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…
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…
Ladies of Aloha: K.T. Cannon-Eger and Dinnnie Kysar
By Marciai Timboy “When ordinary people decide to do extraordinary things, they transform their lives and the lives of others around them.” —Oprah Winfrey Daily, Hawai‘i Island residents and visitors engage in diverse activities in beautiful settings. While they enjoy…
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…
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…
“Miloli‘i aku nei au lā…At Miloli‘i there was I…”
By Marcia Timboy The opening line of this famous mele (song) about one’s huaka‘i (journey) from Miloli‘i to seek experiences in bigger cities, was composed by John Makuakane in the 1930s. Over the years many kama‘āina (residents) of Miloli‘i leave…
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…
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…
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…
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…
La‘au Lapa‘au: Medicinal Plants and their Healing Properties
By Marcia Timboy Hawai‘i is viewed throughout the world as a place of rest and rejuvenation, a concept that is deeply rooted in and supported by the healing environment of our islands. Ancestral wellness wisdom is the basis of the…
