FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jocelyn Collado or
Megan Kakimoto
Becker Communications, Inc.
(808) 533-4165
IOLANI PALACE ANNOUNCES REFRESHED NA MOOLELO LECTURE SERIES
Free presentations to take place on Kamaaina Sundays
HONOLULU (January 6, 2020) – Iolani Palace has refreshed its Na Moolelo Lecture Series to offer free community presentations every Kamaaina Sunday. The 2020 lecture series kicks off on Sunday, January 12, 2020 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. with a presentation by Dr. Isaiah Walker titled “Waves of Resistance.” Admission is free.
“Our Na Moolelo Lecture Series brought some of Hawaii’s leading cultural experts, historians, and museum professionals to the Palace in 2018 and 2019, and we’re excited to continue our tradition of offering free educational opportunities to the public on special days for our kamaaina,” said Paula Akana, executive director of Iolani Palace.
The series begins with Dr. Walker’s presentation on surfing, a significant sport and cultural practice in Hawaii for hundreds of years. It will examine the evolution of the sport and how Hawaiian surfers have successfully resisted colonial encroachment in the poina nalu (surf zone) throughout the 20th century. Through these stories of resistance, Dr. Walker will explore the topics of media misrepresentation, masculinity, and contemporary surfing identities.
Dr. Walker is a Professor of History at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, where he teaches Hawaiian and World History. He specializes in the history of hee nalu, and argues that the poina nalu has been a kind of puuhonua for Hawaiians over the last 200 years. In addition to writing various academic articles, he is also the author of Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in 20th Century Hawaii. Dr. Walker was born and raised in Hilo and currently resides in Punaluu, Oahu.
For more information or to register for the Na Moolelo Lecture Series, visit www.IolaniPalace.org/na-moolelo.
About Iolani Palace
Iolani Palace is the only official residence of royalty in the United States. King Kalakaua was the first reigning monarch to travel around the world and built Iolani Palace in 1882 to enhance the prestige of Hawaii overseas and to mark Hawaii’s status as a modern nation. For more information, please call Iolani Palace at (808) 522-0822 or visit www.iolanipalace.org.
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