JONAH LAGRANGE/THE CREIGHTONIAN
Hui ‘O Hawai’i brought students on a voyage to Hawaiian and Polynesian culture with a night full of dancing, shopping, eating, and entertainment, all centered around a celebration of culture.
On Saturday, March 28, Hui ‘O Hawai’i club took Creighton students on a voyage to their 67th annual lūʻau celebration.
The night consisted of a vocal performance of the Hawaiian national anthem, a dinner provided by Hui, dancing, shopping, and immersion into Hawaiian culture. The Kiewit Fitness Center (KFC) went from a place of intramural games into a place that transported each attendee into a lieu of culture for the night.
As one of the most anticipated student-led events at Creighton, students, staff and parents alike rush to get their tickets for the night, and this year was no different, with tickets selling out in just one hour. In turn, Hui provided their very first morning ‘Hoike,’ a smaller version of their performance.
Kawena Kekauoha, College of Arts and Sciences senior and lūʻau chair for this year’s event, mentioned that the meaning behind putting on such a large event like lūʻau is more about just a night of dancing and fun. As a Native Hawaiian herself, she hoped to share that part of her home with more than 1,200 guests.
“Hawaiian is a nationality, it is a race, it is a religion. So, this was kind of our opportunity to share with the Nebraska community a little bit about where we come from, what our values are, who we align with.”
“I think it was just really special because we got to share that with … our families, but also we got to share with people … who would otherwise have no idea,” she added.
This year’s lūʻau theme, ‘Ka Huaka’i ‘O Ku’u Home,’ meaning ‘the journey/voyage to my home,’ created an atmosphere where the audience was welcomed to dive into Hawaiian and Polynesian culture in a multitude of ways, all while feeling like they were wayfinding with the emcees to their home island.
Kekauoha mentioned that through her own experience with learning the ways of wayfinding and voyaging, you can learn deeper meaning through life.
“Voyaging can be tied to everyday life … things can change really quickly,” she said. “What matters in life is how you are as a person … and how you treat other people … things can just change … and you just have to be able to pivot and do things differently.”
“Ultimately, your life is a journey and sometimes, like on the canoe, it’s going to be smooth sailing, but sometimes it’s going to get rocky, and you just have to learn how to bear with the punches and roll with it,” Kekauoha added.
Throughout the ‘voyage,’ the audience learned about different aspects of Hawaiian and Polynesian culture and experienced the emotional depth conveyed through each dance. Allegories about the practice of making lei, the significance of Eva birds in finding one’s way home, and the vivid storytelling through dances, just to name a few. The ending haka and Tahitian performances were, as always, unforgettable.
While the dancing becomes the highlight for many, the food provided at the lūʻau is not to be overlooked — the meal shared is one that carries welcoming, passion and passed-down culture.
Hoku Kam-Castro, a junior pre-med student in the Heider College of Business, expressed the honor and meaning behind feeding more than 1,000 people at an event like lūʻau as one of the food chairs of the night.
“I’ve been cooking all my life, especially with my grandparents and my mom, and it’s just a part of my culture, especially being someone who’s Native Hawaiian,” Kam-Castro mentioned when asked about the importance of sharing one’s culture through being in charge of something like the meal shared at lūʻau.
“Just being able to share that love and passion for the people at Creighton, and being able to … share that sense of ‘Aloha’ to everyone … that’s just incredible,” Kam-Castro said.
In addition to the food and entertainment provided throughout the night, there were multiple options to shop, take pictures and enter giveaways. Students could purchase leis, accessories and even snacks.
When asked about what Kekauoha hoped attendees would take away from lūʻau, she stressed the importance of understanding cultures other than your own.
“I hope it inspires people to learn more about Native Hawaiian culture, and learn more about the Native Hawaiian people in the different facets of our culture that are important,” she said. “It helps us to realize that there’s a lot more under the surface.”
“I hope that they enjoyed themselves and they took something away from the event, whether it be that life is a journey or now that they know that Native Hawaiian voyaging is a thing,” Kekauoha added.
The annual lūʻau, put on by Creighton’s Hui ‘O Hawai’i, is a night full of fun dances, meals with friends and an invitation to learn more about cultures you may not be familiar with, and it is an event that one should be sure to experience in their time at Creighton.