Hawaii Volcanoes National Park invites the Big Island to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service through music, culture and science next weekend. ADVERTISING Hawaii Volcanoes National Park invites the Big Island to celebrate the 100th anniversary of
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park invites the Big Island to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service through music, culture and science next weekend.
A Na Leo Manu (“Heavenly Voices”) Hawaiian concert series kicks off the special weekend of free festivities Friday evening, Aug. 26, at the Kilauea Military Camps Kilauea Theater. It also celebrates the 100th anniversary of Kilauea Military Camp.
At 6 p.m., Kumu Hula Manaiakalani Kalua and Halau Hula o Akaunu perform oli (chant) and hula that follow the pele migration from Kahiki to Hawaii. Kalua, who teaches for the Center for Hawaii Life Styles at Hawaii Community College, will also discuss how Hawaiian culture and science intersect.
Renowned musician Kenneth Makuakane follows, and performs hismele (songs) until 8 p.m., then singer and songwriter Mark Yamanaka caps off the evening with his original and classic Hawaiian songs until 9 p.m.
In addition, the new Mele Hooheno — Songs of Kilauea and Mauna Loa CD will be released and available for sale. This collection of original Hawaiian songs was created by participants of the Haku Mele Hawaiian songwriting workshops this summer, under the guidance of Kaliko Trapp-Beamer and Kenneth Makuakane.
The next day, Saturday, Aug. 27, is the free Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Cultural Festival and BioBlitz. This years festival honors the parks centennial anniversary and connects visitors and the community to the culture, biology and geology of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and international Biosphere Reserve.
“We are so excited to celebrate the centennial anniversaries of the National Park Service and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park the Hawaiian way, with music, culture and community,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “Hawaiians have lived as stewards of this treasured landscape for centuries, and we hope everyone can join us for a festive weekend of fun, learning and camaraderie,” she said.
Themed E Hoomau (to perpetuate; to continue in a way that causes good to be long-lasting), the 36th annual cultural festival will be held near Kilauea Visitor Center, and is all about sharing authentic Hawaiian cultural practices. More than a dozen cultural practitioners will demonstrate how native Hawaiians integrate the natural world into their traditions. interactive demonstrations include lei wili (lei making), makau (Hawaiian fishhook), palaie (loop and ball game), how to make and play the ohe hano ihu (Hawaiian nose flute), ulana niu (coconut frond weaving), and more.
Festival performers include Kumu Hula Mamo Brown and Halau ulumamo o Hilo Paliku, Makuakane, Halau o akaunu and Kumu Hula Manaiakalani Kalua; Kai Hoopii, Haunani Medeiros and kupuna (elders) of Haunanis Hula Expressions, and Diana aki.
The Cultural Festival also showcases the intersection of culture and science in Hawaii. The “BioBlitz” is a fun and hands-on opportunity to observe and document the biodiversity that thrives in the lava flows and native rainforests of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. Meet and work alongside scientists and alakai (experts) and discover an exciting array of life the park protects. Choose from more than two dozen field inventories like “Six Legs at the Summit,” a birding excursion called “That Thing with Feathers,” and “Bebop Botany Walk on Crater Rim Trail.” The field inventories are free, and are led by experts at the forefront of conservation, science and traditional Hawaiian culture. Registration is required; sign up on the Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park website.
There will also be science and cultural booths at the festival where attendees can meet representatives of the alala Project, Mokupapapa Discovery Center, and others, to learn about important conservation efforts statewide.
Visit Hale Hoike, the BioBlitz “living laboratory” where Saturday’s discoveries will be documented, and look through a microscope at some of the tiniest but important findings. The BioBlitz field inventories run 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Cultural Festival and BioBlitz is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Aug. 27.
Entrance and all events that Friday and Saturday are free and family-friendly. The event does not permit coolers, pets or alcohol.
Also to celebrate the centennial, all fee-charging parks, including Hawaii Volcanoes, Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park and Haleakala National Park on Maui are free Thursday through Aug. 28.
Info: www.nps.gov/havo.
