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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, September 4, 2001

Tradition takes a back seat

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

The publicity packet says the Kaua'i Mokihana Festival is meant to promote and preserve Hawaiian culture and values, but to hear festival founder Nathan Kalama describe it, he's more interested in looking forward than back.

"People always say that Kaua'i is the oldest island and Hawai'i is the newest, but really, Hawai'i is the most tradition-bound. We're trying to do something different."

What's different about the Mokihana Festival is the emphasis on creativity and innovation. For example, in the group 'auana hula competition, extra points are given if the dancers use implements that haven't been used before. In the past, halau have danced with implements made from styrofoam or jittering toys made from string that dancers hid in their hair.

Bonus points are also awarded if the song or chant used is less than 10 years old. "We want the kumu hula to have the freedom to be creative and just go for it," Kalama says. Otherwise, the same songs will be used in competitions year after year."

Kalama first began the Festival in 1984 with a budget of $300 for a single event, the Kaua'i composers' contest. Over the years, the Mokihana Festival has exploded into a range of events held over seven days in venues islandwide.

There are workshops and craft exhibits now. The hula competition covers three nights, and the music contest covers two nights. There's also the Malie Scholarship fund for students of Hawaiian language and culture.

Kalama, a respected entertainer with a long and productive career, jokes that the festival has gotten too big for him to handle.

"We going make 18 years next year, and I'm thinking, just like when you hanai one child or hanau one baby, maybe it's time to kick the thing out!"

The festival has been like Kalama's keiki. Everyone involved acknowledges that he has been the force behind the growth of the project, and that his dedication has made the festival flourish.

Every year, the setup changes a little as Kalama and his core group of volunteers add new ideas and build on experience.

"This year, we learned our lesson," Kalama says. "We don't give out awards the second night, because then, they all go home. We give out the awards for the soloists on the last night, so all the halau are forced to come to the ho'olaule'a."

The other thing that sets the Kaua'i Mokihana Festival apart is its accessibility. Many of the events are free to the public, and the ones that charge admission set ticket prices at a modest $10.

The festival runs from Sept. 23 through 30. A complete schedule is available online.

Go expecting both reverence for tradition and acceptance of innovation. Go expecting the unexpected.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.