At the University of Hawai'i campus, a community vigil in support for incarcerated Native Hawaiians attracted participants, who also marked the end of makahiki season with a sounding of the pū . l to r: Richard Salvador, Bryan Nakamura, Merritt Sakata, Sen. Will Espero. - Photo: Liza Simon

Public vigil and prisoners mark
the end of makahiki season

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola Loa

A quiet corner of the University of Hawai'i Mānoa campus on a Sunday afternoon seemed like just the right kind of place to hold a Native Hawaiian spirituality gathering. Passersby hardly cast a glance at the circle of people draped in kīhei, sharing pule, oli and a solemn presentation of ho'okupu. The event was a solidarity vigil intended to mark the end of makahiki. The passing of the season was also the focus of a ceremony the next day at Waiawa Correctional Facility on O'ahu.

"Tomorrow, there will be dozens of our Native Hawaiian brothers gathered as we are today, and, like us, they will feel uplifted by the wisdom of this cultural practice that honors peace and harmony," said Ha'aheo Guanson, executive director of the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center, which coordinated both the public vigil and the Waiawa makahiki festival.

"This is part of a movement to use Native Hawaiian spiritual values to help offenders address their issues and transition back into society," said Bryan Nakamura, a supporter of the center, who chanted "E Ho Mai" at both the Mānoa and Waiawa ceremonies. "The chant is a prayer for knowledge and understanding," Nakamura explained. "This is not pageantry but a revival of a Hawaiian culture that is high pule. That means a commitment to prayer and the connections of respect and harmony that come with prayer," said Nakamura, who has worked in support programs for ex-offenders.

Rev. Kaleo Patterson leads Waiawa inmates in opening day celebration of makahiki. - Photo: Courtesy Dept. of Public Safety

The Waiawa makahiki celebration is but one element in Native Hawaiian religion that will soon be made available to inmates on an expanded basis, said Rev. Kaleo Patterson, president of the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center. The nonprofit agency has developed and funded a program in Native Hawaiian spirituality and hopes to introduce it later this year at Waiawa.

"The program is intended to help inmates reconnect with family and community by promoting nonviolence, forgiveness, compassion and tolerance. These are the core values of the Hawaiian people today and are also the essence of Native Hawaiian religion," said Patterson. In addition to makahiki, the proposed program would also include the practice of cultural protocols and the study of genealogy, mo'olelo – or traditional Hawaiian legends, and the Kumulipo creation chant. Guest speakers would also be invited into the prison to discuss topics such as ho'oponopono.

At Waiawa, the opening ceremony for Makahiki on Nov. 24, 2008, included traditional Native Hawaiian protocol conducted here by inmates with help from Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center Executive Director Ha‘aheo Guanson (middle in gray suit). - Photo: Courtesy Dept. of Public Safety

In traditional times, makahiki was a season dedicated to the god Lono and was celebrated as a time to put aside war and conflict. Over the last decade, proponents of Native Hawaiian religion have fought legal battles on behalf of prisoners who expressed a need to observe makahiki. This has brought even more focus to indigenous Hawaiian religion and sparked ongoing debate over whether Hawaiian spirituality merits legal recognition in prison equal to mainstream religions.

In 2003, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. in Honolulu sued to win the right for Hawaiian inmates in an Arizona facility to practice their indigenous spirituality with protection provided under the federal law that guarantees freedom of religious expression for prisoners. Under a settlement, makahiki festivals got the green light in several prisons on the U.S. continent where large numbers of Native Hawaiians are in custody.

Meanwhile, in Hawai'i, prison advocates are hoping that state officials will do more to support for Native Hawaiian spirituality practices in prison. Sources interviewed for a March 2008 Ka Wai Ola article on inmate re-entry programs said the effort to teach Native Hawaiian spirituality to prisoners has been frustrated by skeptics who argue that the traditional practices should be offered to inmates as an educational or cultural program, thus negating the constitutional protection for a religion and possibly limiting its practice. Public safety officials said the proposed Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center program would be classified as a cultural program and be coordinated by the department's Volunteer Services Branch.

Prison programs in Native Hawaiian religion may be expanded beyond makahiki celebration, depicted here at Waiawa Correctional facility with members of Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center in attendance. - Photo: Courtesy Dept. of Public Safety

Guanson, of the reconciliation center, said regardless of classification, Hawaiian spirituality is a positive intervention for inmates. "The practices of Hawaiian spirituality have helped them see beyond themselves," he said. "They have gotten a sense of empowerment and self-esteem from makahiki. We've conveyed to them news about bringing similar programs into prison, and they have been very grateful to the community for the support."