Hawaiʻi and Micronesian communities celebrate shared heritage

In fall of 2026, Ka‘iwakīloumoku Indigenous Pacific Institute and the local nonprofit We Are Oceania (WAO) presented a Moananuiākea event in celebration of Micronesian peoples and cultures in Hawaiʻi. The pilina between WAO and Kamehameha Schools was affirmed through the signing of a declaration of kinship and cultural exchange.

WAO community members presented about their homelands in a “parade of nations” featuring: the Marshall Islands, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk. Other islands not present but part of Micronesia and the WAO community are Yap, Palau, Nauru, Guam, Kiribati, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

The presenters highlighted how their region of Oceania encompasses a diverse range of people, languages, and cultures. Presentations included speeches, music, colorful displays of traditional and modern clothing and adornments, each nation’s flag, and tokens of gratitude from the WAO community to Ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha. The delegation from Chuuk even got the crowd on their feet, dancing, clapping, and mingling, underlining the festive spirit and sense of camaraderie that carried throughout the event.

The Kosrae contingent shared a historical connection between their island and Hawai‘i — their presentation included quotations from a letter written by Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) that accompanied a group of Hawaiian Christian missionaries traveling from the Kingdom of Hawai‘i to Kosrae in 1852.

In this way, Hawai‘i is connected to Kosrae and many areas in Micronesia through faith and a shared missionary history. The entire WAO community expressed joy and pride in their presentations, as well as a sense of humility living in Hawai‘i, their host islands and home away from home.

A declaration of kinship was signed and affirmed by the drinking of ceremonial ʻawa. The declaration solidifies “an ongoing commitment to uplift and celebrate the Micronesian community in Hawaiʻi and to seek mutual opportunities to deepen our collective understanding and appreciation of Micronesian and Hawaiian cultures.”

During their opening presentation, members of the WAO community sang WAO’s anthem. One particularly memorable line aptly described the spirit of the entire event: “Our islands sustain us; our ocean ties us together.”