In Hawai'i's elementary schools, May Day programs feature children adorned with flower leis, singing and dancing hula about Hawaiian culture and performing traditions from major ethnic groups who settled the islands. Using the lens of geopathology, this research questions how various groups of residents long for belonging and struggle for emplacement through performances of culture on May Day. Following an ethnographic tradition, a collaborative research team attended May Day programs at elementary schools and interviewed a range of students, elders, teachers, administrators, parents, May Day coordinators, and arts specialists. The researchers processed themes in personal terms using auto-ethnographic reflections and original performances to bring multiple perspectives into dialogue. This critical discussion reveals four perceptions of May Day expressed by the study's participants: (a) American assimilation, (b) visitor attraction, (c) multicultural recognition, and (d) Hawaiian preservation. (Contains 1 note.)