Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 6, 1 June 1987 — Similarities Found in Hawaiian, lndian Cultures at Kona Meeting [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Similarities Found in Hawaiian, lndian Cultures at Kona Meeting

By Ruby McDonald West Hawaii Community Resource Specialist

Fifteen students of the Rocky Boy Tribal High School of Montana recently spent 10 days on Hawaii in a cultural exchange with students and families of Konawaena High School and Kealakehe Intermediate School. They were accompanied by three elders (kupuna), including Chief Sam

Windyboy and his wife, Lueille, ana Nadine Morsett. Also making the trip were Principal Robert Murie and his wife, Sandy; Bob Swann, District Superintendent of the Montana Education Department; and Sophia Jacobson of the American Indian Center in Honolulu. The group is from the Rocky Boy Indian reservation

in Rocky Boy, Mont., and they are from the ehippew*1 Cree tribes. The visit resulted from a meeting in Oakland, Calif., where Alex Cadang, a teacher at Konawaena, and Mae Yamasaki, vice principal at Kealakehe, met the lndians at a drug awareness seminar. The two, along with Konawaena Principal Ed Murai, Kealakehe Principal Brian Nakashima and former Department of Education District Superintendent Kenneth Asato hosted the group along with some Kona families. While the students engaged in cultural exchanges,

the elders did likewise with Kona kupuna. The two sides found that both cultures share very similar teachings, problems and religious aspects. The Chippewa-Cree elders requested that they be taught a hula to take back and share with others on the reservation and that they also wanted a ti leaf hula skirt. The hula lesson was immediately given by Kupuna Amy Freitas and Malani Papa, Hawaiian Studies resource teacher. They danced to the song, "Ke Anuenue," accompanied by ukelele and singers. The hula skirts were given the next day at a multi-ethnic dance program put on by Konawaena students. Rocky Boy students put on three shows at Kealakehe and one at Konawaena. They staged the following dances: • Inter-Tribal Traditional — Even without regalia, anyone ean get up to dance. This dance is celebrated onee a year on the reservation; around the reservations; in other states and parts of Canada. It is held as a celebration of their annual Pow-Wow.

• Fancy — this is mostly done by young people. • Crow Hawk — A dance introduced to the Chippewa — Crees by the Crow Indians. • Round — This was onee a sacred ceremonial dance. It has since become contemporary, allowing the various tribes to know one another. Nearly 2,000 participate in the annual Pow-Wow dancing. Dancers go in a clockwise manner. Warriors of long ago danced in a counter clockwise manner when they were on the war path. It was their way of letting people know what was happening.

Chief Sam Windyboy is pictured at Kealakehe lntermediate Schooi with Kupuna Leina'ala Teves.

Lueille Windyboy gets haku lei from kupuna Amy Freitas. Elder Nadine Morsett is in background.

Entire Rocky Boy Tribal High School group is pictured on campus of Konawaena High School learning the hula.