Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 4, 1 April 2011 — OHA attends the Arizona Aloha Festival [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA attends the Arizona Aloha Festival

By OHA Community Outreach The Arizona Aloha Festival held on Mareh 12-13 drew more than 100,000 attendees. The event put on by the Arizona eommunity and sponsored in part by the Offiee of Hawaiian Affairs, treated residents throughout Arizona with eontemporary island musie, danee, erafts and food. Performing groups fromArizona, New Mexico, Iowa, Indiana and Hawai'i took part in the two-day event, whieh also featured a special performance by Keali'i Reichel. Folks traveled fromCalifomia, Nevada, Hawai'i and even the East Coast to attend. "This is a great opportunity for us to share our culture and OHA updates with the community abroad," said Kaui Asing, Community Outreach Coordinator with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. On March 1 1, OHA's Community Outreach team, along with Lau Kanaka No Hawai 'i Hawaiian Civic Qub, hosted a reception in Mesa, Arizona, for community leaders and cultural practitioners. The Arizona andNewMexico guests were able to meet and greet OHA Community Outreach staff, and leam more about OHA's programs, services and continental outreach efforts. Community Outreach Manager Dirk Soma said, "It's fabulous to experience the aloha and ho'okipa in Arizona and gain mana'o on their concems for the broader Hawaiian community." Following the visit to Arizona, OHA, in collaboration with Lau Kanaka No Hawai'i Hawaiian Civic Club and the Arizona State University's Asian Paeihe American Studies program, presented a cultural webinar on March 16 titled Hawaiian Literacy and the Epie Tale ofHi 'iakaikapoliopele with Puakea Nogelmeier. Utilizing technology and the spirit of lōkahi, OHA is planning future webinars in order to bridge communities over great distances and provide topics of interest to those living on the continent. Kathy Nakagawa, Associate Professor at ASU said: "Thank you so mueh for arranging a terrific session! We heard from some who could not be there and hoped that we would be hosting future events." ■

OHA Community Outreach Manager Dirk Soma, on right, and Outreach Coordinator Kaui Asing, second from left, flash the Hawaiian shaka at the Arizona Aloha Festival in īempe, Arizona, on March 1 2. New friends from California - via Lā'ie, O'ahu - Leka Tauva'a, left, and Selai Lesu stopped by the OHA booth to get updates and enjoy a little shade from the desert sun. - Photo courtesy ofSelai Lesu