A (Free) Ticket to Paradise at the Smithsonian's Hawaiian Festival

Last weekend, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian brought a little piece of paradise to Washington, D.C., with the 2015 Hawaiian Cultural Festival.  The festival, lasting May 16 & 17, brought together artists of all sorts to share hula, chanting, storytelling, traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music, food, traditional artists to celebrate Pele and Hi'iaka with D.C. residents and visitors. Pele and Hi'iaka are Hawaiian deities that figure prominently in indigenous culture.  Pele is the goddess of fire, volcanoes, and maker of lands, and Hi'iaka is her brave and clever youngest sister.  Because Pele is the goddess of fire and volcanoes, she is honored by the color red.  Pele holds such...

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Posted in: dancing,English,Hawaii,Hawaiian Cultural Festival,Hi'iaka,History,hula,Inti Raymi,J-Mad,National Museum of the American Indian,Pele,Post-Bar Life,Smithsonian,storytelling,United States,Washington DC

The Adventure of Archaeology with Indiana Jones

As a kid growing up, no one made archaeology or adventure cooler than Indiana Jones.  On a random day off from work, I took a walk just past the main business thoroughfare of Washington, D.C., to visit the National Geographic Museum to check out their brand new exhibit: Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology. The exhibit is a traveling exhibit in partnership between National Geographic and LucasFilms, Ltd., among others, and will be at the National Geographic Museum until January 3, 2016. The exhibit was a really cool combination of behind-the-scenes from the four Indiana Jones films and a look at some of the real archaeological achievements among scientists who inspired Indy. The exhibit opens with the first film,...

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Posted in: English,Indiana Jones,Indiana Jones Exhibit,J-Mad,Last Crusade,Museum,National Geographic,Post-Bar Life,Raiders of the Lost Ark,Temple of Doom,United States,Washington DC