{"id":213972,"date":"2025-04-15T15:47:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T01:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=213972"},"modified":"2025-04-15T15:58:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T01:58:49","slug":"merrie-monarch-week-at-uh-hilo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/15\/merrie-monarch-week-at-uh-hilo\/","title":{"rendered":"Merrie Monarch Week at UH<\/abbr> Hilo: Lei, hula, cultural presentations"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"lei
UH<\/abbr> Hilo is a Native Hawaiian place of learning rooted in aloha ʻāina<\/span> and cultural excellence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo<\/a> is honoring the 2025 Merrie Monarch Festival with a weeklong celebration rooted in culture, creativity and connection.<\/p>\n

Starting April 22, Kahikuonālani Merrie Monarch Engagements<\/em><\/a> will bring together students, faculty and community members for a series of events at UH<\/abbr> Hilo that honor the legacy of hula.<\/p>\n

\"people
Practitioners will offer insights into the practice and purpose of hula.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kahikuonālani is a poetic name for King Kal\u0101kaua, meaning “the seventh of the heavens,” honoring his chiefly lineage. As the “Merrie Monarch,” Kal\u0101kaua is celebrated for his dedication to revitalizing Hawaiian culture, hula and traditions during a time of great change.<\/p>\n

“The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo\u2019s celebration of the Merrie Monarch Festival allows us to honor the deep scholarship embedded in hula, elevate the voices of practitioners and scholars alike, foster community collaboration, and reaffirm our kuleana (responsibility) to use our ʻike<\/span> (knowledge) to serve Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>,” said Pelehonuamea Harman, director of Native Hawaiian Engagement at UH<\/abbr> Hilo.<\/p>\n

April 22<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kahikuonālani Mākeke featuring local retail and food vendors
\n10 a.m.–2 p.m., Campus Center Plaza<\/p>\n

April 23 and 24<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cultural presentations and special pop-up exhibit featuring Merrie Monarch history
\n11 a.m. Mookini Library<\/p>\n

April 25<\/strong><\/p>\n

Live music and grab-and-go lunch (while available)
\nNoon–1:30 p.m., Campus Center Dining Hall L\u0101nai<\/p>\n

A free UH<\/abbr> Hilo shuttle will run on April 23 through April 26 connecting campus to craft fairs and the Merrie Monarch parade route in Hilo town. UH<\/abbr> Hilo will also host an outreach booth at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.<\/p>\n

\"women
Participants will learn traditional lei making using fresh foliage from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lei making, live music<\/strong><\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s ʻImiloa<\/span> Astronomy Center<\/a>, a major hub for the celebration, is offering hands-on experiences such as hula workshops, lei wili (twist-style lei making), and laUH<\/abbr>ala weaving.<\/p>\n

“ʻImiloa<\/span> exists at the intersection of tradition and innovation, and Merrie Monarch week is a powerful reminder of how our ancestral practices continue to evolve and inspire,” said Kaʻiu<\/span> Kimura, executive director at ʻImiloa<\/span>. “These programs are not just about observation\u2014they’re about participation. We\u2019re inviting our community to experience the depth of ʻike<\/span> passed down through hula, storytelling and cultural practice in ways that resonate today.”<\/p>\n

Full schedule of ʻImiloa<\/span> events<\/p>\n

Keepers of knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lineup of respected cultural practitioners will lead presentations throughout the week offering an immersive path into Hawaiian knowledge\u2014whether through movement, material or moʻolelo<\/span> (stories). Sessions will spotlight practitioners including Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani<\/span>, Taupōuri Tangarō, Kaʻea<\/span> Lyons-Yglesias, Lehua Hauanio, Kaʻohu<\/span> Seto, Kimo Keaulana, Pele and Kekoa Harman, Umi Kai, Keani Kaleimamahu, Cy Bridges, Leialoha Ilae-Kaleimamahu and Aulii Mitchell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kahikuonālani Merrie Monarch Engagements will host a series of cultural events at UH<\/abbr> Hilo that honor the legacy of hula.<\/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":[1041,292,14],"class_list":["post-213972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hula","tag-imiloa-astronomy-center","tag-uh-hilo","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213972"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214002,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213972\/revisions\/214002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}