Healing Plants: Pōpolo – Foundation of the Hawaiian Pharmacy
By Barbara Fahs Related to tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers in the nightshade family, pōpolo, also known as Solanum nigrum or black nightshade, was a common medicinal plant in Hawai‘i until modern times. Like its culinary relatives, pōpolo is a small…
What it’s Like to be Pā‘ū Queen
By Denise Laitinen It’s very humbling to be asked to be a pā‘ū queen,” says Anna Akaka, Pā‘ū Queen of the 2013 King Kamehameha Day Kona parade. Anna, the wife of Danny Akaka, Cultural Advisor for the Mauna Lani Bay…
World Wide Voyage: Wayfinding Around ‘Island’ Earth, Provisioning the Wa‘a
By Margaret Kearns E Lauhoe mai na wa‘a; i ke ka, i ka hoe, i ka hoe, i ke ka; pae aku i ka‘aina. Everybody paddle the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore will be…
Pūnihi ‘o Mauna Kea
Written by the eighth grade class of Kumu ‘Ilikea Kam at Ke Kula ‘o ‘Ehunuikaimalino 2014 Hō‘anu ‘o Mauna Kea i ka pūnihi Pūnihi ka ‘ikena ma luna o nā moku Mauna Kea sits majestically in the cold The view…
Kolohe Diamond: Aunty Maile Spencer Napoleon
By Catherine Tarleton It could be “Twilight at Kalahuipua‘a,” or another cultural event on Hawai‘i Island where people gather to enjoy music, hula, and camaraderie by the ocean. As the audience waits for the first strum of ‘ukulele, the sun…
The Pineapple: A Symbol of Hospitality
By Sonia R. Martinez Although the pineapple has long been associated with Hawai‘i, they are actually recent malihini (of foreign origin) residents of the islands. Pineapples (Anana comosus) are thought to have originated in Paraguay or Brazil and were used…
The Secrets of Generations: How Slack Key Guitar Grew Community and Culture
By Le‘a Gleason Anyone who’s grown up or even visited Hawai‘i will notice one thing: here in these islands, it is never silent. Instead, the air is filled with a rich array of sounds—from the din of wild roosters crowing…
Edwin Kayton: Advocate of Island Renaissance
By Margaret Kearns Ka’ū-based artist Edwin Kayton approaches his work in just the same way he lives his life: quietly with humility and respect for humanity, spirituality, culture, and nature. And it’s these very qualities that have endeared him to…
Crafting the Rhythm of Hula: Vea’s Polynesian Gifts
By Catherine Tarleton I had to make an ‘ulī‘ulī for hula class. If you don’t know, ‘ulī‘ulī is a rhythm instrument, a gourd rattle, decorated with a circle of kapa cloth to which feathers are sewn. Finished, it looks kind…
Kūpuna Talk Story: Kumu Raylene Ha‘alelea Kawaiae‘a, Native Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner
By Keith Nealy As a filmmaker and storyteller, I have been blessed with the gift of sharing the mana‘o (knowledge) of more than 60 of Hawai‘i’s most revered kūpuna in spirited conversation exploring the cultural legacy they carry in their…
Ahu‘ena Heiau: “Malama i Ko Kākou Ho‘olina”—Preserving Our Past
By Fannie Narte “Ahu‘ena Heiau is probably the most significant historical site in the State of Hawai‘i because the things that happened there set the foundation for the Hawai‘i as we know it today.” Tom Hickcox, President and Director, Ahu‘ena…
Then and Now: Hulihe‘e Palace – From Mansion to Museum
By Fannie Narte Located in the center of Historic Kailua Village on Ali‘i Drive and surrounded by water on three sides is a museum called Hulihe‘e Palace. To its north is a small beach called “Niumalu,” where honu (turtles) often…
Ka Wehena: Lohe ‘ia ka ‘oe‘oe
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ae, Lohe ‘ia ka ‘oe‘oe ‘I maila ka makani i lohe ‘ia Hā leo hāwanawana, kupaianaha ia Aheahe ka leo i lohe ‘ia Eia ko‘u leo, he ‘ūlāleo ē I uka o ka wao, he leo…
Luana Kawelu: Community Builder and Protector of the Merrie Monarch Legacy
By Paula Thomas This year, Luana Kawelu will celebrate 44 years of working with Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center (QLCC). Her area is Keaukaha, and her work supports children up to 18 years of age. Luana manages and coordinates programs that…
Kalapana Remembered: Reminiscing with Mayor Billy Kenoi About his Childhood Home Before Pele Reclaimed It
By Denise Laitinen Kalapana. Synonymous with the destructive power of Madame Pele. Little signs remain of the community that was destroyed by lava flows from Kūpa‘ianahā vent between 1986 and 1990./ Those born in the remote fishing village of Kalapana…
Lighting the Way: Honoka‘a People’s Theatre Ventures into a New Century
By John J. Boyle …Long shot from above right, wide shot closes in on the hand painted marquee… It is 1939, and downtown Mamane street is a walker’s paradise. Soft evening air, light linen shirts and skirts, some kimonos, some…
Healing Plants – Mimosa Pudica: Bothersome Weed has Redeeming Qualities
Invasiveness Designation: PIER (the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk project) has assessed mimosa as invasive and recommends that it not be imported into Hawai‘i and other Pacific Island countries from its native locales. By Barbara Fahs A small, prickly weed…
Managing with Aloha: ‘Ohana
‘Ohana: Those who are family, and those you choose to call your family. As a value, ‘Ohana is a human circle of complete Aloha. Eighth in an ongoing series. By Rosa Say ‘Ohana is a value of strong influence in…
Bruddah Waltah: The Father of Hawaiian Reggae
By Le‘a Gleason It’s amazing—and not surprising—how many people in Starbucks recognize Walter Aipolani. To them, he’s Bruddah Waltah, a 30-year music sensation sometimes called “the father of Hawaiian reggae.” “My family was always into music,” he explains. Walter was…
Managing with Aloha: Ho‘okipa
Ho‘okipa: The value of complete giving. Welcome guests and strangers with your spirit of Aloha. Seventh in an ongoing series. By Rosa Say Several years ago, I walked into a drugstore with my boss and was able to witness his…
This Old/Beautiful House: Maureen’s Bed and Breakfast
By Paula Thomas Tucked away behind dense jungle foliage and invisible from Kalanianaole Street in Keaukaha is one of the most architecturally interesting homes in Hilo. Known to some as the Saiki home, today it is Maureen’s Bed and Breakfast…
Deadly Charms: Creating Beautiful Jewelry from Hawai‘i’s “Fish of Death”
By Denise Laitinen Can you name the “fish of death” in Hawai‘i? Think it’s ciguatera, the foodborne illness found in many parrot and trigger fish? You’d be wrong. Think it’s the feared tiger shark? Guess again. Hawai‘i’s “fish of death,”…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Ka Wai Ola (Honored Waters of Life)
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ae, Kaulana ka wai ola ‘Auhea wale ka wai ola la? I ka uliuli lani, lipo ka honua Noho ke ao ‘Ōpua, kuahiwi ala Aia i laila ka wai ola ē! ‘Auhea wale ka wai ola…
E Ala o Mahi‘ai: The Way of the Farmer
By John J. Boyle Here at a crossroads of two cultures—one immediately challenged by serious food needs and another steeped in a culture of sustainability in exclusion—it is understood that the foods the first Polynesians brought with them on their…
Sounding the Pū: An Echo of the Past Resonates Today
By Catherine Tarleton The tropically iconic conch shell trumpet, or pū, is often seen at the lips of malo-clad beach boys, sounding the start of sunset and tiki torch lighting time. The tradition of the pū is ancient, sending out…
Weaving Kona: Aunty Jo Barney’s Life’s Work
By Kate “Kealani” H. Winter Her hands move with quick certainty taming the narrow lauhala strips into a pattern that often only she can see. Today she is weaving a hat that is going to Mexico when it is finished.…
Every Store Has a Story: Keauhou Store in Hōlualoa
By Margaret Kearns Keauhou Store History Yoshisuke Sasaki was born in Japan in 1885 and immigrated to Honolulu at age 15 to work in construction. He later moved to Kona, earning a living making coffins and building redwood water tanks…
Healing Plants: Pohe Kula
A small wild plant you want to remember By Barbara Fahs Having trouble remembering things? Perhaps you have taken Ginkgo biloba, a popular herbal supplement that is available at health food stores and pharmacies in easy-to-take capsule form. The website…
Fishponds in Hawai‘i: A Small Scale Understanding
By Barbara Fahs Sustainability is a major buzzword today. Growing food, harvesting power from the sun, buying locally produced products to rely less on foreign imports at the supermarket are values and practices that many Americans understand clearly today. Wherever…
Hawaiian Grinds: Homemade ‘Ōpakapaka Laulau
By Sonia R. Martinez The early Hawaiians didn’t have any way of knowing they were in the vanguard of haute cuisine when they came up with the idea of making laulau. The French cook ‘en papillote,’ the Italians ‘in cartoccio,’…
