Smithsonian Folklife Festival 7/29-8/9/2025
Ua huakaʻi he 14 ʻōlapa i ka Smithsonian Folklife Festival ma Wakinekona D.C. e komo ai i loko o ia papahana a kū ʻelele no ka poʻe Hawaiʻi. ʻO ka Language Reclamation ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa kekahi mākia nui o ia hanana. E palapala ʻia he ʻano puke moʻomanaʻo ma kēia kahuapaʻa e nā ʻōpio ma ia pūʻulu huakaʻi. Eia kekahi moʻolelo mai ka makakina NMAI.
Iulai 1, 2025 na Kauʻi Kawauchi-Takamine
Aloha mai kākou! ʻO Kauʻi Kawauchi-Takamine koʻu inoa a ua pōmaikaʻi au i kahiki ke huakaʻi pū me Kumu Pele lāua ʻo Kumu Kekoa, a me ka hālau kekahi, i Wakinekona D.C. Ua hōʻea i ka lā ʻekolu o ka huakaʻi ʻana, a ke maʻa nei mākou ʻālapa i ke ʻano oke ola o kēia pule. ʻO kekahi o kaʻu mea punahele o kēia huakaʻi ʻo ia hoʻi ke ala ʻana ma ka hola 8– ʻaʻole pono e ala ma ke kakahiaka nui! ʻO kēia lā ka lā maʻamau mua o kā kākou huakaʻi, a ua paʻahana nō.
Ua hōʻea i ka hale peʻa ma kahi o ka hola 11 o ke kakahiaka, a ua komo koke i ka hana. Ua kākoʻo au iā Kumu Kekoa ma ka noho pānela ʻana ma ka Language Lodge. Ua kākoʻo pū ʻo Kāwika lāua ʻo ʻIolana iā Kumu Kekoa ma ke aʻo ʻana i ke anaina i nā huaʻōlelo a me nā mele Hawaiʻi. ʻO kā mākou hana mua ʻo ia ke aʻo ʻana iā lākou i nā wōela Hawaiʻi i puana pololei lākou nā huaʻōlelo. Ua hoʻomau mākou me ke aʻoaʻo aku i ke mele a me ka hula ʻo “Ke Ao Nani.” Nā Kumu Kekoa i ʻalakaʻi i ke aʻo ʻana, nā Kāwika i kōkua iaʻu me ke kākau ʻana ma nā papa keʻokeʻo, a ua hula pū ʻo ʻIolana me ke ānaina. Nui koʻu mahalo i ka hiki ke aʻo i ka poʻe no waho no nā mea kuʻuna Hawaiʻi.
Ma hope o ka noho pānela ʻana, ua kōkua au me ka pāʻani ʻana me nā malihini i hoihoi i ke aʻo e pili ana i ka holo waʻa a me ke kilo hōkū. Nui koʻu mahalo i ka nui poʻe i walaʻau pū me iaʻu, a me kā lākou hoihoi e aʻo no nā mea a me nā hana o ko kākou poʻe. ʻOi aʻe koʻu mahalo i nā mākua i paipai i ko lākou keiki e komo pū ma nā hana o ko kākou hale peʻa, ʻoiai ʻo lākou ka poʻe mākua o ka wā e hiki mai ana. He lā keu a ka lōʻihi kēia, no laila ua ʻai au i ka ʻaina ahiahi ma ka hōkele me ka wikiwiki, a hoʻi koke i ka lumi no ka palaki niho a me ka hiamoe. Nui koʻu pīhoihoi e komo piha i ka hana i ka lā ʻāpōpō!
Aloha mai kākou! My name is Kauʻi Kawauchi-Takamine, and I am ecstatic to be joining Kumu Pele, Kumu Kekoa, and the hālau on this trip to Washington D.C.! Today, I joined Kumu Kekoa, Kāwika, and ʻIolana in a panel discussion in which we taught the audience basic Hawaiian phrases, as well as the song “Ke Ao Nani.” I enjoyed engaging with the public through song and dance. Afterwards, I retreated to the tent where I busied myself with playing voyaging-themed board games with the tent visitors. I appreciated their enthusiasm for learning traditional navigational practices. As soon as we got back to the hotel, I ate my dinner quickly and headed straight to bed. Iʻm excited for what tomorrow will bring!
Kiʻi ma ka National Mall i paʻi ʻia ma hope pono o ka hōʻike ma ke kahua nui o ka Smithsonian Folklife Festival, lā 4 o Iulai 2025.
Iulai 4, 2025 na Uʻilani Zimmer
Ma ka lā 4 o ka ʻAha Folklife, ua paʻahana mākou a pau ma kekahi hana. Ua nui nā kānaka i kipa i ka ʻaha a me ko mākou hale peʻa . He 4 ʻano pānela ʻokoʻa o kēlā lā: ʻo ka pānela aʻo no ke kālāʻau, ka pānela no ka Reclaiming Our Native Language, ka pānela no ka Growing Up in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, a me ka pānela no ka Using New Media. Ua kōkua o Kumu Kekoa, Kāhinu a me Kaluhea ma ke aʻo ʻana aku no ke kālāʻau a aʻo pū lākou i kekahi mele me nā kālāʻau a me nā moʻolelo no iā mea hoʻokani . No ke kumuhana o ka “Reclaiming Our Native Languages”, ua kū ʻelele ʻo Kalāmanamana no ko nā Hawaiʻi paio ʻana no ka ʻōlelo makuahine. No kēlā pānela ua loaʻa pū nā kānaka ʻōiwi o ʻAmelika e wehewehe ana no kā lākou mau ʻōlelo ponoʻī. Growing Up In ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻo ia kekahi pānela a na Leha, Pine a me Hāweo i noho ma ia pānela a kūkā no ko lākou hānai ʻia ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. No ka pānela hope o kēlā lā ʻo ia ka Using New Media me Kauʻi. He walaʻau kēia no ka hiki ke pili ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi me nā mea mai ka Pūnaewele. ʻO kekahi mau kumuhana i kūkākūkā ʻia, ʻo ia hoʻi ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ka pūnaewele, ma nā ʻaoʻao pāpaho kaiaulu, a i ʻole ma ke kelepona ma o nā wikiō. I ko lākou noho ʻana ma nā pānela, ua kōkua kekahi mau keiki ʻē aʻe ma ka hale peʻa i ka aʻo ʻana i nā malihini pehea e hana ai i nā lei wili, nā lei haku, a me nā lei kui, me ka hāʻawi pū ʻana i ka ʻike hou e pili ana i ke kuʻuna hana lei. Ua aʻo pū kekahi hapa o nā keiki i ka waiwai o nā ʻōlelo noʻeau a me ka unuhi ʻana no nā malihini.
Ma hope o nā pānela a pau, ua hoʻomākaukau mākou no ka hōʻike hula ma ka lā 4 o Iulai. Ua hīmeni mākou i Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Aloha Hawaiʻi, a me Hawaiʻi Aloha. Ua hula pū mākou i ʻelua mele hou, ʻo ia hoʻi Do the Hula, he mele hapa haole, a me He Lei No Kawena, he mele hoʻohanohano iā Mary Kawena Pukui. Ua komo mākou a pau i ka lole aloha mai iā Sig Zane, a he nui nā waihoʻoluʻu nani ma ke kahua. Ua leʻaleʻa ka hula a me ke hīmeni ʻana no ka poʻe, a ua haʻaheo wau i ka hiki ke aʻo aku i nā malihini e pili ana i ko kākou poʻe a me ka mōʻaukala o Hawaiʻi.
He nui pū nā kānaka i komo i ka lole ʻAmelika e like me nā pāpale pelekikena, nā lole me ka hae ʻAmelika, a ua pena ʻia kekahi o nā alo me nā waihoʻoluʻu ʻula, keʻokeʻo, a uliuli. Ma hope o ka hōʻike hula, ua hoʻomaʻemaʻe mākou i ka hale peʻa a hoʻi i ka hōkele. I laila, ua hoʻomākaukau mākou i nā mele no ka lā ʻāpōpō no ka mea, he hōʻike hou ko mākou. I ia pō lā, ua nui nā pahūpahū i lele ʻia ma Wakinekona D.C., a ua hiki ke ʻike ʻia mai ko mākou hōkele ma Wilikinia. Ma hope o ka lā, ua hele kekahi mau keiki e launa pū me kekahi mau pūʻulu ma ka hale ʻaina i mea e hoʻoikaika ai i nā pilina. I ka pō, ua ʻūlū mākou i nā ukana no ka lā ʻāpōpō a laila hiamoe. ʻO ia wale nō kā mākou hana ma ka lā 4 o Iulai ma ka Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
For the 4th of July, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival was packed with people. Many of them visited our tent with little or no knowledge about us, or simply because they were curious about our lifestyle and language. Throughout the day, we hosted four panels that highlighted different aspects of our culture and language. The first was a Kālāʻau Workshop in the music room with Kumu Kekoa, where Kāhinu and Kaluhea taught participants how to use the kālāʻau. The second was a Reclaiming Our Native Language panel at the Language Lodge with Kalāmanamana, who shared about the history of our language. The third panel, Growing Up in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, featured Leha, Pine, and Hāweo as they talked about their experiences being raised speaking Hawaiian. The final panel, Using New Media, explored how ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi can be shared and celebrated on social media platforms.
While some of us were involved in the panels, other students stayed at the tent to teach visitors how to make different kinds of lei. We also shared Hawaiian proverbs, explained their meanings, and talked about why they are important, offering translations to help people understand their deeper significance.
Later in the afternoon, we had a performance on the main stage for the 4th of July celebrations. We sang and danced to songs such as Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Aloha Hawaiʻi, and Hawaiʻi Aloha. We also performed new dances to Do the Hula—a song with English lyrics but a Hawaiian beat—and He Lei no Kawena, a piece honoring Mary Kawena Pukui. Since it was Independence Day, many audience members were dressed for the occasion, wearing president hats, American flag shirts, and face paint in red, white, and blue.
After the performance, we cleaned up our tent and headed back to the hotel to practice for the next day. Later that evening, some of the kids went down to eat and talk with other groups from around the U.S. Once everything was ready for the following day, we all went to sleep. That was how our Hālau spent the 4th of July at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
