See: http://www.hawaiigourdsociety.com/pdf/2009_IPU_Poster.pdf
The Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort and Hawaii Gourd Society
present the third annual Ipu Cultural Festival on January 16, 17,
and 18 inside Kahaluu III and IV Ballrooms at the resort on Alii Drive
in Kailua-Kona.
The festival runs from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and is free to the
public.
There will be kapa makers, lau hala and coconut weavers,
fish net makers, and many other cultural practitioners demonstrating
and selling their art.
"The Festival will celebrate the diverse culture
surrounding the ipu, or gourd. Ipu art, basket weaving on ipu, cordage
and olona demonstrations, guest Kumu demonstrations and workshops,
music, food, ipu instrument classes (ipu heke, ipu ole', uli uli),
Hawaiian arts and craft vendors, a silent auction, storytelling, and
demonstrations will all be included," said organizers.
Classes in Hawaiian ipu decorating, koko (knotted ipu carrier),
along with a variety of mainland gourd decorating techniques will
be offered each day for a fee per workshop. At 2 p.m. on Saturday
the 17th, Hawaii's only artist to be a part of four Grammy Award winning
albums, Keoki Kahumoku will perform on the lawn near the ballrooms
where the classes are held and the artists and crafters will be selling
and demonstrating.
Ipu Lani , Inc. a registered 501 (c) 3 organization is the
parent non-profit for the Hawaii Gourd Society, which was established
in 2006 to revitalize the Ipu culture in the State of Hawaii. The
organizations educate the public through this festival and other learning
opportunities by exploring the wide variety of uses, both functional
as well as artistic from a modern and historical perspective.
The groups also support propagation of the ipu in Hawaii
encouraging different farms to grow, cultivate and propagate the ipu.
"We strive to bring back to life the joy of working with the
ipu and the beauty of the final ipu art," said founding member
Mary Amos. "We search for proper growing spots and make every
effort to begin cultivation. By grants and donations we plan to farm
ipu throughout the islands," she said.
