Kahu Kekai Robinson, ʻĪao Valley, Maui 2022

KEKAI ROBINSON

kahu moʻomeheu, Hawaiian cultural advisor

Kekai Rebecca Olsen Robinson is a Maui-born native of Nā Wai ʻEhā with roots in Pauoa, Mākena, Kaupō, and Hāna. After achieving her degree at Kamehameha Secondary Schools, Kapālama, she returned to Maui to teach ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and has been teaching in the Maui community since 1991. She earned her A.A. and B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi and has also majored in business at Kaplan University. In addition to owning and operating her small business - Hoʻāla Consulting, LLC., which provides transcription and translation of legal and medical documents - she has worked as a paralegal, a pharmacy technician, and a community advocate for a variety of non-profit organizations. She is a practitioner of traditional Hawaiian chant with Hālau Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻo Piʻilani and she is an accomplished traditional artist specializing in featherwork, woodcarving, and other natural fiber arts. Previously a singer-songwriter and bass player for Hawaiian music wāhine trio, Ahumanu, she continues to travel on tour as a backup singer for Hawaiian music legend, Kumu Hula Kealiʻi Reichel. She also serves as the Deputy Director of the Department of ʻŌiwi Resources for the County of Maui.