NÃÂlani Kanakaûole (March 19, 1946 â January 3, 2026) was a Hawaiian kumu hula (hula teacher) at HÃÂlau o Kekuhi, the dance company. The daughter of Edith Kanakaûole, she led HÃÂlau o Kekuhi along with her niece Huihui Kanahele-Mossman. In 1993, she and her sister, Pualani Kanakaûole Kanahele, were jointly named National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts, which recognized them as "Hula Masters".
Born on March 19, 1946, Kanakaûole was raised on homestead lands in Keaukaha, Hilo, Hawaii, in a traditional Hawaiian fashion. She first learned hula from her grandmother, Mary Kekuewa Kanaele Fujii. She was 13 years old when her mother Edith Kanakaûole started work as a hula teacher, and began teaching hula herself at the age of 14 in 1960. Her family spoke the Hawaiian language at home.
In 1985, Kanakaûole opened Sig Zane Designs alongside her husband, Sig Zane.
In 1982, Kanakaûole and Sig Zane had a son, Kà «haûo Zane.
KanakaâÂÂole died in Hilo on January 3, 2026, at the age of 79.