Growing up on Hawaii island, Pua Ishibashi learned about the Hawaiian culture by living it.

He played Hawaiian music at backyard kanikapila (jam sessions) and prepared and ate Hawaiian food — poi, poke, fish and, for special occasions, pig cooked in an imu (underground oven).

Before he and his uncles went hunting and fishing, they always asked akua (gods) for safety and success and, upon returning, offered thanks to them and to the fish and animals they had killed for food.

“I was taught to malama aina (care for the land) by not throwing trash out of the car window or into gorges and ravines,” Ishibashi said. “I learned to never judge others because of the color of their skin or where they were from. And even though I was brought up as a Christian, I learned by my family’s example to respect all beliefs, including the ancient ways of my ancestors — to be humble, to watch more than I speak and to be pono (balanced) in body, mind and spirit.”

These are the values and traditions that characterize Hilo’s Kamehameha Festival, which honors the great warrior king who united the Hawaiian islands under one rule. This is the ninth year that Ishibashi has coordinated the celebration at Mokuola islet in Hilo Bay, which features music, hula, arts and crafts, ono (delicious) food, cultural activities and oli (chant) and conch shell-­blowing competitions.

“It’s a family-oriented event, and our drug-, alcohol- and tobacco-free policy is strictly enforced,” Ishibashi said. “Guests can bring their own coolers, pitch a tent, set up chairs and participate in songs and dances. They can also pound poi, weave a lau hala bracelet, string a lei, make a coconut frond toy and more.”

This year’s theme is “E Onipaa Kakou” (“to be steadfast, firm, resolute and determined”). Queen Lili­u‘okalani often used that phrase to encourage her people to protect, preserve and perpetuate their culture even after she was forced to abdicate in 1893.

Pride of culture and strong connections with the past are evident at the Kamehameha Festival. Several years ago, Ishibashi recalled, the day of the event was hot and sunny. Suddenly, a breeze and a drizzle swept over Mokuola as a halau (hula troupe) was performing. The women seemed to welcome the refreshing rain and to dance more exuberantly as it fell. The weather cleared just as they finished their number.

When Ishibashi mentioned this interesting occurrence to their kumu hula (teacher), she told him that the opening chant for the dance was about Aala Honua, a breeze accompanied by a light shower that’s associated with Hilo.

“She reminded me that Aala Honua is often a hoailona (sign) that our ancestors are present and are pleased with our actions,” Ishibashi said. “But whether or not there is Aala Honua, we feel their aloha and believe they are watching over us and enjoying our celebrations of culture.”

About Kamehameha Day

King Kamehameha V established Kamehameha Day as a national holiday on Dec. 22, 1871, to honor his great-grandfather who united the Hawaiian islands and became Hawaii’s first ruler. The first festivities on each island took place on June 11, 1872, including fairs and foot, horse, bicycle and canoe races.

Following the overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii in 1893, there was no longer a celebratory aspect to the holiday. The Royal Order of Kamehameha I, which Kamehameha V had founded on April 11, 1865, to support the kingdom and recognize the good works of those who uplifted the people, was considered a threat to national security and suppressed by the provisional government and subsequent republic of Hawaii. As a result, the Royal Order was forced to exist as a secret underground society for 10 years.

Hawaii became a territory of the United States in 1900. Three years later Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole led a torchlight ceremony at the statue of Kamehameha in Honolulu and restored the Royal Order, Hawaii’s oldest Hawaiian organization and the last remaining institution of the kingdom of Hawaii, to public light. On June 11 the following year, the Royal Order re-established Kamehameha Day celebrations throughout Hawaii.

Today there are nine chapters of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Hawaii island. The Mamalahoa (East Hawaii) chapter has spearheaded Kamehameha Day observances in Hilo since 1908. In 2008 it introduced an expanded, more culturally significant event called the Kamehameha Festival, which is enjoyed today by thousands of kamaaina and visitors.

Prince Kuhio named the Mamalahoa (striking war club) chapter after an elite unit of warriors who were known for their skill and courage in battle and their loyalty to Kamehameha. The prince hoped the chapter’s name would inspire its members to imua (move forward) and hoomau (persevere) as modern-day warriors.

— Adapted from kamehamehafestival.org

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.