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…
May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i
By Leilehua Yuen May 1, celebrated around the world as a workers’ holiday, and in England and parts of Europe as a festival of spring, in the Hawaiian Islands has been known for some four generations as Lei Day. Don…
Ka Puana: E lei no au i ko aloha
I will wear your love as a wreath Encircling you with love this holiday season!
Ka Lei Aloha with Kumu Hula Lori Lei
By Nancy S. Kahalewai “I’m going to dance with them!” Lori Lei Shirakawa Katahara announced to her mom when she was only four years old. They were watching their family friends at a hula recital, and she started to get…
Maile Lei, Lovely Maile Lei…is Growing Sustainably on Hawai‘i Island
Maile Lei, Lovely Maile Lei… You weave your magic charms around Hawai‘i nei. Every day in your subtle way, You tease the tradewinds with your fragrance, maile lei. – Maddy Lam, 1963 By Marcia Timboy For centuries, lei made from…
Louis and Leifi Ha‘o: A life well lived. A life of purpose. Legacies of aloha.
By Marcia Timboy Renowned Hilo couple and revered kūpuna, Louis and Leifi Ha‘o have contributed much to our Hilo and Hawai‘i Island communities. After decades of community service, they continue an active lifestyle filled with projects, ceremonial blessings, and tending…
Ka Wehena: Lei ‘Opua
Na Kumu Keala Ching Eō mai Lei ‘Ōpua la ‘O Hualālai kō Hawai‘loa He aloha kō lāua, lei ‘Ōpua la Noho uka i ka nani, mauna kū kilakila Kaulana ‘o Hualālai, malu kō Kona Eō mai ē, Eō mai la…
To Celebrate the King: Kamehameha Day and Kamehameha’s Legacy of Aloha
By Jan Wizinowich Every June 11 the islands celebrate Kamehameha, the Hawai‘i Island warrior chief who changed the course of history in the 18th and 19th century by uniting the Hawaiian Islands, preparing Hawai‘i for the future in a rapidly…
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: Ke Lei Olakino,the Healing Lei
By Leilehua Yuen In honor of Lei Day (May 1st), I thought I’d write about the use of the lei in traditional healing. I originally was taught by Aunty Nona Beamer to use the lei lā‘ī (lei from the leaf…
Puuopelu and Mana Hale: Home of Modern Day Ali‘i
By Catherine Tarleton Two long rows of eucalyptus bow to the left, in respect to the prevailing makani (wind) from Kohala Mountain. Through the gate, down the long lane leading to Parker Ranch’s historic homes, there are horses grazing in…
Ka Lei Maile Ali‘i—The Queen’s Women
An original reenactment based on a newspaper article printed in The San Francisco Call This story begins with a listing on KonaWeb.com. January 13, 2013 “KA LEI MAILE ALI‘I; THE QUEEN’S WOMEN,” A PLAY—KEAUHOU A short play remembering a meeting…
Feather Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
By Barbara Fahs Na lima mili hulu no‘eau is a Hawaiian expression that means “the skilled hands that touch the feathers.” It honors the ancient art of feather lei, capes, headdresses, and other ornaments. In today’s world, it can easily…
“He Mo‘olelo kō ka Lei”: A Story of the Lei
By Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco The very symbol of aloha is the lei. And the most cherished expression is that of a child, “He lei poina ‘ole ke keiki,” meaning, “A beloved child is a lei never forgotten.” A celebration and…
Keeping the Magic Alive: Sleight of Mind with “Arneleo the Great” and “The Great Barusky”
By Marya Mann Although the element of surprise is the capstone in the magician’s pyramid of tricks, magic is no accident. Just ask two Kona tricksters who found serious commitment in a very funny business. Is it optical illusion or…
Bringing Hawai‘iʻs Scenery Indoors: Plein Air Painter Sita Soesman Finds Joy in Landscapes
By Margaret Kearns Long-time Hawai‘i Island resident and O‘ahu native Sita Soesman is a rare talent—one of those fortunate individuals gifted equally with excellent business, marketing and sales skills, and amazing artistic talent. Mix all of that with unbridled enthusiasm,…
Gentle Rhythms—Becoming Kapa.The Arts of Marie McDonald: Kapa, Lei, and the Art of Lifelong Learning
By Catherine Tarleton When Marie Adams McDonald was an art student at Texas Women’s University, she was required to take a course in Texas History. “But I was never required to take Hawaiian History,” she said, “Even though I went…
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Talk Story with an Advertiser: Destination Hilo
Stroll along Kamehameha Avenue (Bayfront) in Downtown Hilo on the second Saturday of each month, peruse the shops, and enjoy the “HeArt of Hilo” for hula, storytelling, and music from 11am to 2pm. “HeArt of Hilo” is sponsored by Destination…
A Bygone Era — Hilo’s Old Courthouse and Police Station
By Marcia Timboy If walls could talk, an 86-year-old building in downtown Hilo would have a myriad of stories to tell of a wahi pana (special legendary place). In an area where ruling chiefs governed during the pre-contact era, and…
Tropical Flowers Make Weddings More Meaningful
Each wedding has special meanings for the bride, groom, and their loved ones. It’s simple to enhance the heartfelt emotions shared by everyone who is involved by incorporating flowers with special meanings into the ceremony. Hawaiian weddings open up a…
Lovely Hula Hands of Sammi Fo
Buddy Fo had an impeccable ear for music…and a sharp eye for a beautiful woman. The popular musician and Lifetime Achievement Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner from the 1960s was recognized for his tune, rhythm, and complicated harmonies. It was…
Lelehua Yuen: Living Within the Stories
Hawaiian Culture and History, Interpreted with Artistry By Paula Thomas She is bathed in bright light on stage in a white mu‘umu‘u, her hands ever so delicately miming the picking of a lei blossom and bringing it close for its…
Ka Hana No‘eau i ka Hulu: “The Art of the Feather”
By Noel Morata Early Hawaiians believed that birds had symbolic spiritual power and their feathers carried magical properties, including keen eyesight, endurance and speed. These qualities would add to the value of garments utilizing feathers, which were created specifically for…
‘Ohana Wa‘a Laulima: Making Paddling Accessible
By Mālielani Larish On a bright Sunday morning, half a dozen members of ‘Ohana Wa‘a Laulima respectfully hold the hull of a sleek canoe while Kahu (Reverend) Kauila Haumea invokes a Hawaiian prayer of blessing. ‘Ohana Wa‘a Laulima (the canoe…
In Memoriam: Ginger Sizemore
By Barbara Garcia Editor’s Note:Sue Springer submitted a request for us to publish a story on her friend, Ginger Sizemore, in June 2019. Due to Covid-19 causing us to reduce the number of stories we publish in each issue, it…
Kawaihae Canoe Club Celebrates 50 Years
By Jan Wizinowich It’s early morning at Kawaihae and outrigger canoes dot the horizon carrying the kūpuna paddlers. Soon, the men’s master crew will be gliding into the boat ramp after an early morning run heading north. A Matson barge…
Everyone Wins in Honoka‘a’s Feeding Program
By Catherine Tarleton Sustainable, adj. 1: capable of being sustained, 2a: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged, 2b: of or relating to a…
HAKA: The Hawai‘i Animal Kuleana Alliance
By Mālielani Larish Moving hastily, Syndi Texeira lifted her neighbor’s dog, an 80-pound pit bull mix named Bear, into a vehicle for transport out of Leilani Estates. It was May 3, 2018, and the police and civil defense had informed…
Ipu Stories—From Seed to Stage
By Nancy S. Kahalewai There are few things as unique as the feel, shape, sound, texture, decoration, source, and even lineage of a Hawaiian ipu drum. Pahu (drums) are part of the bedrock of traditional Hawaiian hula traditions, dancing, and…