{"id":209957,"date":"2025-01-28T17:50:43","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T03:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=209957"},"modified":"2025-02-05T12:07:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T22:07:05","slug":"hawaii-kuu-home-aloha-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/28\/hawaii-kuu-home-aloha-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawai\u02bbi Ku\u02bbu Home Aloha celebrates culture, connection at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Participants gather to connect together.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n[vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/RPpd8najSeg” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”]\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa recently concluded its third annual Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Kuʻu<\/span> Home Aloha<\/a> (HKHA<\/abbr>) summit, a six-day event dedicated to fostering cultural connection, reflection and healing. Beginning on January 17, the summit marked the 132nd year since the overthrow of the Kingdom of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, while honoring the National Day of Racial Healing and Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

The summit brought together students, employees and community members through immersive cultural workshops, including oli (chant), mele (songs) and pilina circles. Hosted by the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Papa o ke Ao Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office (NHPoL<\/abbr>), the free activities encouraged participants to explore their connections to themselves, others and ʻāina<\/span><\/a> through storytelling and shared experiences.<\/p>\n

“One of my favorite things is seeing people from various backgrounds—people who grew up here, people who are visiting, and people who are just making this place home—have the courage and respect to engage with Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>,\u201d said Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe, director of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Papa o ke Ao<\/a>. “Folx learned to chant, sing, share poetry, and be embraced in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> grounded places and spaces without judgment and with a curiosity to learn more.”<\/p>\n

Hoʻokuleana<\/span> ceremony<\/h2>\n

Special ceremonies at cultural sites across the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa campus helped to enrich the event with deeper meaning. A Hoʻokuleana<\/span> ceremony on the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Hall lawn formally welcomed UH<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel, with members of the campus community offering oli, Welina Mānoa, to honor her kuleana<\/a> to the campus community. Additional ceremonies paid tribute to Queen Liliʻuokalani<\/span> and King emphasizing themes of resilience, justice and equity.<\/p>\n

Knowledge from a Zen master<\/h2>\n

HKHA<\/abbr> also included ʻāina-based<\/span> workshops held across various communities on Oʻahu,<\/span> along with a keynote by Native Hawaiian leader and Zen master Norma Wong. Wong shared insights on the importance of applying Indigenous and Zen practices to modern life, emphasizing their role in fostering transformational change during critical times.<\/p>\n

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The summit marked the overthrow of the Kingdom of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, and honored National Day of Racial Healing and Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[33,1465,9],"class_list":["post-209957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaiian","tag-manoa-native-hawaiian-place-of-learning","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t