Bishop Museum Celebrates the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture With New, Original Events and Special Daily Programs

# Bishop Museum Celebrates the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture With New, Original Events and Special Daily Programs

Highlighted events during the June 8-15 period include Kau Ka Peʻa Holo Ka Waʻa: Celebrating Voyaging Throughout Moananuiākea and the Celebrate Micronesia Festival.

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawai'i Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is proud to present a week of new, original events and special daily programs in celebration of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC). Highlighted events during the June 8-15 period include Kau Ka Peʻa Holo Ka Waʻa: Celebrating Voyaging Throughout Moananuiākea and the Celebrate Micronesia Festival.

"Bishop Museum is honored to be one of the designated primary venues of the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, hosting both the Kālai (Carving) Village and Kākau Uhi (Tattooing) Village on our campus," said Loren Doctolero, Bishop Museum director of events. "We also invite Festival attendees to further enrich their experience with unique and immersive Museum exhibitions, events, and programs that complement the Festival's offerings."

The FestPAC Kālai Village and Kākau Uhi Village will be free to the public, while the Museum's weeklong new, original events and special daily programs are included with regular or reduced admission; these include:

Kau Ka Peʻa Holo Ka Waʻa: Celebrating Voyaging Throughout Moananuiākea

Thursday, June 13, 2024 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

As FestPAC celebrates the Indigenous people of Moananuiākea (the vast Pacific), Bishop Museum — in collaboration with ʻOhana Waʻa, the Hawaiian voyaging community — dedicates a full day of programs to celebrate voyaging in Moananuiākea.

Guests will experience a rich spectrum of moʻolelo (stories) and educational offerings that provide a unique snapshot of the breadth and depth of Hawaiʻi's voyaging community. Programming will include oral history talks, J. Watumull Planetarium presentations, educational booths, a special proclamation, and mele.

"Each program is in tribute to Mau Piailug and his ʻohana for his foundational and immeasurable influence on traditional voyaging practices as we know it today, and without whom the revitalization and reclamation of Polynesia's voyaging traditions would not be possible," said Taylour Chang, Bishop Museum director of public programs and community engagement.

"We are people of the Pacific Ocean, of Moananuiākea. We are voyagers. We are navigators. And we owe it to Mau, the one who reminded us, who came and took us by the hand like children, and showed us the way," said Nainoa Thompson, Pwo Navigator and Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO. "So it is our duty to constantly remind ourselves and especially young people of Mau's incredible contributions to Hawaiʻi, to Polynesia and across the Pacific. And we will remain forever grateful."

During this event, several waʻa (canoes) will be on display on the Museum's campus, including Hoʻoulu ʻĀina vessels Ellen Eoreni and Chechemini Eoreni, as well as the Ualakaʻa and Kaʻimiloa.

Celebrate Micronesia Festival

Saturday, June 15, 2024 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Bishop Museum, in partnership with Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center, is proud to celebrate Micronesian voices, Micronesian cultures, and Pacific communities. The annual Celebrate Micronesia Festival showcases traditional and contemporary art, dance, fashion, stories, poetry, food, and music of the people and cultures of the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guåhan (Guam), Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kiribati, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Highlights include a Ceremony in Honor of Latte Stones, Main Stage performances on the Museum's Great Lawn, and Storytelling Presentations: MicrONEsia: Voyaging for 4,000 years!

June 8-15 Special Daily Programming

The following provides guests with unique opportunities to engage with the living traditions and stories of our vibrant community:

Inspired by the original Bishop Museum exhibition Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red, the ʻUla Nōweo Reflection Series, held daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., invites artists, scholars and community leaders of Moananuiākea to share meditations on the importance of red in their traditional practices and contemporary lives. Practitioners & Artisans will also be present, sharing their expertise and providing hands-on experiences that showcase the skills passed down through generations.

Daily Museum Programming includes Hawaiian Hall Tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., guiding visitors through the history and culture of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red Exhibition Tours at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the Castle Memorial Building explore the significance of the color red in Oceanic art and landscapes. Additionally, J. Watumull Planetarium shows will be featured, with detailed schedules forthcoming.

"Bishop Museum is proud to play a pivotal role in welcoming the procession of delegations from 28 Pacific Island nations during the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture," said Brandon Bunag, Ed.D., Bishop Museum vice president of public programs and interim director of education. "This gathering of kānaka ʻōiwi o ka Pakipika (Indigenous Pacific Islanders) allows us to celebrate, own, tell and retell our stories in ways that honors and brings pride to our culture, our people, our homes, communities and to the greater Moananuiākea."

"With perpetuation and storytelling at the heart of what we do at Bishop Museum, we invite all to a space where the stories, arts, and traditions of the Pacific honors the hundreds of generations that came before us and celebrate hundreds yet to come," Bunag added.

For more information on Bishop Museum's events and programs during FestPAC, please visit BishopMuseum.org/festpac-2024.