Halena Kapuni-Reynolds opens the Smithsonian Folklife Festival with a Native Hawaiian welcome on June 26, 2024.

Kapuni-Reynolds, who is Kanaka ‘Ōiwi, delivered a prayer and a chant in the Hawaiian language. The ceremony took place at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. Kapuni-Reynolds serves as Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture at the NMAI.

The theme of the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival is “Indigenous Voices of the Americas: Celebrating the National Museum of the American Indian.” The event showcases Indigenous peoples throughout North, Central and South America, along with commemorating the 20th anniversary of the NMAI, which opened to the public in September 2004.

The festival runs from June 26 through July 1 on the National Mall. For more information, visit festival.si.edu.