Menu:
Cultural Organizations in Hawaii
Polynesians were the earliest settlers in this mysterious chain of islands; the Europeans introduced her to the rest of the world; the Asians helped to grow its economy by their labors and ultimately it was the Americans who made Hawaii the part of their territory. Thus despite being located at one of the remotest corners of the Earth, Hawaiian culture at various points of history was exposed to and mingled with the culture and civilization of the other continents. This resulted in the development of multi ethnic society layered with different cultural traits with the original Hawaiian culture acting as a guiding force from behind. Though the pure Hawaiian blood has become scarce today because of the inter marriages between various races, the traits of ancient Hawaiian culture is still kept alive, thanks to several cultural organizations dedicated to carrying on the rich legacy of native Hawaiian culture and traditions.
Some cultural organizations in Hawaii
Bishop Museum
Probably Bishop Museum in Honolulu is the most celebrated center for research and preservation of Hawaiian culture. It’s a cultural center that reflects on the various aspects of Hawaiian tradition and art. It also undertakes to throw light on the various unknown sides of Hawaiian history and even science.
The Kauai Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture and the Arts
This center was opened in 1998, with an aim to uphold true Hawaiian culture and creating awareness among the local community about its preservation. The center has undertaken to display a vast array of Hawaiian handicrafts including the hula instruments, fishing tools and basic household items such as quilt, mat or basket. All these artifacts are claimed to be collected from the Hawaiian households that preserved them for centuries as family heirlooms.
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
This cultural center was founded in the year 2001. It is a member-based organization in the nature of pressure group that uses the tool of lobbying to influence the public policies for the revival of native Hawaiian culture. The organization arranges several events and conferences to popularize the concept of native Hawaiian culture.
Pai Foundation
This is another non profit cultural organization set up in 2001, with an objective of promotion of the indigenous culture and pure environment of Hawaii. They regularly interact with the local communities through various programs for getting across their messages.
Cultural Learning Center at Kaala
This is an organization based in Waianae. The organization started with the initiatives of a group of young people whose mission was to work for the resurrection of fast diminishing Hawaiian cultural heritage. Among many other projects taken up by kaala to this end, most interesting is the craft workshops organized both for the young and adults. They are taught into traditional Hawaiian arts like stone carving, wall building, landscaping, and canoe paddle and kapa bark cloth making. Its curriculum also includes formal trainings on the subjects like environmental science. All these trainings prepare the students for real life experiences.
Objectives of the Cultural Organizations
Though the mission of these cultural organizations seem simple at a first glance; perpetuation of a process to create an environment in which traditional Hawaiian culture will be kept alive. But in reality it is a daunting task. Their task does not end with mere organizing of programs, real task lies in involving the participants and making them aware of their responsibilities. Thus the organizations go through the constant process of research, innovation and experimentation.