How the Aloha Festivals Royal Court preserves a cultural legacy

News admin September 1, 2026 0 Comments

How the Aloha Festivals Royal Court preserves a cultural legacy

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Each year, the investiture of the Aloha Festivals Royal Court is the first event to kick off the month-long celebration in the islands.

Kumu Blaine Kamalani Kia, the court’s chair, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the traditional ceremony.

“The Aloha Festivals Royal Court is the cornerstone of perpetuating our heritage from the past to the present and making sure we can do that for many more generations,” Kia said. “The Royal Court is a significant symbol of our ancient past and what it stood for, and it helps Hawaiians to remain proud.”

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Preserving protocols and ancestral traditions

Kia says being a part of the court is an honor that also comes with a lot of responsibility. It requires an understanding of the protocols that have been passed down from kūpuna in order to preserve the integrity of the Royal Family.

“All the protocols, all the different ways that we need to understand how to be proud, how to honor the Hawaiian culture, understanding the ranking system of our king, our queen, our prince and princess and down and going through those protocols,” Kia said.

Kia has been involved with the Royal Court since 1979, an experience he said shaped his path. He credited several mentors with providing a strong foundation on the importance of the court.

“So the Royal Court really became my Hawaiian influence,” he said. “I was practically raised by Auntie Hoakalei (Kamauʻu) and Nathan Napoka and Auntie Moana Gee, all those people that really were rearing all these wonderful things about our protocols of the Royal Court.”

Community recruitment and cultural commitment

Kia is now focused on preserving the tradition among Native Hawaiians by reaching out to local communities to encourage their involvement.

“We want to make sure that as I continue as the chair, that I get out to Kualoa, that I get out to Waimea. I get out to Koʻolina. I get out to Waiʻanae if I can. I get out to Haleʻiwa,” Kia said. “Because that’s the people. That’s the po’e. And that’s what the kanaka is.”

Kia noted that recruiting nā wāhine (women) and nā kāne (men) to volunteer for the court can be challenging. There are also strict requirements — for example, male members must wear a malo (loincloth), and visible tattoos must be culturally appropriate.

“The court and its members that return every year are the ones that hold it together,” he said. “So I’m always appreciative of all the court members, all the veterans that always come each and every year to help us to maintain the entire nucleus of the court. And then we try to find new ones to help take up some of that slack because we can get exhausted.”

The opening ceremony and the investiture of the Royal Court takes place this Saturday, Sept. 5, at 4 p.m. at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s Coconut Grove.