Stories in the Stars: Constellations Hawaiian Style
By Leilehua Yuen In January, four of Leilehua Yuen’s paintings of Hawaiian constellations were put on display in the Visitor Information Station of the Ellison Onizuka Center for International Astronomy. She began research for the illustrations more than 20 years…
Hawai‘i Island’s Champion: Ed Olson at 87 Years Young
By Leilehua Yuen Ed Olson first traveled to O‘ahu in 1959. He had come to teach a swimming pool builder how to use some new equipment. “It was about three weeks after statehood, and I fell in love with the…
May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i
By Leilehua Yuen This year’s Hilo Lei Day Festival will be held on May 1, at Kalākaua Park, the original town square of Hilo, and the site of Hilo’s Lei Day celebrations in the 1920s. May 1, celebrated around the…
Behind the Scenes at the Merrie Monarch Festival
By Leilehua Yuen A month before the opening kāhea (to call out) of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium is filled with sound. Saws shriek, hammers pound, drills buzz, sanders growl, and the pine resin smell of…
50 Years of Inspired Art at Hilo’s Wailoa Center
By Leilehua Yuen Since 1967, the Wailoa Center has graced Pi‘opi‘o, an ‘ili kūpono (chiefly holding place) in the Waiākea ‘ahupua‘a (district) of Hilo. The center was part of an effort to create a green zone and recreation area after…
Ho‘ina Hōkūle‘a — Hōkūle‘a Returns
By Leilehua Yuen Hōkūle‘a now begins her final leg of the Worldwide Voyage—traveling the Hawaiian Archipelago to approximately 30 ports. Her crew will get to share their adventures with some 100 schools on various islands. After circumnavigating the Earth in…
A Garden Fit for a Queen: Celebrating Lili‘uokalani In Her Garden’s Centennial Year
By Brittany P. Anderson & Leilehua Yuen As the sun rises steadily over Hilo Bay on a bright Saturday morning, a group of college students rake leaves at the far end of Lili‘uokalani Gardens. While dozens of early morning walkers and…
The Resilient Randy Parker
By Leilehua Yuen Growing up surrounded by music, it was little wonder that Randy Parker became a professional musician. “My Father played ‘ukulele, and Mom played piano and ‘ukulele and danced hula. I liked the music they listened to. A…
Implements of Hula
By Leilehua Yuen From ancient times, Hawaiian people have had a love of music and rhythm. This love was expressed through oli (chant), mele (song), and hula (dance). While many early visitors to the Hawaiian Islands were not trained in…
Hula is Pleasing Because of the Drummer
By Leilehua Yuen Dancers gliding, hands gracefully depicting misty rains or delicate flowers. Feet grounding powerfully on the earth while knees thrust forward in the motion of a lava flow. Voices evoking the many moods of lyrics newly written or…
Health: Ke Ola Pono—Ka Niho
By Leilehua Yuen I don’t care what “The Internet” says, don’t use a combination of baking soda and lemon juice to whiten your teeth. It’s the dental equivalent of using Brillo on your lacquerware. Sure, it will work the first…
Ke Ola Pono: Feast or Famine
By Leilehua Yuen In the Northern hemisphere, the season of feasting is over and we are now heading into a more ascetic phase. Whether this is through religious doctrine, or simply following the cycles of nature, it still holds true.…
Almanac in the Sky
Like many peoples around the world, from ancient times Polynesians have been guided by the stars. The constellations move in predictable rhythms across the sky, with mathematical precision, unchanging over the course of many human lifespans. Weather patterns come and…
Wedding Lei
The lei, that iconic symbol of our islands, is actually found in many cultures. Swiss maidens, Hindu priests, Thai brides and grooms, the flower children of the 60s, and Neanderthal of 60,000 years ago all have been noted for their flower…
A Royal Wedding
One of the best documented royal weddings of Hawai‘i’s monarchy is that of Alexander Liholiho (King Kamehameha IV) and Emma Na‘ea Rooke. Their wedding captures the height of that romantic era in Hawai‘i’s history. On the morning of June 19,…
Ke Ola Pono: Makahiki Resolutions
By Leilehua Yuen Makahiki, Christmas, and the New Year all are times of fresh beginnings. Many people make resolutions at this time to do better or be better in the coming year. While making resolutions is common around the world—according…
Makahiki: The Hawaiian Winter Holiday
By Leilehua Yuen Long before Christmas was celebrated in Hawai‘i, we had our own winter holiday—the Makahiki. Makahiki can be a confusing word. It means “year,” “new year,” and also refers to the months-long season that heralds the new year…
Ke Ola Pono: Lā‘au Lapa‘au—What is it?
By Leilehua Yuen What is lā‘au lapa‘au? Is it herbal medicine? “Witch doctor” stuff? Homeopathy? Bush medicine? Is it real? Bogus? Compatible with biomedicine? I have seen practices of lā‘au lapa‘au that would fit any of the above. Lā‘au lapa‘au…
Ke Ola Pono: Ka Wai Ola
By Leilehua Yuen Back in the 90s, when I was a cultural demonstrator at Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, we sometimes used to enjoy mildly teasing visitors who asked us if there was a place they could find traditional…
Ke Ola Pono: Ka Hula
By Leilehua Yuen Most of us could use a bit more movement in our lives. Being physically active has many health benefits. Studies have shown that the average American walks fewer than 6,000 steps each day. Yet by walking 10,000…
Voices of the Bamboo: The ‘Ohe Hano Ihu, Hawaiian Nose Flute
By Leilehua Yuen The ‘ohe hano ihu, or bamboo nose flute, is found on many island groups in the Pacific. In Hawai‘i, it is considered a sweetheart’s instrument. It is not a loud instrument; rather, the tone is intended to…
Dressing for a Holokū Ball
By Leilehua Yuen The first three rules my Nana, my paternal grandmother, drummed into my head about looking good in a holokū were: Posture Posture Posture They are still valuable rules today. Perfect posture and a sense of panache enable…
The Holokū
By Leilehua Yuen I remember as a girl longing for the day I would be deemed “a young lady,” mature enough to be allowed the privilege of wearing high heels, makeup, and that most elegant dress, the holokū. In our…
