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On Sunday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ab Kawainohoikala‘i Valencia and Tim Tunison will lead a special field seminar on “Plants of Hula: Na Mea Kanu o Ke Hula” in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

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“Please join us for this exciting new program, following on the heels of the Merrie Monarch Festival, in which a kumu hula (hula teacher/master) and botanist team up for a cultural and scientific exploration of the plants used in hula,” said Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spokeswoman Julie Mitchell.

From kumu hula Valencia, learn about hula plants as kino lau, manifestations of Hawaiian deities in plant form, as his Halau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu understands them.

According to Valencia, “There are plants for the hula altar, the kuahu, which include maile, ‘ie‘ie, ilima, lehua, and halapepe. Plus, there are adornments — mele hula plants that are worn by the dancers — which include maile, ilima, and lehua, plus palapalai, ‘a‘ali‘i, pukiawe, and olapa.”

Participants meet at the Kilauea Visitor Center. The day begins with a welcoming oli (chant), followed by a short walk to the kahua hula — the hula platform that overlooks Halema‘uma‘u Crater, home to the volcano goddess Pele.

Next, the group will drive to Kilauea Overlook to discuss cultural protocols used when picking plants, and to walk among native species in their natural environment, with scientific information and insight shared by botanist Tunison.

“After lunch, we’ll visit Tunison’s property in Volcano Village, where he is restoring the land to its native ecosystem. We’ll get a hands-on lesson in native plant propagation, plus receive plant seedlings to grow at home,” said Valencia.

Valencia was born and raised in Honolulu, though his family was originally from Hilo. He established Halau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu in Honolulu in 1991, and currently maintains his halau school in Honolulu as well as Volcano. Tunison worked for the National Park Service for more than 30 years. He was a botanist at the Volcano park from 1982 to 1994 and chief of resource management from 1995 to 2006, when he retired. Since then, Tunison has taught field botany, native plant propagation and forest restoration.

This event is presented by the Hawaii Volcanoes Institute, a program of the Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a nonprofit organization. The program cost is $60 for Friends members and $85 for non-members. The fee is halved for students in grades K-12 and college with valid student identification. Non-members are welcome to join the Friends in order to get the member discount.

To register for the “Plants of Hula” field seminar, please call 985-7373 or visit www.fhvnp.org. This program is funded in part by the county Department of Research and Development and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or reasonable modification of policies and procedures, to participate in this event should email institute@fhvnp.org or call 985-7373 as soon as possible.