Hula halau from Hawaii Island gathered at Kalakaua Park on Tuesday to celebrate the birth of King David Kalakaua and to honor his legacy as the last monarch of Hawaii.
Hula halau from Hawaii Island gathered at Kalakaua Park on Tuesday to celebrate the birth of King David Kalakaua and to honor his legacy as the last monarch of Hawaii.
Kalakaua was born Nov. 16, 1836, and is known for reviving hula and reawakening Hawaiian pride and nationalism for the kingdom.
“We wanted to honor him, because without him reviving and bringing back our culture, we would have lost even more,” said kumu Iwalani Kalima. “He brought hula to his palace and showed the people of the world our culture.”
Kalima referenced a popular quote of Kalakaua’s about the importance of hula to the Hawaiian people.
“Hula is the language of the heart, therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.”
“This is why we want to come,” Kalima said. “He was known to our people, because through the hula was how our culture revived. So, we have to keep honoring him.”
This was the second annual ceremony for Kalakaua’s birthday, and the halau plan to keep the tradition alive every Nov. 16.
