Ho'opili Tribal Council | Inaugural Newsletter | May 2025
Published about 1 year ago • 6 min read
Ka Lā Hoʻomaka: A New Dawn E Hō Mai Ka ʻIke – Sharing the Knowledge
Aloha | Aho | Greetings! For over 50 years—through names like the Hawaii Council of American Indian Nations, the American Indian Powwow Association, and the Oahu Intertribal Council—our community has gathered to honor the ties between Native American and Kanaka Maoli cultures. Today, we enter a new chapter as Ho’opili Tribal Council, a name that reflects the foundational value our founders lived: pili (sacred relationship). My mother, Iola Plumley Seymour, a woman of Jiwere Nu’tachi (or Otoe Missouria) and Kanaka Maoli ancestry, often reminded us: 'We don't just inherit culture—we choose to carry it.' This name honors her vision and leaders like Daniel Yanigahara, the kamaʻāina who stewarded this work with aloha when the founders passed the torch. — Mealiʻi Prieto, for the HTC Board
Crowning a Legacy: Princess Moonlight Makes History From Our Circle to Turtle Island: A Princess’s Journey
Moonlight Mares at UCLB Powwow.
Our first-ever Powwow Princess, Moonlight Mares (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi/Mexihcatl/Blackfoot), isn’t just continuing her family’s decades of service—she’s breaking new ground. At the University of California Long Beach Powwow in March, she became the first contestant to introduce herself in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, honoring her island home before thousands. Watch her greet the crowd: Click here to see video on Facebook.
"Aloha kākou! ʻO Moonlight koʻu inoa no ka ʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi..."
(Full video: Click this link) Her viral moment came full circle when influencer @LinaGirl spotlighted Moon’s jingle dress style—a fusion of Great Lakes tradition and Pacific flair. Watch her explain how she ‘dances for the healers’: Click here to see video on Facebook.
"The jingles sound like rain here, but I dance for the kupuna too." This is the Ho’opili spirit in action: rooted in Native American ways, honoring our Hawaiian host culture, and inspiring the next generation. Eō, e Moonlight!
Nā Hanana Hou – Recent Highlights (January-April 2025) Spring in Action! Seeds Planted, Circles Growing Since January, we’ve been busy nurturing the legacy of our 2025 Powwow Princess Moonlight and laying groundwork for the future. Together, we’ve: ✨ Supported Princess Moonlight’s Journey
Helped her fundraise close to $800 through ono authentic Navajo FryBread Tacos.
Cheered her on at her debut California powwow appearance, where she introduced herself in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi—a first for that gathering! (See her spotlight above!)
📢 Advocated for Our Relatives
Joined the MMIWG2S/P Sign-Waving at Ala Moana/Atkinson Drive on May 5th, raising awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and Pacific Islanders, along with partners Pouhana O Na Wahine and Ho’ola Na Pua "We wore red and carried prayers for their safe return."
📚 Shared Culture with Keiki
Delivered school presentations for 950+ students at Punahou School, Dream House Charter School and Radford High School’s Cultural Appreciation Day, teaching Native American traditions and Hawaiian values of pili (connection).
🎉 Celebrated Cultural Bridges
Tabled at the Cinco de Mayo festival in Kapolei at Ka Makana Ali’i, sharing Native American dance and stories with 3000+ attendees. "The mariachi band even tried Navajo frybread—now that’s solidarity!"
🧵 Hands-On Learning
Hosted a free beginner’s beading workshop—12 participants left with their own bracelets, looms, and newfound skills. "I always love how healing and relaxing these gatherings are. Learning this and receiving looms and supplies were just a bonus!" —Workshop attendee.
🏛️ Preserved Our Legacy
Completed a full storage cleanup, inventorying decades of powwow equipment, educational materials, and cultural items (special mahalo to Malia, Kamorie, Jenna and Greg for archival help!).
🌱 Something New is Coming…
Teamed up with PolyVerse Productions on a secret project bridging Indigenous storytelling and technology. Stay tuned!
49TH ANNUAL HONOLULU INTERTRIBAL POWWOW™️ Celebrating Community: 49 Years of Intertribal ʻOhana!
Event Details 📅 Date: September 6, 2025, 10am - 4pm 📍 Location: Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park 1201 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96814 🏨 Host Hotel: Holiday Inn Express Waikiki – Book by August 4th for discounted rates! Contact reservations at (808) 748-7103 or (808) 748-7104 Monday-Friday (8am-4pm HST). Booking code: AHI
Meet Our 2025 Head Staff
Head Man: Robert Thomas
Colville Confederated Tribe - Lakes, Entiat, and Moses/Columbia bands - Spokane, Washington Robert dances men’s Northern traditional and has been doing so since a very young age. He grew up in Spokane, WA and has traveled the pow wow trail throughout Indian Country.
Head Woman: Taunie Cullooyah "Cinmtkw"
(Sweetwater)
Kalispel Tribe - Usk, Washington She is a Champion jingle dress dancer and works in the Kalispel Culture Department as a Cultural Specialist.
Emcee: Brad Bearsheart
Hunkpapa Lakota and Santee Dakota Nation - Standing Rock, North Dakota Brad knows Grass and Fancy dancing. His family has traveled all over the US, Canada and now they are living in the Hawaiian islands.
Arena Director: Eric Lonechief Kirkendall
Pawnee and Chickasaw
New This Year: A Note of Gratitude & Changes Mahalo nui to Bishop Museum for hosting us since 2022! This year, we return to Ala Moana Beach Park for a single-day celebration, allowing us to:
Welcome new keiki in two of our leading labor/logistics families.
Focus our resources on cultural sharing (rather than equipment logistics).
Protect our kupuna—while we’ve always relied on community muscle, we’re prioritizing sustainable roles for elders.
Though we’ll miss the museum’s malu, we’re excited to feel the sand under our drums again. Join us as we recenter what matters: YOU, our community, the strength of our shared circle and the hands that sustain it. Interested in Volunteering or becoming a vendor? See full volunteer details below in the ‘closing section’ or email us at powwow@htchawaii.org for vendor information
Design Our 2025 Powwow T-Shirt—Be Part of History! Calling all artists! Your design could grace this year’s official powwow tee, celebrating community across cultures.
Prize:
Your artwork featured on 100+ shirts
5 free shirts for you + ʻohana
Social media spotlight
Rules:
Original art only (no AI)
Use 1-3 colors (specific colors encouraged?)
Include text: ‘49th Annual Honolulu Intertribal Powwow 2025’
A NAME THAT CARRIES OUR LEGACIES FORWARD E hoʻokipa i ka leo o nā kūpuna
Founding mothers
The Seeds (1970s-1980s) Our founding mothers at Thomas Square (L-R): Iola Plumley Seymour (Otoe-Missouria/Kanaka Maoli), Mary Morning Star Myers (Ho-Chunk), Virginia Balinski (White Mountain Apache), Elva Arakawa (Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe). They built this ‘ohana through military service, marriage, and aloha for these islands.
The Blossoming (1990s-2010s) When elders stepped back, kamaʻāina like Daniel Yanagihara carried the work forward. Though not Native by blood, he understood pili (sacred connection) was the root—not just ancestry.
Mealiʻi Prieto
@ Honolulu Intertribal Powwow 2024
The Stewardship Years (2010s-2024) While caring for her own mother until her last breath—the council survived through those who showed up not for applause, but because it was their kuleana. Under the daughter of one of the founding mothers Iola Seymour, Mealiʻi Prieto’s quiet leadership enabled the council to deepen its roots—mentoring new volunteers, modernizing systems, and ensuring traditions thrived behind the scenes.
The Fruit: Ho’opili (2024-Present) "To join in a relationship, to put together as parts of a puzzle." This name honors:
Our grandmothers’ bridge-building across cultures
The kuleana of our Hawaiian hosts
The next generation of doers—like the Aipia, Bearsheart, Collins, Ninomoto, and Rombawa ‘Ohana and volunteers like Malia Kaio, Aunty Caroline Begay, and Cecilia Sarate—who understand: The circle stays strong because of those who stay after the drums stop.
COMMUNITY VOICES: HELP US SEED OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY LEGACY! Share Your Favorite Powwow Memory
2026 marks 50 years of powwow in Hawai‘i! Share your favorite memory to inspire next year’s celebration: