Hawaiian Islands Land Trust: A Legacy of Land
By Brittany P. Anderson There is a place on Hawai‘i Island where clouds come down from the sky to walk amongst the trees. Noe kolo (creeping mist) overcomes the jungle as an ‘i‘iwi (scarlet honeycreeper) call rings out—its location masked…
“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…
From Kapa to Kalo: Bernice Akamine
By Karen Valentine As an artist, Bernice Akamine has gone far beyond the basic skills of applying artistic talent to media. When one reaches the pinnacles of art, one has put heart and soul into practice, not to mention, as…
Letting the Bees Be: A Simple, Sustainable Approach to Bee Farming
By Sara Stover Can bees smell fear, or is this a myth? The Bee Boys are the ones to ask, with their noses inches away from hundreds of wild honeybees on a daily basis. The Bee Boys are Kevin O’Connor…
Creative Filmmaking on Hawai’i Island
By Ma’ata Tukuafu Beautiful and diverse Hawai‘i Island, with its verdant rainforests, black sand beaches, and seasonally white-capped mountains, has been showcased in many films made over the years. From 1918’s The Hidden Pearls to the most current film productions,…
Ka Wehena: Kaulana Ni‘ihau Noho Mehameha
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ae, Kaulana Ni‘ihau Noho Mehameha Kaulana Ni‘ihau noho mehameha Aia Kawaihoa, Poli o Lehua Pi‘i a‘ela ‘o Paniau uka ala Alaka‘i Ni‘ihau, Mokuola ēNoho Ni‘ihau i Kauanaulu Pu‘uwai Aloha o ka ‘Ohana Ho‘omana Ni‘ihau i Pu‘uwai…
A Taste of Hawai’i Island’s Vanilla Industry: Anything but Plain
By Brittany P. Anderson As the day’s first light sneaks over the horizon, a light green orchid blooms in a tangle of vines. A flurry of activity buzzes around the flower. With a swift hand, the orchid is pollinated, ready…
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…
Managing with Aloha: Ready, Steady, Pono!
“Rightness and balance. The feeling of contentment when all is good and right.” Nineteenth in Series Two on Managing with Aloha By Rosa Say In Managing with Aloha’s first edition, I stated, “Pono is rightness and balance.” I made a…
Cool for the Summer: Vanilla Lemonade Granita with Whipped Banana Cream
By Brittany P. Anderson Lemonade is the official drink of summer. When I was 11 years old, my sister and I briefly had a lemonade stand. We sold cups of lemonade during rush hour when cars were stopped in traffic on our street. She…
Mālama Mokupuni—Caring for Our Island Environment: Saving ‘Oha Wai—How a Rare Hawaiian Plant Has Been Given Life
By Rachel Laderman “When we think something is gone and we find it again—there aren’t adequate words to describe it,” says Rob Robichaux, University of Arizona professor and rare plant recovery collaborator. “It’s beyond thrilling.” In about 1999, the last…
4-H Clubs Inspire Kids “To Do”
By Fern Gavelek “It teaches kids life skills…It led me in the right direction and helped me while going through teenage moments…It offers projects for positive youth development…It enables kids to master a skill and chart their own direction…” What…
Russell Ruderman: A Lifetime of Adventure and Purpose
By Lara Hughes Many of us know Russell Ruderman as a Hawai‘i State Senator and owner of the local Island Naturals stores. What many of us may not know is Russell’s background, and how he arrived on Hawai‘i Island. Starting…
Heart and Memory: An Old Plantation Store Still Serves Community
By Catherine Tarleton The 1930s were boom years for the sugarcane industry. Kohala Sugar Company, a giant consolidation of seven sugar mills in North Kohala (Kohala, Union, Niuli‘i, Hawi, Halawa, Hō‘ea, and Star) employed 600 people, and produced 45,000 tons…
Louise Hawkins: A Centenarian and World Angler
By Paula Thomas How many people do you know who are 100 years old and I.G.F.A. World Record holders? Hawai‘i Island resident Louise Hawkins is in both rarefied categories. Louise’s past is rich with stories of exploits with all kinds…
Leche de Tigre: Celebrating 10 Years of Dancing and Grooving
By Karen Rose The Island of Hawai‘i is no stranger to those who love to wander. One trip to paradise can easily leave visitors yearning for a free and spirited life filled with palm trees and warm breezes. This bohemian…
Hawai’i Island Is the Orchid Isle
By Denise Laitinen There was a time when fields of orchids covered wide swaths of East Hawai‘i, especially Kapoho in lower Puna. So popular were orchid flowers from Hawai‘i Island in the 1950s and 1960s that they were shipped to…
Managing with Aloha: Nānā i ke kumu Truth
“Look to your source. Find your truth.” Eighteenth in Series Two on Managing with Aloha By Rosa Say When we first talked about Nānā i ke kumu in this column, we concentrated on the first part of its translation, “look…
Local Food: The Gift of Kalo, with a Recipe for Taro Greens and Feta Phyllo Triangles
By Brittany P. Anderson Something stirs inside of me with each writing assignment, yet diving deep into kalo (taro) farming on Hawai‘i Island for this issue felt a little more profound. Waipi‘o Valley in its truest untamed form is a…
The Waimea Arts Council: Art at the Heart of Waimea
By Jan Wizinowich At the intersection of Mamalahoa Highway and Kawaihae Road is a cluster of small buildings at the heart of old Waimea and the home of the Waimea Arts Council (WAC). With its double doors flung wide open,…
Future Forest Nursery: Say YES to Planting Trees
By Fern Gavelek “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”—Khalil Gibran Trees make us look up. Their canopy provides shade and collects rain to replenish the watershed. Their roots sequester carbon, mitigating global warming, and store rain…
Hōkū Pa‘a: The North Star of Melodic Harmonies
By Gayle Kaleilehua Greco Sitting in the ancient petroglyph fields at Waikoloa, Tani Waipā looked to the heavens for guidance on what was to be her next step in life. In moments of deep reflection and trust, Tani scanned the…
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…
Refuse–Reduce–Reuse–Recycle: Doing Our Part
By Stefan Verbano The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Soiled plastic foam takeout containers fly out of a dumpster and whip through the streets on gusts from the tail end of a tropical storm. Some get caught in trees, on fences,…
Hawai‘i Island’s Most Prolific Church Builder: Rev. John D. Paris
By Denise Laitinen Dotting the landscape along main highways and backcountry roads, historic churches in West Hawai‘i range from small wooden chapels to impressive stone structures. It may surprise people to learn the same man, the Reverend John D. Paris,…
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…
Try Look Inside: Yvonne and Keoki Carters’ Artistic Life
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu A life with deeper connection is what husband and wife team Yvonne Yarber Carter and Keoki Apokolani Carter strive for. With their creation of original music, their professions in land-based cultural education to steward native plants, trees,…
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…
Mālama Mokupuni–Caring for Our Island Environment: Telling the Story of the Archipelago
By Rachel Laderman When the 6.9 earthquake rocked Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 4, 2018, it seriously damaged park buildings and infrastructure. The park had to close until the volcanic action settled down, reopening on September 22. During those…
