Kuauli festival celebrates Hawaii’s diverse cultures

Making fishnets sounds like a menial task, but Chuck Leslie knows it’s an art so intricate, so precise, few have the skill, patience and knowledge to do it. The 77-year-old lifelong fisherman was born and raised in the small village of Napoopoo beside Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii island. He grew up learning net-making and other fishing traditions of his Hawaiian ancestors.

Leslie’s hands are weathered now, but the speed and dexterity he demonstrates with the hia (needle) belie his age. He knows he is one of only a handful of fishermen in Hawaii who are still making nets by hand. Hoping to revive the dying art, he will lead two workshops about it at the second annual Hawai‘i Kuauli Pacific & Asia Cultural Festival in Kailua-Kona.

“The festival is not ‘entertainment,’” said Becky Fernandez, chair of the festival’s marketing committee and secretary of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Hawai‘i Island Pacific & Asia Cultural Celebrations, which is putting on the event. “Rather, it’s about education, embracing the similarities and differences of Hawaii’s diverse cultures, and displaying the many gifts — including music, dance, food, protocols and arts and crafts — that each of them contributes to make Hawaii a special place.”

Kuauli means “verdant.” Hawai‘i Nui Kuauli was a chief who was highly regarded for his knowledge about cultivating crops on the lush slopes of Hawaii island’s mountains.

“By carrying his name, our festival raises awareness about him and his great accomplishments as a steward of the aina (land),” Fernandez said. “The word kuauli also reminds us that we can live productive, meaningful lives by remembering the wisdom of our ancestors and holding fast to the things they valued, which include love of the aina and ohana.”

Participating in this year’s event will be groups representing Hawaii’s extended ohana throughout Asia and the Pacific: Fiji, Korea, Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, the Marquesas and the Philippines.

The opening ceremony for the three-day celebration sets a tone of respect, unity and sharing. After a welcome from the host nation of Hawaii, the other groups will respond with songs, chants, dances, speeches and exchanges of gifts.

“Many who attended the ceremony last year described it as an evening of ‘chicken-skin’ moments,” Fernandez said. “One highlight was when a young woman from Fiji presented a piece of tapa to kumu hula Namahana Kalama-­Panui and the Hawaii delegation. In response to her powerful presentation, kumu Namahana took off the kihei (shawl) she was wearing and gave it to the young woman. This took no more than a few minutes, but it showed the deep connection that was taking place between the cultures and generations.”

For last year’s Wearable Arts Fashion Show, tapa, flax and fresh flowers appeared in accessories (jewelry, scarves and purses) and men’s, women’s and children’s attire. This year, feathers, woven mats and palm fronds will be among the materials used in dramatic, innovative creations.

Local designers Micah Kamoho­ali‘i of Dezigns by Kamohoali‘i, Kira Kamamalu of KK Art Clothing and Nita Pilago of Wahine Toa Designs no doubt will be crowd-­pleasers. Making their debut will be Pilago’s proteges: Oriana Brown, Jocani Alani and Siona Fruean.

“Eriki Marchand from Tahiti and Iata Peautolu from New Zealand are also being featured in the show,” Fernandez said. “What’s exciting is this will be the first time all the fashions will be shown publicly in Hawaii.”

Ka‘ea and Kahelelani Lyons, kumu of Kona-based Halau Ka‘eaikahelelani, have organized the Keiki Hula Competition, which will spotlight dancers 10 to 18 years old in kahiko (ancient) and auana (modern) group and solo divisions.

Chants and mele (songs) for the kahiko segment must honor alii (royalty) from the Kamehameha era (roughly 1753 to 1872) or have been written by alii from that era. Mele for the auana performances must be from the Kalakaua period (1874-1891) through present day.

New this year is Taste of Pacific & Asia featuring seven chefs: ­Kazuhiro Kimura, Connect to Life in Tokyo; George Gomes, Royal Kona Resort; Nolan Hing, Local Boy Cuisine; Bryan Fujikawa, Kona Grill House; James “Muzzy” Fernandez, the Club at Hokuli‘a; Angela Kenyon, Kuki‘o Golf and Beach Club; and Roy Basilio, Courtyard by Marriott King ­Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

Their dishes will incorporate Pacific and Asian ingredients in traditional and fusion preparations. Part of the proceeds will be donated to Ke Kula ‘O ‘Ehunuikaimalino, a Hawaiian immersion school in Kealakekua.

In short, the Kuauli Festival encourages the preservation of cultural identity and indigenous practices.

“We would like people to recognize the beauty and strengths of their culture,” Fernandez said. “We would like to ignite that passion and inspire them to then learn about and appreciate other cultures. That is how bonds are formed; that is the way bridges between individuals, groups, communities and countries can be built.”

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.