Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's Annual Cultural Festival will take place on Saturday, July 10, 2010 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The free event will be held on the front lawn of Kilauea Military Camp.
Enjoy hula and music: Kumu Ab Valencia and Halau Hula Kalehuaki`eki`eika`iu; David Ka`io and Harrison Murray; Kenneth Makuakane; Kumu Micah Kamohoali`i and Halau Na Kipu`upu`u; The Kuahiwi's with Kiliona Young, grant Ka`au`a and TR Ireland; Ho`onanea with Richard and Kai Ho`opi`i, Nolan Ha`o and Ipo Nahale and Braddah Smitty; and Auntie Diana Aki & Friends.
Try your hand at Hawaiian crafts: Play Hawaiian music and games, weave coconut and a lauhala bracelet. Make a feather kahili, traditional lei, calabash and quilt square. Taste taro, sweet potato, sugar cane, breadfruit and more.
Watch skilled practitioners demonstrate their art: Learn how to fish, throw net, build canoe, craft drums, do lomilomi massage, beat kapa, carve wood, use plants as medicine, make ti leaf cape and sandals, stamp with bamboo, weave a lauhala hat, sew a feather lei, create a native garden and plant dryland taro.
Wear sunscreen and a hat. Bring water, rainjacket and ground mat or chair. No pets. hawaiian crafts, plate lunch, beverages and festival t-shirts available for purchase.
The festival was originally held at the coast between the swaying palms of Kamoamoa, but when Pele's lava overran the area in 1992, the festival moved to the summit of Kilauea. The celebration continues beneath red blossomed `ohi`a.
Cosponsored by Hawai`i Natural History Association, Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Military Camp and County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development and Hawai`i Tourism Authority.
The festival and park admission are free. For more information, call (808) 985-6011 or visit www.nps.gov/havo
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
