Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 6, 1 Iune 1985 — Big lsland Family to Work at Smithsonian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Big lsland Family to Work at Smithsonian

Three Puna residents — William and Minnie K. Kaawaloa and their granddaughter, G. Piilani Kaawaloa — have been selected as the first from Hawaii to participate in a unique internship program at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C., this summer. They will spend three months working with Smithsonian staff at various on-going museum programs, among them the annual Festival of American Folklife. The family is scheduled to leave for the nation's capitol on June 3. William Kaawaloa, 69, is a skilled craftsman in native woods with a particular interest in pre-contact musical instruments. Also a skilled netmaker, Kaawaloa has often demonstrated and shared his skills at programs sponsored by the National Park Service and the annual Kalapana Community Organization festival. He possesses an excellent knowledge of traditional Hawaiian farming and fishing techniques as well as the use of native herbs and plants. Minnie Kaawaloa, 62, has devoted herself to preserving Hawaiian culture through her work as an interpreter with the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, as a kumu of Hawaiian crafts, a kupuna in Big Island schools and a consultant to Alu Like. Her initiative and knowledge have been used to enrich her community through the Kalapana cultural festival and the production of a video study of Kahuwai, the village site where her great-grandmother was born. Her expertise in herb use, weaving, food preparation and the Hawaiian language have

been generously shared with her community. Piilani is currently a senior at the University of Hawaii-Hilo where she is in the Hawaiian Studies Program. Her interest in

preserving Hawaiian cultural traditions has led her to seek proficiency in the Hawaiian language and to research the production of hula and musical instruments. Piilani is particularly interested in working with Smithsonian staff who plan and manage the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, to gain skills that would enrich cultural festivals and programs in Hawaii. The Smithsonian internship program will plaee the Kaawaloa family in program areas that will provide the kinds of training that ean benefit them the most. The program is a new offering administered through the Smithsonian Office of Fellowships and Grants in cooperation with the American Indian Program. Its purpose is to promote access to Smithsonian collections, resources and expertise by North American Indians, Inuit, Aleut, Canadian Natives, Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians; to increase research skills; to undertake projects of special interest to these peoples and to encourage participation in Smithsonian work related to North American Native peoples. The Kaawaloas' participation in the program is being facilitated by Marie D. Strazar, humanities specialist for the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and William Carse, Professor Emeritus, U.H. Hilo, and former president of the Kalapana Community Organization. Assistance in Washington is being provided by the office of Rep. Daniel K. Akaka as well as by members of the Smithsonian staff.

This is the Kaawaloa family of Puna who will be working at the Smithsonian lnstitution in Washington, D. C., from June 3 through Sept. 3. From left are William, granddaughter Piilani and Mrs. Minnie Kaawaloa.