Duke's Waikiki 2008 Ho'okahiko Award will be presented to Jo-Ann Kahanamoku, niece of the famous Hawaiian surf legend and the restaurant namesake Duke Kahanamoku, for her dedication to perpetuating Hawaiian culture through the art of feather cap and lei making at a private awards ceremony on April 24, 2008 at Duke's Waikiki.

Kahanamoku takes great pleasure in constructing exquisite feather caps and lei, which have appeared in numerous shows and galleries throughout the Hawaiian Islands. She also dedicates her time to teaching others the art of featherwork. The art of Hawaiian feather making is a long and arduous process that is rewarded in the end by a rare-found splendor reflective of Hawaii's ancient and colorful traditions.

Born in 1929 in Papeete, Tahiti, Kahanamoku was taught in a French speaking school for ten years and then moved to Hawaii, where her father, Samuel Alapa?i Kahanamoku, was from. She attended Sacred Hearts Academy, Hilo Standard School, and then graduated from Roosevelt High School.

As an adult, Kahanamoku attended Maui Community College to learn about the Hawaiian culture and her heritage. She went on to teach feather making and was an artist-in-residence at the college. Moreover, for the last 12 years, her featherwork was featured at the Ritz Carlton at Kapalua Maui's "Celebration of the Arts," the Maui Marriot, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and the Kapalua Bay Resort.

Kahanamoku lives up to her famous last name. She was one of the first women to crew the Hokulea making a 34-day voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1980. She is also recognized as one of the longstanding female crewmembers of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and has sailed with her team throughout the Society Islands, Tonga, New Zealand, Rapa Nui, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and the Hawaiian Island chain from 1977 to 1998.

In 1999, Kahanamoku relocated to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai'i. From 1997 to 2000, she participated in the Office of Hawaiian Affair's Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council. She also became the curator for the Kealakowa'a Heiau for the Kona Outdoor Circle, where she founded the Lecture Series, which celebrated Hawaiian culture, Polynesian navigation, and canoe culture.

In 2005, the Maoli Arts Month Festival honored Kahanamoku with a life-long achievement award for her contributions to Hawaiian visual arts.

Today Kahanamoku is 79 years old and is very active in advancing native Hawaiian art and artists. As the Kona Hospital Foundation's (KHF) cultural advisor, Jo-Ann's insight and positive energy helps KHF with its long-range goal to create a School of Hawaiian Art for post secondary students in North and West Hawai'i.

Duke's Waikiki believes strongly and sincerely in Aloha, because it believes that the spirit of Aloha is the best of Hawaii's traditions. The Hawaiian word "ho'okahiko" means "cling to the traditions," and the Duke's Ho'okahiko Award was established to honor those who, today, live and exemplify those traditions.

Past Ho'okahiko Award recipients include:

1999 - Pualani Mossman (Hawaiian music entertainer and hula performer)
2000 - Aunty Genoa Keawe and Violet Pahu Lilikoi (Hawaiian music entertainers)
2001 - George Kanahele (expert on Hawaiian culture and hospitality)
2002 - Wright Bowman, Sr. (master woodworker and canoe builder)
2003 - Nona Beamer (educator, author, composer and musician for Hawaiian culture)
2004 - Esther Kakalia Westmoreland (traditional Native Hawaiian weaver)
2005 - the Kamaka Brothers (ukulele craftsmen)
2006 - John and Poakalani Serrao (master quilters and Hawaiian quilt designers)
2007 - Kau'i Brandt (Hawaiian music entertainer and hula performer

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