POIPU — Aunty Janet Kahalekomo was a vendor at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort &Spa on Wednesday, sharing the joys of pa‘akai (Hawaiian salt) making and her own perspective on makahiki.
“I grew up with both my grandparents, and we would learn to hunt and grow taro and dry the pig and the taro. Then we’d have makahiki —the prep time — and then the winter,” Kahalekomo said. “But we had dried food to eat all winter.”
She also said it’s important to pass on those traditions to the next generation, particularly the idea of having a strong work ethic and planning for times of resource scarcity.
Ancient Hawaiian games like konane and ‘ulu maika were in the garden for everyone at the Hyatt, celebrating makahiki — the harvest before the winter season in Hawaii, the four months when heavy rains and storms are common and the ocean turns rough.
Makahiki is a time to celebrate the harvest and the god Lono, linked to rain and fertility. It was also a time to put a pause on war and to pay taxes to the chiefs, she said.
On Kauai, makahiki celebrations started at the beginning of October with morning ceremonies at South Shore heiau (ancient sacred sites), said Sandi Quinsaat, board member with the Kaneiolouma Hui, the group that takes care of remains of an ancient Hawaiian village near Poipu Beach.
Quinsaat describes the time of year as a time of reflection and gratitude, as well as a time of gathering; a time for “showing respect for what has come to pass and for what is yet to come, and passing that on to future generations.”
The Weber family, from California, was learning a few of the makahiki traditions, including coconut-weaving and lei-making.
Owen Weber, 8, and his younger sister were particularity interested in weaving crowns from coconut fronds and making lei — so much so that Owen was named king for makahiki and given a newly made crown.
His first decree was recess for everybody.
The fun and games — and the history and celebration of culture — will continue with lectures and the “Night of Hawaiian Falsetto” Friday evening, featuring Kamakakehau Fernandez and Darren Benitez. That starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Seaview Terrace.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
