NEWS RELEASE
Tribute celebrates Ka Lani Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III
Posted: March 14, 2022
Honolulu – March 14, 2022 – Kamehameha Schools (KS) celebrates the 21st Annual Tribute to Kamehameha III – A Birthday Celebration for Ka Lani Kauikeaouli – with a free virtual ʻaha mele (concert) on Saturday, March 19, from 5-8 p.m.
The celebration will highlight an organization that extols the virtues that Kauikeaouli lived and loved – kaiāulu a me ho‘ona‘auao – community and education. This year, KS is proud to support the efforts of Hawaiian immersion school Pūnana Leo o Kona (PLK). A panel discussion with current and former PLK Kahu, kumu and mākua – Akelina Tibayan, Tehani Lau, Jesse Kekoa Kahoʻonei, Kahoʻokahi Kanuha and ʻohana, and Mahina Paishon Duarte in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi will be moderated by Kaimana Barcarse on Friday, March 18 from 5-7 p.m.
The concert and panel discussion will stream live at www.ksbe.edu/kauikeaouli, and Nā Leo TV: Channel 53 (Spectrum).
“Ka Lani Kauikeaouli was ahead of his time and many people do not know that he established Hawaiʻi’s Public School System,” said Kamehameha Schools Community Strategist Kaimana Barcarse. “We celebrate his foresight that brought progress to the people of Hawaiʻi, with this free virtual event.”
The concert, which will be staged at the Outrigger Keauhou Resort, will allow ‘ohana and friends to gather in the comfort of their homes to enjoy the sight and sounds from Moku o Keawe. KAPA radio personalities, “Jaz and Kaʻea,” will host the celebration spotlighting mele and hula performances by Keolanui featuring David Kaʻio, Nathan “Keola” Grace, Sean Park and Kevin Kealoha, Hālau Ka‘eaikahelelani, Kealoha Reff & ‘Ohana, and headliner Joshua Baba Tavares & ʻOhana.
Each year, a special tribute to Kauikeaouli by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi and KS takes place with a ceremony at the historic place of his birth at Keauhou Bay.
