Nālani Kanakaʻole, a fifth-generation kumu hula and cultural matriarch whose life's work preserved ancient mele and hula kahiko, died peacefully at home in Hilo on Jan. 3, 2026. She was 79. Her passing has left Hālau o Kekuhi, students across the islands, and a global circle of practitioners grieving a teacher who demanded rigorous mastery of chant and dance.
A family spokesperson said her death was peaceful, according to Hawaii News Now. Born Faith Nālani Kanakaʻole on March 19, 1946, in Keaukaha, Hilo, she was raised on homestead lands and immersed in Hawaiian language, protocols and traditional practice. She is survived by her husband, Sigmund "Sig" Zane; son Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane (Shaelene Kamakaʻala); grandchildren Loliʻi Kamakaʻala Barron and Nāholowaʻa Zane; sister Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele; and niece and co-kumu hula Huihui Kanahele-Mossman.
In 1993, she and her sister Pualani were jointly named National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts, an honor that recognized them as "Hula Masters" and acknowledged decades of work preserving chant and pre-contact dance. The fellowship underscored the sisters’ dedication to mele oli and to the ʻaihaʻa style that sat at the center of their teaching.
Hālau o Kekuhi And A Lifetime Of Teaching
Kanakaʻole began intense training at age three under her grandmother, Mary Kekuewa Kanaele Fujii, and later under her mother, Edith Kanakaʻole. She started teaching at 14 and devoted nearly seven decades to transmitting cultural knowledge, according to Maui Now. Her approach insisted that chant, movement and protocol could not be separated, a standard that turned Hālau o Kekuhi into a living repository of ancestral practice. The hālau gained international acclaim for its mastery of pre-contact forms while staying firmly rooted in Hilo.
Design, Lectures And Family Stewardship
Alongside her husband, Sig Zane, Kanakaʻole co-founded Sig Zane Designs in 1985, creating prints inspired by native Hawaiian plants, moʻolelo, and symbols. Their son, Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane, now plays a leading role in the company, according to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. She also lectured in Hawaiian Studies, authored works on hula and design, and scripted performances showcasing hula as a demanding system of knowledge transmission. UH Hilo faculty and ʻohana members said her teaching helped anchor indigenous knowledge within local institutions and classrooms.
Recent Honors And The Kanakaʻole Legacy
In November 2025, the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts honored the Kanakaʻole sisters with a lifetime-achievement award and presented the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation with the Crash Kealoha Award, recognizing decades of cultural service, according to Maui Now. The recognition, coming just months before her death, highlighted how the Kanakaʻole ʻohana’s recordings, teachings, and performances have elevated Hawaiian language and chant on global stages.
What’s Next
Details on memorial services are pending and will be announced by the family, outlets report. Kanakaʻole’s emphasis on discipline, language, and lineage now serves as a roadmap for the next generation of kumu and stewards of mele and hula, in Hilo and around the world.
