Categorized | Education, Volunteering

Rebuilding a hale at Volcanoes National Park

Larry Kuamo‘o restores a hale (house). Kuamo‘u will be leading a workshop at Volcanoes National Park on hale building techniques. Photo courtesy of NPS

Larry Kuamo‘o restores a hale (house). Kuamo‘u will be leading a work group at Volcanoes National Park to restore a hale near Halema‘uma‘u crater. Photo courtesy of NPS

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Perpetuate Native Hawaiian Culture:  Help Rebuild the Hale at the Pa Hula

Join in a rare opportunity to learn from a master craftsman how to construct and thatch a traditional hale (Hawaiian house).

Sign up as a Volunteer-in-Park (VIP) and work alongside Larry Kuamo‘o and his kokua, Eddie Kuahiwinui and Joey Ki’ili, as they restore the hale next to the park’s pa hula (hula platform).

“The hale is an important place for dancers to gather before and after their hula, protected from the wind and rain,” said Kuamo‘o.

First built in 1980, the hale is located at Ka‘auea, an inspirational site overlooking Kilauea caldera and Halema‘uma‘u crater.

Volunteers will clean and strip hala (pandanus) leaves, cut sennit (coconut cordage), and lash thatching to the wooden frame of the hale.

The project is already underway and likely will run through mid-June.

VIPs are needed Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm., and on weekends upon request with at least five or more volunteers prepared to work a full day.

Helpers should bring food, water, a small knife, and gloves.  They should wear closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, a hat, and layers of clothing in preparation for the variable weather at the volcano’s 4,000 foot elevation.

To volunteer for the hale restoration project, call Cultural Resources Manager Laura Schuster at 985-6130 or project lead Larry Kuamo‘o at 333-8409.

nps-restoring-the-hale

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