Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 11, 1 November 2014 — Institutions receive donations of newly created Pō imgaes [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Institutions receive donations of newly created Pō imgaes

i By Kēhaunani Abad t's rare for an artist to create a set of powerful images and decide to gift them. It's even more remarkable that the artist and his 'ohana travel to another island to offer that gift in person. But that's precisely what Aaron Kawai'ae'a and his 'ohana did. This past September, the Kawai'ae'a 'ohana traveled to Hilo and presented portraits of Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop and Edith Kanaka'ole to Ka Haka 'Ula o Ke'elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, the Kamehameha Schools Hawai'i Campus, and the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation respectively.

Kumu Hula, scholar and cultural practitioner Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele was one of those at the ceremonies that accompanied the gifting of the spectacular images. "The portrait of my mother will have a plaee of honor in our hālau. I think Aaron is talented. We were elated with his

gift to us and our memory of a woman who set the bar high for us to follow." "These portraits are more than just images because of who they depict," explains Walter Kawai'ae'a, father of the artist. "These people have had such a huge, positive and lasting impact on our lāhui, and so their images bring out a lot of emohon in all of us." "When Aaron created these portraits, we knew they were

special. I had a dream that he would give them away. When I shared the dream with him, no words were spoken, just tears of understanding," explains Walter Kawai'ae'a.

Aaron recalls: "These portraits eame through me not to me as I tried to capture the essence of these me'e" (heroes). So it was natural for me to pass them on. They weren't for me to

keep to myself." "As I would paint, I could sense how they were feeling, and that's what I tried to convey," says Aaron. He aptly refers to this series as his Pō images ("Pō" meaning "night" and "the

realm of the gods"), acknowledging their origin from deep spiritual places, the depths of the night hours during whieh they were created, and the darkness of the hlaek background upon whieh he added only hlaek and white paint to bring forth the stunning likenesses of beloved Hawaiian me'e. Aaron Kawai'ae'a has four more me'e portraits in his Pō series that he plans to gift to other organiza-

tions - cultural ieon Mary Kawena Pukui, hula master 'Iolani Luahine, master musician and composer Kahauanu Lake and artist and historian Herb Kāne. ■

These portraits are more than just images because of who they depict. These people have had such a huge, positive and lasting impact on our lāhui, and so their images bring out a lot of emotion in all of us.

— Walter Kawaiae'a

The Kamehameha Schools Hawai'i Campus gathered at a ceremony where the Kawai'ae'a 'ohana presented their gift of this portrait of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Above, Luana and Walter Kawai'ae'a, at left, share a proud moment with their son, artist Aaron Kawai'ae'a at the presentation of the portrait of Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani to Ka Haka 'Ula o Ke'elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. - Courtesy photos