Photos: ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center soars into fun hosting 3rd Annual ‘Ikuwā Festival
ʻO ʻIkuwā i pohā kōʻeleʻele, ʻikuwā ke kai, ʻikuwā ka hekili, ʻikuwā ka manu.
ʻIkuwā is the month when dark storms arise, sea roars, thunder roars, birds roar.
By Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee/UH Hilo Stories.
As we soar into the fall season, ʻImiloa Astronomy Center once again welcomed the community of Hawaiʻi Island — from Hilo and beyond — to the 3rd Annual ʻIkuwā Festival, a free community event celebrating everyone’s connection to land, sea, and sky. On Oct. 20, people from all over the island came together to celebrate such a joyous event!
This free festival celebrates the month of ʻIkuwā and the connections between people, communities, and the natural resources and landscapes that the island’s people call home.
This year’s event also recognized that 2024 is Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele, the Year of the Forest Birds. Kayla Lindsey-Asing, ʻImiloa’s event and program facilitator, says it’s a time “to recognize the importance of lāhui manu to our island’s environment, ecosystems and culture.”
It’s a time, she adds, for the local community to re-engage creatively, and enhance “island consciousness, what it means to live and think like an island community, and recognize what impact we all have on this ʻāina.”
The event held fun activities for kupuna (grandparents), makua (parents), and keiki (children) alike, with an amass of booths filled with fun for all ages!
There were performances from Hilo’s Hālau Unulau and other dancers, Makahiki games, Keiki Oli (Chant) Challenge, planetarium programs, community art, mele, crafts and activities, vendors, waʻa, and more!
Sectioned into different areas around the entrance of ʻImiloa, there were also refreshments from the island’s very own local companies, such as Hōʻola Honey, and Kalo and Cream, pop-up companies that often participate in community events.
Lindsey-Asing says 3,000 people were welcomed to the event to celebrate “our interconnectedness to land, sea and sky, and spread the uplifting message to hoʻōla lāhui manu, save our native birds for future generations to come.”
Among the thousands of visitors were a mass number of volunteers, some of which were UH Hilo students!
A class of students earning their bachelor of arts in education studies had an informational table at the event. (The author of this story is in the class.)
“This is such a good way to get volunteering and teaching experience, especially for those who would like to work with children,” says Colby McNaughton, the class’s instructor based at UH Hilo’s School of Education.
Anya Tagawa, education manager at ʻImiloa, has been a part of the ʻIkuwā Festival since it began in 2021, and says she “enjoys seeing the children having fun” and “everybody coming together.”
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center’s mission is to share the legacy of Hawaiʻi exploration in many fields through a wide range of exhibits, community outreach, programs, and other forms of informal science education.
The center’s architecture has conical-shaped buildings for its welcoming lobby, exhibit hall, full-dome planetarium, café, and gift shop. There are nine acres of native gardens surrounding the buildings.
ʻImiloa is located at UH Hilo’s University Park of Science and Technology, 600 ʻImiloa Place, off Komohana and Nowelo streets.
Story by Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi (2024), majoring in education studies at UH Hilo.
