MOLOKAʻI CANOE FESTIVALS
presents

ABOUT KULĀIA

Historical records dating back to 1865 note Hawaiian outrigger canoe race competitions as one of the many events our kūpuna took part in during annual lā kulāia, which are days of festivities honoring the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and especially honoring our beloved monarchy. During the Hawaiian Kingdom era, kulāia festivities generally occurred once a year during a national holiday or birthday celebration of mō‘i or monarch.​
 
Subsequently after the overthrow of our beloved Hawaiian Kingdom, kulāia festivities changed focus and no longer celebrated the Kingdom and monarchy. In historical records, we see the shift from national celebration to simply canoe race competitions. Therefore, pieces of our historic kulāia were lost and forgotten.
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In remembering the early years of the Moloka‘i Hoe along with the Aloha Festivals Ho‘olaule‘a at Hale O Lono, it was Moloka‘i’s version of the historic kulāia. The festivities lasted an entire weekend with campsites stretching from one end of Hale O Lono to the other and the spirit of ‘ohana and aloha radiated to all; including the various Moloka‘i ‘ohana, paddlers, visitors, spectators, and many others who came from the neighbor islands, outer states and other countries.
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In recent years, we have seen history repeated, where the idea of kulāia was forgotten, as the canoe race continued without the festival. Wanting to revive the spirit of the festivals here on Moloka‘i, a grassroots community group came together and formed the Moloka‘i Canoe Festivals Committee whose members share the vision of bringing back the festivals to our community and sharing the true Moloka‘i aloha and hospitality to our visiting brothers and sisters of the paddling ‘ohana. This practice of kulāia is an important cultural tradition that connects us to our ali‘i and our kūpuna. Kulāia gives us an opportunity to enlighten, embrace and share with those who visit our island about our values and resources we cherish which is our life source that sustains us and keeps Moloka‘i, Moloka‘i. May we embrace this valuable tradition and pass it down to our own keiki and mo‘opuna for generations to come.