Free of charge, it is open to residents and visitors. For details on each month, visit konahistorical.org/index.php/events_calendar.
North Kohala library hosts talk story sessions
North Kohala Public Library in Kapaau will present a series of three “talk story” sessions on Hawaii’s history with North Kohala historian, Boyd D. Bond, in January, February and March.
The first session at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23 will focus on “The Life of King David Kalakaua.” In the second presentation on Feb. 27, Bond plans to talk about “The Royal Women of Hawaii.” Based on audience interests, Bond will select a topic for the final program in the series on March 12.
Each hour-long presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Bond’s knowledge of Hawaii’s history stems from his academic studies and from a lifetime spent in Hawaii as a sixth-generation descendent of early western settlers in Hawaii. Boyd was raised in Hawaii in a sugar plantation family, living on plantations throughout the state.
Of his interest in Hawaiian history, Bond said, “I can’t ever remember a time when I wasn’t immersed in it. Many of the stories of Hawaii’s history are also our family stories.” Bond earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian history from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and went on to earn a master’s in education.
Call the North Kohala Public Library at 889-6655 for more information and to register for the program. Contact the library three weeks in advance if a sign language interpreter or other special accomodation is required.
Free lecture focuses on Hawaiian language
Hanohano O Kona/Honoring Kona, a free community lecture series starting in 2012, will spotlight local and state speakers on a wide variety of cultural and historical subjects. Presented by Kona Historical Society, in cooperation with the County of Hawaii, the lecture series will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. every last Wednesday at the West Hawaii Civic Center.
The first lecture on Jan. 25 is “Ka Olelo Hawaii/The Hawaiian Language: Revitalizing the Language Through Our Children.” Staff and students of the K-12 Hawaiian language immersion school, Ke Kula o Ehunuikaimalino, share hai olelo (talk) and mele (songs) and “continue to revitalize the Hawaiian language through children.”
Also, the members of Unuehu, a branch of the larger hula community of learners of the Hawaii Community College’s Unukupukupu, will be sharing their mele (songs), oli (chants) and hula (dance). Unukupukupu is the name of the rigorous, didactic and experiential hula curricula of Taupouri Tangaro.
Free of charge, it is open to residents and visitors. For details on each month, visit konahistorical.org/index.php/events_calendar.