Ka Makahiki ʻAha Pule ʻĀina Holo
This 6-day contemporary community ceremony launched in 2014, with roots and permission given by Pitt River elders, ritualistic running was offered as a method of prayer. Guided by Kumu Hawaiʻi and ʻIke Kūpuna, two days from the highest point of Hawaiʻi, the center point of the island and a community feast and prayers which then launch a four day relay run around the whole of Hawaiʻi island with hundreds coming out in participation!
Location Hawaiʻi Island (full circumference)
To usher in the Makahiki season, the chiefs and kahuna carried the sacred Lonomakua staff around the island in a clockwise direction, stopping in each district to collect tribute, cleanse the land, and assess the health of the land and people. This ancient procession inspired the Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo’s route and the creation of the Lono ke kukini pule (Lono of the prayer runners) staff. Even though the modern ceremonial run draws many elements from this ancient procession, Lanakila emphasizes that the Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo is a new ceremony, not a re-creation or replacement of the ancient one.
The symbolism of Makahiki also permeates the run: every footfall is a ku‘i, the pound of the ipu that stimulates and awakens the Earth. The white sweatband that the runners wear represents the clouds, and the sweat itself mimics the rain that rejuvenates the aquifers and rivers and cleanses the land. Every deep breath represents the kona (western/leeward) winds, which come during Makahiki to trim the trees and mulch the Earth. The heartbeat is akin to the pahu drums that sound during this season.
Even before the run begins, a group of Hawaiian practitioners gather on Maunakea, conducting ceremonies at Hale o Kū Kia‘i Mauna (house of the Maunakea guardians) and the summit of the mountain before sanctifying the Lono ke kukini pule staff in Lake Waiau, officially dressing the staff. This trip to the piko of the island concludes with prayer at Pu‘u Kohe, a cinder cone in the very center of the island that overlooks Pōhakuloa Training Area.
A coordinator from each district organizes the runners from their area so the Lono staff can be handed off in relay fashion throughout the district. In addition, a core group of long-distance runners run alongside the staff each day. Every district also dictates the way in which runners and guests are greeted and cared for in the form of food, lodging, and protocol.
The first leg of the run traverses the Hāmākua coast from Honoka‘a to Hilo, where the Royal Order of Kamehameha I and Hilo residents conduct protocol to welcome the prayer runners at the Kamehameha statue. Hilo runners continue the run up Volcano highway, and the first day ends with prayers at Uwēkahuna Bluff (Kīlauea’s summit) and a dinner at Kīlauea Military Camp.
Every nightly celebration during the Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo brings the community together for storytelling, songs, and prayers from all faiths. “We open it up for everyone to offer their prayers,” Lanakila says.
Likewise, anyone is welcome to run alongside the staff provided they undergo a quick pi kai (ritual sprinkling of seawater or salted water for purification) beforehand given by a member of the vanguard of long-distance runners. Lanakila intends to keep the ceremony la‘a—sacred.
The next day begins with a dawn pule (prayer), and the runners set forth for Na‘alehu. Ka‘ū families greet the runners and host a lunch, welcoming the runners at Ka‘ū’s traditional Makahiki grounds. The day ends with a warm welcome at Miloli‘i’s fishing village, where another pu ‘ai (feast) is shared.
The Miloli‘i canoe club brings the Lono staff aboard for the next morning’s section of the journey. Canoes from Hōnaunau and Ho‘okena join the party and the fleet swings into Hōnaunau Bay, where protocol is conducted at Hale o Keawe. After a short paddle to Kealakekua Bay, paddlers jump out and swim the staff back to shore at Hiki‘au Heiau, the very place where Lono was said to arrive on the island every year after his annual pilgrimage to Kahiki, the ancestral homeland.
After prayers, the run traverses the rest of South Kona, heading to Ali‘i Drive, pausing at Hulihe‘e Palace and Ahu‘ena Heiau for protocol, and resting at the Old Airport for lunch. The day’s activity culminates at Pu‘ukoholā Heiau, where Kawaihae and Kohala families gather to meet the runners with hula and chanting.
On the final morning of the event, the runners traverse the coast of North Kohala and experience an enthusiastic welcome at the King Kamehameha statue in Kapa‘au. Then they snake up and over the Kohala Mountain road to Waimea, where a solid crowd of supporters gather at Manaua rain rock.
The run passes through the Hawaiian Home Lands of Kuhio Village, where lunch is hosted by ‘Aha Pūnana Leo preschool. After traveling through the town, the runners disappear down a section of Mud Lane that is impassable to vehicles and emerge at Waipi‘o lookout. The final stretch returns the Lono staff to Honoka‘a, where the People’s Theater plays host to a big, multi-cultural feast and final prayers.