Beginning in September, the free Malama training sessions have been offered once a month. They are free and open to the public, but NaHHA Executive Director Malia Sanders said the sessions are aimed at hospitality workers. Read more
Growing up on his family’s farm in Manoa Valley, Lawrence Acopan said he learned a lot about life and nature. His father, Elpidio Acopan, is known as the first independent Filipino farmer in the neighborhood, leasing more than 25 acres to grow ti plants, gardenias, banana and other crops. Read more
When asked why he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II, despite racism and prejudice against Japanese Americans at the time, Kenji Ego said it wasn’t even a question in his mind. Read more
When Tom Greenwell first discovered coffee leaf rust on his family’s 85-acre farm in Kealakekua this spring, he said he was devastated. Since then the fourth-generation coffee farmer said the fungus, which has ravaged many other coffee communities worldwide, has spread, popping up in different fields on Greenwell Farms. Read more
The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii has launched virtual tours of its long-standing “Okage Sama De” exhibit. Read more
Growing up on the mainland, Mae Prieto said she wished she’d learned more about the history and stories of Indigenous people during school. So when Prieto, who is Native American and Native Hawaiian, took the reigns of the Oahu Intertribal Council in 2011, she made education one of her priorities. Read more
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Two months into the school year, the state Department of Education has launched a distance-learning program for Hawaiian immersion students. While some say they are grateful to have the option, others say it’s long overdue. Read more
As a kid, David Kekaulike Sing struggled in school. Sing, who grew up in public housing on Oahu, said his teachers told him he’d never get into college because of his low SAT scores and lack of motivation. Read more
Restoring Hawaiian place names and preserving historic sites through stewardship projects are ways two nonprofits plan to incorporate the significance of Native Hawaiian history and culture into the visitor experience. Read more
When canoe races were canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hui Nalu O Hawaii Canoe Club decided to pivot its popular summer youth paddling program to one that weaved in more cultural practices and hands-on learning. When that proved to be a success, head coach Denise Darval-Chang said the club wanted to build on that by offering it again this week during fall break. Read more
Sheila Conant still remembers the morning she heard the song of the Kauai oo. It was 1975, and she and two friends traveled to the Alakai Plateau on Kauai for a one-week bird-watching trip. Read more
Twenty-two grants totaling $11 million will help new and ongoing efforts to support Native Hawaiian college students and Indigenous higher-education programs statewide, officials say. Read more
There is a saying that kumu hula Cody Pueo Pata often refers to: “Strike while the iron is hot.” And when it comes to preserving and protecting Hawaiian culture and hula, Pata said he and many other hula practitioners believe that “right now, the iron is hot.” Read more
When Kahu Kenneth Makuakane discovered documents at the State Archives detailing his great- grandparents’ journey to immigrate to Hawaii from China many years ago, he said finding that connection helped bring them back to life. Read more
Volunteers from various sectors impacted by tourism including hotels, businesses, government agencies, and environmental and cultural organizations spent five months working with HTA officials on the Oahu Destination Management Action Plan. Read more
Officials say more than $28 million in federal funding will help much-needed Native Hawaiian education programs across the state. Read more
As a Native Hawaiian, Oriana Coleman said she feels a strong connection to the aina, knowing that she, her husband and their nine children are growing some of the same plants on their farmland in Waimanalo that her ancestors did many years ago. Read more
In her career, Camille Nelson said she’s been the first too many times — the first female dean of the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law and the first woman and person of color to lead the Suffolk University Law School in Boston. Read more
After teaching thousands of students over the past 45 years, kumu hula Mapuana de Silva of Halau Mohala ‘Ilima said she believes anyone can benefit from hula in some way. Read more
From 2010 to 2020, the percentage growth of the NHPI population on the mainland was nearly double that seen in Hawaii, according to newly released census data. The NHPI population on the mainland grew by 31.6% over the 10-year span, an increase of 127,930 people. Read more
In an effort to improve the health and well-being of Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Filipinos, university and community leaders have partnered to establish a new center. Read more
