With pounding feet, good food and a unique cultural experience, Hawai’i Club puts on a lu’au for Mom’s Weekend every year. This year’s theme, Ku’u One Haunau, meaning “the sands of my birth,” is woven throughout the lu’au, especially in the song choices.

Hawai’i Club is the primary organizer of this event, though this year, they collaborated with Mitamitaga O Samoa (MOS) Club, and the Pacific Islanders Club to put together some of the dances. In particular, the Pacific Islanders Club will showcase Tahitian dances, Cultural Chair of Hawai’i Club Makani Pau said.

“This is a reason for us to come together and share our cultural heritage, and get the community involved,” Pau said.

As cultural chair, Pau selected songs, choreographed the performances, translated and helped to come up with the lu’au’s theme. Pau especially connects to the theme, as he chose songs that tie into specific places, including a song called “Holie,” which has lyrics about the place where his dad is from, Pau said.

“I felt that I really wanted to honor [my father] and everything he’s done for me. It talks about how special that area is to the people who come from there,” Pau said. “The theme is reflected in everything.”

One of the lu’au directors, Ashley Armstrong, who co-chairs with Xy’lah Brandes, also connects to the theme.

“In my experience growing up in Hawai’i, there are so many diverse cultures and peoples there that aren’t native Hawai’ian,” Armstrong said. “The sense of the Hawai’ian people is so strong, it’s never forgotten. The sand will always be there; it is the beginning of everything.”

The lu’au will feature songs, dance, contemporary Hawai’ian food, guest appearances from MOS and Tahitian dance from the Pacific Islanders club. LocoGrinz will be catering the event, serving foods like lomi salmon.

“We are hoping for everyone in the Pullman community to come out and get involved. We want to give people a taste of what Hawai’i is like,” Armstrong said. “We tried to make it as authentic as we could.”

Bango Dinero, an alumnus and past advisor for the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community, will also come to share his research on Hawai’ian culture, Armstrong said.

“We not only have performances, but also are giving our audience background knowledge about the dances. We don’t want to just showcase our culture, we want to educate people,” Armstrong said. “Everyone is welcome.”

Doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the show will take place from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Student Recreation Center, courts six and seven. Pre-sale tickets are $17 for students and $18 for the public, while tickets are $18 for students and $20 for the public at the door.