Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

A Mauna Kea Wear Wednesday Aloha to everyone for an incredible Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards experience. Just to be nominated for Compilation CD for KŪKULU and adjudicated categories, for us it felt surreal to be in the same room with all of the musicians, composers, artists, supporters and friends and we felt that we had brought the mauna to the masses as is our mission through Mauna Kea Education and Awareness. It was certainly worth all that it took to get there.

Performing and dancing Ala Hulu Kupuna on stage for every PILLAR who has ever stood on the Ala, danced in the ʻAha, stood on the frontline, and supported from afar, this night truly was a tribute to the ongoing efforts, the work, the commitment and the Aloha we have for our places, practices and peoples here in Hawaiʻi and everywhere beyond.

Mahalo to Hāwane Rios, Lorna Lim, Wehilei Lim Ryder, Brandon Nakano, Imua Garza, and Anna Callner for sharing my mele on stage for the first time ever with a backdrop of a clip from our film, Standing Above the Clouds.
Mahalo to every single one who believed in and participated in the creation of this CD, extraordinary musicians, composers, chanters, singers, designers, photographers, all kiaʻi for the mauna to the moana. So much gratitude to Alice Fujii for the 'ākulikuli, Punahele Andrade for the 'a'ali'i, @malipolipmaile for all of the lei maile from Kona and my beautiful pieces of mauna jewelry from Na'au Wala'au Designs.

We surely couldnʻt have completed this project without Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Hawaiʻi Peoples Fund, and the Kanaka Economic Development Alliance.

The final preparation of the journey to the HOKUS took us to Mauna Kea to pule at the ahu, to gift our hoʻokupu on the summit, to dance Ala Hulu Kupuna on the Ala Hulu Kupuna and to mahalo our kupuna, our ancestors at Manaua.

To all who greeted us with so much Aloha, we are so grateful to have been there to share in your nominations and victories.
To the HARA Board and all who worked behind the scenes and of course in celebration and in the memory of Janet Maduli, thank you all for a beautiful journey and event experience. Mahalo a nui loa. Eō!