The East-West Center ballroom is slowly filling up with guests, an estimated 300 people who received invitations to “The Importance of Native Intelligence in Modern Times” talk with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama’s motorcade arrived at about 9:40 a.m. Sunday.

Lots of familiar political, business, education and community leaders are here, including Calvin Say, Brickwood Galuteria, Faye Hanohano, Robbie Alm, Bernard Carvalho, Colette Machado, Mitch D’Olier, Bill Meheula, Lilikala Kameeleihiwa, Henk Rogers, Puakea Nogelmeier, Charles Morrison, Nikki Love and Oswald Stender. 

One of the purposes of the panel — which along with the Dalai Lama will feature Nainoa Thompson and Pualani Kanahele with moderator John DeFries — is to connect older Native Hawaiian leaders with representatives of younger generations. They include Kaiulani Murphy, an apprentice navigator with the Polynesian Voyaging Society

Country Comfort and Bruddah Iz are playing on the sound system, singing songs of loss and love.

—Chad Blair