{"id":215049,"date":"2025-05-02T14:55:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T00:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=215049"},"modified":"2025-05-02T19:11:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T05:11:41","slug":"honolulu-cc-hoolaulea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/02\/honolulu-cc-hoolaulea\/","title":{"rendered":"Honolulu CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Ho\u02bbolaule\u02bba engages 300+ in culture, sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
\"large
Honolulu CC<\/abbr> Hoʻolauleʻa<\/span> opening ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

More than 320 students, faculty, staff and community members gathered at Honolulu Community College on April 23, 2025, for its annual one-day Hoʻolauleʻa<\/span> Celebration, held in the Hale Kawelohea and campus courtyard.<\/p>\n

\"people
Plant giveaway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The event honors Ka Māla o Niuhelewai, the campus garden and cultural space, and celebrates Hawaiian traditions and sustainable practices. Participants enjoyed a wide range of hands-on cultural and eco-friendly activities, including genki ball making to help clean the Kap\u0101lama stream, native plant giveaways, a Trash to Treasures recycled art contest, Makahiki games and kuʻi<\/span> ʻai<\/span> (poi pounding). A resource fair with 32 vendors also shared valuable college and health information.<\/p>\n

“I loved it. It was so much fun,” said student Aaliyah Aguon. “I got a lot of food and learned about a lot of organizations!”<\/p>\n

The courtyard was filled with music from nearly a dozen entertainers, including Honolulu CC<\/abbr>‘s MELE<\/abbr> program<\/a> students, faculty (Niuhelewai Serenaders) and staff.<\/p>\n

Embracing kuleana<\/h2>\n
\"people
Making genki balls at the Ho\u02bbolaule\u02bba celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“When I proposed to the campus back in 2010 that we have an opportunity to recognize the original Native tenants of this ʻāina<\/span> (land), the Honolulu CC<\/abbr> campus overwhelmingly supported the creation of Ka Māla o Niuhelewai,” said Professor Alapaki Luke, coordinator of the garden. “Mahalo to the Honolulu CC<\/abbr> campus and the greater community for the support to bring back the kalo to this ʻāina<\/span>. The campus embraces its kuleana (responsibility) to the Native Hawaiian culture and language by promoting the learning and participation of place-based and cultural values to inform all campus work areas. Mahalo nui loa.”<\/p>\n

The celebration closed with a Hawaiian lunch plate featuring kalua pig and sweet potato from the campus imu, chicken long rice, poi, haupia, kūlolo and lūʻau<\/span>. More than 300 meals were served.<\/p>\n

“I had a great time here,” said student Greg Harris. “I learned a lot and got some Hawaiian food.”<\/p>\n

This celebration was made possible by Luke, the Hulili Ke Kukui Hawaiian Center, the Student Life & Development office, campus offices, vendors and more than 100 Honolulu CC<\/abbr> community volunteers.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width=”3″ css=”” grid_id=”vc_gid:1746233035668-37e41383-502a-4″ include=”215047,215048,215046,215040,215045,215044,215043,215042,215041,215039″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hands-on Hawaiian traditions, music, food, more, connect Honolulu CC<\/abbr> community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":215044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[62,71],"class_list":["post-215049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-honolulu-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t