Waves of Hawaiian Culture Today in the Country

Join the celebration this weekend at Turtle Bay for the Makahiki Kuilima, a day filled with traditional sporting events and cultural performances, on Jan. 9, 2016. Presented by Hawaiian education programs Naepuni Aloha and Ke Kula `o S.M. Kamakau, the event is sponsored by Hawaiʻi nonprofits Kai Loa Inc. and Kanalu and Turtle Bay Resort.

The games – traditionally held during the four months when Pleiades is visible in the night sky, often from mid-October through mid-February – will feature he‘e hōlua, where competitors slide down slopes on specialized sleds; and ‘ulu maika and moa pāheʻa, a form of “ancient bowling”, where players roll disks and wooden darts through two stakes at the end of a course. Athletes will also engage in ancient games such as hukihuki (tug of war) and ‘ō‘ō ihe (spear throwing).

Additional highlights will include hula and Polynesian dance performances, and guests will be treated to Hawaiian cuisine. Educational exhibits will showcase Makahiki traditions, and artisans will demonstrate Hawaiian crafting techniques.

Makahiki was an ancient Hawaiian post-harvest, new-year season that lasted approximately four month. During Makahiki, war was forbidden, and the Hawaiians spent their time celebrating the harvest, playing games, paying tribute to their chiefs, honoring the god Lono, telling stories, dancing, and feasting.

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SATURDAY SCHEDULE

8:00 Pule Wehe/Wehena (Ke Kula ʻo S.M. Kamakau)
Games Registration starts

8:30 Hālau Nā Pualei o Likolehua Performance

9:00 Games Begin (Maika, Moa, Ihe, Kiola, Uma, Kulakulaʻi)

*Heʻe Hōlua, Kōnane & Hāpai Pōhaku, all day

Games demonstrations & explanations on stage

11:30 Hawaiian Music by Kamakakēhau Fernandez

Lunch Break for Games Participants

12:15 Hula Off

12:30 Games Resume (Kūkini, Hukihuki, ʻAlo ʻIa)

Games demonstrations & explanations on stage