Prominently displayed within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Indian is a basalt lava stone from Hawaiʻi Island that holds a sacred place among Native Hawaiians.
On Saturday, Kānepō Ka Lua made its public appearance in Washington, D.C., with a ho’olaule’a, or Hawaiian celebration. Kānepō, which is from the Ka’auea area, is one of four stones that mark the cardinal directions around the national museum.
Helena Kapuni-Reynolds, an associate curate of Native Hawaiian history and culture, said Kānepō serves as a reminder to museum goers that Native Hawaiian beliefs and practices are still alive…