kuualoha hoomanawanui is a Native Hawaiian author who is known for her scholarship on Pele.
Born in Kailua, Oûahu, hoûomanawanui also spent part of her childhood on Kauaûi at Wailua Homesteads. Attending the University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa as an undergraduate, hoûomanawanui earned her B.A. in Hawaiian Studies, an M.A. in Polynesian Religion, and PhD in English literature at the university. While in graduate school, hoûomanawanui was a founding editor of ÃȈ Âiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal. She became the chief editor after the passing of Mahealani Dudoit.
hoûomanawanui has been a full professor with the University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa since 2007, teaching Native Hawaiian literature and Pacific (Oceanic) literature. Her focus is on moûolelo, especially the legends of the Hawaiian goddess Pele. hoûomanawanui is the first Native Hawaiian with a tenure track position in the Department of English at the University of Hawaiûi. Her work received an honorable mention for the Modern Language Association Prize for Studies in Native American Literatures, Cultures, and Languages.