Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 7, 1 September 1984 — OHA Joins 5,000 Former Island Residents at L.A. Hoʻolauleʻa [ARTICLE]

OHA Joins 5,000 Former Island Residents at L.A. Hoʻolauleʻa

The aroma of island favorites such as kalua pig, laulau, tripe stew, kalbi, teriyaki, adobo and kau yuk wafted in harmony with the sweet sounds of "Koke'e." Thousands of golden brown bodies sprawled across the grass under the hot summer sun to enjoy hours of Hawaiian entertainment. Sounds of laughter sprinkled with pidgin and mueh honihoni filled the air. A wonderful weekend in sunny Waimanalo? No, guess again! This scene took plaee 2,239 miles from ourshores. lt was the annual Los Angeles Ho'olaule'a held at Alondra Park on Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22. The Hawaiian Inter-Ciub Council of Southern California, whieh consists of 40 clubs in the Southern California area, sponsors this annual event that draws over 5,000 people from all over California. Most ol' those in attendance are former islanders who have moved to the mainland, but left their hearts in Hawaii. The Ho'olaule'a is a time for them to gather and share their love for their eulture and heritage. The Ho'olaule'a format included food, exhibit and game booths sponsored by various non-profit clubs and organizations as money-raising projects for club activities. Clubs prepared and sold island foods such as those mentioned at the beginning of this article. Hawaiian crafts and other articles were displayed and sold. Game booths were set up to entice the keikis. OHA was able to share a booth at the Ho'olaule'a and distribute copies of OHA's General lnformation brochure and the last four issues of Ka Wai Ola O OHA with the kokua of Bobby Chun, editor of The Voice of Hawai'i. a Cali-fornia-based newspaper with a circulation of approximately 30.000. Mahalo Bobby! From the rate whieh people were taking the OHA literature, it seems that California Hawaiians are starved for information from "home." According to several eluh officers, there is strong senti-

ment widely held by the Hawaiian eommunily in California that communicates between them and OHA should be strengthened through open dialogue and periodic meetings. California Hawaiians displayed fierce pride in their culture during the two-day Ho'olaule'a through the pageant of California halau hula and musical groups that provided non-stop entertainment. Pride in the Hawaiian culture was not limited to Californians, as Kaho'onei Panoke's halau from Las Vegas dazzled the crowd with its hula virtuosity. Commerical concerns such as Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian Heir!ooms and Hawaii Visitors Bureau also sponsored booths to distribute information about Hawaii and/'or sell their products. Not to be outdone by Hawaiians in Southern California, Californians in the northern part of the State also hold a Ho'olaule'a every May in San Fernando Valley WRH / \