April 8, 2014
This year’s Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i Hō‘ike revolved around the mo‘olelo of the Battle of Kuamo‘o.
The story begins months after Kamehameha the Greatʻs death and follows the power struggle between Kamehameha II, Liholiho, and the keeper of the war god, Kekuaokalani. After Liholiho – on the advice of Ka‘ahumanu – decides not to reinstate the ʻai kapu, which in essence strikes down the ancient religious system, Kekuaokalani, the defender of the ancient gods, rises up in rebellion against Liholiho.
The result is the battle of Kuamoʻo, the war between the traditional and the modern. At the center of this is Manono, Kekuaokalaniʻs wife, whose dedication and love drives her husband forward in his defense of the ancient religion. In the end both die performing the greatest sacrifice a human can for his or her culture.
Mahalo to kumu Bill Makaimoku for capturing the beauty and emotion of the opera in the photos below. If your division or campus has pics to share, please send them along with background information and captions to ksonline@ksbe.edu.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
