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 family, including 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”.