Releasing exclusively in-store and online (FittedHawaii.com and PaieaProjects.com) this Saturday, November 1 at 11am HST.
Aloha kākou!
Legacy is not what you intend to do, rather it’s what your ancestors say about you and do in your memory. In the spirit of Nae‘ole, who was the athletic chief that saved an infant Kamehameha from peril, it’s a fitting tradition that ‘Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo ends in Kapa‘au with the Kohala Cowboys Boys Varsity Basketball Team.
The ‘Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo (aka “The Lono Run”) marks the start of Makahiki Season on Hawai‘i Island and concludes at the original Kamehameha Statue in Kapa‘au. Kohala
Cowboys Varsity Boys Basketball Team participates in this island-wide marathon to honor their kupuna (ancestors) and pay tribute to Lono: one of the four main Hawaiian akua (gods). When Makaliʻi (the constellation Pleiades) rises at sunset the Hawaiian new year, known as Makahiki begins typically from mid-November and usually ending in late January or February. It is a time set aside for tribute, harvest, sport, and aligns with the rainy season.
Hawai‘i Island is a land mass of 4,028 miles with a population roughly of 201,513 people, and the Lono Run is a multi-day relay event open to the public that circles the Big Island. When this island-wide marathon reaches Hāwī the torch – a baton representing Lono – is passed to the Kohala Cowboys Varsity Boys Basketball Team. The torch is passed to the young hoopers throughout Kohala as the event makes its way to the original Kamehameha Statue in Kapa‘au where there is mele, oli, and hula to end the marathon. A fitting sporting event with cultural protocol to honor Lono, Makahiki Season, and Kamehameha the Great.
According to Nohea Lee – who is a hula dancer with Hālau Manaola and mother of @laydenkauka_ – it’s an honor for the Kohola Cowboys Varsity Boys Basketball Team to participate in in the Lono Run which instills a sense of place and Hawaiian culture in the squad.
“We are honored for this opportunity to begin each basketball season with this event,” says @kaukaboyz.” It allows the boys to connect with their kupuna, Kohala community and each other. One spirit. One team. One family.”