Kepā and Onaona Maly: Saving History
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Sharing stories is what Kepā Maly and his wife Onaona have been doing for almost 40 years now, working as record keepers and cultural historians for the people of Hawai‘i. This dynamic husband and wife team have…
Mālama Mokupuni—Caring for Our Island Environment: Know Your Place
By Rachel Laderman As we celebrate the 50th Earth Day, we are faced with environmental problems that are larger than ever—sea level rise, coral bleaching, extinctions, extreme weather. What can we possibly do in the face of these super-sized challenges? One…
The Art of Stopping the World: Gary Ackerman
By Sara Stover Most people would label their day as a bad one after being stung by a jellyfish. Gary Ackerman classified it as inspiration. Stung during one of his routine morning swims, the Hawai‘i resident and artist behind a…
Keiki Hālau Honors Ancient Hula Legacy
By Karen Valentine Kapono Like one of the glistening orbs in a string of pearls, Pelehonuamea Puku‘i Suganuma Harman joins other daughters and granddaughters of hula dancers in a string of generational legacy that is rare in today’s world. In…
The Road to Recovery Began with a Road
By Stefan Verbano A side of the perched lava channel fed by Fissure Eight collapses, sending a river of pāhoehoe barreling northeast through Leilani Estates toward Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV). By the evening of May 29, 2018, the breakout flow…
Sailing into the Future: Nā Pe‘a Participants Apply Canoe’s Lessons to Life
By Sara Stover “Stay off the rocks,” Kalani Nakoa instructs his young crew. The wind is light out of the west as they launch one of the three 26-foot single-hull canoes from Kīholo Bay. Within minutes, the wind shifts to…
Featured Artists: Diane Tunnell & David Gallegos
Cover Artist: Diane Tunnell Diane Tunnell was born in Billings, Montana. She grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and Littleton, Colorado. Her dream at age five was to become an artist. She studied art at Colorado State University, received a BA…
The Meditative Nature of Carving Stone
By Karen Valentine Kapono For sculptor Fred Soriano, it’s a working partnership with the stone sculpture he is crafting that is both difficult and peaceful. Contemplating his creations, you get that impression yourself. Where did that stone come from and…
Mission. Quest. Obligation. Love affair. Award-Winning Photographers on Hawai‘i Island
By Catherine Tarleton Daredevils, geologists, surf and ski bums, travelers, divers, authors, artists, and poets with pictures, Hawai‘i Island’s award-winning photographers are known around the world. These intrepid souls will go—sometimes literally—to any heights and depths to capture their spectacular…
‘Iolani Luahine Festival Honors and Perpetuates Hula Tradition
By Tiffany DeMasters ‘Iolani Luahine was more than just a hula dancer—she was a storyteller and teacher who shared and perpetuated the traditions of ancient Hawai‘i. “It was like at times she became whatever she was dancing. You could really…
The Gift of Trees: Hilo Nursery Arboretum
By Brittany P. Anderson In the heart of Hilo, between the old downtown and new city center, sits the Hilo Nursery Arboretum. As cars bustle along Kīlauea Avenue, a chicken shuttles her chicks to gather under the shade of one…
How One Boy’s Wish Benefits Thousands: The Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation
By Fern Gavelek A nine-year-old boy has left a legacy that’s been helping Hawai‘i Island’s needy families since 1999. To date, the Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation has personally touched approximately 4,000 families, affecting 15,000 underprivileged keiki (children) and 500 kūpuna…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Kings’ Shops
Kings’ Shops opened in December 1991 as part of development associated with the Waikoloa Resort on the Kohala Coast. It was the first retail center, following the opening of hotels and golf courses. Roy’s was one of the first restaurants,…
Stan Kaina: The Voice that Connected to the Aloha in Us All
By Sara Stover Hula dancer Pi‘ilani Rodrigues of Hilo passed by the enduring trees of Banyan Drive, their roots descending from thick branches towards the ground below. Heavenly music floated out of Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel, carried into the…
Look For The Helpers: How Hawaii Tracker Became a Pivotal Community Resource
By Denise Laitinen Mr. Rogers, the beloved children’s TV show host, is known for saying, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You…
ʽĀhua A ‘Umi Heiau: King ‘Umi’s Legacy
By Sara Stover Across a high plateau between Maunaloa and Hualālai lie numerous ‘āhua (stone piles) that appear to be the remains of an ancient structure. The man who initiated the building of this heiau was more than the commoner…
Aunty BJ Pa: Tahitian Dance Pioneer Paved the Way
By Tiffany DeMasters 82-year-old Betty Jane “BJ” Pa is the perfect role model for helping kūpuna (elders) live their lives to the fullest, as she continues to fulfill her passion as a hula dancer, despite her own health issues, and…
Preserving Natural Resources by Protecting Native Forests
By Sara Stover When Maunaloa erupted in 1926, it was impossible to stop the lava from destroying much of the forest found within what is the modern-day Kona Hema Preserve. Stopping bulldozers and building plans from taking their toll on…
Keeping up With Kapa: Jani K. Puakea Fisher
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Pre-contact Hawaiian kapa was some of the most exquisitely made barkcloth in the entire world. After contact, cotton muslin and other fabrics were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by settlers, and the intricate art of kapa making…
Malama Mokupuni—Caring for Our Island Environment: Invasive or Essential? A Rare Moth Depends on a Roadside Weed
By Rachel Laderman A tiny shining orb on the underside of a leaf—is it the egg of an endangered, endemic moth? A team of volunteers systematically turns over every leaf on tree tobacco shrubs along a transect near Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Forest…
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…
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…
Celebrating a Long Time Advertiser: Keauhou Shopping Center
Keauhou Shopping Center, known as “Kona’s legendary gathering place,” is the centerpiece of the Keauhou Resort. A modern getaway surrounded by rich Hawaiian history, this legendary retail destination in Kailua-Kona offers shopping, dining, services, and entertainment for all. The eclectic…
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…
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,…
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…
Charlene Asato is All About Paper
By Lynne Farr Paper is only paper until it’s in the hands of Charlene Asato—then it’s art—or it will be. Charlene is going to cut, fold, emboss, dye, draw, twist, collage, letter, shred, sew, paint, pierce, pleat, print, paste, and…
The Right Thing to Do, in Real Time
By Judy Edwards Ken Boyer is a big guy with a big heart and a kind voice, who carries a camera as one of his passions. He grew up in Volcano and lives there still with his wife, Deb, and…