Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 3, 1 March 2013 — lt's the 50th anniversary of the Merrie Monarch Festivol [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

lt's the 50th anniversary of the Merrie Monarch Festivol

"Hula is the language ofthe heart; therefore, the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people. " — King David Kalākaua. The Merrie Monarch Hula Festival began in Hilo, Hawai'i, in 1963 when Helene Hale, chairman of the County of Hawai'i, looked for a way to attract tourists to the island. Hawai'i Island needed an eeonomie boost

after suffering a devastating tidal wave and a downtum in business. Chairman Hale sent her administrative assistant, Gene Wilhelm, and her promoter of activities, George Nā'ope, to eheek out the Lahaina Whaling Spree on Maui to see what lessons could be leamed. They returned to Hawai'i Island extremely inspired. In 1964, the festival consisted of a King Kalākaua beard look-alike contest, a barbershop quartet contest, a relay race, a re-creation of King Kalākaua's coronation, and a Holokū Ball, among other events. By 1968 the festival fell into hard times and would have been suspended had it not been for Aunty Dottie Thompson, who took over as executive director of the festival. "My mom wanted to move the festival more toward a Hawaiian theme, and so she brought back Unele George Nā 'ope and Unele Albert Nahale 'a," said the current festival president, Luana Kawelu, Aunty Dottie's daughter. "Unele George would be in charge of the pageantry and the coronation, and Unele Albert would be in charge of the music. They wanted to replicate what King David Kalākaua had done, bringing the best hula dancers from around the Islands to eome and perform and share quality and the authenticity of hula at the time." With advice from the hula masters, Aunty Dottie and Unele George introduced a hula competition in 1971. Nine wāhine hālau entered that first year. The major purpose of the festival is the perpetuation, preservation and pro-

motion of the art of hula and the Hawaiian culture through education. The festival is eonsidered the world's premiere forum for people of all ages to display their skills and knowledge of the art of ancient and modern hula. In preparation for the Merrie Monarch Festival, kumu hula in Hawai'i and on the eontinental United States hold classes, workshops and semi-

nars throughout the year to teach the art of hula, the meaning of Hawaiian chants and songs, the Hawaiian language, the making of Hawaiian clothing and crafts, and the history of our Hawaiian people. Through this ongoing year-round learning process, haumāna also gain a knowledge and appreciation of the unique harmony and halanee the ancient Hawaiian people maintained with their island environment. The chants, songs and dances tell stories of the Hawaiians' relationship with nature - the birds and tish, trees and flowers, mountains, oceans, rivers, wind, rain and Hawai'i's active volcanoes. The Merrie Monarch Festival is the focal point and catalyst that supports and draws together an extensive network of hula hālau, kumu, hula masters, researchers, professors of Hawaiian studies and haumāna of all ages who are committed to the perpetuation and advancement of the Hawaiian history and culture. One only needs to spend that week in Hilo, eheek out the beautiful crafts in the many locations, taste the variety of foods from the different vendors, watch the Merrie Monarch Royal Parade, and flnally walk in the stadium and smell the beautiful scent of maile, palai and our fragrant flowers made into beautiful lei to know that it's not the same as staying home and watching it on TV. I wouldn't trade this week in Hilo eaeh year to be anywhere else in the world. Mahalo Luana and staff for all you do to perpetuate our Hawaiian culture. Aloha nui. ■

Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey TrustEE, Maui