōlea in breeding plumage, foraging along the sandy shoreline for food.

An individual in non-breeding plumage, spotted along the trail to the beach near a construction area. Its coloring blended remarkably well with its surroundings!

The kōlea, or Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva), is the namesake of Papa Kōlea, the foundational class where every Hula Manu haumāna begins.

Each year, kōlea make an extraordinary migration between their breeding grounds in Alaska and their wintering grounds in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere across the Pacific. Their seasonal return and long journey have made the kōlea especially meaningful to me as a symbol of movement, perseverance, and finding one's way.

That is also why I chose Papa Kōlea as the name of our foundational class. Every haumāna enters Hula Manu from a different place and with different experiences. Papa Kōlea provides a common starting place. A time to establish foundational practices, learn how we move and study together, and prepare for the classes that follow.

There is much more to learn about this remarkable manu.

Learn more about the kōlea:

Save the Date!

Our Christmas & Winter Holidays Celebration will be held on Saturday, December 12.

This will be a time for our Hula Manu ʻohana to gather outside of class, enjoy one another's company, and celebrate our first winter holiday season together.

We will share additional details directly with current haumāna through the BAND app, so please check there for more information.

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau

He hoʻokele waʻa no ka lā ʻino.
A canoe steersman for a stormy day.
A courageous person.

~ ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #592

October is often a month when we have fun with things that are spooky or frightening, so it seems like a fitting time to think about koa, courage.

Courage isn't only about being fearless. Sometimes it means moving forward even when we are uncertain or uncomfortable. Like the skilled hoʻokele who must steer a waʻa through rough conditions, courage asks us to remain steady when the easier choice might be to turn away.

Koa can take many forms: trying something new; speaking up when our opinion differs from others; advocating for ourselves or someone else; setting a necessary boundary; or choosing what is right for us rather than always prioritizing the comfort or approval of others.

It can also mean having the courage to be genuine rather than performative. Allowing our actions to reflect what we truly value, even when that looks different from what others expect.

Courage does not always have to be loud or dramatic. Sometimes it is simply the willingness to take the next step and steer our waʻa with purpose, especially when the waters are uncertain.

October brings our inaugural Papa Kōlea learning period to a close and prepares us to welcome our next hui in November. Mahalo to everyone who has helped make these first months of Hula Manu so meaningful.

To our inaugural haumāna, congratulations on nearly completing your foundational learning period. There is still much ahead to learn, practice, and experience together.

And to those considering beginning with us in November, we would be happy to welcome you.

A hui hou.

~ Kumu Nohea

Ka Pā Hula Nā Manu Hoʻoheno Aloha

Hula Manu

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in this Issue

haumāna: student; learner
hoʻokele: to steer, navigate, or guide
hui: group; gathering of people brought together for a shared purpose
ʻino: bad, severe, stormy; as in lā ʻino, a stormy day
koa: brave, bold, courageous; courage
kōlea: Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva)
kumu: teacher; source of knowledge
lā: day
mahalo: thanks; gratitude; appreciation
manu: bird
nā manu: the birds
ʻohana: family; extended family
ʻOkakopa: October
ʻōlelo noʻeau: Hawaiian proverb or wise saying
pā hula: hula space; a place where hula is practiced and taught
Papa Kōlea: papa, class or learning group; kōlea, Pacific golden plover. Hula Manu’s foundational class for all new haumāna
pilina: relationship; connection
waʻa: canoe

image of Filipino American History Month from the Alameda Unified School District website, created by the stock vector illustrator, Dmitriy NDM

photo credit: I. Magboo (kōlea); stock photography from Unsplash (Christmas tree)

image of painting by Robert Wyland - Storm 2001