Hailing from the island of O'ahu, Hawaii, members of the male dance troupe Hālau Kiawekūpono O Ka Ua will present an evening of authentic traditional Hula dance and music in the Carleton College Weitz Center for Creativity (Large Dance Studio, room 165) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. This not-to-be-missed performance is free and open to the public.
The hālau will be in residence at Carleton Oct. 24-29, during which time they will participate in a cultural exchange with Native American drummers and dancers at the American Indian Center in Minneapolis on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. They will also offer a free master hula class at Carleton on Friday, Oct. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m., also in the Weitz Center Large Dance Studio, Room 165.
The hālau’s name refers to “a good streak of rain”—or, in another interpretation, “a streak of righteousness”—and its genealogy goes back many generations. Hālau is a Hawaiian word meaning a “school, academy, or group.” The word also refers to "a branch from which many leaves grow." The teacher of a hālau is referred to as the kumu hula, where kumu means “teacher,” but it also means “source” or “tree.”
Dietrix Jon Ulukoa Duhaylonsod is the kumu hula of Hālau Kiawekūpono O Ka Ua, whose members hail from the island of O’ahu. As a hālau, they are committed to perpetuate the traditional knowledge that has been passed down to them. It is their kuleana (responsibility) to preserve the mo’olelo (stories) of their home and to ensure that their hula lineage is passed on to the next generation. The hālau also has the mission to share their traditions with other peoples around the world through cultural exchanges in the spirit of good will. The hālau emphasizes that the love of one’s self must be coupled with a genuine appreciation of others for it to be a healthy, fruitful love. This is their manifestation of aloha.
The hālau is now in its eighteenth year and has participated in many events such as: Hula ‘Oni E Festival, Kapu‘uola Festival, Mālama Kapolei Festival, and Ho'i Mai I Ka Piko World Hula Festival, all on O‘ahu; Guahan/Asia Hula Festival in Guam; Iā 'Oe E Ka Lā Hula Festival and George Na‘ope Hula Festival, both in California; George Na'ope Kāne Hula Competition on Hawai‘i Island; Moloka‘i Ka Hula Piko Festival on Moloka‘i; and various other community events. The hālau has also participated in cultural exchanges at home and abroad with the Ainu of Hokkaido; the Saami of Norway; the Chamoru of the Mariana Islands; the Lakota and Ojibwe of Minnesota; the Maori of Aotearoa; the Tjapukai of Cairns, Australia; and various other First Nations of Canada and Greenland.
Many of the hālau members are activists for social justice. In early October, the hālau’s kumu testified for Chamoru self-determination at the United Nations in front of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee). He has also testified with the Hawaiian delegation (Pacific Caucus) at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The other members of the hālau are equally engaged in community affairs to make the world a better place.
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Department of Religion, with additional support from the Public Works Mellon Grant, Class of '57 Visiting Scholar for Interdisciplinary Studies Fund, Asian Studies, Religion, Studies in the Arts, American Studies, CAMS, Chaplain's Office, Dean's Office, Environmental Studies, History, Theater and Dance, and Women's and Gender Studies.
The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at 320 Third Street in Northfield. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-5734.
