29th Annual Hoʻomau Concert to Benefit Hawaiian Immersion Preschool

Members of Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua. The group is among those scheduled to perform at Hoʻomau 2016. File photo by Wendy Osher.

The 29th Annual Hoʻomau Concert takes place on Saturday, March 19, 2016 from 9 a.m. to sunset at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens in Kahului.

The annual fundraising event is a benefit for Pūnana Leo o Maui, a Hawaiian immersion preschool.

This year’s theme is Ua ao Hawaiʻi ke ʻōlino nei mālamalama which means Hawaiʻi is enlightened, for the brightness of day is here.

This is the premier Hawaiian language and entertainment event of the year for the entire ʻohana. The event features live Hawaiian music, live and silent auctions, hale ʻawa, keiki zone, more than 40 Maui crafters, seven food booths, a country store, and cultural demonstrations.

Hoʻomau 2016 event poster.

Proceeds of Hoʻomau continue to benefit Pūnana Leo o Maui in Wailuku. Annually, Pūnana Leo o Maui enrolls 30 keiki and teaches them exclusively in the Hawaiian language. Pūnana Leo also provides free weekly community Hawaiian language classes.

Tickets for Hoʻomau are available through Pūnana Leo parents, all Minit Stop locations, Native Intelligence in Wailuku, and Uʻi Gallery in Kahului.

Pūnana Leo means language nest, and just as young fledglings are fed directly from the mouths of their mothers, Hawaiian language is fed into the ears of 3- and 4-year-old students from the mouths of the Hawaiian language speakers around them.

From the moment a Pūnana Leo family enters preschool, they are immersed in a rich and stimulating honua (environment) where all must observe the kapu of “Hawaiian language only.” Administrators say the observance of the kapu helps families and their children learn Hawaiian quickly. New preschoolers learn simple phrases, sentences, and songs with the help of fluent kumu (teachers) and older classmates. School representatives say many, if not all, Pūnana Leo preschoolers are able to speak Hawaiian within three or four months.

Musical line up for Hoʻomau:

• Keiki of Pūnana Leo o Maui,
• Kula Kaiapuni o Maui,
• Kula Kaiapuni o Lahaina,
• Ke Kula ʻo Samuel Kamakau,
• the Lim Family,
• Piilani Arias,
• Derek Benitez,
• Kamaka Kukona and Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua,
• Hoʻomanawanui Apo, and
• Maunalua.

Cultural Practitioners:

• Pohaku Kahoʻohanohano & Haumāna – lauhala weaving
• Kala Baybayan – navigation
• Ki’i Kaho’ohanohano, Kawehi Ku’ailani, Maluhia Zorzi, Leilani Digmon-Keahi – ola kino
• Jocelyn Costa & Clair Apana – genealogy workshop and kūʻē petition
• Jimmy Saganawit- net making
• June Kaʻaihue- lei making
• Keli’i Makua- traditional tatau
• Hoku’au Peligrino & Nameaaea Hoshino- ku’i kalo