Me ke aloha, my name is Kumu Kinohi Pūkaua o Kamehameha, a native of beautiful Hilo, spending most of my childhood mainly in the Hawaiian Homestead lands of Keaukaha. Being raised by my father, Kumu Hula Paul K. Neves, and my music-loving mother, Wanda Mokihana Neves, I was shaped in a home of constant Hawaiian cultural practices. Through this home setting, as well as being a student of the Hawaiian language immersion programs of Punana Leo o Hilo, Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo, and Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, I was determined to continue my studies by obtaining a Bachelors in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and now wrapping up a Masters in Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. My upbringing has also supported my musical career, being a member of a band formerly known as the Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominated “Komakakino”, and now affectionately named “Kea”.