Kanaka Celebration at Open Space for Arts & Community

Hula, songs, stories and a film from the islands celebrate the legacy of the Hawaiians here in the Pacific Northwest. Join us to learn about and celebrate the ‘Forgotten Hawaiians’.

Hawaiian artists have brought tremendous magic to the island of Vashon and Open Space for Arts & Community - singer songwriter Makana has played three sold-out shows at Open Space, and spoken word genius Kealoha roused both his adult audience and McMurray Middle School students last fall. Now, Aloha Island Treasures and Hula Halau O Napualani partner with Open Space to celebrate the historical migration of the earliest Kanaka to Pacific Northwest from the 1800’s to present day.

The Kanaka Celebration includes hula, stories, a film preview, and music from special guests Charles Brotman and Charlie Recaido from the group Kohala, visiting from Waimea, Hawaii - all in honor of the legacy of the Hawaiians here in the Pacific Northwest.

Hawaiians began to arrive in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s for a variety of reasons. Hawaiian place names like Aloha, OR and Kalama, WA are sprinkled throughout the Northwest, as evidence of the Kanaka spirit in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

 Kumu Hula Gloria Nahalea writes, “The Hawaiians began to arrive in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1700’s-early 1800’s for a variety of reasons. The Hawaiians worked and lived in areas such as Fort Nisqually, Fort Langley, Dupont, Warm Springs, Salt Spring Islands, Yakima, Lummi, Nisqually, Tulalip and many more places. They are called the ‘Forgotten Hawaiians’, as they melded in the local fabric of the society they live. The earliest Hawaiians married local Native Americans, and the blended bloodlines runs through many tribal families. Today, it is difficult to have an accurate census but it’s believed to be much more than has been accounted for. More people are tracing their roots and as evidenced by the increasing PowWows existing in the Hawaiian Islands, more celebrations of these rich blended bloodlines occur as genealogical roots are being traced.”

Join us on Sunday, March 1 at 4pm to learn more about the rich heritage of the Kanaka and the legacy of these almost ‘Forgotten Hawaiians’.

Kanaka Celebration Video
Special Guests: Charles Michael Brotman and Charlie Recaido of KOHALA
Charles Michael Brotman grew up in Washington State and has lived in Hawai’i since 1976. Charles is the first recipient of the GRAMMY® award for Best Hawaiian Music Album, Producer, for Slack Key Guitar Volume 2. He has won multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and nominations, and his recordings have reached #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart and New Age charts. He is also the producer and engineer of all of Kohala’s albums. Brotman’s music placements in film and TV include Portlandia, Hawaii 5-0, Dateline, The Descendants, All About Steve, Oprah, Nickelodean, Saturday Night Live, Today Show, America’s Most Wanted, Animal Adventures, Prime Suspect, and more.
Charlie Recaido, born and raised in Hawai’i, performed and recorded with the group Summer, which toured the US and Japan in the late 70’s with Kalapana and C&K. Recaido was a featured soloist on Hawaii’s first GRAMMY® CD. A multiple Na Hoku-award nominee as a composer-guitarist with Kohala, his production work is behind several Na Hoku-winning projects. He also received two Hawaii Music Awards for his work with Summer. Together with Rupert Tripp Jr., they perform and record as Kohala, touring extensively throughout concert halls in Japan as well as the mainland U.S.

Brotman and Recaido have deep ties to the Northwest, Charles being born and raised in Seattle and Charlie having ‘ohana (family) in Bremerton and Portland.

Auntie Gloria Napualani Kalamalamakailialoha Fujii Nahalea has shared over 40 years of teaching, performing, and choreographing the Pacific Dance Arts locally and globally. Her love for Hawaiian hula, Tahitian dance, and New Zealand Maori haka impacts those who see the many performance groups she has directed and produced in her lifetime. She received her “palapala” (equivalent of a Master’s degree) from Uncle George Naope in 1995. Well respected in the community for her leadership, she helped provide credibility by participating in many hula and Polynesian competitions, locally and abroad. While attending the University of Washington, she mentored with Kumu Hula Master George Naope, the founder of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, traveled with the Aloha Airlines-Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays Tour Company throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. And currently she continues to travel sharing her aloha and knowledge of the Hawaiian Culture. In 1999, Gloria was the recipient of the Washington State Governor’s Heritage Award for her outstanding contribution to the enrichment of the culture of Washington State. She continues to actively spread the Aloha Spirit through dance and song to everyone she meets.

Uncle Bill Nahale’a, from Nanakuli, Oahu, and Kihei, Maui, is a 7/8 full blood Hawaiian. He was raised in Honolulu then moved to Maui after graduating from college. He moved to the mainland in 1995. His parents are both Hawaiians and therefore, as a full-blooded Hawaiian, he feels a responsibility to preserve, love and appreciate the people, culture and preservation of the Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and increase their awareness on the mainland. Between 1985 and 1989, Bill produced a Hawaiian local TV show called “Showcase Maui”. This entertainment talk show featured interviews with “hapa” musicians including Barry Flannigan and Keali’i Kaneali’i, and Willie Kahaiali’i (known as Willie K) in the early stages of their careers. Other famous guests included Danny Arnold, Sonny Bono, Al Thicke of ABC’s “Growing Pains”, Robert Wagner of “Hart to Hart”, and other local celebrities. In 1987, Bill was the lead actor in a TV pilot in Hawaii called “Island Spice” similar to “Magnum PI”. He co-starred with Henry Kapono of Cecilio and Kapono. Bill also produced a late night radio show on FM 101 in Lahaina, Maui, and produced many charitable fundraisers. Currently Bill produces the “Hawaii Showcase Television Magazine” with co-host Auntie Gloria, a live weekly show featuring news of Hawaii, music review, Keiki Corner, and “talk story” with Napua.

Hula, songs, stories and a film from the islands celebrate the legacy of the Hawaiians here in the Pacific Northwest. Join us to learn about and celebrate the ‘Forgotten Hawaiians’.

Location:       
Open Space for Arts & Community
18870 103rd Ave SW, Vashon, WA 98070         
Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 4:00pm
Tickets:                        
$10 Students, $15 Advance, $18 at the Door
Available now at Vashon Bookshop and at vashonkanaka.brownpapertickets.com/