The Dalai Lama and his entourage were met at Bishop Museum by the impossibly cute keiki of an Hawaiian immersion school — Kahaaha Punana Leo O Honolulu — who sang to him in Hawaiian, of course. He smiled widely and later embraced the children.

The Dalai Lama was also given a lei of kou, or orange blossom, grown on the museum grounds and made by staff.

Marques Hanalei Marzan performed a welcoming chant. Museum President Blair Collis and museum board chair Allison Holt Gendreau then escorted the Dalai Lama through Hawaiian Hall, which exhibits Hawaii history from pre-contact through key moments in local history.

Afterward, the Dalai Lama was presented a kapa print and a Hawaiian helmet, or mahiole, which he promptly planted on his head. That got lots of laughs, especially when he turned it around and said the position was useful when riding a horse.

The gifts, he said, were a sign that he had been accepted “as a Hawaiian.”

The Dalai Lama then spoke about the importance of indigenous cultures and their connection to nature, and how culture, language and tradition should not be lost in a modern world full of technology.

— Chad Blair