Hawaiian Culture

Hawaiian culture stories published by Maui No Ka Oi Magazine.

Hawaiian sweat lodge

A Healthy Sweat

Explore the sacred space of a Hawaiian sweat lodge.
Hawaiian moon calendar phases

Hawaiian Moon Calendar

In its wax and wane, Hawaiians of old found the secrets to sustainable living.

Home, Thatched Home

Virtually extinct for over a century, hale—traditional Hawaiian houses—are making a comeback with the new millennium.
Hawaiian healing

Healing Across Generations

Following the ancient practices of our ancestors has restored a missing piece—healing across generations.
Hawaiian kapa

Kapa: More to Learn

See all eleven kapa Pua Van Dorpe created to honor ancient Maui chiefs, and read their stories.
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.
Honokowai Valley

A Valley Back in Time

Dedicated volunteers are restoring the remains of a once-thriving Native Hawaiian village in Honokowai Valley—from the sticks to the stones.
Polynesian explorers

Wayfinders

Polynesians navigate Earth's largest ocean by celestial bodies and seabirds, winds and ocean swells.
Lanai Hawaiian island

To Know Lāna‘i Once Again

Kepā Maly is restoring authenticity to the stories of the island he loves.
Hawaiian canoe carver

A Carver of Canoes

Using ancient navigation techniques as a guide, master woodworker Keola Sequeira breathes new life into the ancient art of canoe building right here on Maui.
lobelia grayana

Behold the Lobelia

The Lobelia Grayana is an endangered lavender flower that grows in Waikamoi Preserve on Maui. Ancient Hawaiians called this plant opelu.
Hawaiian pau riders

Pa‘u Riders

Hawaiian pa'u riders carry on an exuberant tradition, bedecking both horse and rider with flowers and fine fabrics.
Taro in Maui

Taro for Sale and I’m Buying!

Purchase rare varieties of taro while supporting Maui Nui Botanical Gardens.

Ku Mai Ka Hula

Discovering culture through dance.
Ho‘olawa Farm

Explore Further: Native Knowledge from Ho’olawa Farms

Learn the traditional uses for native plants nurtured by Anna Palomino at Ho‘olawa Farms in Haiku.
'Ukulele

Jumping Flea

'Ukulele entertainer and master teacher Walter Kawa'i'aea keeps the beat of Hawaiian music.
kumulipo

Into the Source

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

Hale Pa’i

One hundred seventy-four years ago, Maui's first print shop published the first Hawaiian-language newspaper...and launched a small revolution.
Hawaii Big Island Lava Flow

The Road to Pele + VIDEO

What is it like to live next to a volcano?
Olowalu Maui

Olowalu’s Gift

This West Maui valley witnessed some of the island's most turbulent history. Now it's helping to redeem the past.
Maui voyaging canoe

Now, Voyager

Seventeen years in the making, the Hawaiian modern day voyaging canoe Mo‘okiha O Piilani will set sail on December 21 during the winter solstice.
shearwaters

Watch out for Wedgies!

Wedge-tailed shearwaters spend the majority of their lives at sea, where they feed on baitfish and squid. They return to Hawai'i each spring to nest.
oli hawaiian chant

Giving Voice to a Culture

For more than a millennium, Hawaii relied on was an oral culture. It’s not mere chance that the spoken word has regained its importance today.
pono

Pono

By reviving ancient Hawaiian practices, modern conservationists hope to save the forests and the seas of the future.
Alala Hawaiian Crow

The Call of the ‘Alala

Ancient Hawaiian Chanters used the unique sounds of the Alala, Hawaiian crow, to broadcast messages in battle. Currently they are extinct in the wild.
makahiki

The Rebirth of Makahiki

Maui and her sister islands are reviving one of the most important spiritual times of ancient Hawai‘i: Makahiki.
Hawaiian art

Making it Maoli

What defines art as Hawaiian? The answer may lie as deep as one’s DNA.