OHA BOT and Executive Leaders Participate at the Annual Raromataʻi Festival

RAʻIĀTEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA: Members of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees led by Chairperson Kaialiʻi Kahele, along with OHA CEO Stacy Ferreira, are in Raʻiātea, an island in French Polynesia, to participate at the annual Raromataʻi Festival. The delegation from Hawaiʻi also includes representatives and haumāna from Kamehameha Schools (KS) led by Dr. Randie Fong, and esteemed cultural practitioners and language experts Dr. Larry Kimura, Dr. Kalena Silva, Dr. Kekoa Harman, Pelehonuamea Harman, and renowned artisan Kanaʻe Keawe.

OHA and KS are attending the festival at the invitation of the three mayors of the island: Matahi Brotherson, Tavana (Mayor) of Uturoa; Thomas Moutame, Tavana of Taputapuātea; and Cyril Tetuanui, Tavana of Tamarau.

This is an annual cultural event – held this year from July 27-31 – that brings together participants from across French Polynesia. However, this year’s event carries special significance, as it also brings together representatives from the three “corners” of Polynesia: Aotearoa (New Zealand); Rapa Nui (Easter Island); and Hawaiʻi. The marae complex of Taputapuātea on the island of Raʻiātea, is considered to be the center of the Polynesian “triangle.”

The relationship between OHA, Kamehameha, and Raʻiātea follows the signing of a Cultural Heritage, Education, and Community Exchange Agreement between Raʻiātea and Hawaiʻi in January 2025. The agreement underscores a shared commitment to friendship, cultural preservation and mutual understanding and support.

Hawaiʻi’s delegation was greeted on Sunday at Raʻiātea’s airport in Uturoa with lei and the music of toʻere drums. Mayor Thomas Moutame was on hand to welcome Hawaiʻi to Raʻiātea. Later that evening, the various delegations from French Polynesia along with the guest delegations from Aotearoa, Hawaiʻi and Rapa Nui celebrated with a joyful opening ceremony at Tainuʻu Marae in the municipality of Tumaraʻa. Celebrations continued this morning with a variety of cultural workshops, plus good natured, uniquely Polynesian competitions – such as “Te Timau Raʻau” – a race performed while carrying loads of fruit.

“It is an honor for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to participate in this year’s Raromataʻi Festival on Raʻiātea,” said Kahele. “We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to strengthen our ancestral and familial connections to our ʻāina kūpuna, and to celebrate the enduring bonds of our ʻohana Moananuiākea.”