The 7th Annual Ulupo Heiau Hoike Festival

On Saturday, July 11th 2009, Division of Forestry and Wildlife outreach staff participated in the 7th Annual Ulupo Heiau Hoike Festival.

In the morning, before the event began.


The heiau in the foreground; it is one of the largest on Oahu.

This heiau is on the way to Kailua, above Kawainui marsh, an area managed by DOFAW.

The arrival of the hula halau.

The ceremony and protocol for beginning the day and celebrating this heiau.

All around the grounds there were places to learn how to pound poi, make kapa cloth and paint it using traditional techniques, learn about native plants and their uses, and many more educational opportunities. 


They even had an imu, where they roast pig underground to make Kalua pork.

Working on the imu.

Festival participants could learn how to make a ti leaf lei, and also how to string a flower lei from an auntie named Ethel. She tried to teach me how to make a rose out of a ti leaf too, but after a few attempts, she just gave me one of the six that she made while I was struggling and told me (while laughing) to "go home and practice."

Crown flower and bouganvillia lei and ti leaf lei.

 These are the gourds that are dried and carved to make Ipu, an instrument used in hula. These range in size from a little over a foot tall to the size of a big pear. The brown ones are already hollow and hard, the white and green ones are fresher...

The keiki performed a hula (with a little help)

It was definitely a successful day with lots of visitors, delicious food, fun crafts, educational booths and lovely music and beautiful dance.

All photos: C. Tucker