Hawaii’s Spirit Guardians
Animal, plant, elemental force, even the substance of dreams-in their different forms, ancestral guides helped to shape the Islands' first culture.
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.
Planted with Purpose
Discover how the nonprofit Maui Nui Botanical Gardens is planting the seeds of today and working to preserve Hawaiian culture for the future.
The Tree of Light
The magnificent kukui, the state tree of Hawai‘i, has brought food, medicine, and both actual and spiritual illumination to generations of Maui residents.
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.
Olelo Hawaii
A revolution is happening in Island schools, as Hawaiian-immersion students find the keys to unlock their culture.
Kino Lau
Hawaiian lore finds the spirit of the divine in the ordinary world.
Fire Goddess
How could we dedicate an issue to all things hot about Hawai‘i and not include Pele? The volcano goddess is as renowned for her fiery passions as for the molten lava with which she creates new land.
Cultivating an Ancient Wisdom
How food is grown, prepared, and used is arguably as important in defining a culture as lineage, language and lore.
Mapping the Human Story
When Elizabeth Lindsey was a child, Hawaiian elders foretold that she would embark on a journey to gather ancient wisdom that could guide future generations.
Renaissance Man: Herb Kāne
Herb Kawainui Kāne has inspired a cultural rebirth.
An Ancient Fishpond Resurfaces
Lānaʻi Waiaʻōpae fishpond once helped feed the island's people. Today it's feeding a hunger for culture.
Old Lāhainā Lūʻau
Dance and music take audiences on a journey through time.
Story by Serene Gunnison
Photographs by Joshua Hardin & Azelan Amundson
A pair of torches scarcely illuminates...
Wayfinders
Polynesians navigate Earth's largest ocean by celestial bodies and seabirds, winds and ocean swells.
Marked
More than skin deep, traditional tattoos link modern Hawaiians to their ancestors.
Finding Their Roots
How two homegrown farmers are working to save the future by looking to the past.
The Rebirth of Makahiki
Maui and her sister islands are reviving one of the most important spiritual times of ancient Hawai‘i: Makahiki.
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.
Ku Mai Ka Hula
Discovering culture through dance.
Painting the Town: Wailuku
A sophisticated public art series reveals Wailuku’s deep aloha.
Slack Key
George Kahumoku Jr.
Maui’s Renaissance man for the Hawaiian Renaissance.
By Peter von Buol with Chris Amundson
It is a beautiful Wednesday evening at Napili Kai Beach...
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Kalo, a legendary plant, has deep roots in Hawaiian culture.
Kaho‘olawe’s Legacy
Now that federal funds to restore "the Target Island" have dried up, Kaho‘olawe's caretakers are scrambling to maintain the work of healing this sacred place.
Keeping Culture Afloat
Maui's winningest canoe club is borrowing lessons from the past to surge ahead.
The Weave of History
In the plaited leaves of the pandanus tree, a lauhala master passes along an ancient tradition.
Beauty in the Bark
Among Polynesians, the Hawaiians of old excelled in the making of kapa. Their distant daughters have begun to reclaim this once-lost ancient art.
Who Are Na Kupuna?
Like the rest of us, Hawaiian mature, age and die. And there the similarity ends.
Lessons from the Past
What can the ancient Hawaiians teach us about preserving today's resources for tomorrow?
