Kaila Hawai'i

I’m not certain if anyone has kept a journal relating to Makahiki, the traditional Hawaiian New Year, but as the clouds started to sweep in over Mānoa Valley, darkening the sky. It somehow felt appropriate to do so.

A few years ago, when I was living in New York, I had almost entirely forgotten what Makahiki even was until I came across its Māori cousin, Matariki. After having finally purchased my first laptop and joining the modern age, I began to devour everything online that had to do with Polynesia. I had been living in New York for four years during the post-9/11 era and was feeling burnt out. Seeing what my Polynesian cousins were doing with new technology was uplifting and inspiring, making me feel connected to a long genealogy that stretched across the oceans. One particular site of inspiration was Māori Television, all the way from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Seeing a full-fledged, professional Polynesian news broadcast, streamed from thousands of miles away, was amazing. (more…)

Tags: akua/gods, Aotrearoa/New Zealand, Hawaiian New Year, kupua/demi-gods, kūpuna, makahiki, Māori, Māori Television, New York

Makahiki is just around the corner! On November 17, 2009, the traditional Hawaiian new year begins with the rise of Makali‘i, or the Pleiades, in our skies. With it comes Ho‘oilo, the wet, rainy season, when the deity Lono returns again to dwell in Hawai‘i for four months. This season, we’re taking Makahiki as a time to return to nature, reflect and express our gratitude for what we have received , and gather with friends and family in order to give Makahiki the just place it deserves in our lives.

As Makahiki approaches, keep track of the Hawaiian lunar calendar with the new Ke Ala O Ka Mahina 2010 Moon Calendar published by Kamehameha Publishing and Hui Maoli Ola. (Guess where we got the exact date for Makahiki?) We’re especially fond of the online calendar application, where you can see the current pō (literally “night”), or traditional lunar day, and sense how our ancestors perceived the flow of time.

Tags: Hawaiian lunar calendar, Makahiki/Hawaiian New Year, Makali'i/Pleiades

Kaila Hawaiʻi would like to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kaʻiulani, who was born on October 16, 1875. The heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Kaʻiulani led a life that struck a balance between things Hawaiian and Western. Kaʻiulani spoke Hawaiian, English, French and German. She was skilled enough on the violin to play Chopin. At the same time, she was found of the ocean, excelling in traditional pastimes like surfing and ocean swimming. While she could have stayed on in Europe where she had been studying, she decided to return to Hawaiʻi to be with her people following the news of the annexation of the kingdom in 1893. On her way home to Hawaiʻi, she traveled through the United States to make a plee for the kingdom. Unfortunately, Kaʻiulani’s life was not to be a long one. She passed away in the early morning of March 6, 1899 at the age of 23. Nevertheless, her life remains to be an inspiration despite the passing of time.

ʻO ka lā 16 o ʻOkakopa ma ka makahiki 1875 ka lā hānau o ke Kamāliʻi Wahine Victoria Kawēkiu i Lunalilo Kalaninuihilapalapa. No laila, ma hope o ka lā hoʻomanaʻo o kona lā hānau, ke hū mai nei ko mākou aloha nui no kēia aliʻi wahine kaulana o Hawaiʻi nei. ʻOiai nui kona ʻike o nā mea haole, ʻoi aku ka nui o kona aloha no ka lāhui Hawaiʻi. Hala akula ʻo ke Aliʻi Wahine ma ke kakahiaka nui ma ka lā 6 o Malaki ma ka makahiki 1899. E hoʻomanaʻo a hoʻohanohano kākou a pau iā Kaʻiulani!

Now that the Kaila teams move into Honolulu proper is now settled, we have finally have a chance to share some pictures of our lā‘ī skirt that this Kaila editor wore in a recent hula competition in June. This was my first competition and the first time having to dance in a skirt. The process was long and intensive. First, there was cleaning the leaves of the kī (Cordyline terminalis), trimming, and deboning. Then, the hours of tying leaf after leave to the main cord.  In all, the whole experience was deeply humbling, showing me the talent of our ancestors to transform simple leaves into an organic costume.

One integral part to the crafting process was the mindset one has when making the skirt. Thought and emotions are carried directly into the garment that will be worn. Despite the few hours of sleep I had after cleaning the leaves, I was ready to go the following morning. The freshness of the morning, I’ve realized, is the best time for me to do this kind of work. By the time night comes, my thoughts are too scattered to do anything this concentrated. (more…)

Tags: dance, hula, hula kahiko, lā‘ī, ti leaf, traditional hula

Many in Hawai‘i are already familiar with makahiki, the period of time that lasts from roughly late October to the end of April. In pre-contact times, makahiki was a time of peace and tranquility, filled with festivities dedicated to the god Lono. But many are not entirely familiar with the other traditional Hawaiian season, kauwela-the word that also corresponds to the Western summer.

(more…)

Tags: heiau, ka ho‘omana Hawai‘i / Hawaiian religion, kauwela - summer, Kona - O'ahu, Ku, Kūpalaha, Lono, makahiki

Kahi (The Place) : Waikīkī, Kona, O‘ahu-a-Lua

Fashion meets art at the grand finale of June’s  fantastic Maoli Arts Month. MAMO’s Wearable Art showcase will be held at the Sheraton Waikīkī on Saturday, May 30, 2009, starting at 5:30 pm. (more…)

Tags: MAMo, Maoli Arts Month

Aloha kākou e nā hoa makamaka…

Welcome to a new look at modern living in Hawai‘i. Our goal is to bring you all that makes life rich and beautiful, with a distinctively modern and maoli (native) edge. We directly take our inspiration from past generations of kānaka maoli, Hawaiians. In spite of the massive whirlwinds of change around them, our kūpuna knew how to successfully keep their identity as Hawaiians all the while incorporating influences from abroad, ingenuously and tastefully. (more…)