Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 5, 1 Mei 2023 — Maui's Hālau of 'Ōiwi Arts: The First of its Kind [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Maui's Hālau of 'Ōiwi Arts: The First of its Kind

By Puanani Fernandez-Akamine When Maui County planners reached out to Maui kumu hula in late 2021 and invited them to discuss building a center for hula and Hawaiian culture on county property in the heart of Wailuku, the kumu were surprised...and skeptical. "It wasn't a 'yes, let's do it!' It was initially more of a 'welk.how mueh ean we trust the county?' type of response," recalled Kumu Hula Cody Pueo Pata. It turns out the planners had heard that the County Council was considering adopting the recent Huamakahikina Declaration and saw an opportunity. Ratified by more than 200 kumu hula from across the pae aina in August 2021 - and sent the following month to leadership in all four Hawai'i counties - the Huamakahikina Declaration is "a contemporary manifestation of Hula community and advocacy" to ensure the integrity, stewardship and protection of hula, and calls upon those in government and the private sector to "resource Hula to the fullest extent possible." Despite their initial skepticism, the Maui kumu hula (about 37 of them) formed a steering committee of 11 to represent the whole in discussions with the county planners and architects. "We had been rehearsing ways to sell the idea [of a eulture center] to them," shared Pata who is on the steering committee. "We were so ready to sell the idea to them - but they sold it to us! After our first meeting, we were asking eaeh other 'is this for real?'" They say timing is everything. Back in 2000, county planners began working on a Wailuku redevelopment plan to address negative urban trends taking hold in the community. It was part of an effort to revitalize the area. A decade ago, planners began exploring ideas for a large county-owned lot on Vineyard Street. Over the years, various ideas were floated - low ineome housing, a eommunity hall, a civic complex, a park - but these were all met with a lukewarm community response, so for years the lot remained vacant. At their 2021 meeting with the kumu hula, county planners suggested that a center for hula would meet all the county's community requirements. "Because hula is such a community-based endeavor - our students are preschool students to lawmakers to every facet in between - they thought that, perhaps, hula would want to be in the area," Pata said. On Nov. 5, 2021, the Maui County Council adopted a resolution supporting the Huamakahina Declaration, and in February 2022, then Mayor Miehael Victorino announced his support for the culture center project and included building funds for it in the county's FY20222023 budget. The idea to build a Hālau of 'Oiwi Arts (HOA) on the site was met with tremendous community support and in June 2022 the Maui County Council unanimously approved an allocation of $43 million to build the center

- whieh will enahle it to be built all at onee instead of in phases. An additional $11 million in federal funding for the project was subsequently secured by Hawai'i Sen. Brian Schatz whieh will allow the county to reinforce the facility for use as an emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster. The design, planning and draft environmental assessment for HOA has been completed. The project should go out to bid in July with groundbreaking to begin in 2024 and construction completed by 2026. From the beginning, the kumu hula wanted to make sure there were no iwi on the site that might be disturbed so as part of their due diligence they researched the history of the land. According to Māhele documents, they learned that this particular parcel was previously part of a lo'i whieh suggests that the presence of iwi is unlikely. Nevertheless, the kumu formed a subcommittee to prepare for the possibility that iwi could be encountered during construction - whieh includes acting in concert with the State Historic Preservation Department, the island Burial Council, the county and cultural descendants. With such concerns paramount, planning for HOA's construction represents Maui County's most thorough effort to date to identify the presence of iwi. The county has already performed an analysis of the site with ground-penetrating radar where the foundation will be built and have found nothing to suggest the presence of iwi on the site.

The design of the two-story building reflects the input of the kumu hula and ensures that the entire facility - both its indoor and outdoor spaces - are conducive to hula and oiwi arts. On the top floor are four dance studios - one of whieh is specifically designed to host hālau that practice kuahu (hula's religious rituals). That studio will be on the easternmost side of the facility and inSEE HĀLAU 0F 'ŌIWI ARTS ON PAGE 13

Halau of 'Ōiwi Art Draft Environmental Assessment The community is invited to share their mana'o on the Draft Enviro_nmental Assessment (EA) forthe Hōlau of 'Oiwi Art building project. Toviewthe EAgoto: https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/erp/ Doc_Library/2023-04-08-MA-DEA-Halau-of-Oiwi-Art.pdf Written comments must be received or postmarked by May 8, 2023.

On Feb. 27, the Kumu Hula Steering Commitlee for the Hōlou of 'Ōiwi Art (HOA) hosted on 'oho 'owo kūkulu kumuhono (on 'owo ceremony for the setting of intentions) ot the future site of HOA. The ceremony wos conducted by (l-r) Kumu Hula Cody Pueo Poto, Kohu Kōnoo Keoni Kuoho and Kumu Hula Hōkūloni Holt. Guests included Mayor Richard Bissen, Brion lge, Dole Hohn (representing Sen. Brian Schotz), vorious kumu hula, county plonners, orchitects from Ferrarro Choi & Associotes, ond Maui County Council members Tom Cook, Tasha Komo, Yukilei Sugimuro and Nohe U'u-Hodgins. Moyor Bissen (seoted in the center of the first row) voiced his support for the project ot the ceremony. - Photo: Karey Kapoi

HALAU 0F 'ŌIWI ARTS

Continued from page 12 clude an inset facing east where an altar ean be erected. A large performance hall, a certified kitchen, and a smaller formal education space for sit down aetivities, such as lei-making, will complete the top floor amenities. The first floor will include two wet-dry workshop facilities that ean accommodate heavy equipment or be hosed down to provide space for practicing other art forms such as kapa-making or wood carving. Because it will be puhlieally funded, part of the vision is that HOA ean also be used by the general puhlie as a space for classes, meetings and other gatherings - although evenings and weekends will likely be set aside to give hālau and 'Ōiwi artisans priority use. "This Hālau of 'Oiwi Art is going to be the first of its kind - and its facilities will include state-of-the-art technology," Pata said. "It will be the grandest here in Maui County, but there will be satellite facilities in places like Hāna, Lāna'i and Moloka'i." "The Hālau of 'Ōiwi Art is a testament to what happens when people eome togther for a cause," Pata reflected. "Maui is special in that all of the kumu hula know eaeh other. We get along. We see eaeh other at Costco, the gas station or at parties. So being able to identify our needs and the needs of 'Oiwi art practitioners has manifested in what we are doing now." ■ For more information about the Hālau of 'Oiwi Art go to: www. hoamaui.com or www.wailukulive.com/hoa. For information about the Huamakahikina Declaration go to: www.huamakahikina.org/ On April 6, 2022, Hawai'i County passed a similar resolution in support of the Huamakahikina Declaration. Honolulu and Kaua'i counties have yet tofollow suit.