Hosea Kaina Lovell would’ve been especially proud Saturday at Anahola Beach Park, said Kalei Arinaga, one of Lovell’s daughters.
“Yesterday was his birthday,” Arinaga said. “To be honored on the same stage as Prince Jonah Kuhio would have made him so proud. His name is ‘Hosea Kaina Lovell.’ A lot of people used to call him ‘Jose’ and that would irritate him. It’s ‘Hosea,’ not ‘Jose,’ and he represents generations of Kaina. Just as Kuhio was the prince, Hosea was the prince of Anahola.”
The former resident of Anahola received recognition for having traits similar to those of Kuhio, whose life acheivements include the formation of the Hawaiian Homes program in Anahola, the first on Kauai.
“We remember kupuna,” said La Contrades, event organizer for the past nine years. “We celebrate Kuhio for the work he did to help the Hawaiian people. We also showcase Anahola, and we always remember kupuna.”
The day-long ho‘olaule‘a, presented in partnership with the County of Kauai, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Ka Hale Pono, a local nonprofit, presented the steady stream of guests a taste of local community pa‘ina with its nonstop slate of entertainment that embraced the local schools and the Hawaiian-language-immersion schools.
“Everyone who is here benefits Anahola people,” Contrades said, dishing out a serving of banana bread she created just that morning. “Keiki to kupuna, education, service programs, and even helping to feed people — everyone has something to offer the people.”
The Anahola Prince Kuhio Day celebration is just one of a string of celebratory events marking the birthday of Prince Jonah Kuhio, whose state-recognized-holiday date is March 26.
Kuhio was born in a location near the current site of Prince Kuhio Park on the South Shore that is maintained by the Royal Order of Kamehameha, a group the prince helped start and led during his life.
The Royal Order of Kamehameha, celebrating its 100th anniversary, hosts its annual protocol of ho‘okupu (gifts) and celebration of Kuhio’s life Saturday at Prince Kuhio Park, where representatives of major Hawaiian clubs present ho‘okupu.
Other groups presenting tributes include government dignitaries as well as Hawaiian civic clubs, another of Kuhio’s accomplishments created to rehabilitate and further advance the Hawaiian people.
Protocol starts around 10 a.m. with the processional of the Hawaiian groups and ho‘okupu presenters, and is done at the bust of Kuhio in the park.
Protocol and celebration also takes place Friday starting at 9 a.m. at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort &Spa in Poipu, when the resort’s leadership present ho‘okupu and tributes accompanied by a variety of cultural demonstrations and entertainment by kupuna, including the Alu Like seniors, who will be creating lei and helping guests create their own lei.
All of the events are open to the public.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
