2025 Nānā i ke Kumu Series
Honoring and Perpetuating the Legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui
2025 Nānā i ke Kumu Series
Honoring and Perpetuating the Legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui
2025 Nānā i ke Kumu Series
Honoring and Perpetuating the Legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui
From June 6-16, 2024, Hawai‘i is host the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC), the world’s largest celebration of indigenous people of Moananuiākea. During this time, Bishop Museum — in collaboration with ‘Ohana Wa‘a, the Hawai‘i voyaging community — will dedicate a full day of programs to celebrate voyaging in Moananuiākea.
Through all-day programming across the entirety of the Bishop Museum campus — including oral history talks, Planetarium presentations, educational booths, a special proclamation, mele, and more — experience a rich spectrum of mo‘olelo and educational offerings that provide a unique snapshot of the breadth and depth of Hawai‘i’s voyaging community.
Each program is in tribute to Mau Piailug and his ʻohana for his foundational and immeasurable influence on traditional voyaging practices as we know it today — without whom the revitalization and reclamation of Polynesia’s voyaging traditions would not be possible.
Join us on Thursday, June 13, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., as ‘Ohana Wa‘a will gather at Bishop Museum to pay tribute to Mau Piailug and his ʻohana as we express our deepest gratitude for all that he has given to the Pacific and beyond. The day’s programming culminates in a special evening event “Mele Mau,” which includes the sharing of mele and mo‘olelo by Hawai‘i and Pacific Islander voyaging groups in honor of Mau Piailug, a formal proclamation, and a closing music concert.
See Full Program Info for more details.
In partnership with the Mary Kawena Pukui Cultural Preservation Society, Bishop Museum invites you to celebrate the life, work, and enduring legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui, a foundational pillar of Hawaiian knowledge and cultural revitalization. Throughout 2025, our Nānā i ke Kumu Series will offer monthly programs that highlight Mrs. Pukui’s unparalleled contributions to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, moʻolelo, hula, mele, and the perpetuation of ʻike kupuna.
Mrs. Pukui’s dedication laid the foundation for the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s and continues to inspire today’s movements to advance Kanaka identity and independence. The Nānā i ke Kumu Series invites practitioners, scholars, students, and the broader community to engage in Mrs. Pukui’s works, exploring the ʻike kupuna she documented as a guide for addressing contemporary challenges.
Please check back throughout the year as we announce the full slate of programming in this special tribute to Mrs. Pukui’s enduring legacy.
2025 Nānā i ke Kumu Series
Honoring and Perpetuating the Legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui
