WASHINGTON — Thousands of people on the East Coast were living aloha this weekend to celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month and the late Hawaii Senator Daniel K. Inouye at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s 10-year anniversary.
In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the museum celebrated itself with a Hawaiian cultural festival featuring hula dancers, Hawaiian storytelling and arts and crafts workshops.
The event kicked off with a symposium that honored Inouye, who died in 2012. Scholars gathered to reflect his work to help advocate for Hawaiian interests and secure the sovereignty of Native American nations.
In 1989, Inouye introduced the National Museum of the American Indian Act to Congress to help establish a museum that celebrated the cultures and traditions of indigenous peoples.
Ken Inouye, the late senator’s son, said his father would be proud of the festival’s theme of sharing aloha, which expresses kindness, love and affection.
“Native Hawaiians should feel very proud that they have this opportunity, they have this venue to share their culture, share their aloha, share that spirit,” said Ken Inouye. “To a lot of people, for better or for worse, they’re understanding of when you say ‘aloha,’ is just oh, that’s what you say when you land off the plane. They don’t understand that there’s more to it than that.”
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