The Polynesian Cultural Center offered free admission to Hawaii kamaaina, or resident families, Saturday, June 28, to celebrate the public dedication of the its Halau Wa’a O Iosepa, the new home of BYU-Hawaii’s 57-foot traditional style double-hulled canoe. Hawaii residents who attended enjoyed a cultural presentation, hula performances and a free concert by local musician Willie K.
Construction of the new Halau Wa’a O Iosepa has added another major attraction to the PCC’s Hawaiian village. The distinctive A-shaped Iosepa canoe house is 85-feet long, 43-feet wide and almost 40-feet high, with a gear storage room as well as a new bridge, snack bar and patio in front of the Marquesas Exhibit. The Hawaiian word “halau,” which appears in the names of the Iosepa canoe house and the hula school, means school or place of learning.
During the “family day” activities, the PCC’s Hawaiian villagers laid out tables of food samples including poi and dried fish — representative of what the Iosepa crew members eat while on a voyage. Displays also lined the walls of the canoe house, one of them featuring the winning artwork of local grade school children who entered the “Spirit of the Iosepa” art contest.
Family Day activities started in the afternoon with a Hawaiian cultural presentation, which consisted of story-telling and accompanying dance. Later, eight art contest winners — one each from grades K-6 and an overall winner — who drew their interpretation of the Iosepa, received certificates and awards, the overall winner receiving a Nintendo Wii. The hula halau was performed by two hula groups, both from the Halau Ho’oulu I Ke Kapa out of Kaneohe. First, the children’s group danced two numbers and taught the children in the audience a dance adapted from the familiar song One Little Indian.
Performances afterward by a more senior group included a tribute to William K. “Uncle Bill” Wallace III, Director of BYUH’s Hawaiian Studies program and a major force behind the creation and construction of the Iosepa. The PCC’s own promotional team then gave a short performance to conclude the hula halau.
The final and featured performer was Willie K [pictured right], a local musician and entertainer. He performed Hawaiian and more popular music and some of his songs were parodies of well-known pop artists’ voices, such as Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder. One of the families in attendance, the Miller family from Laie, said he kept the audience captivated by his operetta style voice, comical stories and talent on the guitar.
- Photos by Leilani Miller