‘Aha Makahiki: Annual campus tradition underway at KS Hawaii

Students, kumu and staff of Kamehameha Schools Hawaii celebrated the start of the makahiki season Nov. 4 with ‘Aha Makahiki, an annual campus tradition.

The event is an opportunity for students to build a strong Hawaiian cultural foundation through the perpetuation and demonstration of cultural practices and principles.

Makahiki — the beginning of the Hawaiian new year — celebrates the harvest season and traditionally lasts about three months, beginning in November and lasting through late January or February. It is a period set aside to honor Lono, a Hawaiian deity associated with fertility, agriculture and rainfall. It is a time set aside for tribute, harvest, sport and play.

“One of the things we really want to push forward is our students understanding their existence, their self-value and their ancestral intelligence,” said Lehua Veincent, KS Hawaii kula ki‘eki‘e po‘o kumu (high school principal). “Understanding that the connection of our past to our present to our future is all in sync with each other.”

‘Aha Makahiki begins with a ka wehena, or opening protocol, in which oli and hula are performed and ho‘okupu (offerings) are presented in tribute to Lono. Students rehearse during scheduled periods for weeks leading up to the event.

Then, students participate in a series of nohona Hawaii (Hawaiian cultural) workshops. The sessions are led, organized and developed by members of the senior class. Workshops cover a wide range of topics, many geared toward preparing traditional foods or making Hawaiian crafts.

Seniors are responsible for designing the curriculum for their lesson, identifying and securing the resources needed and even promoting their workshops. Underclassmen can select from the many different options.

“My favorite part of ‘Aha Makahiki is that it’s an all-school event,” said Kamalanai Kekuewa, a KS Hawaii senior. “It used to just be a ninth-grade level event, but once kumu Lehua came on board, he really felt that makahiki should be an all-school event. That’s why we now have all grade levels participating in makahiki.

“It’s just really great to see every grade level come into their hula, so that by the time you’re a senior, they do all four hulas. It’s just a really great day where you can celebrate your culture.”

After the workshops, students compete individually in makahiki games such as ‘ulu maika and moa pahe‘e (stone bowling and club sliding), pa ‘ume‘ume (one-man tug of war), uma (prone wrist wrestling) and pohaku ho‘oikaika (stone throwing).

Then classes compete with each other in a game of hukihuki (tug of war).

A new part of the ‘Aha Makahiki introduced last year and continuing this year is the na paio o na ali‘i challenge, in which students can choose to participate in a mud-run type of course, with challenges based on the battles of Kamehameha I.

For more information about the event or to see a schedule of activities, visit ahamakahiki.com.