Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red Last Chance

Saturday, January 11, 2025
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Castle Memorial Building & Gallery Lawns
Reduced Admission $10 for Kamaʻāina & Military

Take advantage of this special opportunity to visit the highly acclaimed original Bishop Museum exhibition, Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red, right before its closing day! Experience Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red with exhibition tours and ʻUla Nōweo Reflections, special presentations on the exhibition themes by exhibit curators and community leaders.

Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red explores manifestations of red in the landscapes, memory, and created expressions of Oceania. This redness is expressed in mele, moʻolelo, and the wena of kinship. Ka ʻUla Wena originates in Hawaiʻi, but we reach out to embrace our cousins across the vast Moananuiākea.

Spotlight Programming

Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red | Castle Memorial Building
10:30 am & 2:30 pm
FREE with Museum Admission

Ka ʻUla Wena Oceanic Red Gallery Walkthrough
10:30 am & 12:30 pm
Explore the manifestations of red in the landscapes, memories, and created expressions of Oceania as experienced within Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red. Museum educators will lead guests through the distinctly unique reds of Oceania and the redness of our connection.

ʻUla Nōweo Reflection
1:00 pm
Keoni DeFranco
Kū’ē to Kūkulu: Seeking the ‘Ula in Mo’okū’auhau

A reflection on the use of ‘ula to signify mo’okū’auhau (genealogy) across Oceania. A reminder of our kuleana to both Kū’ē (resist) and Kūkulu (build) in our pursuit of Ea, self governance for Hawai’i.

ʻUla Nōweo refers to the glowing red witnessed at the rising, or setting, of the sun; times of the day especially suited for reflection. Inspired by the Bishop Museum original exhibition Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red, the ʻUla Nōweo Reflection Series, offers artists, scholars and community leaders of Hawaiʻi an opportunity to meditate upon manifestations of the color red in their own traditional practices and contemporary lives.

Keoni DeFranco is a Native Hawaiian activist and creative based on Oʻahu dedicated to fostering a sustainable and regenerative Hawaiian economy grounded in self-determination, aloha ʻāina, and ea. DeFranco serves as the Managing Director of Mālama Studios at the Purple Maiʻa Foundation, where he leads initiatives that intersect innovative technology with Native Hawaiian culture, aiming to create local employment opportunities and enhance community waiwai.

In addition to his role at Mālama Studios, Keoni is an active organizer with Oʻahu Water Protectors and Kaʻohewai, advocating for the defueling and decommissioning of the Red Hill Fuel Facility to protect Oʻahu’s sole-source aquifer from petroleum contamination. Beyond his activism, Keoni is trained in the Hawaiian tradition of oli (chanting), having studied under Dr. Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele and graduated with ʻūniki rites in 2014. He continues to study hula, oli, kaʻao, and Hawaiian lifeways under Kumu Kekuhi Kanakaʻole.