Hawaii Club Hosts Largest Annual Luau
The Harvard Undergraduate Hawaii Club hosted its fifth annual luau on March 28, 2026, marking the largest in the organization’s history with over 200 attendees.
Centered around this year’s theme, Moananuiakea, “the great, vast ocean,” the event honored the Pacific Ocean as a unifying force connecting the islands and peoples of Oceania. Open to all members of the Harvard and greater Boston communities, the luau provided an inclusive space to engage with and learn about Pacific Islander cultures.
The Hawaii Club brings together Native and Pacific Islander communities in New England, representing Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Tahiti, Micronesia, Melanesia, and beyond. The luau, a Hawaiian cultural event, celebrates and perpetuates the traditions of Pasifika through music, dance, food, storytelling, and community.
“We come from a history of global legendary navigators,” Kaleo Yuen ’29 said. “It is important that Polynesia remain connected, even here in New England.”
The event was made possible through the support of the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP), the Harvard Undergraduate Association (HUA), the Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Commission, the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, and other community partners.
Students, faculty, and community members from Harvard and neighboring institutions gathered in Harvard’s Northwest Building for a fun-filled celebration. The evening opened with a traditional Hawaiian chant led by brothers Kaeo Yuen ’28 and Kaleo Yuen ’29, grounding the event in Hawaiian protocol. Performances throughout the night included hula, Samoan and Tongan dance, live music, and interactive audience participation.
Students performed a group hula during the evening's program.
A standout moment featured Dr. Alice Roza-Eruera, Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, alongside Yuen on guitar, teaching the audience the Maori song, “Nga Iwi E.” With a strong presence of Maori and Kiwi in the audience, the moment carried particular significance, as those familiar with the song joined in alongside those learning it for the first time. As the room sang together in unison, the performance created a powerful moment of collective connection, with many continuing to sing the song after the event.
Dr. Alice Eruera of Aotearoa, Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, lead the audience in “Nga Iwi E.”
Additional performers and speakers included Kanoe Lum, Harvard College Admissions Officer for Hawaii, Dr. Therese Lautua, College Fellow in Indigenous Religions, Aunty Emily Callejo, Moana Bentin of the Massachusetts AAPI Commission, ukulele player Kapono Wong, and more. The program also highlighted relief efforts for Hawaii’s Kona Low flooding, with contributions from MIT graduate student Kaitlyn Gee, Harvard Kennedy School Professor Randall Akee, and Dr. Kehaulani Watson of the Native Hawaiian nonprofit, Aina Momona. “By celebrating these connections and the diverse experiences of our people in a place so far from home, we come together in unity and strength not only with one another, but with those who came before us,” Marissa Bascon ’28 said. Guests enjoyed poke, kalua pig, chicken, rice, and kava from Manoa Poke, owned by one of the evening’s performers, Jacob Afoa. The evening concluded with games and a senior recognition to honor graduating students with Pacific Islander ties.
The audience learned how to siva with Professor Lautua.
Looking ahead, the Harvard Undergraduate Hawaii Club aims to expand this tradition across campus and further highlight the impact of Pacific Islander communities in higher education.
