Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 2, 1 February 1986 — La Hoʻoulu Slated for Kauai Feb. 15 [ARTICLE]

La Hoʻoulu Slated for Kauai Feb. 15

Kauai's La Ho'oulu 'Olelo Hawaii, an event whieh had its humble beginnings in the kitchen of Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Moses K. Keale Sr., will be holding its sixth annual gathering Saturday , Feb. 15, in the campus activities center of Kauai Community College in Puhi. lt was in the kitchen of Keale's Anahola home that the OHA Trustee and Byron Hokulani Cleeland, Hawaiian language instructor at KCC, talked about having something similar to Oahu's La Kukahekahe whieh is in its 14th year and sponsored by 'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawaii. Keale and Cleeland at their first meeting planned their La Ho'oulu with the idea of getting as many persons as possible involved. "After all, Ho'oulu means to make it grow and this was our basic idea — to have a lot of people so that it could grow," Keale recalls. "We established a plan, set up committees and put names in the hat of people to be contacted. These people have done an outstanding job and we've been growing ever since," the OHA Trustee, who serves as the perennicd master of ceremonies, remarked. Keale explained it matters not whether participants speak the Hawaiian language. "We want to get everyone involved — kupuna, Hawaiian language instructors, students, grade school, elementary, intermediate and high school students — so they ean hear the language being spoken," Keale added. The Kauai event started out as an islandwide affair only but it has since become virtually statewide. Keale ponders why Lanai and Molokai have not participated. All the other islands have sent representatives.

Unlike La Kukahekahe where students eome to compete with eaeh other, La Ho'oulu invites participation by all. Both functions, however, require that only Hawaiian be spoken by those who know the language. Beginning students are coaxed and helped along when called upon. At the all-day Kauai program, there is the ever popular Hawaiian version of charade where teams of players try to act out Hawaiian words; explanations of Hawaiian lore; storytelling with eaeh other; entertainment; and an auction to help defray some of the day's expenses. lt is a very rewarding fun-filled day where the only cost to participants is the price of luneh. The idea nurtured by Keale and Cleeland — that of growing — has been realized. From an attendance of 80 in the beginning, La Ho'oulu has attracted nearly 200 participants in the last few years, including many from other ethnic backgrounds. La Ho'oulu 'Olelo Hawaii — growing in speaking the Hawaiian language.