Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park in West Hawaii hosted its annual Hawaiian Cultural Festival on Saturday and celebrated the park’s 62nd anniversary as a unit of the National Park Service.
This year has been long-awaited, since it is the first time practitioners could come together to share their knowledge since the start of the pandemic.
“We celebrate not only our resilience, but our connection to one another and our environment. It is through these healthy connections that balance within and without can be restored,” the National Park said in a statement.
The theme of the festival, He Kiho‘iho‘i Kanawai — The Law of Restoration, Acknowledging our Environmental Kinship — reflects that balance and the restoration of Hawaii’s natural resources and cycles.
Locals and visitors came to the family-friendly free event to learn about traditional practices including weaving, poi pounding, spear throwing and lei making. Samples of kava, poi and wana (sea urchin) were available for those brave enough to try.
Claudia, from Mexico, was especially interested in the wana station.
“We have urchins in Mexico, but not this kind,” she said as she sampled the wana. “Very good.”
Jennifer Wagner from California said she has been bringing her children to the park for many years, but Saturday was the first time she attended the festival.
“This is great. We love it and have learned a lot about the culture,” she said.
Her son Brady tried his hand at spear throwing, just barely missing his target to the cheers of waiting visitors.
“The spear throwing was definitely my favorite,” he said after visiting most of the other stations.
For more information about the South Kona park, visit nps.gov/puho.
