Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian for two days of Hawaiian culture celebration. Free, Friday and Saturday, May 15–16. Check out the full schedule of activities. Welcome Kānepō Ka Lua (meaning Kānepō the Second) to Washington, DC with a hoʻolauleʻa (Hawaiian celebration). Kānepō Ka Lua, a volcanic stone from the famed area of Kaʻauea that overlooks the caldera of Halemaʻumaʻu, hails from the district of Kaʻū on the island of Hawaiʻi. Kānepō is being loaned to the museum for a 20-year period by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in consultation with their Kūpuna (Elders) Consultation Group. The group of
elders recognized the importance of sending a new stone to serve as the museum’s Western cardinal marker and as an ambassador for Kānaka Maoli in DC. |
Hands On: Kapa Workshop with Page Chang Friday and Saturday, May 15–16 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios in Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi. Hoʻolauleʻa: Welcoming Kānepō Ka Lua Saturday, May 16, 11 am–5
pm Bring the family to celebrate Kānepō Ka Lua with curator tours, music by The Aloha Boys, hula performances by Halau Ho'omau I ka Wai Ola O Hawai'i, and hands on activities. SCHEDULE - 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm |Curator Tour: Kānepō Ka Lua
- Join Dr. Halena Kapuni-Reynolds (Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture) to learn more about Kānepō Ka Lua’s journey to
Washington, D.C. Tours are limited capacity, first come, first served.
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- 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm | Performances by The Aloha Boys
- The Aloha Boys, Glen Hirabayashi, Isaac Hoʻopiʻi and Irv Queja–met in 1996 while playing music for their children at Hālau O 'Aulani, a school of Hawaiian culture, in the Washington, D.C. area. The band plays kanikapila or an acoustic down-home, backyard-style Hawaiian music, which includes
everything from the very traditional to contemporary songs and styles. Their music has taken them from the Washington, DC area to venues throughout the United States and abroad. The music of The Aloha Boys brings them and their audience back to a lifestyle that is unique and precious to Hawaiʻi.
- 12 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm | Performances by Hālau Hoʻomau I ka Wai Ola O Hawaiʻi
- Hālau Hoʻomau I ka Wai
Ola O Hawaiʻi, meaning “through hula and halau, we remain young at heart and full of life,” is a traditional Hawaiian cultural school. The Hālau, established in 2000, is based in Alexandria, Virginia. The Hālau was blessed by their Auntie Genoa Keawe and Auntie Nona Beamer who presented an ipu heke ʻole (a gourd instrument used in hula) that belonged to Nona’s mother Helen Desha Beamer to carry on the teachings. The Hālau’s Kumu Hula Manu Ikaika studied under John
Piʻilani Watkins and Mahina Bailey.
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- 11 am–1 pm, 2–4 pm | Hands On: Lāʻī (Ti Leaf) Bracelets
- Learn about the cultural significance of the Ti (Cordyline fruticose) plant. Native Hawaiians use the Ti from root to leaf, incorporating it into
lei making, food wrapping, and ceremonial practices. Visitors can make a lāʻī (ti leaf) bracelet to take home!
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- 11-11:45 am, 12:30-1:15 pm, and 2:30-3:15 pm | Hands On: Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
- Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios in Waimānalo,
Hawaiʻi. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke (paper mulberry) and pound the bast fiber with traditional tools and make their own piece of kapa to take home.
Check out the full schedule of activities. |
While you're there, make sure to make visit The Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe, which offers a wonderful array of Native-inspired foods with options for both picky and adventurous eaters. Taken together, this celebration and a quick stop at the cafe offers a fantastic journey through new cultures, right here in
town! To learn about everything happening at the museum, visit americanindian.si.edu. Best, Debra Ross Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com |
We periodically send special editions of the KidsOutAndAbout.com e-newsletter to showcase an important upcoming event or opportunity. This is one of those! Thanks for being part of our community! Please note that if you choose to unsubscribe, you'll
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