TALK STORY FESTIVAL: BRIEF HISTORY

 TUSITALA AWARD: JOHN KAIMIKAUA

This summer, JOHN KAIMIKAUA passed away. John was the holder of the ancient tales of Moloka’i. Defying his parents, as a teenager he met with a kupuna in her 80s, who taught him the ancient stories, hula, and chants of Moloka’i. They are markedly different from other islands. One story claimed hula came into the world on Molokai, and so John founded the Hula Piko Festival on Moloka’i. His Halau Hula Kukunaokala will perform after the award is given to his widow, Kaoe, on Saturday night.

Tusitala is the Samoan word for storyteller, a nickname given to Robert Louis Stevenson. The award is the highest form of recognition for exceptional achievement in storytelling in Hawaii. Previous recipients are Glen Grant, Robert Cazimero, Karen Keawehawaii, Bren & Lucille Breneman, Makia Malo, Marie Solomon, Clyde “Kindy”Sproat, and Bob Krauss, who passed on this year.

      Talk Story Festival: A Brief History

            Jeff Gere, Drama Specialist for the Department of Parks and Recreation, inspired by the hundreds of moving stories he heard visiting senior centers, created this festival in 1989.  The vision was to bring Hawai‘i’s best tellers and tales to Hawai‘i’s people.  With no precedent, no money, a part-time aide, and the Parks Department staff, some fifty volunteer storytellers filled eight hours of storytelling on five stages each hour.  Media response was (and continues to be) tremendous. One thousand people attended that first event.  Their unanimous response was simple:  “Do It Again!”
            In the years that followed, the crowds swelled to nearly five thousand.  There was usually a Friday Night Spooky show, and Saturday offering eight hours of tellers on four stages (Children, Oral History, Music and Dance, and Pacific Island Tales).  The non-profit Alliance for Culture and Arts (ACA) assisted the Parks Department with corporate sponsorship (Bank of Hawai‘i 90- 98, LavaNet 00 & 01).  ‘Ôlelo TV has recorded and aired Festival programs since 1990.  In 1999 the program format changed into three free consecutive nights, each night with a theme, 8 tellers each evening.  A core of exceptional local talent returns annually, with new voices added as well. Pacific Wings and Aloha Airlines transported our Neighbor Island talent for years. No Airline sponsor has stepped forward for 2006. For the second year, Ocean Resort Hotel Waikîkî - Queen Kapi‘olani Hotel hosts our neighbor island and mainland talent.  Crowds remain large and enthusiastic, media generous and responsive.  
            Performances at the Talk Story Festival form the backbone of the Talk Story Radio show, airing weekly on Hawai‘i Public Radio (Mondays 5:30pm on KIPO, 89.3FM), KTUH  90.3 FM Thursdays 6am, and Sunday nights 10-11pm (two shows) on Maui’s Mana‘o Radio (91.5FM).  This half hour program features exceptional tales and tellers from Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim. www.talkstoryradio.com