Hawaiian Culture

Hawaiian culture stories published by Maui No Ka Oi Magazine.

olena

Hawaiian Turmeric

Turmeric is prized around the world for its yellow color, bold flavor, and medicinal properties. When Polynesian voyagers first sailed to Hawai‘i, they brought the pungent herb with them.
checking opihi populations

Clinging to Survival

In rural East Maui, two communities are taking a stand to conserve a weird wild food — and with it, a part of their culture.
Polipoli farms Lehia and Brad

Finding Their Roots

How two homegrown farmers are working to save the future by looking to the past.
Wailuku Maui murals

Painting the Town: Wailuku

A sophisticated public art series reveals Wailuku’s deep aloha.
red sweet li hing mui on maui

Li Hing Mui: Hawaii’s Favorite Snack

Li hing mui is a favorite Hawaii snack. Lehia shares her top 10 ways to eat this salty sweet treat.
Waiopae Fishpond Lanai Hawaii

An Ancient Fishpond Resurfaces

Lānaʻi Waiaʻōpae fishpond once helped feed the island's people. Today it's feeding a hunger for culture.
taro farming

An Appetite for Culture + VIDEO

How Maui farmers are cultivating ancient wisdom to feed a population—and a hunger for culture.
Hawaiian clothing

Wrapped in Tradition

This story straddles centuries to look at authentic Hawaiian clothing prior to Western contact, and how three young Hawaiian entrepreneurs are incorporating ancient meanings, patterns, and knowledge into their contemporary apparel.
Haleakala Crater

Into the House of the Sun

A millennium before Haleakala became a national park, Hawaiians traversed its moonscape crater. On the park’s centennial, we reprise that journey.
Hawaiian immersion schools

Olelo Hawaii

A revolution is happening in Island schools, as Hawaiian-immersion students find the keys to unlock their culture.
Hana fishermen

Sustaining Culture in Hāna

Hāna’s families teach acclaimed chefs about living off the land—and remind themselves what it means to be Hawaiian.

Written in Stone

A historic site yields clues to Maui’s ancient culture

Ku Mai Ka Hula

Discovering culture through dance.
Hawaiian taro

Cultivating an Ancient Wisdom

How food is grown, prepared, and used is arguably as important in defining a culture as lineage, language and lore.
Maui girls canoe club

Keeping Culture Afloat

Maui's winningest canoe club is borrowing lessons from the past to surge ahead.
garden heiau maui

The Heiau in the Garden

On Maui's remote eastern shore, a long-hidden archeological treasure recalls the majesty of an ancient kingdom.
Lahaina

Resurrecting Moku‘ula

Bit by bit, archeologists are uncovering a forgotten island where kings once ruled and a sacred lizard kept watch.
Gordean Bailey

Island Royalty

Kumu hula and lei maker, Gordean Bailey has spent a lifetime sharing the culture of aloha.
kure atoll albatross

Our Kūpuna Islands

Kūpuna (ancestor) islands form the core of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Ian Cole, Breadfruit Institute

Breadfruit

As it turns out, one breadfruit can feed a family, and one variety a people. Packed in coconut-husk fiber and dry leaves, ‘ulu accompanied the Polynesian voyagers in their canoes bound for Hawai‘i.
Ni'ihau shell lei

The “Flowers” of Niʻihau

From tiny shells that wash ashore on this forbidden island come priceless treasures.
Hawaiian sweat lodge

A Healthy Sweat

Explore the sacred space of a Hawaiian sweat lodge.
Hawaiian games

Games Hawaiians Play

Children of Hawaii play traditional island games in the spirit of Makahiki. Ancient cultural competitions in connection with the festival and its meaning.
Lanai Hawaiian island

To Know Lāna‘i Once Again

Kepā Maly is restoring authenticity to the stories of the island he loves.
kumulipo

Into the Source

Hawai'i's creation chant weaves together threads of ancient Hawaiian thought--heady science, deep spiritualism, and tantalizing innuendo.
voyaging canoe maui

Birth of a Canoe

After nearly two decades in dry dock, the first oceangoing traditional voyaging canoe, Mo‘okiha o Pi‘ilani, embarked on its maiden voyage from Mala Wharf in Lahaina on July 11.
kalo field

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Kalo, a legendary plant, has deep roots in Hawaiian culture.