In commemoration of the Merrie Monarch Festival, “Loli‘ana: A Native Hawaiian Exhibition” opens with a reception at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the East Hawaii Cultural Center.
The featured artists include Bernice Akamine, Carl F. K. Pao, Hanalei Marzan and Roen Hufford.
The reception will include traditional Hawaiian chanting from kumu Kekoa Harman, professor in the languages department at University of Hawaii at Hilo, and Peter Rockford Espiritu, artistic director of the Oceania Dance Theatre who was founder and executive and artistic director of Tau Dance Theater, Hawaii’s critically acclaimed professional modern dance company.
The combination of traditional methods with contemporary concepts examines the ancient value system within a changing political and social system.
The traditional pieces by Marzan and Hufford show the labor of growth, harvest and skill of native craft made from wauke, coconut cord, pandanus and more. Hufford’s kapa is grown on her land in Waimea, where she works and teaches the tradition of kapa. Among Marzan’s detailed weaved pieces are the kihei (garment used particularly during ceremonies) and ‘ahu ‘ula (feathered cape).
The contemporary works by Akamine visually stimulate inquiry into the military bases on the islands of Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii Island’s Pohakuloa Training Center, where approximately 20,000 acres of the PTA are owned by the state and leased to the Army since 1964.
Pao’s vibrant imagery of Hawaiian gods and iconography summons a restoration of Hawaiian spiritual and symbolic iconography, which were misinterpreted and destroyed in the early 19th century by European missionaries.
“The visual dialogue of this exhibit has potential to guide the cultural identity of the coming generation, who are exploring how the old and new culture align with the needs of today,” said curator and exhibit coordinator Kanani Daley.
“I believe that knowing an authentic historic story, preserving the right values of the past and ethically viewing our present time could facilitate a healthy evolution for natives, non-natives and a mixed ethnic and cultural community.”
Artist talks will begin at 1:15 p.m.; questions and dialogue are encouraged.
To enhance the experience of culture through craft, in conjunction with this exhibit, there is a kapa making workshop with Hufford from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 19 in the EHCC Annex. For registration and information, contact kdaley@ehcc.org. Registration deadline is May 10.
The East Hawaii Cultural Center is located at 141 Kalakaua St. in Hilo. For more information about current and future exhibits, visit www.ehcc.org.