Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 12, 1 December 2010 — KU EXHIBIT INSPIRES TEARS, SMILES, AWE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

KU EXHIBIT INSPIRES TEARS, SMILES, AWE

Exhibit funded by OHA drew 70,000 visitors

By Zach Villanueva

After leaving the islands almost 150 years ago, two images of Kū made their way baek to Hawai'i for a historie exhibit at the Bishop Museum. The Offiee of Hawaiian Affairs was proud to donate $100,000 to the exhibit, E Kū Ana Ka Paia: Unification, Responsibiīity and the Kū Images, featuring the Hawaiian god "Kū," whieh means, "to stand, arise, ereet." While most people know Kū as the god of war, Kū is also known as the god of good health, good crops, family strength and national prosperity. E Kū Ana Ka Paia was held from June 5 to Oct. 4, and drew more than 70,000

visitors, including Native Hawaiians, tourists, museum enthusiasts, hula hālau and students from around the world. The exhibit unified three wooden carvings of Kū, one of whieh is housed at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, one loaned from the British Museum in England and one loaned from the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts. (The two loaned Kū images have since been returned to the British and Peabody Essex museums.) The significance of these images coming home, across thousands of miles of land and oceans were tremendous, because it has been almost 200 years since the abolition of the kapu system. This means it had been nearly 200 years since Kū images of this size - eaeh image weighs approximately 800 pounds - stood together side by side. For some Hawaiians, the exhibit had been a long-awaited event, some 40 years in the making. Noelle Kahanu of Bishop Museum said that for many, the exhibit brought tears of joy, songs of praise and long-lasting

smiles, but for her most importantly it has brought the Hawaiian people together. For others it has meant mueh more, even more than words ean describe, whieh was the case for artist David Kalama Jr. After years of traveling the world and seeing these carvings at the British and Peabody Essex museums, his interest in these sculptures continued to grow. A year before the Kū images made their journey to Hawai'i, he had heard the news of their planned retum. After seeing them united, Kalama said, "Now that they are here, I stand in awe of their magnificence - awe at their power, awe at the brilliance of their artists."

At first Kalama planned to capture the images on film but was told that cameras were not allowed. Then he considered doing oil paintings but knew that the smell might distract museum guests. So after weighing his options, he decided to do charcoal drawings of Kū. He spent 54 days and countless hours, usually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., studying and drawing the images. While drawing, he always stood in respect to Kū. "Who would have the gall to draw Kū sitting down," he asked. Kalama finished 19 charcoal and pastel drawings. He and many others were enraptured by their beauty and were in a state of hō'ano (awe) when in the presence of these ki'i. According to Kahanu, "The impact of these images being back in the Islands could make 2010 'the year of the Kū.' " During its fourmonth run, the monumental exhibit brought thousands of people to see for themselves - Hawaiian culture and history in action. ■

m Follow us: twitter.com/oha_hawaii | E Fan us: "Office of Hawaiian Affairs"

Artist David Kalama shows his pastel drawing, Ku KoluAka Mahina, or Three Kuin Moon Shadow, one of his 19 drawings inspired by the recent Kū exhibit. - Photos: LisaAsato

Kalama with one of his Kū studies, in charcoal.