Hawaiian history and culture continues to thrive thousands of miles away from the islands. Chicago's Field Museum recently opened the exhibit "Chicago's Legacy Hula."
It celebrates 130 years of hula in Chicago, and it explores the legacy of four Kumu Hula who have paved the way for kānaka maoli in the Windy City.
The exhibit features kāhili, lei, ʻahuʻula, and more from the museum's collections.
Lanialoha Lee, the executive director of the Aloha Center of Chicago, serves as a curator of the show. As a third-generation Native Hawaiian who was born and raised in the area, she said it's an honor to put her kūpuna on the map.
Lee told The Conversation that "it was hard for the Native Hawaiians who remained to hold all that tradition and culture" when they first moved to Chicago.
"But during this time, after their arrival," she continued, "we would begin to see not only hula but the first Native Hawaiian musicians that had come to the Chicago area."
Lee hopes that, by sharing the untold story of Native Hawaiians in the Midwest, the exhibit will make her community proud.
The exhibit will be open through March 2025.
