On Saturday, the Hui ‘O Hawai’i Club at the University of Oregon celebrated Hawaiian and other Polynesian cultures for their 50th annual Lūʻau and Hōʻike. According to the club, this Lūʻau and Hōʻike is their largest event to date, selling over 800 tickets.
Fa'aumus, a Samoan way to express happiness and excitement, rang throughout the arena during the many different performances as students showcased dances from Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tahitian cultures.
This year’s theme, “I ka wā ma mua,ka wā ma hope/The Future Is In The Past,” is about the importance of learning from history and looking to the past to guide the future.
Naliko Cabanilla, one of the club’s Lūʻau and Hōʻike coordinators, said the theme was woven through the many different performances in the show.
“For our women's ʻAuana, our choreographer chose the song ‘Hanohano Hāʻiku,’ which reflects on a place in Kaneohe, Oahu, which is where he grew up,” said Cabanilla. “He reflected on how far he's come as a person, and all the people that have helped him to get to where he is today.”
At the end of the show, the seniors of the club performed a last dance together before the club brought them onto stage again to give them graduation stoles and wished them luck for their future.
For Vance Hiraki, a senior in the club, this part of the show held a lot of meaning.
“Being a senior, it [is] kind of bittersweet during the senior dance,” said Hiraki. “Just kind of seeing all of the seniors dance for one last time on stage before we kind of all go on our separate paths.”
