Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 4, 1 April 2012 — Ritz-Carlton Kapalua's gift-- 20 years of celebrating the arts [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ritz-Carlton Kapalua's gift--20 years of celebrating the arts

By Lynn Cook On April 6, Good Friday, at 5:30 a.m. everyone is weleome on the beach at the RitzCarlton Kapalua. For the 20th year in a row, kama'āina, malihini, hotel guests from around the world and from Neighbor Islands and folks from just down the road gather, wrapped in heaeh towels, in the predawn darkness for a traditional hi'uwai - a ceremonial cleansing in the oeean - allowing eaeh individual the opportunity to be pono, right, with the world. Participants ean wade in, dive in or just touch the oeean, forgiving and asking forgiveness. The hi'uwai is followed by the

chant E Ala Ē, asking the sun to rise and bless the day. Leading the ceremonies is Clifford Nae'ole, Ritz-Carlton Kapalua cultural adviser and force behind the Celebration of the Arts for the past two decades. He smiles as he suggests, "If you don't know the chant, stand really close to someone who does." Nae'ole instructs, "Don't be so shy, stand up tall, take a deep breath, now, let the sun hear you!" At that moment, drenched in early morning sunlight and chilly oeean water, you are part of an ancient ritual, in modern times. So begins a celebration like no other in the Islands. The three days of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua's Celebration of the Arts is a marathon

of don't-miss activities and events. Almost all events are free and open to everyone. Nae'ole begins the celebration, encouraging everyone to gather in the lobby for the opening protocol and presentation of the Namahana Award of Excellenee to kūpuna. He suggests that guests take some time to read the program and map out their days and evenings so they don't miss a moment of fun. The salons are filled with Hawaiian cultural presentations, panel discussions and music. Experts will discuss the evolution of the eanoe or the history of the Royal Hawaiian Guard. Hawaiian painter and historian Brook Kapūkuniahi Parker asks an audience what kind

of ancestors will they be. "Got Poi, Get Plenty!" includes taste testing the poi from eaeh island. One salon is very dark, the better to see the black-light puppets eome to life. Artist Kathy Long's Celebration poster, inspired by Nae'ole, premiers at The Village Gallery in the lobby, where Long and other artists discuss their work. Another salon fills with those wanting to spend an hour with Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-win-ning musician Henry Kapono as he encourages children to use their creativity to write lyrics and music. Kapono and Nae'ole were founders of the celebration. From the first year, their intention was to make the event accessible to everyone. Nae'ole tells the story of the wahi pana, the sacred land spread across the bluff helow the SEE CELEBRATION ON PAGE 33

CELEBRATI0N 0F THE ARTS When: April 6-8 Where: Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui Features: panel discussions, cultural demonstrations, art experiences, chefs herb garden tours, choral presentations, hula, endemic-species hikes, plus the April 8 Easter Egg Hunt, a ticketed event. Evening events include April 6 Celebration After Hours CD release parties and April 7 Celebration Lū'au and Show, tickets available at the hotel concierge desk Cost: Free; fees apply only to ticketed events Phone: (808) 669-6200 Weh site: celebrationofthearts.org

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Demonstrating how to throw net on the lawn of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. - Photo: Lynn Cook

CELEBRATION Continued from page 25

hotel, and how the owners and management of Ritz-Carlton did the culturally correct things from the first day of discovery. When construction began on what was to be The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, a startling discovery was made. The iwi, bones, of more than 2,000 Hawaiian kūpuna, ancestors, were buried on the bluff above Honokahua Bay. The burial site dated from A.D. 850 to the early 1800s. The eonstruction halted. Hawaiian cultural specialists were called in and the entire resort design was changed. In an unprecedented decision by the owners and management of the hotel, the Honokahua Preservation Site was created to honor the reinterred remains and the resort moved high on the hill above the bay. For the celebration, courtyards are filled with artisans. It is the plaee to make and learn to play a nose flute, try your hand at pounding poi or carving stone, sew the precious Ni'ihau shells, weave lauhala or pound bark into kapa. On Friday evening, Celebration After Hours will premier the new CD from Maui's own award-winning Hawaiian falsetto singer Kamakakehau Fernandez. On Saturday, the men of Waipuna will travel from O'ahu to showcase their E Ho 'i Mai CD. At the Saturday Celebration Lū'au and Show, everything is made to perfection, as if it were being served in the homes of the staff and management. To

be sure the pig is perfect, the imu is dug in the center of the lawn behind the lū'au pavilion - certainly an unexpected site at a grand hotel. Entertainment ranges from Henry Kapono to 'Ulalena with hula and music nonstop. Nae'ole says, "By celebrating the artistry of this culture, the accomplishments of their past and the challenges of our future, the spirit of this plaee we eall home will forever endure." ■ Lynn Cook is a loeal freelance journalist sharing the arts and culture ofHawai'i with a global audience.

It's a sight to behold as workers prepare to kalua pigs in the imu. - Photo: Lynn Cook