Noelani Montas in the Artist Studio

Artist Statement

ʻAnoʻai me ke aloha mai ka lā hiki i ka lā kau, mai Kumukahi a i Lehua. Kaulana nā pua o ka Pae ʻĀina o Hawaiʻi: ka lehua, ka lokelani, ke kaunaʻoa, ke kukui, ka ʻilima, ka mokihana, a me ka pūpū Kahelelani. ʻO wau nō kēia ʻo Noelani, he noho papa au no Kaleponi, no kuʻu ʻāina aloha ʻo Mānoa, Oʻahualua, a me ka Lepubalika Kominika.

I ke Kēkēmapa aku nei, ua puka au me ka palapala laoʻo mai ka papahana Hana Keaka Hawaiʻi ma ke Kula Nui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa, a i ka hana ma ke ʻano he mea hana keaka, he mea nui loa ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. No laila, i kēia papahana, no ka hoʻolauleʻa ʻana i nā lāhui a me nā moʻomeheu o ka Pakipika, makemake nō au e hōʻike i ka nani a me ke akamai i loko o ka ʻōlelo makuahine o kākou e nā Hawaiʻi. He kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi maoli nō i ka ʻōlelo, i nā mea akeakamai a me nā mea hana noʻeau, a i kēia papahana, e ola ana ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma Wakinekona i nā mea like ʻole: i nā ʻōlelo noʻeau, nā mele, nā helu, nā puke, a pēlā aku. Nui koʻu hanohano i ka hōʻike ʻana i nā ʻike Hawaiʻi a me ka leo Hawaiʻi i loko o ka hale hōʻikeʻike ʻo ka Burke. E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi!

Aloha! My name is Noelani Montas, and as a Hawaiian Theatre Practitioner, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) is central to what I do. In this celebration of Pacific Island nations, cultures, and heritage, I am so honored and excited to share the beauty and wisdom of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi with the visitors of the Burke. A Hawaiian worldview is deeply embedded in our ancestral language, and through this celebration of language through the lens of scientific and poetic knowledge using proverbial phrases, music, numbers, books, and much more, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is able to live and thrive here in Washington. I am so proud to share Hawaiian knowledge and a Hawaiian voice at the Burke, and am very grateful to everyone who visits and has been a part of this event. E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian language lives)!