Volunteers with the Hawaiʻi Island Hawksbill Project engage with the public at an exhibit table at the 40th Cultural Festival in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in Kahuku. (NPS Photo/J.Wei)

(BIVN) – The Hawaiʻi island community celebrated the 40th Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Cultural Festival this past Saturday.

Park officials say nearly 900 people gathered in Kahuku to participate in the event.

In a news release, the National Park Service wrote:

Sounds of the pū, pūʻohe and the oli E Hō Mai led by Kumu Kaʻuhane Heloca, opened the festival, while a light makani and intermittent cloud cover kept everyone cool in Kaʻū. Hundreds of community members and visitors made ti leaf lei, wove bracelets from lauhala, sanded their own makau (fishhooks), and created ʻohe kāpala designs on canvas bags. The scent of maile and puakenikeni lei filled the air as performers took the stage at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.

“Every cultural festival is a wonderful experience for the park and the community,” said Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Superintendent, Rhonda Loh. “We send our biggest mahalo nui loa to all the performers, partners, food vendors, exhibitors and cultural practitioners who made Saturday such a huge success. It really is a kākou thing and I deeply appreciate everyone, including our staff and volunteers, who worked hard together to make the 40th fun and memorable!”

The Pandanus Club, left to right: Ken Makuakāne, Roddy Lopez and Alden Kaiʻaokamālie (NPS Photo/J.Wei)

Festival goers were dazzled with hula performances by nā ʻōlapa (dancers) from Kaleilaniakealiʻi and Lori Lei’s Hula Studio, and were treated to a day of mele by the original members of the legendary Pandanus Club: Ken Makuakāne, Roddy Lopez and Alden Kaiʻaokamālie. Ken Makuakāne, a multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner, also performed solo.

The theme of the festival, E Ho‘omau i ka Poʻohala, was personified by generations of the Makuakāne ʻohana who have helped organize, emcee, perform, and share Hawaiian cultural practices from the very first Hawaiian cultural at Kamoamoa through Saturday’s 40th event. The park sends a special mahalo to the ʻohana, especially Joni Mae Makuakāne-Jarrell, who served as a vivacious emcee and helped organize the event.

In addition, the cultural festival would not be possible without the dedicated support of the park’s supporting partners, the Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association.

We look forward to seeing you at the next cultural festival!