Seattle college students throw a lu'au

By Marie Tutko
Special to The Advertiser

Members of Hui Hoaloha Ulana, the Hawaiian club at the University of Washington in Seattle, formed an impromptu halau for their lu'au last Saturday. Conroy Sin

Poi, ti leaves, and plumerias took a 3,000-mile journey across the ocean last week,arriving on Seattle's gray shores Saturday for the largest lu'au in the Pacific Northwest arranged annually by the University of Washington's Hui Hoaloha Ulana. This year's event drew 1,200 people — students and kama'aina from around the Northwest.

"Da Hui," founded in 1969, has more than 250 members this year. "It was started to offer a support system for local people who just moved out here," said Charles Tomas, Kamehameha Schools graduate and club president. "Moving to the Mainland, especially Seattle because of the dreary weather, can be really tough at first. We want to help people assimilate to life here."

For the past five years this "group woven in friendship" has done all the work for the lu'au, an attempt to unite the local community in the region.

Students from neighboring universities in Oregon and Washington traveled to Seattle just to get some 'ono grinds and talk story. This year's theme was "Ho'okahi Pu'uwai (one heart)," a title, said 'Iolani graduate and lu'au emcee Daniel Pak, "reflective of the respect and love we have for one another."

The lu'au also gives members a chance to share Island culture. "One of our goals is to break away from the stereotype that a lu'au just involves a bunch of grass skirts," said Tomas. "A lot of people here also don't know anything about Hawai'i's history, people, or rich culture, and we want to educate them," he said.

Club chairpersons and members spent nearly an entire school year preparing for this event. "We met the night after last year's lu'au to discuss lu'au 2001," said Sherrie Shinjo, a graduate of Moanalua High School, and one of three club co-chairs. "A week later we set a date, and then tried to figure out how to raise thousands of dollars."

Renting a ballroom in the university's Husky Union Building cost $6,000 alone. In Seattle, the club sold cookbooks that they compiled, as well as T-shirts and shot glasses with the club logo. Parents back home sold Zippy's chili and organized car washes, and donated money and supplies. All the flowers and foliage were gifts. "We definitely could not have pulled this off without their support," said Tomas.

HPC foods Inc. sent more than 200 pounds each of kalua pig and poi. Food chairman Dane Canida, a Hawai'i Preparatory Academy graduate, said he and other members spent three days cooking, although the kalua pork was pre-made. "Having an imu would have been nice, but I don't think the school would have appreciated it if we dug a huge hole on campus," he said. The haupia and chicken long rice were made from scratch, and Ocean Seafoods donated all of the fish needed for the lomi lomi salmon.

The event chairpersons met at least once a week for six months, Shinjo said. Dance practices began in January. Krystene Kawahara, a graduate of Maui's H.P. Baldwin High School and hula instructor for the club, said she "was amazed by how quickly the dancers progressed, considering that many of them have never danced hula before."

Club members were hustling around the ballroom until midnight the day before the lu'au. Knowing they had to return a mere 10 hours later, the only solace was a Zippy's chili and rice break. "All of this hard work will be totally worth it the moment someone comes up to me and says 'It was so much fun,' " said Shinjo.

Saturday night, guests were greeted with tables adorned with sea turtle petroglyphs and fresh pineapples. Ferns, anthuriums, and heliconias affixed to the walls and stage and murals painted by the students transformed the normally bland ballroom into a more familiar atmosphere.

All stood solemnly while "Hawai'i Pono'i" was sung by Kupina'i a ka Pu'uwai, the club's choral group. After the pule and a bountiful meal, the audience was treated to several kahiko and 'auana dances, and a sensual performance of Tahitian otea.

Donning malos, the male members nervously walked on stage before the kahiko segment, but once the music started they confidently moved in perfect unison. "We never expected this to be as good as the Merrie Monarch Festival, but I think they did an awesome job," said Shinjo.

The event ended with a performance by Island bands Keahiwai and Three Plus, producing a sea of smiling faces as students skanked and embraced one another.

For a few short hours, attendees appeared not to notice the campus' perpetual backdrop of gray skies and murky waters. In their hearts and minds, they were back home, and engulfed in the spirit of aloha.

Correction: Del Monte Foods donated the fruit for the luau. A previous version of this story incorrectly mentioned another organization.