University of Hawai?i at Manoa

01/22/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/22/2026 16:37

VIDEO: Oli, mele, kuleana guide UH Mānoa annual summit

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

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Ceremony commemorates anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
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Reflection also honored Martin Luther King Jr.

Link to video and sound (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/haD

***SUGGESTED VOSOT SCRIPT BELOW***

Students, faculty, staff and community members gathered at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on ʻIanuali (January) 20-22 for the fourth annual Hawaiʻi Kuʻu Home Aloha (HKHA) Summit, a gathering centered on culture, place and shared kuleana (responsibility) to Hawaiʻi and its future.

Hosted by the Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office, the summit opened with pilina circles that drew participation from classes across campus. Participants shared stories, listened deeply and built meaningful connections, creating spaces many described as grounding and affirming.

"This summit is designed to deepen our connections-pilina-to oneself, others, and , or our relationships with the natural environments around us," said Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe, director of Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao. "We're just really always grateful for the folks who show up because when you come, that's when we can really interact and feel the magic that happens in these spaces and then you can take that with you wherever you go."

Lipe also led a visioning workshop that invited participants to express themselves through writing or drawing as they imagined a future they hope to create for their children and grandchildren. The session encouraged reflection, creativity and forward-looking dialogue grounded in care and responsibility.

Honor and healing

A deeply moving ceremony honoring Queen Liliʻuokalani and Martin Luther King Jr. marked the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the National Day of Racial Healing. Moments of reflection, oli (chant) and lei offerings filled the space with emotion, remembrance and collective healing.

Participants also joined a Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī workshop guided by Pele Harman, Native Hawaiian engagement director at UH Hilo. Harman helped attendees explore all three verses of the state's national anthem composed by King David Kalākaua, offering deeper context beyond the commonly sung first verse. Mālama ʻāina workshops provided hands-on opportunities to care for campus mea kanu (plants), reinforcing kuleana through action.

Business administration major Rene Lucero said the message and symbolism of the event left a lasting impression on him.

"It truly drives me to be more interested in the land and the culture and just respect it more. And to not only appreciate nature but also the people," Lucero said.

Raised in Ecuador, Lucero shared that the experience helped deepen his appreciation for Hawaiʻi and strengthened his connection to the university.

Link to video and sound (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/haD

BROLL (1 minute, 16 seconds)

Chanting/offering at ahu honoring Queen Liliʻuokalani

Hawaiian music workshop

Remembrance for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

SOUNDBITES

Punihei Lipe/Director, UH Native Hawaiian Place of Learning

(:12)

"We're just really always grateful for the folks who show up because when you come, that's when we can really interact and feel the magic that happens in these spaces and then you can take that with you wherever you go."

Rene Lucero/Student, UH Mānoa

(:10)

"It truly drives me to be more interested in the land and the culture and just respect it more. And to not only appreciate nature but also the people."

VOSOT SCRIPT

INTRO
At UH Mānoa, a powerful gathering brought students and the community together around shared responsibility to Hawaiʻi's future.

VO
The three-day Hawaiʻi Kuʻu Home Aloha Summit unfolded on the Mānoa campus with cultural ceremonies, reflection, and hands-on learning rooted in Hawaiʻi's history and traditions.
Offerings honored Queen Liliʻuokalani, marking the anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. And the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

SOT (Punihei Lipe/ Director, UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning)

"We're just really always grateful for the folks who show up because when you come, that's when we can really interact and feel the magic that happens in these spaces, and then you can take that with you wherever you go."

VO
Workshops also explored Hawaiʻi's national anthem and mālama ʻāina.

University of Hawai?i at Manoa published this content on January 22, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 22, 2026 at 22:37 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]