Event to rededicate Kapolei hula mound

Community leaders hope rededicating the hula mound at Kapolei Regional Park on Saturday and erecting a sign there at a later date will raise public awareness about the area’s cultural significance.

The initiative is part of a new law that established a program to designate structures, areas or objects in city parks that are deemed culturally or historically significant to the community. The law allows for cultural markers to be placed at these sites with the hope of giving residents a sense of place and deterring vandalism. A group would recommend a site and be responsible for reimbursing the city for the cost of a marker, its installation and its maintenance.

Mikiala Kanekoa — executive director of the Ulu Ae Learning Center, a nonprofit that provides after-school Hawaiian programs and educational opportunities — other residents and the Kapolei Hawaiian Civic Club are leading the charge to promote cultural awareness and community pride at Kapolei Regional Park.

Kanekoa said she and other volunteers would visit the hula mound every day to clean up the trash and graffiti. She said the learning center has been spearheading an effort to gather donations to pay for the sign.

The Ulu Ae Learning Center, in partnership with the city and other groups, is holding a ceremony to rededicate the hula mound at 3 p.m. Saturday at Kapolei Regional Park.

“Our goal is to keep that area as pristine as possible so there’s never a doubt to how special it is,” said Kanekoa, who is also a kumu hula in Kapolei. “There’s a lot that goes on at that hula mound that has nothing to do with hula. People don’t understand its significance. Rededicating it will show a new era of awareness of the area, and the signage is one thing that’s going to add to that.”

The hula mound and the surrounding area are known as the piko, or center, of Kapolei. The area, known as Puuokapolei, is said to have been a landmark for travelers and a navigational and seasonal guide for Hawaiians.

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the Leeward Coast, introduced the bill that cleared the way for community groups to erect signs and recognize special places. She said the park is one of the first sites to be recognized as part of the new program, adding that she is working with a group in Waianae to erect signage at Pokai Bay.

“This is really the start of a rebirth of the whole location (Kapolei) to let people know that this is a sacred area,” Pine said. “We hope that this brings a renewed pride to the area, which we hope will eventually stop vandalism. And a lot of these things that are going on are really associated to people not understanding what these areas mean.”