Kawailehua Cotner was surprised when she saw herself on the front page of the Metro Section in the Washington Post last week. “I wasn’t the only one performing, but the rest of my Halau sisters are proud,” she said. The
Kawailehua Cotner was surprised when she saw herself on the front page of the Metro Section in the Washington Post last week.
“I wasn’t the only one performing, but the rest of my Halau sisters are proud,” she said.
The Kauai native, who used to dance hula professionally, was featured with her halau Ho’omau i Ka Wai Ola Hawaii, Kumu Manu Iki Strong, at the grand opening of a history of Hawaii exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
“The exhibit tells the Hawaiian story in a beautiful way,” Cotner said.
It opened on the last weekend of January and Cotner’s halau performed a tribute to Queen Lili’uokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian kingdom who chose to step down Jan. 17, 1893, from the throne peacefully rather than subject her people to a conflict.
“She laid down her arms when people were ready to go to war, and it was an honor to tell her story in a peaceful and loving way,” Cotner said. “Peaceful and loving — that’s what the Hawaiian people are all about.”
The 22 halau dancers performed to songs and poems Queen Lili’uokalani wrote while she was imprisoned her palace, Cotner said.
“It was an honor to perform and tell the queen’s story,” she said. “It’s a history that has to be told, and now the world will know her story.”
Cotner, also known as Windy Hee, grew up in Wailua and moved to the Mainland in 1977. She lives in Virginia, but says she will never forget her Hawaiian roots.
Performing with the Halau Ho’omau i Ka Wai Ola Hawaii is one way Cotner is perpetuating the Hawaiian culture on the East Coast.
“Hawaiian traditions are alive and well here,” she said.
Last week’s performance left the audience in tears, Cotner said.
“A woman came up to me, saying she had no idea of the plight of the Hawaiian people,” she said.
But apart of educating the public on a piece of history spectators may not know, the hula also introduced them to a type of hula that isn’t represented in the media.
“When people think of hula, they think of the fun, upbeat Waikiki hula, so when the chants came out (on Sunday), the audience was captivated, she said. “We took the audience back to the 1800s, and told Queen Lili’uokalani’s story the way it should be told, and Hawaii should be proud of the story we told.”
Being in the Washington Post is a small accomplishment compared to what she and her halau were able to achieve for Hawaii, Cotner said.
“The most important part is telling Hawaii’s story,” she said.
