Island Treasures: Ginger Sandell
How many people have you known who could create fine art as well as they “crunch numbers?” Ginger Sandell can do both, and do them well! Fully retired from her CPA career in 2020, Ginger is finally able to focus…
Battered by Life, the Rescued Livestock at FPG Have Found Sanctuary
By Stefan Verbano Eve the sheep lived an action-packed life before coming to the sanctuary. She spent her early years frolicking through green pastures of her lower Puna homestead, until her peaceful existence was shattered in 2018 by the massive…
Hank Fergerstrom’s Indomitable Spirit
By Ana Kahoopii and Tanya Yamanaka Unko Hank sits at an empty picnic table near the King Kamehameha statue on Hilo’s bayfront, the sun shining on this Valentine’s Day morn. The gold bodice of Kamehameha glitters behind him; the King’s…
Sonny’s Healing Journey Began with Music
By Carole Gariepy If you’ve stopped at Punalu‘u Bakery in Nā‘ālehu on a Thursday or Saturday, you’ve likely had the pleasure of enjoying the mellow music of Sonny Ramos. His Hawaiian and American melodies fill the air and provide an…
Hope for Honu: Green Sea Turtles on the Road to Recovery
By Rachel Laderman with Irene Kelly Four decades ago, the sight of honu (green sea turtles) in near-shore Hawaiian waters was rare. Since then, the honu population—once devastated by harvesting practices—has rebounded thanks to state and federal protections. Today, it…
Hawaiian Hospitality with Hilo’s Songbird Christy Lassiter
By Nancy Kahalewai Since the 1800s, many different types of music have deeply and permanently influenced Hawaiian music. European folk songs and orchestras, Christian hymns, Portuguese ‘ukulele and Spanish steel guitars, Mexican ranchera and Puerto Rican rhythms, American musicals and…
Waipi‘o Valley: A Cultural Kipuka
By Jan Wizinowich It’s December 22, 2021 and Kūlia Kauhi Tolentino Potter greets volunteers from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) at the Waipi‘o Valley lookout. It’s pouring rain and a work day is looking doubtful, but they are full of…
Students Learn, Grow Food, Eat at School Culinary Gardens
By Fern Gavelek Itʻs all about “connecting the dots to textbooks while making learning delicious.” That’s how Patti Cook, community development director of Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School, describes the Māla‘ai Culinary Garden. Started in 2003 through a community…
Elizabeth Theriault’s Journey with the Drum—A Pathway of Heart
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu When Elizabeth Theriault moved to Hawai‘i in 1985 with her husband and son, she came with eagerness to integrate into the Hawaiian culture. Elizabeth, a lifelong creative artist, grew up in a diverse multi-cultural family of hunters,…
Ikaika no Kohala: A Community Connects through Story and Art
By Jan Wizinowich When the historic Kohala Village HUB’s (KVH) main building was lost to fire in March 2019, a heart center of the community vanished. A year later Covid hit, disrupting community connections. These dual tragedies inspired folks at…
Savoring the Moment with Kailee Spark
By Sara Stover It was 1997 and Kailee Spark was sitting in a sunny patch on the floor in her California home, listening to her parents’ CD Wacky Favorites over and over. The more that little, sapphire-eyed Kailee played the…
Makahiki at Mālamalama
By Stefan Verbano Students at Mālamalama Waldorf School in Kea‘au will ring in the Makahiki season a little differently this year. Gone will be the crowds of spectators, the buffet tables groaning under the weight of steaming pots of taro…
A Wa‘a Named La‘i‘ōpua
By Gayle Kaleilehua Greco Being birthed on the ‘āina of Hawaiian homelands at the Villages of La‘i‘ōpua in Kailua-Kona is a wa‘a (canoe) by the same name, La‘i‘ōpua. Not since the Makali‘i was constructed in 1993, has there been an…
One Hawaiian Voice: Kimo Pihana
By Karen Valentine It is truly rare to know a pure-blood kanaka ma‘oli (native) today, as most Hawaiian koko (blood) is mixed with that of many other heritages. Kimo Keli‘i Ka‘aha‘aina Pihana is a 100-percent Hawaiian man. Much of Kimo’s…
The Fate of Ahu‘ailā‘au ~ Shrine of the Forest Eater
By Stefan Verbano Every footstep crunches on the way to the summit. A strange, brittle ash coats the land, heaped in golden hills in some places; in others cut away by rivulets of erosion from three years of tropical rainstorms.…
Welcome to the Lava Zone
By Brittany P. Anderson It’s hard to forget that day—May 3, 2018. The ground shook and cracked open, slowly blanketing land and homes, smothering dreams and spitting out steam. Then, the molten orange lava burst free, weaving a path of…
Featured Artists: Suzanne Dix-Kaliko and Tim Wright
Featured Cover Artist: Suzanne Dix-Kaliko Suzanne Dix-Kaliko was 18 when her high school art teacher gifted her a set of oils and she began to paint. Raised in a small town in western New York, Suzanne was always an artist.…
Through the Wide Lens of Kornelius Schorle
By Stefan Verbano Kornelius Schorle deals in postcards from the past. Peering through his camera lens, working with the care and patience of a master craftsman, he has preserved forever—in saturated colors—beloved Hawai‘i Island places that will never be seen…
Two Artists Transform Trash into Treasure
By Karen Valentine When two artists each blend their creative talents with their passion for the environment, magic can happen. For both Kat Crabill and Mattie Mae Larson, growing up in Hawai‘i meant falling in love with the ocean—only to…
Talking Hula with Kumu Aloha Victor
By Karen Valentine The conversation begins with a hug, even in the time of COVID-19. This serious kumu hula (hula teacher) tests himself regularly, not only for the health of himself and his students, but in life itself. After entering…
Aunty Aloha Shares the Gifts of Ho‘oponopono
By Catherine Tarleton It’s all experience. Have you ever thought you were doing something for somebody, and it turns out they’re actually doing something for you? That’s what happened with this writer and Allysyn “Aunty Aloha” Ahuna Bezilla, grandmother, devout…
Stories in the Stars: Constellations Hawaiian Style
By Leilehua Yuen In January, four of Leilehua Yuen’s paintings of Hawaiian constellations were put on display in the Visitor Information Station of the Ellison Onizuka Center for International Astronomy. She began research for the illustrations more than 20 years…
Featured Artists: Linda Rowell Stevens & Barbara Hanson
Cover Artist: Linda Rowell Stevens Linda Rowell Stevens moved to Hawai‘i in 1978, at age 21. She began her art career as an artist doll maker, selling her dolls in galleries. Her dolls were award-winning—even shown in a Los Angeles…
Hāwane Rios Shares Her Soul’s Purpose
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu The first time Hāwane Rios fully comprehended a legend told in the Hawaiian language, it touched her so deeply that she wrote a song to remember it. It is the love story between Poli‘ahu (goddess of the…
Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry: Helping Hearts, Serving Our Community
By Lara Hughes Helping people is a common theme that both John and Theresa Kaiwi have enjoyed throughout their lives. Theresa and John run Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry, in Hilo. John graduated from Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawai‘i at…
Hawaiian Naming Traditions: A Cultural Legacy
By Jan Wizinowich According to Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language professor Dr. Larry Kimura, Hawaiian language was and still is a “treasure house embedded with the whole way of seeing the world. It adds to the…
The Bray ‘Ohana—A Talented Family’s Deep Connection
By Catherine Tarleton The story of the Bray ‘ohana reaches back through generations—from Hawai‘i, back to Tahiti, back to ancient knowledge, history, culture, and wisdom. “I have a book written by my great-grandfather,” says Lelehua Bray, hula teacher, travel professional,…
Tūtū Lanakila Manini: A Hula Gem and Hawaiian Music Renaissance Torchbearer
By Lara Hughes Hose Lanakila Manini, known to many affectionately as Tūtū (grandpa) “Kila” Manini, has been singing and playing Hawaiian music for more than 50 years. Kila, who turns 89 in 2020, got his musical start in 1966 in…
Kai ‘Ehitu: An Outrigger Team Remembers Its Roots and Its Papa
By Sara Stover “Never forget your roots,” Puamaile Kimitete insists. Her mother Augustine, sister Healani, and brother Richard all nod their heads in agreement. “Even though he lived in Hawai‘i for over three decades, Papa never forgot his Tahitian roots.”…
Kathleen Abood Creates Purpose, Connects to Imagination Through Art
By Fern Gavelek One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure. This saying rings true for Kathleen Abood, who collects treasures to create art with intention. “I’ve always made stuff out of what I have on hand,” muses the Kailua-Kona resident.…