PIA Annual Lu’au

This upcoming year will be the Pacific Islander Association’s (PIA) 20th Annual Lu`au. The lu`au is PIA’s main event each year; it serves to share Hawaiian culture and language with Wellesley College and the wider community. We share our love of our culture by performing hula dances, effectively teaching our audience about a complex and underrepresented dancing style. A popular feature of the event is the authentic Hawaiian food we cater from Manoa Poke to share the wonderful flavors of Hawaii. Finally, we bring the colors of Hawai’i to the event through lei-making and our Hawai’i-inspired foliage for decoration. Not only is this event for the Wellesley Community – it also brings in many Hawai`i clubs from the Boston area, including intercollegiate organizations like Harvard and Boston College, as well as non-collegiate organizations like surrounding halaus. In past years, we have brought in a kumu hula (professional hula teacher) from California to perform and teach us hula and other traditional Hawaiian customs. This year, we hope to reinvigorate our annual lu`au by reviving many traditions and activities that were lost over the years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lu`au is integral to the purpose of the Pacific Islander Association – it is the best way for us to expose the Wellesley community to the Hawaiian culture that we have grown up with and love so much.