LIHUE — Traffic slowed as Rice Street fronting the Kauai Museum was coned off to just a single westbound lane to accommodate the overflow crowd at the museum.
Hundreds of people braved the threat of rain and the passage of the weather front to witness the royal unveiling of the depiction of Ali‘i ‘Aimoku Kaumuali‘i and Mo‘i Waihine Kekaiha‘akulou, created by sculptor Chris Fowler.
The Royal Hawaiian Guard from Maui was a key part of the ceremony narrated and guided by Chucky Boy Chock, Kauai Museum executive director.
The guard, opening the protocol by escorting the Royal Order of Kamehameha Chapter No. 3 Kaumuali‘i and its wahine, and stood guard through the processional that included other prominent Hawaiian organizations as well as moku representatives presenting ho‘okupu.
It also presented its own ho‘okupu as well as a special military drill presentation.
Keiki from Ke Kula Ni‘ihau o Kekaha and the Punana Leo preschool offered the doxology, and the audience was thrilled with the protocol presentation from Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala under the direction of Kumu Hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin, who recently returned from the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival with fifth-place wahine honors in the auana (modern) hula division.
Under the watchful eyes of the Kauai Museum Board of Trustees and government dignitaries including Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami, County Councilmember Felicia Cowden, Mark Perriello of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce, and Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau, more protocol saw moku representatives bestow more lei on the depictions.
More than 300 people adjourned to the post-ceremony paina that was hosted in the back parking lot of the museum, led by the Royal Hawaiian Guard escorting the Royal Order of Kamehameha during the recessional.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or
dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
Article says “Keiki from Ke Kula Ni‘ihau o Kekaha and the Punana Leo preschool offered the doxology”
I’d be curious to know why the Christian Doxology hymn is at all relevant to this event. So far as I know, Kaumuali’i never gave up the old religion or converted to Christianity. I think it’s disrespectful to both Kaumuali’i and to Christianity to mix the two. Reminds me of when a tourist company published a brochure depicting the Kamehameha statue holding an alcoholic drink glass in his outstretched hand as a gesture of hospitality.
aloha mai e Ken, with a humble heart here’s what took place, Ali’i aimoku Kaumuali’i was in fact the first Christian on Kaua’i to recieve his bible from Sam Ruggles on May 4, 1820 at Pa’ula’ula in fact his name “Tamoree” (kaumualii) was printed on the cover in gold leaf! (kamakau/malo) this is recorded at the American Bible Society. so please be careful of what you say plus our keiki from punana leo and ke kula ni`ihau will alway’s sing our hawaiian hymns it’s beautiful. mahalo ia oe iesu pu cb
The statue of King Kaumualii does not look like him because his head appears too large and out of proportion to his real life in physical form to the rest of his body.
I know of a family that has direct lineage to both King Kaumualii and Queen Debra Kapule and also directly linked to Big Island’s Queen Keakeawahine and Maui’s high royalty, but they remain in quiet existence, but often comment on the fallacy of these who claim “high” royalty status from the Kamehameha lineage which in fact his true royalty rank was to walk in back of other royalty.
Kamehameha had to crawl on his knees when approaching his royal wife forced into marriage by war conquest producing his son, who was a failure in many ways, a drunkard who allowed Kahumanu, another low ranking alii to overthrow many of the kapus that keep order for both the common people and allii as well. Kahumanu upon Kamehameha death (since he never passed on his approval for Kahumanu to rule), so she decided to kidnape Kaumuallii to be her husband thinking that would verify her standing as a “high” ranking allii failed to convince Hawaiians it was so.
So she decided to kill off all the remaining Alii on the island of Kauai when the opportunity arises during a rebellion against her. Kahaumanu should be recognized as a true psychopath dictator bent on being in power by any means possible.
In response to harryoyama, sculptures (and other artists) are not required to make exact replicas of humans when they depict them. Sculptures can be interpretations of who they were to the artist, as well as represent an idea. It’s why Pablo Picasso’s nudes from his Cubist period don’t look real. Or the Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial is much larger than life.
Or take Picasso’s portrait of pianist and composer, Erik Satie. Note that Satie’s hands are not in proportion to his body. They’re much larger than life to represent the importance of Satie’s hands in his work.
read a book titled “the separate kingdom” for all da fax….
In response to harryoyama, sculptures (and other artists) are not required to make exact replicas of humans when they depict them. Sculptures can be interpretations of who they were to the artist, as well as represent an idea. It’s why Pablo Picasso’s nudes from his Cubist period don’t look real. Or the Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial is much larger than life.
Or take Picasso’s portrait of pianist and composer, Erik Satie. Note that Satie’s hands are not in proportion to his body. They’re much larger than life to represent the importance of Satie’s hands in his work.
http://www.pablopicasso.net/portrait-of-erik-satie/
mahalo a nui loa e brada bellin e holomua kakou!