Standing 22-feet wide and 8-feet tall, ʻUmeke Lāʻau (Culture Medicine) is a wooden ʻumeke created by award-winning Native Hawaiian artist and educator Meleanna Aluli Meyer unveiled last Friday at Honolulu Hale.
The Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts and Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025 hosted the dedication of the artwork that was made in collaboration with Honolulu Community College Assistant Professor Dean Crowell and his carpentry students and University of Hawaii at Manoa art and theatre faculty and students, including Kainoa Gruspe and Amber Khan. The piece is made from African mahogany veneer and other woods.
In Hawaii, ʻumeke (calabashes or bowls) usually range from four to 12 inches in diameter, holding everything from water and food to sacred offerings. Meyer’s piece transforms the ʻumeke into a monument to healing and reflection, according to a University of Hawaii at Manoa release.
Commissioned by HT25 — a multi-site exhibition of contemporary art from Hawaii, the Pacific and beyond — Aluli Meyer’s installation serves as a gathering space for meaningful conversations, cultural exchange and healing through art, said a city news release.
“ʻUmeke Lāʻau is more than just a work of art — it is a powerful symbol of care, community, and connection. This installation invites all of us to gather, reflect, and engage in important conversations,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi in the release. “We are tremendously proud to have this piece at Honolulu Hale and welcome the public to experience its meaning and message.”
MOCA Executive Director Kaʻili Trask O’Connell said, “Working alongside Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025 to bring ʻUmeke Lāʻau to Honolulu Hale has been an incredible opportunity to showcase Native Hawaiian artistry and the power of collective storytelling. This installation reflects our shared mission to uplift cultural expression and foster creative dialogue in our city.”
Aluli Meyer envisioned the piece as a way to spark deeper conversations about societal change, repair and healing. “Many systems are profoundly broken; many aspects of society are in need of critical reimagining and repair. Artists are trying mightily to bring healing through the arts,” Aluli Meyer said in the UH release.
ʻUmeke Lāʻau is much more than an art installation, carrying a deeper significance. Within the piece, built-in speakers play thousands of names of Native Hawaiian and Hawaii citizens who signed the Kūʻē Petitions of 1897 that opposed the annexation by the United States. Among these names is Aluli Meyer’s grandfather, Noa Webster Aluli, who signed the petition as a 17-year-old, making the piece a deeply personal tribute to all who fought to protect their hānau (homeland).
UH Manoa Hawaiian Theatre program faculty and students recorded the names.
“Sitting with more than 38,000 inoa kupuna (ancestral names) who signed the petition in 1897 is profound,” said Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, professor and founder of the Hawaiian theatre program. “The recording process gathered a handful of kanaka with genealogical connections to districts and islands that they voiced. Each of us was moved when we recognized and read family names into the microphone.”
Noelle Kahanu, curator of HT25 and associate specialist in the American Studies department at UH Manoa, shared, “It’s very rare to have an immersive experience with an art piece. Not only are you blown away by looking at it from the outside, but you actually get to enter into it. It just makes you want to cry.”
Designed as an interactive experience, ʻUmeke Lāʻau can hold up to 30 people at a time. Visitors are asked to remove their shoes before entering.
Individuals can reserve ʻUmeke Lāʻau to gather for meetings, gatherings or meaningful exchange by completing the online form. Any questions regarding scheduling can be directed to MOCA at moca-info@honolulu.gov or 808-768-6622.
The interactive installation can be viewed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and will remain at Honolulu Hale through May 4, 2025. The piece will then travel to Kapolei Hale and other locations.
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.
