{"id":20105,"date":"2014-04-04T13:14:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T13:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/discover-hawaiis-rich-cultural-history\/"},"modified":"2014-04-04T13:14:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-04T13:14:00","slug":"discover-hawaiis-rich-cultural-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/2014\/04\/discover-hawaiis-rich-cultural-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s Rich Cultural History"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ipw.travmedia.com\/images\/uploads\/gallery\/166586\/166586_num696682_600x600.jpg\" height=\"266\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>HAWAI&#8217;I \u2013 The Hawaiian Islands are unlike anywhere else in the world. Beyond the beautiful scenery and tropical climate, the <i>aloha<\/i>  spirit that stems from the state&#8217;s traditional Hawaiian culture is what  makes the Hawaiian Islands so unique. The Hawai&#8217;i Tourism Authority  (HTA) honors and perpetuates the Hawaiian culture and community by  supporting vital programs and initiatives that help to preserve and  promote the &#8216;<i>\u014dlelo<\/i> Hawai&#8217;i (Hawaiian language), <i>hula <\/i>(dance), music, art and other cultural traditions and customs.<\/p>\n<p>To invite visitors to know more about the Hawaiian culture, HTA works  closely with the Hawaiian Cultural Program Advisory Council (HCPAC),  which includes key agencies and individuals within the Hawaiian  community, visitor industry, and cultural practitioners across the  state. Visitors can experience and discover Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s unique culture  through the Native Hawaiian Signature Events Program, K\u016bkulu Ola: Living  Hawaiian Culture Program, Ma&#8217;ema&#8217;e Tool Kit and other various community  events throughout Hawai&#8217;i.<br \/>The <b>Native Hawaiian Signature Events Program<\/b> is a  series of major events that highlight the Hawaiian culture, which  residents and visitors can enjoy every year. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Considered by many as the world&#8217;s premier <i>hula<\/i> competition, the <b>Merrie<\/b> <b>Monarch Festival<\/b> is a weeklong cultural festival on Hawai&#8217;i Island that concludes with its prestigious three-day <i>hula<\/i> competition. Featuring female soloists and <i>h\u0101lau hula <\/i>(<i>hula<\/i> schools) from around the world, the typically sold-out event showcases dancers competing in both <i>kahiko<\/i> (ancient) and <i>&#8216;auana <\/i>(modern) forms of <i>hula<\/i>. This year&#8217;s event will take place Apr. 20-26. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.merriemonarch.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.MerrieMonarch.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The <b>4th annual Mele Mei <\/b>is a statewide  month-long celebration of Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s music, language and culture,  featuring some of Hawaii&#8217;s best musicians, including the N\u0101 H\u014dk\u016b  Hanohano award winning artists and Lifetime Achievement Award honorees  during various events throughout the month of May, statewide. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.melemei.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.melemei.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The <b>King Kamehameha Celebration<\/b> is a month-long  celebration that honors the king famous for uniting the Hawaiian  Islands. Statewide festivities on the islands of O&#8217;ahu, Maui, Kaua&#8217;i,  and Hawai&#8217;i Island include a <i>ho&#8217;olaule&#8217;a <\/i>(celebration), statue decorating ceremony, <i>hula<\/i> competition, and floral parades. This year&#8217;s events will take place June 11-14. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kamehamehafestival.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.kamehamehafestival.org<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Prince Lot Hula Festival<\/b>is an all-day exhibition event, held in the beautiful Moanalua Gardens on O&#8217;ahu. The festival features performances by <i>h\u0101lau hula<\/i> (dance schools) that grace the <i>p\u0101 hula, <\/i>one of the few remaining <i>hula<\/i> mounds in Hawai&#8217;i. This year&#8217;s event takes place on July 19. <a href=\"http:\/\/moanaluagardensfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.moanaluagardensfoundation.org<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Aloha Festivals<\/b> is Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s premier cultural  showcase, a celebration of Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s music, dance and history intended  to preserve the unique island traditions. This long-standing event is a  favorite among residents and visitors. This year&#8217;s festival will take  place on O&#8217;ahu on Sept. 6, 13, 20, and 27. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alohafestivals.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.alohafestivals.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to the HTA&#8217;s Native Hawaiian Signature Events Program,  the Hawaiian Islands are home to attractions and other events unique to  each island that help to perpetuate and promote the Hawaiian culture.<\/p>\n<p><b><i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">O&#8217;ahu<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>&#8216;Iolani Palace<\/b> is the only official state  residence of royalty in the United States, &#8216;Iolani Palace is a national  historic landmark and Heritage Site of Hawai&#8217;i. A walking tour of the  Palace offers visitors an opportunity to experience the lifestyle of  Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s last two monarchs and learn about an important period of  Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s history. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iolanipalace.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.iolanipalace.org<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Bishop Museum<\/b> is Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s largest museum  dedicated to studying and preserving the history of Hawai&#8217;i and the  Pacific. Originally designed to house the extensive collection of  Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of Princess Bernice Pauahi  Bishop, great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I, the museum is now the  premier natural and cultural history institution of the Pacific. It is  also designated as a Heritage Site of Hawai&#8217;i. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bishopmuseum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.bishopmuseum.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The 44th Annual Ukulele Festival <\/b>happens every  July at Kapi&#8217;olani Park on O&#8217;ahu. Families, ukulele fans, and visitors  follow the sounds of music. The music swirls over the tops of ironwood  and monkeypod trees toward Diamond Head. This upbeat, infectious, bouncy  music about surf and sunny days will make you want to dance and sing  like a beach boy. The irresistible charm of the ukulele embraces all who  hear it. This year&#8217;s events take place July 18-20. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Maui<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Located in Old Lahaina Courthouse, the<b> Lahaina Heritage Museum<\/b>  offers an overview of the extensive history and rich culture found in  Lahaina. Open daily, visitors can listen to narratives, view touch  screens and watch videos. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lahainarestoration.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.LahainaRestoration.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Held annually during Easter weekend, the <b>Celebration of the Arts<\/b>  at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua pays tribute to the people, arts and  traditions of Hawai&#8217;i. Festivities include hula performances, arts and  cultural workshops, <i>keiki <\/i>(children) crafts, entertainment by local musicians, and a Hawaiian luau. This year&#8217;s events will take place May 9-11. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.celebrationofthearts.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.celebrationofthearts.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Every year, K\u0101&#8217;anapali Beach Hotel hosts <b><i>Hula O N\u0101 Keiki,<\/i><\/b>Maui&#8217;s only <i>keiki<\/i> (children) solo hula and chant competition, featuring dancers from 5 to 17 years old. The weekend-long event also features <i>hula <\/i>and  Hawaiian chanting workshops, arts and crafts displays and traditional  food and entertainment. This year&#8217;s events will take place Nov.14-16. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaiiculture.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.hawaiiculture.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Moloka&#8217;i<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Ka Hula Piko Festival <\/b>translating to \u201ca  celebration of the birth of hula,\u201d showcases traditional Hawaiian dance,  chanting and lectures every May. On May 3, residents and visitors can  enjoy entertainment, food and handcrafts made by local artisans. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.molokaievents.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.molokaievents.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Kaua&#8217;i<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Celebrating its 54th year, <b>The Kaua&#8217;i Museum<\/b>  helps to educate and promote the indigenous and immigrant culture and  history of Kaua&#8217;i and Ni&#8217;ihau through exhibits, publications and  educational programs. Every month, the museum presents the \u201cHawaiian  P\u0101\u02bbina First Friday and Storytelling,\u201d which includes award-winning  culinary favorites by Kaua&#8217;i chef Mark Oyama, traditional Hawaiian lore  as told by <i>k\u016bpuna<\/i> (elders), Hawaiian lei-making and other activities for residents and visitors to participate. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kauaimuseum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.kauaimuseum.org<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Since its inception in 1988, <b>E\u014d E &#8216;Emalani I Alaka&#8217;i<\/b> (also known as the &#8216;Emalani Festival) invites <i>kumu hula<\/i>  (hula masters) and their dancers each year to create an outdoor event  dedicated to telling the story of Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s beloved Queen Emma and her  inspiring legacy as a humanitarian leader. This year&#8217;s event will take  place on Oct. 11. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kokee.org\/festivals\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.kokee.org\/festivals\/<\/a>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The 22<\/b><b>nd Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival \u201cKaua\u02bbi Style\u201d <\/b>was  created with aloha and love of the music and to honor Gabby &#8216;Pops&#8217;  Pahinui, who contributed so much to the music of Hawai&#8217;i. The festival  continues his legacy and helps to perpetuate and preserve a unique  Hawaiian acoustic guitar art form known as &#8220;Ki-ho&#8217;alu,\u201d a distinctive  part of the Hawaiian culture. The event will take place on Nov. 16. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.slackkeyfestival.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.slackkeyfestival.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Hawai&#8217;i Island<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The second Governor of the Island of Hawai&#8217;i, John Adams Kuakini built<b> Hulihe&#8217;e Palace<\/b>  in 1838. Located in Kailua-Kona, it was a favorite vacation residence  of Hawaiian royalty. Today it is a museum operated by the Daughters of  Hawai&#8217;i and is a showplace of beautiful furniture and fascinating  artifacts. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huliheepalace.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.huliheepalace.net<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Throughout the month of September, <b>Hawai&#8217;i Island Festival<\/b>  will celebrate 30 days of Aloha. With this festival, Hawai&#8217;i Island  celebrates Hawaiian culture and traditions with various events featuring  music, dance and other activities. Signature events include a Poke  Contest and the Clyde Kindy Sproat Falsetto and Storytelling Contest. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaiiislandfestival.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.hawaiiislandfestival.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The Moku O Keawe International Festival<\/b> annually attracts <i>h\u0101lau hula <\/i>(hula schools) from around the world to participate in a showcase of different interpretations of the <i>hula<\/i>.  The event will take place in November 2014 and includes workshops and  cultural classes at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &amp; Spa. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mokif.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.mokif.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All of the above events are subject to change without notice. For a complete listing of Hawai&#8217;i&#8217;s festivals and events visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gohawaii.com\/events\" target=\"_blank\">www.gohawaii.com\/events<\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>In 2014, the HTA is supporting 22 <b>K\u016bkulu Ola: Living Hawaiian Culture programs (LHCP).<\/b>  The LHCP was created to strengthen the relationship between the visitor  industry and the Hawaiian community, nurture the Hawaiian culture by  creating visitor experiences, activities and marketing programs that are  respectful and accurate, and support Hawaiian programs and cultural  practitioners, craftsmen, musicians and other artists that preserve and  perpetuate the Hawaiian culture. For a list of Hawaiian Culture  organizations supported by this program, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/programs\/hawaiian-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/programs\/hawaiian-culture\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <b>Ma&#8217;ema&#8217;e Tool Kit<\/b> is an online resource guide  that offers essential information to promote the Hawaiian Islands. It  includes geographical, historical, cultural, experiential and basic  information about Hawai&#8217;i, in addition to a language tool that offers  auto-correct diacritical spelling options for Hawaiian words. Through  the development of tool kits and awareness education, this resource is  intended to generate authentic promotional materials and media coverage  to market Hawai&#8217;i to the world. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/maemae\" target=\"_blank\">www.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/maemae<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For images, please visit the image library at <a href=\"http:\/\/kb.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/ImageLibrary\/userSelect.jsp\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/kb.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/ImageLibrary\/userSelect.jsp<\/a>. Register under \u201cpublic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Established in 1998, the Hawai&#8217;i Tourism Authority, the state&#8217;s  tourism agency, is responsible for strategically managing tourism to  optimize benefits for Hawai&#8217;i that integrates the interest of visitors,  the community and visitor industry. Tourism is our state&#8217;s leading  economic driver and largest employer and the HTA continually works to  ensure its sustainability well into the future. For more information on  the HTA, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaiitourismauthority.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.hawaiitourismauthority.org<\/a>, find us on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HawaiiHTA\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> or follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/HawaiiHTA\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a> (@HawaiiHTA).<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HAWAI&#8217;I \u2013 The Hawaiian Islands are unlike anywhere else in the world. Beyond the beautiful scenery and tropical climate, the aloha spirit that stems from the state&#8217;s traditional Hawaiian culture is what makes the Hawaiian Islands so unique. The Hawai&#8217;i Tourism Authority (HTA) honors and perpetuates the Hawaiian culture and community by supporting vital programs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[284],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ipw2014"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20105\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traveloscopy.com\/travel-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}