Hauʻoli lā hānau e Waikīkī Hawaiian Civic Club! Ua hānau ʻia ʻo Waikīkī HCC i ka makahiki 1964 a piha nō ia ʻahahui i kanalima makahiki i 2014. Nui ko mākou mahalo i nā kupuna i hoʻomaka i nei ʻahahui me ka manaʻo e huki like kākou no ka pono o ka lāhui Hawaiʻi a me ke aloha ʻāina nō hoʻi. Kūpaʻa mau nā ʻelele o Waikīkī HCC i ke kākoʻo mau ʻana i nā ʻōpio ʻōiwi i ka ʻimi naʻauao a i ke aʻo ʻana aku a aʻo ʻana mai i ka ʻike kupuna o kākou ma o nā ʻano pāhana like ʻole.
Celebrating our 50th Anniversary was the main focus for our club in 2014. We would like to mahalo the kupuna who founded the club in 1964 and paved the path for us to continue the work that they have begun. Waikīkī HCC would like to also mahalo and honor one of our dedicated and longest serving members, Aunty Nona Kamai.
We are very excited this year to be able to support three ʻōpio in their educational journey in seeking higher education. These ʻōpio are attending UH Hilo and UH Mānoa and are seeking degrees in the fields of Psychology, Accounting, and Linguistics/Japanese Studies.
Waikīkī HCC and ʻAhahui Siwila Hawaiʻi o Kapolei continue to partner on a variety of traditional knowledge projects that honor our culture. In March, we provided our second annual imu workshop for the Kapolei community that utilizes the imu that is available on the ʻāina near the Hawaiʻi Maoli office. At our workshop we also made kūlolo and we were so amazed that even though the ua blessed us throughout the night that upon opening the imu in the morning that all of the food in the imu were fully cooked and ono as ever.
In September, our traditional knowledge project was hosted at Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai and we were blessed to have cultural practitioners that shared the art of making inamona, constructing traditional lamakū torches, and hīpuʻu style lei making. We look forward to continuing these traditions and sharing them with our ʻōpio.
Waikīkī HCC would like to also highlight our 2013 traditional project that was called “Ka Wai o ka Niu Haohao”. Our niu project shared the various uses of the coconut tree, leaves, and fruit to make things like coconut milk, coconut woven baskets, bowls, hats, coconut oil, haupia, and a heʻe dish that incorporated freshly squeezed coconut milk, lime, cucumber, and paʻakai. Hū ka ʻono!
This year we also bid our fond aloha to one of our kupuna members, Gilbert Stanley Nobrega Jr. who resided in Hanapēpē, Kauaʻi. He and his ʻohana have always shared the art of making paʻakai with Waikīkī HCC and we are thankful for the aloha that he shared.