Ka Puana: The Canoe Maker’s Son
Author Cecilia Johansen is a Waimea, Hawai‘i Island resident. These excerpts are used with permission. Page 31 Nāihe was well-respected from Kaimū all the way to ‘Āpua. However, the men would not offend him by saying they had already seen…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Lekeleke
Na Kumu Keala Ching Eō e Keauhou, kaulana Lekeleke Kaua pili kapu, kapu o Kuamo‘o Mālama ke Akua, Akua o Pili Kūka‘ilimoku Akua ko Kamehameha ē Kaulana Lekeleke, Kuamo‘o iho nō Kaulana Lekeleke, Kuamo‘o a‘e nō Kekuaokalani, he ali‘i kō…
100 Years of Giving: Hawai‘i Community Foundation Celebrates a Century of Helping Hawai‘i Island
By Denise Laitinen Nonprofit organizations can impact our lives in so many ways that we aren’t always aware of how much we benefit from their services. For 100 years, Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) has been helping nonprofit organizations statewide, including…
Home Grown to Fulfill a Need: Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union
By Fern Gavelek Businesses come and businesses go, however, the Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union (HCFCU) endures after 80 years. With a charter membership of struggling coffee farmers, the credit union has evolved over eight decades to serve people from…
1500 Shades of Aunty Betty Webster
By Catherine Tarleton Aunty Betty Webster and I are having lunch at a local restaurant. She walks in, grabs two menus, and sits in the first booth, facing the door. Aunty, Waimea’s official “sunglass queen” is sporting big bright yellow…
The Spirit of Kohala Lives on at the Christmas Lu’au
By Jan Wizinowich The story of the Hawi Christmas Lū‘au is the tale of a plantation community finding and holding its heart. Although sponsored by the Mormon Church, the entire community participated, beginning weeks in advance. You offered what you…
Worldwide Voyage
Leg 23 brought Hōkūle‘a to Sorel, Quebec, Canada—the furthest north that she will travel on the Worldwide Voyage. As Hōkūle‘a navigated through the most extensive and complex lock system of her voyage, she has traveled through an incredible 61 locks.…
How to See Papahānaumokuākea–And How to Say It!
By Karen Valentine From exploring and visiting a real gem of a visitors’ attraction in Hilo. Mokupāpapa Discovery Center is the primary interpretive center for the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument—more correctly named Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Not only…
Lale Kam: Walking Sunlight, Living Aloha
By Kate Kealani H Winter Lale says her name means “sunshine” in Hawaiian, which seems perfect for this child of Hawai‘i, who has spread aloha across the U.S. for decades. It also may refer to a legendary bird known as…
The Joys of the Season
By Sonia R. Martinez From Thanksgiving until the end of December is the perfect time of year to open your home for entertaining. Your house will be showing its best side by already being decorated and ready for the festive…
Recycle Hawai’i: Promoting Reuse in a Big Way
By Paula Thomas Recycle Hawai‘i, a nonprofit organization based in Hilo, has a stated goal to increase resource awareness and to encourage recycling and sustainable practices in our community. Its mission? To promote resource awareness and recycling enterprises in Hawai‘i.…
A Historic Family Business and Building: How the Koehnen’s Family Roots Correspond with a Historic Hilo Building
By Megan Moseley On the bustling street of downtown Hilo’s bayfront, visitors and residents alike often stroll by a bright green building that hugs the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Waiānuenue Street. To residents, it’s called the “old Koehnen…
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…
Celebrating a Long Time Advertiser: Kona Boys
Two surfing friends who wanted to leave the mainland big-business world and follow their passions are now making their passion their business. After graduating from Northern Arizona University, Frank Carpenter had worked for a large corporation and several start-ups in…
Managing with Aloha: ‘Imi Ola: We are meant to be Seekers
I admit it: I jump to an either/or conclusion when I learn that a manager has worked in the same position and same company for a long time, and they are not that company’s owner or founder. I conclude they…
Featured Cover Artist: Patricia Leo
The holiday theme of artist Patricia Leo’s painting showcased on this issue’s cover is a dreamlike scene from a magical, enchanted forest in Hawai‘i, illustrated in vibrant, glowing colors. Part of her ongoing series, 16 years of Christmas in Hawai‘i,…
Spirits of Ocean and Land: Wayne Levin and Jozuf Hadley Team Up for Multi-Media Exhibit at Kahilu Theater
By Karen Rose What do a pidgin poet and an underwater photographer have in common? In the case of Wayne Levin and Jozuf Hadley, it’s a love of the spiritual aspects of artistic expression. This fall, the Kahilu Theatre in…
