Pow Wow in Paradise

Over the weekend we were invited to be vendors at Pow Wow in Paradise. Pow Wow is a display and celebration of Native American culture, dance, crafts, language, and food. That was the first Pow Wow I’ve ever been to so I was a little nervous. Being respectful of other cultures is so deeply important to me so I was nervous about protocols, using correct terms, and just avoiding any behaviors/habits of mine that might be offensive to them. I decided to approach it all with a sincere desire to learn and if I didn’t know what to do I asked kindly for help or direction. That is how I would appreciate visitors to be of my own culture.

It was a beautiful event and I really enjoyed meeting a lot of the visitors. Tuti Kanahele came with me and was teaching everyone that came by our booth about Hawaiian traditional medicine, specifically about olena (tumeric). I was so grateful to have her sharing the space with me and for all the ike kupuna she generously shared. Mahalo to all of you who stopped by to support or learn with us. Here’s the coloring page I was handing out at the event for you to download and color. Put it up on a wall and learn the parts of the olena plant.