Sione Tui'one Pulotu, a Tongan canoe builder and woodcarver, was one of the six Hawaii residents who was named by Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, as the "living treasures of Hawaii" for their contributions in culture and the arts of Hawaii.

On February 4 a banquet will be held at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel to honour the six "living treasures of Hawaii", who are:

1. Momi Cazimero, graphic designer and businesswoman.

2. Gabriel "Gabe" Baltazar, saxophonist and recording artist, now a music lecturer and mentor in state public schools.

3. Sione Tui'one Pulotu, canoe builder and woodcarver, a key craftsman in construction of Polynesian Cultural Center.

4. Thomas Klobe, University of Hawaii art professor, a founder of the "Crossings" international art exchange program which organized a show by 56 artists commemorating the 2003 centennial of Korean immigration.

5. Isabella Aiona Abbott, author, researcher and expert on the taxonomy of marine algae and on the use of native Hawaiian plants.

6. Dr. Benjamin B.C. Young, psychiatrist, executive director of the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The Buddhist temple initiated the program in 1976 to recognize contributions to island cultural and artistic heritage. - Honolulu Star Bulletin