Victoria Holt Takamine is a Native Hawaiian kumu hula (hula teacher), cultural practitioner, and activist. She is the founder of the PAâÂÂI Foundation, an organization dedicated to perpetuating Native Hawaiian cultural traditions, and a nationally recognized advocate for Indigenous rights and cultural preservation.
Takamine was born and raised on Oûahu, Hawaiûi to Charles Holt and Frances Kalei Heath. She trained in hula under renowned kumu hula Maiki Aiu Lake and graduated through the traditional à «niki process in 1975. She attended, and graduated from, Kamehameha Schools, KapÃÂlama, later earning a Bachelor's and Master's degree in dance ethnology from the University of Hawaiûi at MÃÂnoa.
Takamine is the kumu hula of HÃÂlau Pua Aliûi ûIlima, which she founded in 1977. Her hÃÂlau has performed in numerous cultural events, including the Merrie Monarch Festival. She is known for using hula not just as a cultural practice but also as a medium for political activism. Although she is retired from the University of Hawaiûi, she continues to teach through workshops hosted at the university's various campuses
In 2001, Takamine established the PAâÂÂI Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners. She is a co-founder of the , an annual festival that began in 2016, that highlights Native Hawaiian visual and performing arts.
She has also led efforts to protect Native Hawaiian burial sites and advocated for Native Hawaiian self-determination, notably participating in demonstrations and public education around land use and cultural preservation. Takamine was a leading figure in protests against the desecration of Native Hawaiian sacred sites, including opposition to construction projects that threatened iwi kà «puna (ancestral remains).
Takamine has served on the boards and advisory groups of numerous cultural and community organizations. In 2024, she was appointed as the first-ever Cultural Adviser to the Doris Duke FoundationâÂÂs Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, bringing her expertise in Native Hawaiian cultural practices to an institution rooted in multicultural and cross-cultural engagement.
Through her leadership of PAâÂÂI Foundation, she has built partnerships with local and national arts organizations, health care systems, and educational institutions. She has collaborated with entities such as HawaiâÂÂi Pacific Health to integrate Native Hawaiian cultural values and practices into holistic health and wellness initiatives. Her advocacy often emphasizes the importance of place-based knowledge and ancestral wisdom in shaping sustainable futures for Indigenous communities.
As a respected kumu hula and Hawaiian advocate, Takamine advances cultural sovereignty through education, policy advocacy, and artistic expression. Her work has been instrumental in bridging the arts and activism, using hula and Native Hawaiian aesthetics to promote awareness of Indigenous rights and social justice.
In 2016, Takamine was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor in the United States for folk and traditional artists.
In 2024, Takamine was awarded The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for her "outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankindâÂÂs enjoyment and understanding of life."