Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2017 — Hāna Limu Fest honors traditional knowledge [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hāna Limu Fest honors traditional knowledge

By Aliee Silbanuz Where ean you leam navigation and hear stories of voyaging around the world from Hōkūle'a crew members? It's the same plaee where you ean experience Hawaiian culture and learn ways to mālama honua (care for the Earth) through interactive activities. It's the Hāna Limu Festival, an annual event that has been bringing kama'āina and malihini together at Hāna Bay for eight consecutive years. This year's festival theme centered on "Mālama Honua, Honoring Traditional Knowledae."

The festival opened with an evening film screening where Hawaiian filmmaker Na'alehu Anthony shared his documentary "Papa Mau: The Wayfinder." This documentary recounts the lasting legacy of Micronesian master navigator Mau Piailug, who revived the art of traditional voyaging and reawakened cultural pride throughout Polynesia. Introducing the

documentary, Anthony explained, "The film shows how one person ean make a difference." The film screening was followed by a talk story with members of the Hōkūle'a crew, including Hāna's

very own Nakua Konohia Lind. Lind is the great grandson of Sam Kalalau, one of the original voyaging crew on Hōkūle'a in 1976. Lind has been on 12 of the 25 legs of the worldwide voyage, carrying the

aloha spirit with him and sharing the message of mālama honua. The second day of the festival featured a large star compass on the lawn of Hāna Bay Park. Festival-go-ers got to talk story with Hōkūle'a crew members like Lind and Brad Ka'aleleo Wong of Kailua, an OHA Papahānaumokuākea program specialist. Hāna-based Hālau o Nakau-

lakuhikuhi, led by kumu hula Kaui Kanaka'ole, shared hula with festivalgoers. One of the crowd favorites was the hālau's performance to the mele "Ka ulu wehi o ke kai" the song affectionately known as "The Limu Song." It was written by kumu hula Kaui's grandmother, Edith Kanaka'ole, and was performed before an appreciative crowd at the Hāna Limu Fest. Throughout the day, keiki and their 'ohana visited interactive informational booths. Using colorful foam clay to form sea creatures and other oeean organisms, keiki helped to build a healthy reef in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument booth. The Ewa Limu Project booth featured touch tanks where people could see and feel the differences in limu varieties, such as limu kala and limu pālahalaha. Numerous booths gave festivalgoers the opportunity to create art pieces centered around limu. All in

all it was a day dedicated to learning about, appreciating and caring for our island home. The Hāna Limu Festival is organized by Na Mamo O Mu'olea and proudly sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs through an 'Ahahui Grant. The grant supports OHA's 'āina strategic priority that promotes the responsible stewardship of Ka Pae 'Āina O Hawai'i. ■

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Keiki used foam clay to build a healthy reef at the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Nahonal Monument Booth.

Maui's voyaging society, Hui o Wa'a Kaulua, offers many educational programs such as a keiki crew training and celestial navigation program. The hui uses their wa'a Mo'olele and Mo'okiha o Pi'ilani to help perpetuate wayfinding and voyaging arts. - Photos: Aliee Silbanuz

Hōkūle'a crew members Nakua Konohia Lind of Hāna and Brad Ka'aleleo Wong of Kailua use a star compass and model wa'a to engage young and old in conversations about voyaging.

Hāna-based Hālau o Nakaulakuhikuhi, led by kumu hula Kaui Kanaka'ole, shares a hula kahiko. The hālau traces its hula lineage back to Hawai'i lsland.