The announcement of the pa‘u queen, and her attending princesses, each one representing an island of the Hawaiian Islands, by the King Kamehameha Day Celebration Committee, serves to solidify plans for the 2023 King Kamehameha Day celebration.
The pa‘u units, including the queen and her entourage of princesses, are part of mounted units and an integral part of the parade that is part of the King Kamehameha Day Celebration, set for June 10.
The 151st anniversary of The Kings Parade and Ho‘olaule‘a will start at 9 a.m. from Vidinha Stadium in Lihu‘e, and make its way up Rice Street to end at the Historic County Building, where the ho‘olaule‘a begins from 10 a.m. with an array of food offerings, protocol, craft vendors and live entertainment.
“We’re almost complete,” said Lyah Kama Drake of the KKCC that started fundraising efforts earlier in the month with a two-day fashion event at Kaua‘i Beach Resort. “We’ve gotten the Kaua‘i pa‘u unit headed by Chelane Weaver, and we just need to solidify the Maui pa‘u unit.”
Pa‘u riders, according to online sources, are wahine horseback riders who wear long, colorful skirts called pa‘u.
They characteristically ride astride rather than sidesaddle, and stem from the early 19th century when horses were introduced to Hawai‘i and ali‘i women dressed up to ride for formal occasions.
The long skirts were used to protect women’s legs when they traveled by horseback.
As the riders participated in performances and displays, the outfits became more elaborate.
The long, colorful skirts are usually of the color of the Hawaiian Islands the rider represents, such as purple being the color of Kaua‘i, yellow representing O‘ahu, green being the color of Moloka‘i, pink for the lokelani, or native rose, of Maui, and so on.
Shelly Kaui Carvalho, this year’s pa‘u queen, is depicted on the KKCC promotional poster as the pa‘u princess representing Moloka‘i.
“There is only one queen,” said Betty Nakamoto, the pa‘u riders coordinator for the KKCC.
“When you become the queen, that means you have reached the pinnacle of pa‘u riding. There has been only one person, Lorna Ouderkirk, who has been a pa‘u queen twice. Lorna, who had been a pa‘u queen formerly, was at a parade as a roving marshal. The person who was named to be the pa‘u queen never showed up, and since we had the gear and flowers for the queen, we just put Lorna in as the queen.”
Joining Carvalho as the pa‘u queen, her court of princesses, each one representing an island of the Hawaiian Islands, include Kristy Castillo representing Ni‘ihau, Shara Bucasas representing Lana‘i, Shantelle Shimogawa representing Moloka‘i, Jade Nakamoto representing Kaho‘olawe, Momi Thronas representing O‘ahu, and Chelane Weaver representing Kaua‘i.
The early announcement of the pa‘u court also allows the wahine ample time for fundraising, such as Nakamoto helping with food during the recent Kumu Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin’s pop-up, and the fundraising “Lyrics of the Lahui Concert” to benefit the Lana‘i pa‘u unit coming up on April 29 at the historic Waimea Theatre.
Most people do not realize how much it costs to have a pa‘u unit in a parade, Nakamoto said. At the minimum, it costs a wahine around $2,500.
And, if you need to rent horses, that’s another $500 per animal.
For more information on participating in the King Kamehameha Day Celebration, either as a parade participant or a vendor at the ho‘olaule‘a, email kkcc.kauai@gmail.com.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
