Raising Mo‘okiha
Long ago, voyaging canoes brought humanity to these islands. A modern version will soon set sail, carrying that ancient culture into the future.
The Thousand-year-old Gift
Hawaiian culture evolved over millennia, then almost disappeared after Western contact. Maui's cultural advisors are committed to bringing it back.
Hawaiian Cosmos
How did Hawaiians use the stars?
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.
Kapa: Fabric of a Culture
Pua Van Dorpe has spent a lifetime pursuing her passion—reclaiming this ancient and lost Hawaiian art
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...
Social Structure: Hawaiian Hale
Indigenous architecture was shaped by—and helped to shape—life in early Hawai‘i. Descendants of the Islands’ first people are building on that foundation.
Kapa: More to Learn
See all eleven kapa Pua Van Dorpe created to honor ancient Maui chiefs, and read their stories.
Ku Mai Ka Hula
Discovering culture through dance.
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.
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.
Finding Their Roots
How two homegrown farmers are working to save the future by looking to the past.
Kipahulu Kitchen
From the beginning, the idea was that “it would become an anchor for the whole community.”
Healing Across Generations
Following the ancient practices of our ancestors has restored a missing piece—healing across generations.
Olowalu’s Gift
This West Maui valley witnessed some of the island's most turbulent history. Now it's helping to redeem the past.
The Feather Lei
An ancient art, as delicate as it is beautiful, has outlived the kings who once claimed it as their own.
Island Royalty
Kumu hula and lei maker, Gordean Bailey has spent a lifetime sharing the culture of aloha.
Olelo Hawaii
A revolution is happening in Island schools, as Hawaiian-immersion students find the keys to unlock their culture.
The Weapon Maker’s Art
Wood and cordage, tooth and bone are used to recreate the ancient Hawaiian instruments of war. A modern weapons maker finds connection to a culture.
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.
Pohaku
You and I are older than the stones along the Puna shoreline. These stones started just a few years ago as gobs of lava from Pele’s current eruption, gobs that dripped into the sea only to be tumbled and polished then lobbed back onto the shore.
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.
The Future of Kalo
If Hawaiian kalo (taro) is in danger, is genetic modification the answer?
Lono’s Season
Teya Penniman explores the cultural significance and modern practices of Makahiki season in Hawaii. Learn about this sacred celebration in honor of Lono.
Hidden in the Names
Place names in Hawai‘i often carry rich cultural or historical meaning, but rarely is the origin story clear.
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Kalo, a legendary plant, has deep roots in Hawaiian 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...
