This special exhibition, curated by kumu hula Aulii Mitchell and supported by the First Nations Development Institute & Henry Luce Foundation, focuses on the critically endangered Hawaiian hula art of “hula kiʻi,” or Hawaiian puppetry, and its ritual uses in dance.

"The hula kiʻi is a critically endangered Hawaiian practice of the ritual of dance of carved images, Hawaiian puppetry,” says curator and kumu hula Aulii Mitchell. “Today, this specialized genre exists only in three hula kiʻi schools. It is one of many dance genres of old Hawaiʻi; a traditional folk art form of the indigenous people Na Hawaiʻi. Come and witness the sharing of 26 newly carved hula kiʻi as they perform new songs and dances for this historic event!”

Six hula hālau, or hula schools, will be participating in the exhibit.

Hālau ʻo Kahiwahiwa, under the direction of kumu hula Aulii Mitchell, presents
The Dance of the Sacred Image: Hawaiian Puppetry
Featuring:
The Hula Kiʻi Collaborative
Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻo Piʻilani, under the direction of kumu hula Kaponoʻai Molitau, Maui Island
Ka Pā Nani o Lilinoe, under the direction of kumu hula Lilinoe Lindsey
Ka Pā Hula o Kāheakūlani, under the direction of kumu hula Kalani Akana
Hula Preservation Society, under the direction of kumu hula kiʻi Maile Loo & kumu hula kiʻi Mauliola Cook.

While the exhibition pieces themselves are cultural artifacts and will not be for sale, these hālau will be selling traditional handmade crafts and other items in the gallery.