Lono i ka Makahiki at Bishop Museum

Aloha kakou. This Bishop Museum exhibit acknowledges Kaho`olawe as the place where Makahiki practices were reborn. This photo is of the first wa`a used in the Makahiki ceremony on Kaho`olawe. It was recovered on Kaho`olawe two miles from its original launch point and donated to the Bishop Museum. The exhibit contains many other artifacts and background information on the Makihiki and the god Lono. Lonoikamakahiki!

December 2004
Lono I Ka Makahiki
When: December 05, 2004 @ 09:00 AM - February 27, 2005 @ 05:00 PM
Where: Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Description: When the constellation Makali`i rises over the horizon the season of Lono has arrived. In celebration of the Hawaiian god of rebirth and renewal, peace, fertility, and healing, Bishop Museum will unveil Lono-I-Ka-Makahiki on December 5, 2004 in the Vestibule Gallery. The exhibit runs through February 2005, and will feature a daily tour and introduction to Makahiki games on the Great Lawn at 10:30 a.m. Combining the works of contemporary Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners with rare items from the Museum's collections, Lono-I-Ka Makahiki will explore the many facets of Lono. The focal point of the exhibit will be Lono Makua, the akua loa o Lono (the long god), the only known ancient Makahiki image in the world. Also on display will be a rare traditional papa holua, or sled, used in he`e holua, one of the games played during the Makahiki. Known as Lonoikamakahiki, the sled will be featured along side Keahiokekai, a contemporary papa holua made by cultural practitioner Pohaku Stone. Stonework (ho`opohaku) of Manulani Aluli Meyer and a contemporary piece by visual artist Kau`i Chun will also be featured. The exhibit also recognizes Kaho`olawe as a place where the ceremonial practices of the Makahiki were reborn, and an island that embodies Lono's spirit of renewal and revitalization. Poetry, prose, and artwork by Hawaiian youth who recently visited Kaho`olawe will be displayed. Special lectures planned during the exhibit period include: The Makahiki: Hawaiian Philosophy in the Natural World by Manu Aluli Meyer on February 4, 2005 and He`e Holua with Pohaku Stone on January 11, 2005. Call 848-4190 for more information on these programs. Support for these programs was provided by the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program, and a congressionally directed grant administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.