Twenty years ago, a large pōhaku (stone) named Kānepō was lent by kūpuna from Hawaiʻi Island to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Now, that pōhaku is coming home.
Due to a disagreement among kūpuna working with the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park over gifting a pōhaku to the museum, they agreed to a temporary loan.
When the museum was being built, part of the design included stones from each of the four cardinal directions. Kānepō has been the west-end marker at the museum for the last two decades.
Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, associate curator of Native Hawaiian history and culture at the museum, said Kānepō would often be seen decked in lei and other offerings from visitors passing by.
"You know, what we're really using this opportunity for is to not just educate the public about Kānepō’s story, but also to share more about Hawaiian protocols," Kapuni-Reynolds said.
"Understanding our relationship to the natural world and how we perceive that, but also preparing our own museum for Kānepō’s departure and the void that he will leave, because he has meant so much and has served in this cardinal marker role for such a long time."
In preparation for Kānepō’s departure this summer, a ceremony is being held on Monday during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival led by Kumu Hula Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻole.
Kapuni-Reynolds said the museum hired a fine art moving company to handle the transportation of Kānepō from D.C. to Hilo in early August.
