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 Ke Kahua Lani O Hawai`i -
"Hawai'i's Beloved Royal Playgrounds"
Aloha Festivals announces its 61st year theme, “Ke Kahua Lani o Hawai’i” – Hawaii’s Beloved Royal Playgrounds. The ancient Hawaiian world extending from the Northern-most island of Nihoa beyond Kauai to South Point, at the farthest tip of the island of Hawaii, was rich with noteworthy occasions. The daily social climate among the ali’i included taking time off for the pleasures of rest, relaxation, leisurely and social gatherings, talks and games.
Major events in Hawaii’s ancient history took place at historical Hawaiian sites, monuments, ancient temples, landmarks, fishponds, shores, beaches, mountainsides, palaces, recreational parks, streams, landscapes, homes and secluded hideaways. These places and historical sites are recorded in chants, legends and history books, and are passed along through family traditions and lineages dating back thousands of years.
“Playgrounds” is an appropriate term for characterizing where many of the ali’i class would partake of an excursion down to the sea, up to the mountains, or to places of amusement, seek ancestral ties in order to find peace, tranquility, and spirituality to replenish their hearts and minds, and to continue the law of the gods, the land, its people.
Although Hawaii has always experienced social change, the 19th and 20th centuries would prove to be unprecedented in economic and social expansion. The influences of modern technology, growth and Western and European persuasions brought yet another level of entertainment to the ali’i in later years. Royal balls, high tea, inaugurations, new sports and other modern games would change the face of Hawaiian social interactions forever. Nevertheless, history documents the constant effort to know and to study Hawai`i’s rich cultural past and how the royal families would indulge in those moments of rest, relaxation, and playful moments.
Hawai`i retains much of her cherished spirituality and social way of life because of these noteworthy occasions set forth by our ancestors to pass on from generation to generation. The royal playgrounds retaining that rich history and remain so that future generations may walk in the footsteps of Hawai`i’s royal past with dignity, pride, respect, and a sense of belonging.
Hawaii’s beloved royal playgrounds are symbolic and unique to each neighboring island according to its ali’i and its written history. Each is filled with stories, legends and chants worthy of being told, worthy of being shared.
The Aloha Festivals presents this 2007 theme in an effort to preserve history, recreate what once was, to believe and to dare to revive such a rich history and its cultural ties for Hawai`i’s children.
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