Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 11, 1 November 2002 — Kahoʻolawe exhibition at the Smithsonian a great source of Hawaiian pride for thousands [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kahoʻolawe exhibition at the Smithsonian a great source of Hawaiian pride for thousands

6~T" f aho'olawe, Rebirth a Sacred Hawaiian -M. V Island" ran at the Smithsonian's Arts & Industri.es Building June 5-Sept. 2. VIore than 304,000 people attended the exhibit in the historic Arts and Industries Building. The exhibit that orig inal ly opened at Bishop VIuseum in 1996 was updated and added two panels to educate a nahonal audience about Hawai' i: one illustrated the govern-ment-to-government relationship Hawai'i has had with the United States beginning in the 19th century; the other illustrated the Hawaiian cultural renaissance through photos of voyaging, fishing and farming, and traditional hula. Tarpand woodenbenches replicated the "furnishings" found in the eamp kitchen at Hakioawa. The military section included its history and displayed "inert" ordnance. Plastered to one large wall were magnified news articles from the late 1970s and 80s documenting early protests and arrests of Protect Kaho'olawe "Ohana. There were interactive dis-

o/plays for the children, and three different videos within the exhibit: one describing makahiki ceremonies as excerpted from the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana's video Kaho' olawe Aloha 'Aina, one playing military clips of the various assaults on the island, and one featuring recent revegetation efforts of the Kahocolawe Island Reserve Commission. A big screen at the entrance featured a video loop of many of the stunning photos thatcan be found in the book Nā Leo o Kanaloa, The Voices of Kaho 'olawe. However, it was the music that drew people to the exhibit. Twenty seconds of Hawail rap group Sudden Rush, followed by Brudda Iz' "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Eveiyone knew the song, everyone stopped to watch the video. Forty-four volunteer docents attended four training sessions eonducted by Davianna McGregor. VIost of the docents had Hawai'i connections, 10 were Native Hawaiian. Hula dancer Carol Takafuji will be in D.C. a little longer as her husband, physician

Ernie Takafuji, has been transferred to head a new department in the Office of Homeland Security. Frank VIokihana Enos, away for 20-plus yeais, worked the exhibit every single day. VIr. Kwok isn't from Hawai'i, but he is an advocate for Asian Americans and Pacific Islandeis, and is now well-read on the significance of Kahocolawe to Hawaiians and all people of Hawai ' i . D ay na O ba VIo ra w orks i n Sen. Inouye's office, and plans to return to farming at Konawaena as soon as her son graduates. Dre Kalili is a George Washington University student and the granddaughter of a woman who IV ed on Kaho'olawe as a teenager. 'Ohana member Kim Ku'ulei Birnie spent three weeks in D.C. giving tours and acting as a resource to the docents. The Aloha Boys played music for the exhibit opening and one of the public performances. Four loeal guys: Isaac Ho'opi'i (the Pentagon poliee officer and 9/11 hero), Inrin Queja, Ramon Oamaiillo and Glen Hirabayashi — are full of aloha.

Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine popped in after visiting her son in New England, and was pleased to see a picture of her hālau dancing on the pā hula at VIoanalua Gardens. Joyce 0'Brien of Wai'anae learned about the exhibit while attending a conference, so she went to see that stunning photo of her brother Ene Enos standing in the lo'i. Assistant Secretaiy of the Navy H.T. Johnson toured the exhibitwhen itopened. School ehildren eame in groups and already understood the concept of 'ohana, thanks to the movie Lilo and Stitch. Asian American and American Indian leadeis eame, as well. Other visitois included people from Hawai'i who accidentally stumbled upon the exhibit, folks who have grown up in the islands but have been away a long time, and even Hawaiians who were born and raised on the continent, but yearn for nā meaHawai'i. We were proud to be able to feature such an important symbol of Hawaih in a plaee as special as the Smithsonian. ■

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Colette Machado Trustee, Moloka 'i and Lāna 'i