Maʻawe ʻEkolu | Kaiaulu
The Outreach and Recruitment Ma‘awe supports four graduate students through graduate assistantships working towards ANNO’s goals and deliverables, including a robust website to archive all activities of the institute. Institute members and graduate assistants visit neighboring island and Pacific island communities to hold informational sessions with the intent of attracting potential students to the units of ANNO’s members. Outreach also includes guest artists workshops on hana no‘eau practices that will include a demonstration, a hands-on workshop, and an oral history session per guest artist.
Hana Noʻeau Series
Hawaiian Woodcarving Workshop with Miki Cook
As a part of our ongoing Hana Noʻeau Series, ANNO hosted Miki Cook, an expert in Hawaiian word carving and educator at Windward Community College where he teaches the only Hawaiian word carving course in the system. He was born and raised in Hāna, and is a member of the carving hui Kūpāʻaikeʻe whose objective is to revitalize the tradition of Hawaiian kiʻi akua carving in connection with the revitalization of Heiau.
On December 1, 2023, this workshop featured a lecture on considerations for prop creation in productions, specifically those with Hawaiian-related properties, and commentary on best practices for Indigenous theater, vis-à-vis the production of ʻAuʻa ʻIa: Holding On, featured off Broadway and at Kennedy Theatre, for which he was involved in prop making. The lecture was followed by a woodworking workshop where the approximately 15 attendees were instructed in the making of niho hōʻoki, a traditional Hawaiian cutting instrument consisting of a carved wooden handle and an inserted shark tooth secured with rope. Attendees each grated, sanded, oiled, and attached the tooth themselves on their own niko hōʻoki while learning of ways they can incorporate Hawaiian carving customs into their practice as artists and performers, especially in Hawaiian theater.
Songwriting Workshop with Tawaroa Kawana and Hera Hanita-Paki
Māori recording artists, Tawaroa Kawana and Hera Hanita-Paki, mentored 10 UHM students in writing contemporary mele in their Indigenous languages and encouraged the exploration of modern and traditional elements in the creation of their new compositions. Throughout the week, students met both on and off campus to write and compose a collection of songs that would then be showcased at Ka Pō Leʻa o Hālaliʻi.
“Māori musicians Tawaroa Kawana and Hera Hanita-Paki are known for captivating audiences with their original recordings penned in te reo Māori (Māori language). The Indigenous artists are also immersed in Waiata Māori, a traditional music genre from Aotearoa that is reflective of Māori traditions and beliefs. ‘This collaboration is about building capacity in our lāhui (nation) to create and tell our stories in our language through the medium of mele,’ said Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, professor and founder of the UH Mānoa Hawaiian Theatre Program. [We want our haumāna to] expand their horizons, support their dream and artistic goals ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (in the Hawaiian language).'” Read the UH News article here.
Events Archive
Ka Pō Leʻa o Halāliʻi
Ka Pō Leʻa o Halāliʻi was a musical celebration of original Indigenous music from Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa, Rotuma, and Oceania. This evening of music started with a showcase by the students who participated in the Songwriting Workshop led by Tawaroa Kawana and Hera Hanita-Paki, and then featured performances by not only Tawaroa and Hera, but prominent Hawaiian recording artists, Kaʻikena Scanlan and Ikaakamai. Held on November 8, 2023, this event at Mānoa Gardens saw an audience of around 200 students, staff, faculty, and community members, all coming together to celebrate contemporary Indigenous songwriting and composition.
E ʻOi Mau Ka Naʻauao: Hawaiian Graduate Studies Fair
On October 18, 2023, ANNO Graduate Assistants and Kumu Hailiʻōpua participated in a table for the E ʻOi Mau Ka Naʻauao: Hawaiian Graduate Studies Fair, held at Native Hawaiian Student Services. This event was centered around highlighting different graduate degree programs in Hawaiian centered fields, such as the MFA in Hawaiian Theatre and PhD in Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance Studies. Our representatives were able to talk to current UH Mānoa students about future areas of study within Indigenous performance, and many shared their experiences and connections with previous Hana Keaka performances.
Kaisara School Show + Talkback
On September 21, 2023, students from Kamehameha School Kapālama and Ānuenue watched a morning show of Kaisara, followed by a talkback with the cast and team. Students asked questions about directorial choices, design ideas, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Shakespeare fluency among the cast, and how the cast was able to get into character. Photos by Hezekiah Kapuaʻala.
Huakaʻi Aotearoa
In June 2023, students and faculty traveled to New Zealand to attend the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington. They saw incredible works by Māori and Indigenous artists in performance, including: Kōpū, Waiwhakaata, He Huia Kaimanawa, Shifting Centre, ʻAvaiki Nui Social, Mā and The Fly Hunnies, Flames: A Hip Hop Musical, The Haka Party Incident, and more. They visited Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, Victoria University, Massey University, University of Auckland, and Te Pou Theater. The ANNO team also participated in cultural exchanges and meetings with Indigenous artists about future collaboration opportunities in Aotearoa and Hawaiʻi.
Mo'olelo Book Launch
On May 4, 2023, ANNO supported a book launch celebration for Mo‘olelo – The Foundation of Hawaiian Knowledge, the seventh volume in the Hawaiʻinuiākea series. Held at Ka Waiwai, the event was open to all members of the community and included food, ʻawa, and live music by the band Ei Nei. After the music, a panel of contributors to the book discussed the process and their individual chapters, as well as how each piece related to the overall theme of moʻolelo.
For more information about the book, including where to purchase, visit the Moʻolelo: The Foundation of Hawaiian Knowledge through UH Press.
Ka Papahana Hana Keaka ma Helumoa
On Earth Day, the students of the Hana Keaka program presented at Royal Hawaiian Center. Their presentation featured a scene from kaipulaumakaniolono’s 2021 thesis production He Leo Aloha, and a scene from upcoming hana keaka thesis production Glitter in the Paʻakai, written by Joshua Kamoaniʻala “Baba” Tavares. The students also shared more information about the Hana Keaka MFA program, as well as their current work with ANNO. Photos by Kat Wade.
Movie with a Message
As a part of their Movie with a Message series, the Hana Keaka program was invited to show 2019 production, ʻAuʻa ʻIa: Holding On, as a part of Kamehameha Schools’ Community Learning Center at Mā’ili. Before the showing, there was a panel discussion about the process of creating the show, touring to New York, and the journey of working on hana keaka productions since the creation of Ka Hālau Hana Keaka.
Ola Ka ʻĪ: Koʻolaupoko, Maui Nui, ʻEwa
As a part of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the ANNO team traveled across Oʻahu and to Maui for three Ola Ka ʻĪ events, celebrating the Hawaiian Language through entertainment, games, hoʻokūkū haʻi ʻōlelo (Hawaiian language speech competition), shopping, dining, and activities for the entire ʻohana. At Ola Ka ʻĪ Koʻolaupoko, Kumu Hailiʻōpua Baker served as a judge for the hoʻokūkū haʻi ʻōlelo for the keiki. At Ola Ka ʻĪ Maui Nui and ʻEwa, the ANNO team talked with community members about the Hana Keaka program, upcoming PhD program, and showed 2019 hana keaka production, ʻAuʻa ʻIa: Holding On.
