Every Paddler Knew the Voice of Aunty Maile
By Karen Valentine Kapono It’s race day at Hilo Bayfront. The summer outrigger canoe paddling season is in full swing. Colorful canoes are lined up, ready to race. Canoe club T-shirts with club insignia move through the crowd on paddlers…
Kumu Paul Neves: Peaceful Warrior and Ambassador of Aloha
By Marcia Timboy Kumu Hula Paul Neves is a familiar and esteemed presence to many on Hawai‘i Island: a cultural practitioner, community organizer, vocal proponent of Native Hawaiian rights and sovereignty, and a high chief in the Royal Order of…
Kepā and Onaona Maly: Saving History
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Sharing stories is what Kepā Maly and his wife Onaona have been doing for almost 40 years now, working as record keepers and cultural historians for the people of Hawai‘i. This dynamic husband and wife team have…
Keiki Hālau Honors Ancient Hula Legacy
By Karen Valentine Kapono Like one of the glistening orbs in a string of pearls, Pelehonuamea Puku‘i Suganuma Harman joins other daughters and granddaughters of hula dancers in a string of generational legacy that is rare in today’s world. In…
‘Iolani Luahine Festival Honors and Perpetuates Hula Tradition
By Tiffany DeMasters ‘Iolani Luahine was more than just a hula dancer—she was a storyteller and teacher who shared and perpetuated the traditions of ancient Hawai‘i. “It was like at times she became whatever she was dancing. You could really…
North Hawai‘i Research Center’s Heritage Center: Cultural Community Connections
By Jan Wizinowich Through the vision of a community to preserve and share the stories of the land and its people, the Heritage Center (HC) came into being in 2011. Hawai‘i Island’s story begins with its settlement by a people…
The Hidden Power and Tradition of Oli
By Karen Valentine Kapono Just imagine a sophisticated culture whose history and daily news was never written down, only spoken. This is a story about oli, or Hawaiian chant, the Hawaiians’ chosen method of all communication. It was never intended…
Perpetuating Hula Lineage: Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival
By Marcia Timboy “Nana i ke kumu,” advises a famous Hawaiian proverb, “Pay attention to the source.” For hula practitioners, this can allude to the obvious, “Watch what your kumu [teacher] does.” The kuleana (responsibility) of hula tradition holds the…
ʽĀhua A ‘Umi Heiau: King ‘Umi’s Legacy
By Sara Stover Across a high plateau between Maunaloa and Hualālai lie numerous ‘āhua (stone piles) that appear to be the remains of an ancient structure. The man who initiated the building of this heiau was more than the commoner…
To Seek Far: ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center Reaches Out to Students of All Ages
By Stefan Verbano “So, what’s one way we can tell the age of a volcano?” Punawai Rice asks the audience of fourth graders seated before him. No hands shoot up. “Well think about this: how can we tell one volcano…
Keeping up With Kapa: Jani K. Puakea Fisher
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Pre-contact Hawaiian kapa was some of the most exquisitely made barkcloth in the entire world. After contact, cotton muslin and other fabrics were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by settlers, and the intricate art of kapa making…
Ha‘akoa: Perpetuating Tradition, Creating Cultural Practice
By Marcia Timboy A custom can be a protocol or belief that has been practiced by an individual or a group for a long time. When a custom is transferred from generation to generation, it takes the form of tradition. Tradition…
Kamehameha’s Birthplace, and the Many-Layered History of Kokoiki, Kohala
By Jan Wizinowich Kamehameha’s birth was a legacy that ultimately unified the islands, but that legacy began many generations before. His birthstones, located in Kokoiki, lay next to Mo‘okini Heiau, built in 480CE, on the northwest tip of the peninsula…
Kūha‘o Zane: “Hula is the vehicle for my identity to be passed on to me.”
By Marcia Timboy Kūha‘o Zane is a successful Hilo-based design professional. He’s also a cultural practitioner deeply rooted in ancestral traditions, with an esteemed hula lineage inherently connected to Hawai‘i Island. Kūha‘o has danced in 20 consecutive ho‘ike (exhibition) programs…
Chuck Leslie: The ‘Ōpelu Man
By Karen Anderson One day in the late 1990s, third-generation Napo‘opo‘o fisherman Chuck Leslie headed north toward Keauhou in his 56-foot longlining vessel, Hana Like, when suddenly and inexplicably he passed out at the wheel, just outside of Pu‘u ‘Ohau…
Ka Wehena: Pō ke Ao
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘O ka Pō, ‘o ke Ao Ao ka Pō, Pō ke Ao Nā Kini Lani, Nā Kini Honua Nā Kini Uka, Nā Kini Kai‘O ka Pō, ‘o ke Ao Ao ka Pō, Pō ke Ao Nā…
The Past is Present: Kalo Farming on Hawai‘i Island
By Brittany P. Anderson There is a story behind every plant on Hawai‘i Island. Sometimes it is a legend of betrayal, sometimes a voyage across the Pacific Ocean, or an accidental introduction to our island home. The tale of kalo…
Kumu Kele Kanahele: A Unique Son of Ni‘ihau
By Paula Thomas Tucked away in “the boonies,” as he calls it, is the tidy, unsuspecting home of one of Ni‘ihau’s sons, Kumu Kele Kanahele. Kumu Kele is famous for making prized necklaces, chokers, and earrings from the shells that…
Ke Ola Magazine: 10 Years of Sharing ‘The Life’ of Hawai‘i Island
By Fern Gavelek You’ve read about well-known people such as pacemaker inventor Earl Bakken and landowner/steward Ed Olson. Musicians such as Cyril Pahinui and Kahulani. Artists such as Kathy Long and craft maker Ika Vea have been featured. There have…
The Cultivating Life: Agroforestry Expert Craig Elevitch
By Brittany P. Anderson A cool breeze runs through the dense forests of Hōlualoa, perched on the slope of Hualālai Volcano in North Kona. Here, the woods are brimming with avocado, ‘ulu (breadfruit), macadamia nut, coffee, and fruit trees. Once…
The 11th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament Rocks at Punalu‘u
By Karen Valentine Not long after sunrise at Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, light sparkles on the waves, tipping the bright blue sea as it splashes on the black rocks lining each tide pool. The parking lot is already filled with…
Ka Wehena: He Aloha E Ku‘u Kahili Nani Lua‘ole
Na Kumu Keala Ching He aloha ē E ku‘u kāhili nani lua‘ole I luna a‘ela I luna a‘ela ke ‘ike aku Eō mai ē e ku‘u kāhili ē He aloha ē E ku‘u kāhili aloha laha ‘ole Hō‘ike akula, Hō‘ike…
Beloved & Humble Puna Stronghold—o Pohoiki
By Marcia Timboy “On her way to Kīlauea, Pele initially carved out a crater called Malama, inland of her landing place at Keahialaka. Pele was dissatisfied with this crater, and proceeded to excavate another nearby crater called Pu‘ulena, which she…
Ka Wehena – Hualalai, Ku‘u Mauna e
Na Kumu Keala Ching Hualālai, ku‘u Mauna i ‘uka la He wahine kupaianaha iā Hawai‘i loa Noho uka ‘o Hualālai i ka ‘Ōpua ‘Ōpua malu, ku‘u ‘āina kō KonaEō, eō e Hualālai Ke aloha palena‘ole ke ‘ike akuHe mauna kū…
Aha Pule ‘Āina Holo, A Prayer Moving Throughout the Land
By Mālielani Larish Embraced by bright sunshine and crisp breezes, a group of runners bearing a wooden Lono staff exit the busy Highway 19 and enter a verdant field near Anna’s Ranch in Waimea. A crowd of supporters welcome them…
The Gannenmono: A 150-Year Celebration of Faith & Fortitude
By Lara Hughes The Arrival In 1860, King Kamehameha IV met with the first delegation of Japanese people to visit the Hawaiian Islands. During this visit the king proposed a friendship treaty with Japan. This action, along with the rise…
A Journey with Kumu Kawaikapuokalani Frank Hewett
By Karen Valentine This is a story about one who might be called a Hawaiian renaissance man. This man is multi-facetted and multi-talented, with an insatiable drive to serve his culture through sharing his knowledge. Like a tripod that will…
Ray Bumatay: A Canoe Calling
By Brittany P. Anderson The outrigger canoe is one of the most essential and iconic elements of Hawaiian culture. For centuries, kāhuna kālai wa‘a (master canoe carvers) have been guided by their ‘aumākua (ancestral spirits) who live in the ocean…
Ahupua’a: Living Aloha
By Jan Wizinowich Beyond canoe plants and animals, the first voyagers to these shores brought the spirit of ahupuaʽa, a sense that they were of the land. On the most basic physical level, the ahupuaʽa is a dedicated land division…
Aunty Doreen Henderson: Fascination with Feathers
85 Years of Perpetuating an Elegant, Native Hawaiian Craft By Karen Valentine With the confidence of a master craftsman who is still working and teaching at age 92, Master Kumu Doreen Henderson’s eagle eye marks each student’s feather work and…
