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Kamehameha students celebrate Hawaiian identity through song and hula

Feb. 4, 2025

As Hawaiʻi marked 131 years since the overthrow of its kingdom, students at Kamehameha Schools Maui honored Queen Liliʻuokalani through cultural workshops, demonstrating how education can empower the next generation to carry forward their heritage.

On January 17, KS Maui celebrated Lā Kaulana Nā Pua with engaging activities led by high school ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi students for their younger schoolmates. The event emphasized the importance of Hawaiian traditions while inspiring students to embrace their kuleana to preserve their culture.

“Kaulana Nā Pua,” written by Ellen Kehoʻohiwaokalani Wright Prendergast in 1893, has long symbolized Hawaiian resistance and aloha ʻāina. Composed in response to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the song’s verses encapsulate the steadfastness and pride of a people determined to protect their identity. Once known as the Patriot’s Song, it remains a rallying cry for sovereignty and cultural resilience.

Kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi Kalei Aarona-Lorenzo KSK’85 tasked her upper-level Hawaiian language students with analyzing the song’s lyrics. Then, they created an interactive game to teach and foster a deeper connection to its meaning and history.

“When I think of ‘Kaulana Nā Pua,’ I think of regalness,” Aarona-Lorenzo said. “It says, ‘You are not taking away who I am as a kanaka and my aloha for ʻāina,’ and that is what Queen Liliʻu stood for.”

More than approaching the anniversary with sad remembrance, the kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and her students saw the day as one where Hawaiʻi’s last queen stood firmly and cared for her people.

“There are so many lessons in this one song, not just a message of anger or kaumaha, but also one that is filled with kuleana and how to ʻauamo that,” Aarona-Lorenzo said. “We want the kids to understand that they too have kuleana and they can hold themselves high knowing exactly who they are in how they will go forward.”

Growing up in kaiaupuni, junior Kūkamaehuikapono Kahaloa knew the song but he never really understood its significance until he had to teach it to his underclassmen. He says learning the details – from alternative lines to purposeful capitalizations – was eye-opening.

“I didn't realize how much mana was actually in it,” he said. “I always overlooked the last verse but having to teach it to everybody, I wanted to make sure that I was specific in my wording and researching so they understand. It felt like a really big responsibility.”

Classmate Kahaliʻaokuʻuhāola Kana-Yarborough approached the task with the same precision she brings to her hula hālau. Teaching the second verse of “Kaulana Nā Pua” reinforced her commitment to cultural advocacy.

“I think it would be important to participate in ʻaha because we need to understand the strict ceremony. I feel like it incorporates a lot of distinct cultural practices that kids don’t often see,” Kana-Yarborough said.

Throughout the day, keiki learned new hula and mele of the same power with kumu like Henohea Kane teaching students the fierce moves of “‘Au‘a ‘Ia E Kama I Kona Moku” and “ʻAi Ka Mumu Kēkē.” As the workshops progressed, other kumu approached Aarona-Lorenzo to express their pride in the alakaʻi haumāna. For her, the event reminded her of the importance of creating spaces for students to lead and connect with their heritage.

“Things won’t change if you don’t make change happen,” Aarona-Lorenzo said. “We need to provide those opportunities where kids can get into the hana – where they can practice oli and hula and make lei or sing or ʻōlelo – all of that. We need to increase those opportunities, so they can dive into their culture, learn it and then lead.”

By empowering students to head cultural practices, educators like Aarona-Lorenzo are planting seeds for a future where Hawaiian traditions thrive and the next generation carries forward the kuleana of their ancestors.


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ks maui,maui campus,native hawaiian identity,hawaiian history,queen liliʻuokalani,ʻonipaʻa events,student leadership,ʻōiwi leadership

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