Nevada Arts Council names 2015 Nevada Heritage Award winners
The Folklife Program of the Nevada Arts Council has named Las Vegas residents Gary and Sheldeen Haleamau as recipients of the 2015 Nevada Heritage Award. The Haleamaus are recognized for preserving, perpetuating and presenting their native Hawaiian culture throughout Nevada.
Gary was born and raised on a ranch in North Kona, and local cowboy music, or “paniolo” as it is know in Hawaiian, was part of his family culture for generations. He is noted for his “leo ki-eki’e and ki ho’alu” the Hawaiian words for falsetto singing and slack key guitar. He has performed around the world and won many awards for his recordings.
Sheldeen, born on Kaua’i into a family of hula dancers, studied with a number of hula masters called “kumus.” Both a dancer and a teacher, Sheldeen teaches Hawaiian language and culture along with dance so that students understand the full meaning of hula. She introduces each song or chant, known as a “mele” with a description of its meaning. She is also a fine traditional and contemporary Hawaiian singer.
The couple was nominated by Nevada folklorist Rachel Hopkin, of Nevada Humanities, who said they express the gifts of both traditional and contemporary Hawaiian art, with excellence. “The Aloha spiritual path guides their lives and involves the practice of presence, humility, perseverance, unity, and honesty,” Hopkin said. “They are artists of great distinction who believe it is their responsibility, or ‘kuleana’ in Hawaiian, to pass on the art, music, and culture that will keep Hawaii alive, even on the mainland.”
The Haleamaus are well-respected performers and teachers of traditional Hawaiian culture and are extremely active in the Las Vegas area Hawaiian-Asian-Pacific Islander community. Their family band includes their sons and they regularly perform for the Lei Day Festival and at local retirement homes, museums, schools and churches.
The Nevada Heritage Awards honor and recognize Nevada master folk and traditional artists who, at the highest level of excellence and authenticity, carry forward the folk traditions of their families and communities through practice and teaching. The award carries a $3,500 stipend. The Nevada Arts Council presents the awards to individuals whose achievements have had a positive impact on the excellence, vitality and public appreciation of folk and traditional arts in Nevada.
The Nevada Arts Council, a division of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, is the agency charged with ensuring that state and national funds support cultural activity and encourage participation in the arts throughout Nevada. In addition to providing hundreds of grants to arts and community-based organizations, schools, artists and local municipalities throughout the state, the Arts Council coordinates a variety of statewide programs and activities such as the annual Poetry Out Loud recitation competition for high-school aged students, traveling exhibits, artist residencies, workshops and cultural assessments. For more information, visit the department’s website at nac.nevadaculture.org/ or call (775) 687-6680.
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