Kāhuli Celebration Day

Sunday, September 27, 2026
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hawaiian Hall Complex
Free with Museum Admission  

We celebrate Kāhuli in 2026 with a day of live music, hula, puppetry, educational presentations, and activity booths in Hawaiian Hall. A great opportunity for guests of all ages to engage with the researchers, conservationists, educators, and artists who “mālama pū i ka ʻāina” as a community. 

Throughout the day, musicians will present “The Kāhuli,” a musical movement for violin, bass, and harp that raises awareness for endangered Hawaiian land snails, in collaboration with puppeteers and guest artists. “The Kāhuli” is the final movement of the Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals, a kaleidoscopic, aural presentation celebrating animals faced with the dismaying possibility of being the very last of their kind. Inspired by moʻolelo describing the song of the kāhuli snail, “The Kāhuli” reflects upon a magical sound arising from the forests—possibly made by wind swirling through their shells or the shells bumping against each other. This long-celebrated song created by wind blowing through the shells of millions of tree snails is depicted by the cello in this movement, nested in a shimmering bed of harp and string harmonics. 

Although kāhuli is often mistakenly thought to refer primarily to the famous O‘ahu Tree Snails, the base of the word “huli” actually holds multiple meanings in Hawaiian. Huli means to turn over, as in turning the page of a book, but also turning, as we often do when looking under the leaves for the snails. It is also used to refer to searching, or seeking and exploring, as one does to better understand what the land snails and their ecosystems need to thrive in our modern world. Kāhuli can refer to land snails broadly or to the singing of the land snails, or it may mean to change or to alter. In the broadest spirit, we hope this program serves as a change agent, helping us to turnover our current way of thinking about conservation, to reconnect with the roots of what makes Hawaiʻi so special, and search for more sustainable and inclusive ways to bring about change. There are 759 species of land snails that are native to Hawaiʻi. Like the snails, much of what is found in Hawaiʻi is unique to these islands and provides a framework for us to better understand our place here. 

Program Timeline
Hawaiian Hall, Kai Ākea – First Floor

10 a.m.“The Kāhuli” Music Performance
Featuring Iggy Jang on Violin, Megan Conley on Harp, and Shawn Conley on Bass

10:30 a.m. Kāhuli Puppet-Making Activity
Led by Danica Rosengren

11 a.m. “The Kāhuli” Music Performance
Featuring Iggy Jang on Violin, Megan Conley on Harp, and Shawn Conley on Bass

11:30 a.m. “Kāhuli in 2026”
Presented by Dr. Norine Yeung, Curator of Malacology at Bishop Museum 

12 p.m. “The Kāhuli” Music Performance
Featuring Iggy Jang on Violin, Megan Conley on Harp, and Shawn Conley on Bass

12: 30 p.m. Kāhuli in Hula and Mele

1 p.m. “The Kāhuli” Music Performance
Featuring Iggy Jang on Violin, Megan Conley on Harp, and Shawn Conley on Bass

1:20 p.m. Kāhuli Puppet-Making Activity
Led by Danica Rosengren

Throughout the day, the following educational and activity booths in the J. Watumull Atrium of Hawaiian Hall: 

• Live Native Snails from the Pūpū Ola: Kāhuli Captive Rearing Research Center 
• Kāhuli Merchandise Booth 
• And more to be announced 

To see the Hawaii premiere of the full Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals, go here. 

Presented in collaboration with Ocean Music Action.

This program is supported by KS Kaiaulu

Photo: Achatinella lila, Joel Sartore.