Honoring Queen Lili‘uokalani: Hula halau, visitors celebrate queen’s birthday – West Hawaii Today

Seventeen hula halau brought grace and beauty to the forefront of the festival as they danced together for the 25th He Halia Aloha No Lili‘uokalani to celebrate the Queen’s birthday at Lili‘uokalani Park and Gardens in Hilo.

After offering ho‘okupu to Queen Lili‘uokalani, the halau filled the park to perform a mass hula to “Lili‘u E,” which is a personal song of praise for the queen.

The music seemed to fade as a helicopter flew overhead and released flower blossoms over at least 1,000 people in the crowd, which has been the tradition of the Hilo festival.

Halau danced to “Mahalo E Hilo Hanakahi” to finish the ceremony and dispersed to friends and family throughout the gardens.

The dancers from Na Wahine Punahele ‘O Ka Pu‘uwai each hugged their Kumu Hula Iwalani Woo-O’Brien, who recited a portion of a speech that was given by Queen Lili‘uokalani as she and her halau offered ho‘okupu.

“This celebration is important for the great memory of a queen who tried everything to keep her kingdom, but couldn’t because of the powers that be,” Woo-O’Brien said. “The amazing speech was about the love of her people, which is why she could not regain her power. She could never sacrifice her people.”

Queen Lili’uokalani was an accomplished composer and songwriter and made sure to preserve key elements of Hawaii’s traditional poetics. According to the Lili‘uokalani Trust, many of her compositions were love songs in the tradition of mele ho‘oipoipo, full of nature metaphors.

Although she worked tirelessly in the world of politics before and after her overthrow in 1893, Queen Lili’uokalani remained faithful to her music as she wrote about the issues she faced, which have endured as expressions of Hawaiian identity.

“Coming together in this way is perfect for her. We hope to emulate her love of music, hula and her people as we celebrate and honor her as our only reigning queen,” Woo-O’Brien said. “It’s amazing to see so many halau here with so many faces I recognize. It’s especially great seeing our keiki as it begins with them again.”

Evelyn Togashi, a former recreation specialist for the County of Hawaii’s Department of Parks and Recreation, took photos during the He Halia Aloha No Lili‘uokalani, which she helped start before retiring in 2000.

“I’m so proud and happy to see how much this event has grown over the years. It’s so beautiful and the day is wonderful,” Togashi said. “I’m happy to see Parks and Recreation keep putting events together and making them bigger. I hope everyone has a wonderful time.”

After halau performed, Darlene Ahuna, Taishoji Taiko, Just Us Band, and Ben Kaili and Kanakapila provided live entertainment for attendees. The County also provided activities like traditional Hawaiian games, arts and crafts and demonstrations.

For more information on Queen Lili‘uokalani and the legacy she left Hawaii, visit Lili‘uokalani Trust’s website at http://onipaa.org/queen-liliuokalani.

Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com