Celebration of the Arts at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Maui
Celebrating the People, Arts and Culture of Hawaii
The Hawaiian Ways
March 21-23, 2008
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“Sense of Place” Tour Educates Visitors on Cultural Sensitivity at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Island of Maui
Guests and visitors to The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua on the island of Maui can experience the culturally sensitive “Sense of Place” presentations held each Tuesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The award winning documentary “Then There Were None” (Dr. Elizabeth Kapu‘uwailani Lindsey, Producer) is screened and discussion will follow prior to a walk-talk to the borders of the Honokahua Preservation Site. Aloha Friday festivities also include local artisans, lei making, and Hawaiian music and hula performed by hotel employees.
A 13.6 acre parcel of the land between Honokahua Bay and the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, the Honokahua Preservation Site is the resting place of more than 2,000 Hawaiian kupuna (ancestors) dating from A.D. 850 to the early 1800’s. Unearthed when digging began for construction of The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in 1987, the significance of the discovery became apparent, and the entire hotel was redesigned and moved inland.
The new hotel site was chosen on nearby land uphill from the burial site and a committee was organized to develop plans for re-interment of the remains, landscaping the site and to answer concerns of accessibility. By May 1990, re-interment was completed and construction on the new site for The Ritz-Carlton began in the fall of 1990.
The mound is now carpeted in lush grass and bordered by a native hau hedge. The site also includes a preserved portion of the sixteenth-century Alaloa or King’s Trail, a footpath which once encircled the island of Maui, and is recognized as a sacred place, for Native Hawaiian’s believe that from such a place ancestor spirits continue to lovingly watch over the land and its people.
As stewards of the land, it is the responsibility of the hotel’s employees to malama ka ‘aina (care for the land) and share the history and knowledge of the site with the visitors, while respecting its kapu (regulations).
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Registered as a State Historic Place, and reserved exclusively for Native Hawaiian ceremonial and religious practices, public entry is prohibited at the Honokahua Preservation Site and it is now protected from any possible future intrusion.
Clifford Nae‘ole serves as the hotel’s full time Hawaiian Cultural Advisor. Mr. Nae‘ole was born and raised on Maui. He is a former member of the Hawai`i Burial Council for West Maui and a current student of the island’s only all male halau (hula school), Halau Maui Nui O Kauhi A Kama. He is an active advisor the NaHHA, The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.
The “Sense of Place” tour is complimentary to all island visitors and residents.
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is a AAA Five Diamond oceanfront property located on 50 acres of Maui’s lush northwest shore. The plantation-style, 548-room hotel is part of the master planned Kapalua Resort on Maui, home of the official PGA Tour event, the Mercedes Championships, that started in January 1999. The 54-hole layout offers three championship courses with some of Maui’s most spectacular views and the state’s largest staff of PGA professionals.
For information or reservations call 800-241-3333, the hotel directly at (808) 669-6200, a travel professional, or visit The Ritz-Carlton website at www.ritzcarlton.com.
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Vacation Packages
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua has extend a special rate of $389 per night for accommodations, two luau tickets, and complimentary valet parking. The rate is valid March 20-24, 2008. A valid Hawaii driver's license will be required to book this kama'aina package.
For additional reservation information, please call 800-241-3333 or 808-669-6200.
