OHA Awards Funding to Support Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival

Moanalua Gardens Foundation (MGF) has received a $10,000 ‘Ahahui Grant award from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to support the virtual 44th annual Prince Lot Hula Festival to be broadcast in late October.

The festival honors Prince Lot Kapuāiwa who revived hula in the ahupua‘a of Moanalua when it was forbidden to be danced in public and is sponsored in part by OHA.

“OHA’s award will help us showcase the best of non-competitive hula and perpetuate Hawai’i’s rich Hawaiian culture and hula heritage in a special two-hour program filmed for television, said Alika Jamile, MGF’s Executive Director. “We rely on grants and donations to produce the festival and are deeply grateful for OHA’s continued support over the years.”

This year’s theme is Huli Alo I Ka Ulu Lā. Ua Ao Ē, which means “With the rising of the sun, a new day dawns.” The theme was inspired by Ua Ao Hawai’i, an oli composed by cultural practitioner and educator Larry Kimura.

“We were moved by its message because this particular phrase, E Huli Alo I Ka Ulu Lā. Ua Ao Ē, symbolizes a new beginning as we emerge from the pandemic and signals hope for the future,” Jamile said.

The festival will be filmed at historic Queen Emma Summer Palace and feature a mixture of hula kāhiko (ancient) hula, and ‘auana (contemporary) hula performances by 12 of Oahu’s premier hālau hula. MGF will present its prestigious Malia Kau award to Kumu Hula Lilinoe Lindsey and its Namakahelu Oli Award to chanter, composer and Kumu Hula Manu Boyd who have dedicated their life’s work to the preservation of our hula traditions.