Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 4, 1 April 2016 — TREASURED MAHIOLE AND ʻAHU ʻULA of KALANIʻŌPUʻU RETURN TO HAWAIʻI [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TREASURED MAHIOLE AND ʻAHU ʻULA of KALANIʻŌPUʻU RETURN TO HAWAIʻI

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Clockwise ■ from Top— ■ l)The H Museum of ■ New Zealand Te ■ Papa Tongarewa 1 welcomed the Hawai'i delegation with a pōwhiri, a Māo

ritual of encounter. " Photo: Hoim Heke, īe Papa īongarewa. 2) Kalani'ōpu'u's 'ahu 'ula is more than two centuries

old, but curators in turope, ■ New Zealand and Hawai'i have * kept it carefully preserved. Photo: Kai Markell 3)The private ceremony

welcoming the 'ahu 'ula home included w one of the largest processions of kahili ■ in recent history. Photo: Kai Markell 4) 1 Ancient hula pahu added a stirring tribute at a private ceremony welcoming the mea makamae home. Photo: KaiMarkell5 ) Oli and mele greeted the 'ahu 'ula and mahiole when they arrived at Bishop Museum on March 1 2. Photo: īreena Shapiro

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■ first time ¥ since the Hawaiian Renaissance

that any formal W program was eonf ducted entirely in native languages. The event also included the largest assemblv of

W kāhili this millennium, f whieh entered the hall in a striking procession. The feathered standards eame

from Kamehameha Schools, the W Royal Order of Kamehameha, r Hale o Nā Ali 'i o Hawai 'i, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. while

'Ahahui Māmakakaua carried spears * that were placed between the two ki'i L akua (g°d images) while their regally ^W bedecked members sat watch. Kame-

hameha had two large kāhili named Kamanawa and Kame'eiamoku, the sacred twins on the Hawaiian coat-of-arms, and by ehanee also the nephews of Kalani'ōpu'u. Because of this relationship, they were set at eaeh side of the eape. Speakers and performers addressed the 'ahu 'ula and mahiole throughout the ceremony, whieh included a chant of lament and tearful joy for the return of the treasures, as well as their reunion with Na Mamo a Kalani'ōpu'u, some of his descendants. That song of tears was eomposed by Dr. Pua Kanahele to thank the Māori 'ohana for taking care of and returning the sacred items. Orators also offered history dating back to the formation of the Hawaiian Islands and Kalani'ōpu'u's genealogy, along with details about his authority, mana, reign and military prowess. Dr. Hiapo Perriera's oration talked about the care and respect the kūpuna showed the 'aha 'ula, and how it was conveyed to Captain Cook, New Zealand and back to Hawai'i with the same care and respect. Perreira used beautiful language, wise-sayings and allusions as he set the theme with the word 'ula, whieh means both red and sacred, and pointed out that the sacredness of the eape and helmet would be lost if they were simply regarded as museum pieces. "More importantly, he said that eaeh one of us has this 'ula within us and that we must take this 'ula and use it for the good," Akana said. For the first time in 200 years, the shark hula

was performed by Kumu Hula Snowbird Bento and the men of Ka Pā Hula o Ka Lei Lehua. "Hula Manō o Kalani'ōpu'u" celebrates Kalani'ōpu'u's military prowess and likens him to the stingray, the white-finned shark and the tiger shark. Another ancient hula pahu — this one from Kaua'i — prophesized the coming of Captain Cook and the changes that would follow. "Ulei pahu," performed by Kumu Hula, Māpuana de Silva and Hālau Mōhala 'Ilima, says to take control of metaphoric eanoe bearing the legacy, hopes and aspirations of the Hawaiian people. Kumu Hula Victoria Holt-Takamine and Hālau Pua Ali'i 'Ilima performed an impressive dance for Poli'ahu and her 'ahu 'ula of snow, while a stirring hula pahu trilogy near the end of the ceremony bore the hallmark of high hula. Kumu Hula Mae Kamāmalu Klein and ho'opa'a (drummers) of Hālau Hula 'o Kūkalehuaika'ohu and Kumu Hula Ka'ilihiwa Vaughan and 'ōlapa (dancers) of Hālau Hula ka Lehua īuahine moved the audience with their dynamic rows of ho'opa'a (chanters) drumming the hula pahu - some covered with sharkskin to further honor the chief. Contemporary Hawaiian painter Brook Parker, a lineal descendant of Kalani'ōpu'u, gave Bishop Museuma portrait of his chiefly ancestor to mark the occasion. The portrait had a row of its own through the ceremony, while Parker and his wife, also a Kalani'ōpu'u descendant, sat one row behind. ■

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wSī bishop W MUSEUM Ceremony greeted Kalani'ōpu'u's 'ahu 'ula and mahiole at eaeh stage of the journey — including at airports in New

PI-/7 ZealandandHawai'iand whenit I# made its way, still crated, to its new home. But the premiere weleoming ceremony was a private event at Bishop Museum on March 17, whieh brought together lineal descendants of Kalani'ōpu'u, Hawaiian Royal Societies and Ali'i Trusts, along with officials from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Bishop Museum, Hawaiian Airlines, Te Papa Tongarewa and the City and County of Honolulu. From the calling chant asking permission to enter the museumto the recessional that closed the ceremony, only Hawaiian and Māori were spoken. ' OHA Culture Specialist Kalani Akana thinks this is the