10-06-2025
Warriors in Kamehameha Parade to wear traditional feather capes
HONOLULU (KHON2) – June 11 every year is the arbitrary date recognized as King Kamehameha Day.
Well, this weekend is the floral parade.
Here's Honolulu's King Kamehameha Day hours:
Every time you see the parade, the leading float is always big men dressed in their malo and their spears and that is the mōʻī float.
Every year, they have always used synthetic fabric and synthetic materials for the presentation.
This is the first time though, as you see we have these amazing feather capes, that they will all be adorned with traditional feather capes.
One man who is really a part of the mōʻī float is parade participant Uncle Ocean Kaowili.
You have been doing this for many years and seen the evolution.
From materials such as this to the materials behind you, how significant is that transition?
'Oh man, you know, if you look and I understand, to portray what our aliʻi wore, to have something that at least come close to what it looks like. There would use crushed velvet and whatever they have to use to make it look as authentic as possible,' says Kaowili.
'But with this, man. Especially with today's times, we have artisans who have taken up the cultural aspect with creating, learning the artwork, the art form and creating pieces like this so significance, there is no words.'
Well, as uncle mentioned, there are artists, there are practitioners who dedicate their time to the art of feather work, one of those being Kumu Hulu Rick San you, I have seen you continue to elevate the exposure of feather work across not just Hawaiʻi, but the world.
To see the amount of exposure that our native artwork of feather work is getting, how important is that for the lāhui?
'One of the real reasons why I wanted to participate in that and to bring all the feather work to come out because I think there is going to be maybe 15 individual feathered capes, so they will have the battle capes that all of the warriors will wear, the 'ahu kaua, the mōʻī, Kamehameha, will wear a full feathered cloak, the yellow cloak and mahi ole, and then maybe even some of the pāʻū riders will have that too,' says San Nicolas.
'But what I want people to see and what I hope they get from that is that aw feeling where they will go 'wow, those are real' and for them to realize this work is still being done today and it is still being taught today. '
If anybody may be interested and their interest is taking the next step into featherwork, where can they contact you?
'You can find it at my website at or you can go onto my Instagram at @kiaimea and once you get there, on my bio, you will see a link to Pualiʻahu and so there is an application to be filled out to be considered for scholarship and I go through the people and I select the ones who will really be able to help push this more into the future, into the 21st century and beyond. That is a great way and hopefully we will get more people interested in doing it,' says San Nicolas.
This is amazing to see these pieces up front and to know that our kāne, our men will be wearing that on the mōʻī float this Saturday.
Again, the King Kamehameha Floral Parade will be kicking off at 9am from King St fronting ʻIolani Palace going all the way through Waikīkī and ending at Kapiʻolani Park.
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For more information on the King Kamehameha Celebration Parade, click here.
For more information on Kumu Rick San Nicolas, click here.
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