The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowships is the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. The program was established by the late Bess Lomax Hawes in 1982 as a way to celebrate and honor artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation’s traditional arts heritage.
Each year, the NEA awards up to ten National Heritage Fellowships who are selected from the many nominations received from across the continental United States, Hawaiʻi, Alaska and the U.S. territories. Since the programs founding, the NEA has awarded National Heritage Fellowships to individuals and groups representing more than 200 distinct art forms. As of 2023, National Heritage Fellowships have been awarded to nineteen tradition bearers from the Hawaiian Islands, a testament to the rich and varied artistic traditions in Hawaiʻi.
Folk and traditional arts are rooted in communities that share a common ethnic heritage, language, religion, occupation, or geographic region. These deeply cherished traditions can be expressed through music, dance, crafts and storytelling and are shaped by values and excellence defined by their own community. The skills and values of folk and traditional arts are passed down from generation to generation informally within families and communities, with each generation enriching the tradition in new ways.
Nominations for the National Heritage Fellowship program can be submitted by any individual or group. For more information, please visit the National Endowment for the Arts website: arts.gov/honors/heritage.
Roen Hufford: National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Tribute Video (2023)
Kapa maker Roen Hufford of Waimea (Hawaiʻi Island) was one of nine cultural practitioners honored by the National Endowment for the Arts 2023 National Heritage Fellowship Award. Hufford carries on the labor-intensive traditional art of ka hana kapa (making barkcloth) with designs inspired by the richness of her Hawaiian environment and is a leading figure in the reclaiming of this nearly lost art.
Three kapa pieces by Roen Hufford (“Alaea”, “Ka Papa Honua (strata of earth)”, and “Piʻi Ka Mauna”) were recently on display in the “Accession: recent additions to the Art in Public Places Collection” exhibit at Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum). Roen’s kapa artwork will also be featured in the “Our Sea of Islands” and “ʻAi ā manō” exhibitions at Capitol Modern as a part of the celebration of the 2024 Festival of the Pacific (FestPAC). The SFCA Art in Public Places Collection currently has six kapa pieces made by Hufford.
Learn more about Roen Hufford on the NEA website: arts.gov/honors/heritage/roen-kahalewai-hufford-hawaiian.
Francis P. Sinenci: National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Tribute Video (2022)
Francis “Palani” Sinenci is a Kuhikuhi Puʻuone (Master Indigenous Architect) and builder who spearheaded the creation of the Indigenous Architecture Building Code.
In 2022, he was one of ten cultural practitioners honored by the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award. Learn more about Sinenci on the NEA website: arts.gov/honors/heritage/francis-p-sinenci.
| Photo | Name | Year | Traditional Art Form | Culture | Biographical Information | Recordings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Kauʻi Zuttermeister | 1984 | Mele Oli & Hula - Hawaiian Chant & Dance | Hawaiian |
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| Mealiʻi Kalama | 1985 | Kapa Kuiki - Hawaiian Quilting | Hawaiian |
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 | Raymond Kane | 1987 | Kihoʻalu - Slack Key Guitar | Hawaiian |
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| Clyde "Kindy" Sproat | 1988 | Mele - Hawaiian Song | Hawaiian |
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| Marie Leilehua MacDonald | 1990 | Leimaking | Hawaiian |
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 | Harry Seisho Nakasone | 1991 | Sanshin - Classical Okinawan Music | Okinawan |
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| Pualani Kanahele & Nalani Kanakaʻole | 1993 | Mele Oli & Hula - Hawaiian Chant & Dance | Hawaiian |
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| Solomon & Richard Hoʻopʻi | 1996 | Mele - Hawaiian Song | Hawaiian |
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| Genoa Keawe | 2000 | Mele - Hawaiian Song | Hawaiian |
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| James Kaʻupena Wong | 2005 | Mele Oli - Hawaiian Chant | Hawaiian |
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| George Naʻope | 2006 | Mele Oli & Hula - Hawaiian Chant & Dance | Hawaiian |
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| Eddie Kamae | 2007 | Mele - Hawaiian Song | Hawaiian |
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| Gladys Kukana Grace | 2010 | Ulana Lauhala - Lauhala Weaving | Hawaiian |
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| Ledward Kaʻapana | 2011 | Kihoʻalu - Slack Key Guitar | Hawaiian |
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| Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone | 2012 | Odori - Okinawan Dance | Okinawan | |||
| Gertrude Yukie Tsutsumi | 2015 | Japanese Classical Dance | Japanese |
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| Cyril Pahinui | 2017 | Kihoʻalu - Slack Key Guitar | Hawaiian | National Endowment for the Arts: arts.gov/honors/heritage/cyril-pahinui | ||
| Francis Palani Sinenci | 2022 | Hawaiian Hale Building | Hawaiian | National Endowment for the Arts: arts.gov/honors/heritage/francis-p-sinenci | ||
| Roen Halley Kahalewai McDonald Hufford | 2023 | Ka Hana Kapa - Hawaiian Bark Cloth | Hawaiian | National Endowment for the Arts: arts.gov/honors/heritage/roen-hufford |
