WAILUA — The sound of the pu echoed off the sheer rock walls surrounding the Kamokila Hawaiian Village. It was the signal announcing the arrival of Daron Kalani Moku at the Aloha Festivals Royal Court Investiture Saturday. “It’s all about
WAILUA — The sound of the pu echoed off the sheer rock walls surrounding the Kamokila Hawaiian Village.
It was the signal announcing the arrival of Daron Kalani Moku at the Aloha Festivals Royal Court Investiture Saturday.
“It’s all about culture,” kupuna Janet Kahalekomo said while awaiting the arrival.
The silence, made heavy by the wall of rock, was pierced by the chant of Maka Herrod as the outrigger canoe bearing Herrod and Moku appeared from behind the hau lining Wailua River.
Greeted by Kalaimoku Mike Drake, the procession was joined by Mei Lin Mokihana Po‘ai, the attendants of the Royal Court and Hawaiian civic groups as well as a contingent of hula dancers.
With kupuna Janet Kahalekomo providing a cultural dialog, Moku was installed as the king by the exchange of his helmet and the presentation of his necklace, both symbolic badges of his office.
The silence enveloped the Royal Court as Drake performed the presentations for the king and Herrod doing the duties for Po‘ai.
Solemn silence governed the presentation of ho‘okupu by representatives of the Hawaiian societies including The Royal Order of Kamehameha, Ka‘ahumanu and Hale O Na Ali‘i.
These groups were joined by kumu hula Aunty Beverly Muraoka, Mayor Bryan Baptiste and Aloha Festivals executive director Charlian Wright, who flew in from O‘ahu for the event.
The investiture ceremonies provide the audience with an abundance of mele pule, mele oli and mele hula, and have long been held at Kamokila Hawaiian Village.
As the dancers from Na Hui Kamakaokalani began their mele hula, droplets of rain began to fall from an increasingly gray sky.
Wailua was one of the significant sites of ancient Hawai‘i and was an appropriate setting for the ceremony to install the Royal Court, which oversees the calendar of Aloha Festival events.
In a stark contrast of then and now, Edee Bandman’s granddaughter manned the Aloha Festivals admissions table accompanied by her iPod and its battery-powered speaker system.
Wright oversaw another table featuring Aloha Festival that centered around this year’s theme: Na Paniolo Nui O Hawai‘i.
Aloha Festivals is a statewide event. On Kaua‘i, the investiture was followed by the traditional Hale Pule, a traditional Hawaiian church service at the Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church at 10 a.m.
This will be followed by the Aloha Festivals Opening Ceremonies at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa’s Seaview Terrace.
The Royal Court will preside over the 4 p.m. ceremonies and the following Drums of Paradise Lu‘au. There will be a discount for those wearing the Aloha Festivals ribbon.
On Sept. 9, the Aloha Festivals Paniolo Parade will start at 10 a.m. at Ho‘olako and Rice streets in Lihu‘e,followed by the opening ceremonies and ho‘olaule‘a in the Pi‘ikoi Building breezeway.
Other events include the appearance of the Royal Court at the Aloha Beach Resort on Sept. 12 and the Lu‘au Fest at Smith’s Paradise Lu‘au Gardens on Sept. 13.
The Second Annual Falsetto Contest will start at 7 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the Sheraton Kaua‘i.
Kaua‘i ends its Aloha Festivals with the final appearance of the Royal Court at the annual Hawaiiana Festival at the Grand Hyatt on Oct. 20.
Now in its 60th year, “Aloha Festivals is a celebration that captures Hawai‘i’s unique multi-cultural heritage and displays it through music, dance, history, food and fun,” Baptiste said.
Kaua‘i Aloha Festivals events are made possible through the sponsorships of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the County of Kaua‘i, Hawaiian Airlines, ResortQuest, Hilo Hattie, Dollar Rent A Car and Hawaiian Host.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
