Celebrating Song, Dance, And Story
Mary Kawena Pukui Arts Festival Marks 10th Year

Honolulu – It’s time again to honor the arts of native cultures through performances and cultural activities.  The 10th Annual Mary Kawena Pukui Arts Festival at Bishop Museum will take place on Saturday, February 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  This event is free for Bishop Museum Members.  A $5 special rate will apply for kama‘āina and military (proper identification required); children 3 and under are free.  Regular admission rates apply for all other visitors. 

This year’s theme:  Celebrate — Song, Dance, and Story offers a journey down life’s paths through traditional and innovative stories, songs, and dances.  Several stages will be located throughout Bishop Museum’s campus to showcase storytellers from Alaska, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Hawai‘i.  A dynamic group performance will take place at 12 noon directed by Peter Rockford Espiritu, artistic director of Tau Dance Theatre. 

The Festival will also include an aerobatic performance by Samadhi Hawai‘i.  Aside from storytelling, song, and dance performances, there will be a number of booths and activities for the entire family.  A special keiki activity will fashion hats in honor of the Ka Lei Pāpale exhibition in Castle Building. 
Mary Kawena Pukui is a revered Hawaiian scholar and linguist who valued the art of storytelling and the importance of oral history.  Pukui published the first Native Hawaiian language dictionary and worked tirelessly to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian traditions of hula and storytelling.

Born in 1895, Pukui lived with her maternal grandmother until she was six.  She learned the Hawaiian language, chants, hula, and legends.  Those lessons continued throughout her life as she continued to collect more stories that she would use to write more than 50 books and 150 songs.  Pukui worked at Bishop Museum for over 50 years helping to preserve chant texts, oral histories and ethnographic data collected in her research and fieldwork.  She passed away in1986.
Please note that Bishop Museum hours are from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Museum is closed on Tuesdays.  For more information, please call (808) 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.
This event is sponsored by grants from the Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (ECHO).  The purpose of ECHO programming is to amplify educational benefits, foster greater appreciation of local and national history, and assist communities in maximizing the social benefits of new technologies.
-pau-

CELEBRATE! SONG, DANCE, AND STORY
10th Annual Mary Kawena Pukui Performing Arts Festival
February 13, 2010, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Bishop Museum

10:30 – 11:00 am    Opening Ceremony
                                    Ke Kula o S. M. Kamakau Public Charter School                        

11:00 - 11:45 am     Samadhi Hawai’i  - Flanders Lawn

12n -  1:00 pm          “Celebrate! Song, Dance, and Story” - Mainstage
                                      An ECHO Collaborative Performance

1:00 - 1:45 pm          Meet & Greet Cast - Mainstage

1:00 – 1:45 pm         Ola Nā Mo’olelo- Dramatic Story Telling – Atrium
- Puapualenalena – Kealoha Kelekolio
- Manō, the shark – Moses Goods
- Mo’o Mo’olelo – Marcus Quiniones

2:00 - 2:45 pm          Hula Ki’i – Mainstage - Hakipu’u Public Charter School

2:00 - 2:45 pm          Stories of Moloka’i - Atrium - Makia Malo 

2:45 - 3:30 pm          Mo’olelo Hulu - Atrium - Paulette Kahalepuna

3:00 - 3:30 pm          Ku’u Lei Pāpale – Parade of Hats - Main stage

3:30 - 4:00 pm          Samadhi Hawai’i - Flanders Lawn