Forty-six public, private, and charter schools on Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi advanced through school, district, and state-level Hawaiʻi History Day competitions to earn the opportunity to compete at the national level.

Under this year’s History Day theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History,” students were tasked with choosing a topic, conducting extensive research, and then presenting their thesis and evidence through exhibits, documentaries, websites, performances, or essays.

Students explored narratives of tensions between what people are entitled to and what they owe to others or society, which have often led to turning points in history.

Winning first place in the national competition, Abigail Gomez and Lillian Tao from Waiākea High School created a project called “The Thalidomide Tragedy: The Importance of Manufacturing Responsibility, Consumer Safety, and the Birth of Modern Drug Regulation and Consumer Rights.” They won the Group Website Division.

“Thalidomide became widely used by pregnant women because it marketed as a cure for morning sickness and was prescribed by doctors,” Gomez said. “Even after the company received multiple warnings of thalidomide being linked to birth defects, they continued to market the drug, paid no mind to these warnings, and refused to take responsibility.”

“This was an abuse of marketing rights, and because of the devastating effects, multiple consumer safety rights were put into effect, leading to safe practices today,” Gomez continued.

The duo decided to pursue this complicated but important tragedy in history because they are both interested in going into the medical field, with Gomez interested in oncology and Tao in pediatrics.

“For me, the best part of doing this project was being able to expand my knowledge on a very important part of history that tied into my interests,” Gomez said. “It was a huge tragedy that affected so many people, but without it, our pharmaceutical practices may not have changed to have stricter regulations.”

Hawaiʻi also had four students presenting two projects in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at a special “In Language There Is Life: I ka ‘ōlelo nō ke ola” showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The projects were displayed at the University of Maryland, College Park, on June 9 and at the museum on June 11.

In 2019, Hawaiʻi became the first and only state to have a History Day category for projects completely created and judged in an Indigenous language, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

During their time in Washington, D.C., Hawaiʻi students saw the places they have most likely only seen in media. While visiting the Capitol, they met all four of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegates and gained insights into public service and the political process. Students were also able to take in the important history on display at the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

“The experience in D.C. was so much fun. We met students from other islands, states, and countries and enjoyed exploring the monuments and museums in our small group,” Gomez said. “The award ceremony was also fun, and it was cool to see the number of students from around the country and the world who participated.”

Hawaiʻi History Day was started by the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities as a state affiliate of National History Day in 1990. In 2025, 865 students and 89 teachers from 44 schools on five islands submitted 558 projects to district- and state-level competitions.

While the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities was concerned about funding for the annual program, Hawaiʻi History Day is set to continue as normal in the 2025–2026 school year.

Gomez and Tao, along with other Hawaiʻi winners, are listed below:

• National 1st Place – Senior Group Website
• Abigail Gomez and Lillian Tao from Waiakea High School
  • “The Thalidomide Tragedy: The Importance of Manufacturing Responsibility, Consumer Safety, and the Birth of Modern Drug Regulation and Consumer Rights”
  • Ishael Shaw-De Mello and Sean Wagner, teachers
• National 1st Place – Senior Individual Performance
• Keilani Kajiyama Moses from Kahuku High and Intermediate School
  • “Defending Rights, Embracing Responsibility: Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga’s Pursuit of Justice for Japanese Internees”
  • Caitlin Albert, teacher
• National 2nd Place – Senior Individual Documentary
• Kalamakūokanaʻauao Crabbe from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus
  • “The Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana’s Fight for Kohe Malamalama O Kanaloa’s Rights”
  • Sarah Razee, teacher
    • Razee also received a Teacher of Distinction award from the National Maritime Historical Society for her guidance to Crabbe
• National 5th Place – Junior Group Exhibit
• Ofa-Ki-Tonga Nonu, Malie Levi, and Tafailagi Lafaele from Lā‘ie Elementary
  • “The Polynesian Panthers Had Enough”
  • Serena Tuliloa, Colleen Spring, Kaitlin DeMartini, teachers
• Honorable Mention – Junior Group Website
• Isabella Ooka and Sofia Ooka from Waiakea Intermediate School
  • Love Canal: The Toxic Legacy of a Forgotten Disaster”
• Honorable Mention – Junior Individual Documentary
• Margot Little from Kahuku High and Intermediate School
  • “Racing Towards Gender Equality: The Boston Marathon and Beyond”
• Honorable Mention – Senior Group Performance
• Sijin Chen and Kainoa Kelly from Iolani School
  • “The Weight of Crowns: The Rights and Responsibilities of Winston Churchill in WWII”
• Honorable Mention – Senior Group Exhibit
• Alicia Duenas and Jackson Savala from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus
  • “Raising Voices, Changing Schools: Chicano Student Activism”
• Showcase Selections – ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Senior Individual Website
• Puaokekoʻolau Kahihikolo from Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Public Charter School
  • “Ke Kīpeku ʻAna Ma Ke Awāwa ʻo Mākua”
  • Māhealani Lono, kumu
• Showcase Selections – ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi Senior Group Exhibit
• Pristine Pullman, Chukashali Smith, A’hari Gonzalez from Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Kekaulike
  • “Ke Koikoi o ke Kapu o Mauna Kea”
  • Kapolei Kiili, kumu
• Showcase Selections – ʻŌlelo Hawai‘i Junior Individual Documentary
• Kilolani Smith from Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Public Charter School
  • “Nā Pono Lawaiʻa ma Hawaiʻi: Ko Kākou Kuleana e Mālama”
  • Kaimana Kawaha, kumu

More information for Hawaiʻi History Day and Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities can be found at https://hihumanities.org/.

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, celebrated the return of the sacred ‘ahu‘ula (feathered cape), which the chief wore in the Battle of Kuamoʻo in North Kona in 1819.

The return is being carried out under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The cape was housed at the Smithsonian Museum.

During a recent ceremony at the museum’s Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, Hawai‘i leaders highlighted the bravery and leadership exhibited by Kekuaokalani and the example he has set for our leaders to follow. The cape has since been escorted back to the state and will be temporarily housed at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park until the full repatriation process has concluded.

“This is about more than just complying with federal law — it’s about doing what is right, and respecting and preserving Native Hawaiian cultural heritage,” said Schatz. “I’m grateful to the cultural practitioners, descendants, and leaders who fought to make this rightful return happen. We must keep up the work and the pressure to bring ancestral remains and cultural items back home.”

The 1819 battle marked a pivotal turning point in Hawaiian history, ending the traditional kapu system that governed almost every aspect of daily life on the islands.

Following performances for Miss Aloha Hula on Thursday, the 2025 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival continued Friday with 20 hālau showcasing kahiko, or the ancient hula.

Groups took to the stage at the open-air Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium in Hilo, where men and women performed oli (chants) and hula, telling stories that honor the places and people of Hawai‘i.

Out of Hilo, Hālau Hula ‘O Kahikilaulani, under the direction of Kumu Nāhōkūokalani Gaspang, performed the kahiko mele “He ʻĀina Maikaʻi Aʻo Waipiʻo.” The dancers conveyed the beauty of the valley and its waterfall, Hi‘ilawe.

In celebration of 50 years of teaching hula, Kumu Robert Uluwehionāpuaikawēkiuokalani Cazimero brought his group of men to the stage performing a mele he initially composed in 1996, “Kohemālamalama.”

Cazimero amended the mele with a composition rallying the neighbor islands to continue the momentum of aloha ʻāina.

The competition culminates tonight, where hālau will perform ‘auana (modern) hula. Following tonight’s performances, winners for the group portion of the competition will be announced.

Watch the final night of competition online here.

U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, both Hawai‘i Democrats, introduced a resolution designating February 2025 as Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, or Hawaiian Language Month. The measure is backed by U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, also Hawai‘i Democrats, in the House of Representatives.

“This February, we celebrate Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i and the people, schools and programs that work every day to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture,” said Schatz, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “The resurgence of the Hawaiian language not only serves as a model for Indigenous communities around the world, but also as an example of the strength and resilience of the Hawaiian community.”

Hirono said various laws, practices and prejudices led to many indigenous languages dying or nearly dying out despite them being an important part of the nation’s history and cultural fabric. The Hawaiian language, or ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, was similarly almost made extinct.

Misguided policies banned it from being taught in schools and used in official governing documents.

Through perseverance, however, the Native Hawaiian community protected and revitalized the use of their indigenous language.

“But the language is still endangered and we must continue working to protect it,” said Hirono. “I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this resolution to celebrate Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, and I will keep advocating for the preservation of Native Hawaiian language and culture. E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.”

Schatz has authored several laws promoting Native languages, including the Native American Language Resource Center Act, which awarded a consortium led by the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with $6.6 million to establish the first National Native American Language Resource Center.

The federal funding provides resources to foster collaboration and promote the use of Native American languages throughout the United States.

The Hawaiian Language Month resolution — Senate Resolution 83 — states that Hawaiian was once widely spoken by Native Hawaiians and non-Native Hawaiians throughout the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, which had one of the highest literacy rates in the world prior to the illegal overthrow in 1893 of the kingdom and establishment of the Republic of Hawai‘i.

The republic enacted a law in 1896 effectively banning school instruction in Hawaiian, leading to the near disappearance of the language by the 1980s, when fewer than 50 fluent speakers younger than 18 years old remained.

Native Hawaiians have led a grassroots revitalization of their indigenous language since the 1960s, launching several historic initiatives, including language immersion programs at all levels of edcuation throughout the state, the state of Hawai’i recognizing Hawaiian as an official language and the lifting of the 90-year ban on teaching Hawaiian in public and private schools.

“I am proud to join my colleagues from the Aloha State in introducing this resolution, which recognizes, promotes and celebrates ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi,” said Tokuda. “The Hawaiian language was once banned to near extinction, but after years of revitalization efforts, is now heard all over Hawaiʻi and reminds us daily about the culture in which we live. This resolution highlights the significance of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi to our state, and the need to fight for its continued respect so future generations can proudly learn and use their ancestral language.”

Case added that Hawaiian Language Month is not only a commemoration of the success story of the Hawaiian language, it is a recommitment to the continued effort that will always be required.

“Ōlelo Hawaiʻi is not just the language of the Kānaka Maoli, but an inseparable part of the living, breathing soul of our Hawai‘i,” he said. “We know from our own two-and-a-half century post-contact experience that the languages and cultures of our indigenous peoples around the world can and do disappear, that the fates of our indigenous peoples and of all of us who inhabit their ancestral homes are tied to the survival and prosperity of this heritage, and that it takes conscious, ongoing effort to ensure that survival.”

Resolution 83 says, if passed, the U.S. Senate “commits to preserving, protecting and promoting the use, practice and development of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i in alignment with the Native American Languages Act and urges the people of the United States and interested groups to celebrate ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month with appropriate activities and programs to demonstrate support for ‘Olelo Hawai‘i.”

The measure was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee as of Feb. 19 and had not advanced.

“I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha?” was also released Feb. 21 during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month, in recognition of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s International Mother Language Day, aligning with the ongoing International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

“The publication of ‘I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha?’ in Hawaiian is another important step in reaffirming our language on the global stage,” said Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani Director Kaʻiu Kimura. “It not only contributes to our children’s literacy and language development but also reinforces the significance of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi as a living language, capable of engaging with the world.”

Originally written in Portuguese by Brazilian-American author and linguist Victor D. O. Santos, the book is structured as a riddle as it guides children through the significance of language as a defining element of humanity.

Hawaiian is the first Native American language and the first Pacific Island language in which the book has been published.

The Hawaiian adaptation was crafted by Kaʻiuokalani Damas, an assistant professor of Hawaiian and Hawaiian studies at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, in collaboration with his wife Kauʻilani, a teacher at Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki Lab Public Charter School in Keaʻau.

The couple is raising their daughters as first-language Hawaiian speakers. 

“Hawaiian is a playful language, rich with wit and double meanings,” explained Kaʻiuokalani Damas. “This book highlights the critical role of language in human identity while introducing young Hawaiian speakers to the joy of riddles and wordplay.”

UNESCO’s Indigenous Languages Decade highlights the urgency of language preservation. The Hawaiian edition joins other Indigenous language versions, such as Mapuzungun of the Mapuche in Chile and Hñähñü of the Otomí in Mexico.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Hawaiian Language College leads national revitalization efforts through the National Native American Language Resource Center.

Hawaiʻi’s 4,000-plus students in Hawaiian medium schools mark a dramatic resurgence from fewer than 50 child speakers just 40 years ago, making it the largest initiative of its kind for an indigenous language.

Early literacy is critical in growing the next generation of Hawaiian speakers.

Hawaiian medium preschoolers learn to read 2 years earlier than their English peers through the Hakalama method, a syllable-based system designed for Hawaiian’s unique structure. This approach fosters strong literacy skills and long-term fluency.

The final production of “I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha?” was completed through Hale Kuamoʻo Hawaiian Language Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

Copies are available for pre-order online.

According to a press release about the the day-long free festival, the event was hosted by ʻImiloa in partnership with community groups Lonoa Honua and ʻOhana Waʻa and over 1,000 people turned out.

“We are so grateful to see our community come together at ʻImiloa for this meaningful event,” said ʻImiloa Executive Director, Kaʻiu Kimura in a statement.

“The ʻIkuwā Festival strengthens our understanding of our interdependence with the environment, from the mountains to the sea, and honors the voices of the past
and present.”

This year’s theme, “Hoʻōla Lāhui Manu: Who is Your Flock?” highlighted the importance of honoring and protecting Hawaiʻi’s native bird species. These manu (birds) hold significant ecological and cultural roles in Hawaiian life, from guiding navigators to symbolizing cherished values in Hawaiian traditions.

Participants engaged in learning about the crucial efforts to safeguard endangered species, with presentations on conservation efforts and the role of birds in maintaining the balance of Hawaiʻi’s delicate ecosystem.

“The ʻIkuwā season is a time of deep reflection, where the land speaks to us through the sounds of storms, the cries of birds, and the crash of waves,” shared Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani, owner and creator of Lonoa Honua.

“Today, we embraced that resounding energy and reflected on the harmony of
living with the earth. From the waʻa to the manu, every element plays a role in our survival and our stories.”

Festival highlights included hula performances, storytelling sessions, and interactive cultural workshops. Community members participated in hands-on activities, including
traditional Hawaiian crafts, Makahiki games, and oli (chant) competitions. The day also featured local vendors, food stalls, and presentations on Hawaiian navigation and environmental stewardship.

“The canoe serves as a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to each other and to the ʻāina,” said ʻOhana Waʻa Board Member, Pōmai Bertelmann.

“The shared experience of voyaging brings people together, and this festival is a reflection of that unity.”

The ʻIkuwā Festival was made possible by the generous support of the Ama OluKai Foundation and KS Kaiaulu.

The event concluded with the community departing with a renewed sense of mālama ʻāina (care for the land) and a deeper understanding of their role in protecting Hawaiʻi’s native birds and natural resources, the press release stated.

Fischer’s research will focus on phonological variations in the speech of mānaleo, native speakers of the Hawaiian language, through analyzing archival audio recordings.

“I am deeply honored to be selected as the first Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Fellowship recipient,” said Torres Fischer. “Mahalo nui to the Makuakāne family for establishing this important resource to support graduate students pursuing scholarship in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.”

The endowment honors Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne for their contributions to the preservation and perpetuation of Hawaiian language and cultural practices.

The fellowship is aimed at supporting graduate students with completing the research and writing phase of their masters thesis and doctoral dissertation.

“We are so grateful to the entire Makuakāne ʻohana for providing this incredible opportunity to support the next generation of Hawaiian language scholars,” said College of Hawaiian Language Director Kaʻiu Kimura. “Their vision in establishing this fellowship will have an enormous impact by helping our students finish their degrees and go on to be leaders in language revitalization and education in Hawaiʻi.”

Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, founded in 1998, is the only college in the United States that focuses on Hawaiian and other indigenous languages.

The UH-Hilo Hawaiian language college was recently awarded the lead role in establishing the inaugural National Native American Language Resource Center under the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education, with specific focus on supporting Native American Language communities and their efforts in language revitalization.

For more information about the Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Fellowship, contact Kimura at lesliek@hawaii.edu or call 808-932-7414.

Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, of Wailuku, Maui, won the Overall Kaikamahine (girls) division in the first Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula competition held since the onset of Covid-19.

The girls, all age 12 and under and led by nā Kumu ʻIliahi and Haunani Paredes, placed 1st in the ʻauana division and 2nd in kahiko, winning the overall award in a field of 26 hālau from across the State and Japan (19 competing in the Kaikamahine category).

The hālau boys placed 2nd in kahiko and 3rd in ʻauana, and Kauila Shimabukuro was named Master Keiki Hula. ʻOlena Catiel placed 4th in the Miss Keiki Hula soloist competition. Both girls and boys won perfect scores in the Hawaiian Language category.

Across the State, hāumana persevered with their study of hula, dancing over zoom and in outdoor spaces, with hopes and dreams that the beloved Keiki Hula competition would be resurrected so they could present their perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, ʻolelo Hawaiʻi, and
their kumuʻs hula lineage.

The life and legacy of the late cultural icon Edith Ke’kuhikuhiipu’uoneonaali’iokohala Kenao Kanakaʻole was celebrated Saturday on the Big Island with a mural, a U.S. quarter and lots of shared memories of dancing, culture, relationships and connections.

The celebration was held at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, where the Honomū native, known lovingly as Aunty Edith, taught from 1974 to 1979. She created courses and seminars on Hawaiian language, ethnobotany, Polynesian history geneology and Hawaiian chant and mythology.

Kanakaʻole died nearly 44 years ago, at age 65 on Oct. 3, 1979, but she is still beloved for bringing Hawaiian culture, not only as an educator but also as a kumu hula and composer, to the masses.

Now, Kanakaʻole also will be forever part of U.S. history with her very own coin created by the United States Mint, which designs and issues five quarters per year to honor American women whose achievements, triumphs and legacies reflect the strength and resilience of the nation. 

For the 2023 Women Quarters, Aunty Edith was chosen along with Bessie Coleman (first African American and first Native American woman pilot), Eleanor Roosevelt (former First Lady, diplomat and civil rights activist), Jovita Idar (Mexican-American journalist, activist and suffragist) and Maria Tallchief (American’s first major prima ballerina who broker barriers as a Native American).

The coin shows Aunty Edith with her hair and lei poʻo (head lei) morphing into the elements of a Hawaiian landscape, symbolizing her life’s work of preserving the natural land and traditional Hawaiian culture. The commemorative quarter also bears an inscription in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, “e hō mai ka ʻike” or “granting the wisdom.” The phrase comes from a well-known oli (chant) Kanakaʻole composed that asks for knowledge to be bestowed upon the chanter. 

At the celebration, there was a welcoming oli and speeches from representatives from the local and state government, as well as the university, and hoʻokupu, or gifts or offerings. 

There also was the unveiling of a large mural of Aunty Edith that was created by artist Kamea Hadar. He collaborated the design with Kūhaʻo Zane, Kanakaʻoleʻs grandson and creative director at Sig Zane Designs. The mural is on the Hall named after Edith Kanakaʻole at UH Hilo.

Following the presentations, a large crowd of attendees walked around the Edith Kanakaʻole Hall to see several displays in surrounding classrooms with people talking stories, sharing culture and memories, dancing, music and food. There were rooms where Edith’s voice and videos were looped.

Hula dancer Sharry Kalua recalled going on trips with Aunty Edith to the island of Molokaʻi.

“She always wore a mumu, ya,” she said with a laugh. “And she’d go in the water and check out the lobster. She’d go in and grab the lobster inside her mumu and shake it and yell, ‘Hey! Someone needs to grab this!’”

She also remembered her kind heart: “If it was a bad situation, she always knew how to make it better.”

Aunty Edith began composing oli, or Hawaiian chants in 1946. She founded a hālau called Halau o Kekuhi in 1953, and trained her daughters Nalani and Pualani to eventually take over the hālau.

She is known for her distinct style of hula derived from the traditions in Hilo, in which dancers perform with deeply bent knees and make dynamic movements. In the 1950s, she toured the United States, Canada and Asia with the hula group and helped to develop the first Hawaiian language program for public school students at the Keaukaha School in Hilo. She also worked as a teacher at Hawai’i Community College in the 1970’s.

Kanakaʻole’s granddaughter, Kekuhi Kealiikanakaole, said one of her favorite childhood memories came when she was 8 years old and her grandmother woke up her and a dozen of her family members around 4:30 a.m. to go to the ocean. 

“She said, ‘Let’s go holoholo’,” Kealiikanakaole recalled. “We didn’t want to go anywhere. It was before sunrise and there were still stars in the sky. Six of us got up and everyone else slept. We found her across the street and there was a beach that we were allowed to go to by ourselves. We got to the beach, and she would chant to the ocean.

“We were used to that. That was just something she did all the time. It was this one time though she did that and there was an answer — the breeze came and in that moment I knew she was talking and she connected to that element. And as a little girl, I wanted that kind of magic.”

It was that relationship her grandmother had with her surroundings that she shared with the world. 

She said her grandmother shared their culture and her core philosophy of treating nature as their family with the outside world in order to teach others about how to have a relationship and connection with the world around them. 

“As long as we are here, our family, our Hawai’i community, it’s all of our kuleana [responsibility] to know who we are in this landscape,” she said. 

Another friend of the family, Lynette Napeahi Auna, was sitting in a room nearby sharing memories she had of Aunty Edith as part of the Mormon Church. Old pictures hung on the wall with personal anecdotes next to them. Auna described her closeness with Aunty Edith and Uncle Luka, her husband. 

“They taught us the importance of work,” she said. “We learned how to clean the luau and ti leaves and clean kalo from them. And uncle Luka made the best kūlolo.”

Also in attendance were local fans, such as Steven Stein, a local coin collector and part of the Big Island Coin Club that has been in existence for 50 years. He said it was “wonderful news” to hear Aunty Edith was chosen to be on the coin. 

“It’s about time,” he said. “She’s an instrumental person of Hawaiian descent.”

Fast Company’s World-Changing Ideas Awards honor the innovative ways businesses and organizations are making the world more accessible, equitable, and sustainable for everyone.

New bilingual signage based on kānaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian) knowledge and values at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa received the 2023 World Changing Ideas Award in the Art and Design category.

The project is spearheaded by the University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa School of Architecture, led by principal investigator Brian Strawn and co-investigator Karla Sierralta, along with a team of staff, student research assistants and graduate students.

The University of Hawai‘i-based team co-designed the new wayfinding system together with Nalani Kanaka‘ole, Sig Zane, and Kūhaʻo Zane of Sig Zane Designs.

There are currently two signs in place in front of the Isabella Aiona Abbott Life Sciences Building and Bilger Hall. Ultimately, signs featuring the new design will be placed in front of a total of 21 of the campus’ main buildings in a multi-phase project expected to be completed by 2030.

The signs invite viewers to take part in a kānaka ʻōiwi body alignment practice like those that traditionally occur at some heiau (temples). Each sign will gesture toward different landmarks in and around Mānoa, such as the Waʻahila Ridge or Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) on the coast.

Hawai‘i Island’s Waiākea High School was among the winners of the 20th Annual ‘Ōlelo Youth Xchange Student Video Competition

Waiākea students took home a prize for their video “When Water Pulls Back, Act Fast” in the Prepare Now category.

However, Maui’s Baldwin High and Highlands Intermediate on O‘ahu nabbed the competition’s top prizes at an awards gala held Tuesday morning.

Baldwin won the Expert category with the video “Family,” while Highlands Intermediate took the Junior Expert category with “Embrace, Not Reject.”

Over 500 students, educators and parents attended the “keiki Oscars” at the Hawai‘i Convention Center this morning where the 34 total winning schools were announced.

The winners were selected from over 600 videos that entered the competition, presented by First Hawaiian Bank. This year’s submissions were created by students who attend public, charter and private schools statewide or are homeschooled.

‘Ōlelo Community Media’s Youth Xchange is Hawai‘i’s oldest and largest contest of its type.

In addition to the video winners, Michelle Okinaka-Kwong of Waipahu Elementary School received the Second Annual Media Teacher Award and was rewarded with two round-trip tickets anywhere Alaska Airlines serves. Alaska Airlines sponsors the award – determined by votes from participating students – in recognition of the importance of media literacy in the education of today’s keiki.

As the Expert category winner, Baldwin received a LiveU Solo Pro valued at $1,950. The LiveU unit will allow Baldwin to create 4K-quality videos and on-the-go content from remote locations.

For being named the Junior Expert, Highlands Intermediate won an equipment-and-accessory prize pack valued at approximately $1,700. It included a Canon M50 camera kit and accessories, as well as wireless microphones.

The other 32 category winners took home prize packs worth $780 that included Canon EOS M200 cameras and LED light panels with stands.

The prize packs were developed with the input of statewide media teachers to include equipment and accessories most highly desired by the programs.

This year, Youth Xchange videos competed in 13 categories.

The five broad categories were mini-documentary, public service announcement, short, Expert and Junior Expert.

The eight sponsored categories were A More Resilient and Sustainable Hawai‘i; Food Systems and Access to Healthy Food; Creating Peace; Forest Inspired; Pledge to Our Keiki, Taking Care of Our Island Home; Prepare NOW – Talk Story: Share Na‘auao…Wisdom!!; Traffic Safety; and World War II in Hawai‘i.

Students in ‘Ōlelo Youth Xchange compete in three age divisions: elementary, intermediate and high school. Previous winners and students with professional experience compete in the Junior Expert (kindergarten through middle school) and Expert (high school and college) categories.

The ʻŌhiʻa tree is rooted in tragedy in some Hawaiian legends.

Once a beautiful man, ʻŌhiʻa captured the eye of the fire goddess Pele. But her affection for him was not returned. ʻŌhiʻa’s heart belonged to the beautiful woman named Lehua.

Out of jealousy, Pele turned ʻŌhiʻa into a gnarled tree. In her grief, Lehua pleaded to her ‘aumakua [family protectors] for help. They decided to transform her into a red blossom that would adorn the tree so the lovers may never be parted.

To this day, it is said that if you pick a lehua blossom it will rain because the lovers are being separated.

The ʻŌhiʻa is facing tragedy once again. A fungus known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death is killing Hawaiʻi’s native tree, threatening its very existence.

For years, many hālau participating in Merrie Monarch festivities have avoided using ʻōhiʻa in lei in an effort to avoid the spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.

This year is no different.

But it’s a conundrum because ‘ōhi‘a is an integral part of Hawaiian stories and natural history.

Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, executive director of the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation and dancer for Halau O Kekuhi, said the ʻōhiʻa is one of the kinolau (plant forms) dancers will perform for. In the hierarchy of plant forms, Kanahele-Mossman said ʻōhiʻa is on the top.

“It’s a pioneer plant,” she explained. “It’s one of the first trees to grow back after a lava flow.”

In an effort to stem the spread of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death, Kanahele-Mossman said hālau have used the opportunity to learn more about other plant forms that represent hula.

But for those dancers who do use the tree’s lehua blossom or young leaves, known as liko, she said it is common practice to return lei, no matter the flower or leaf used, back to the ‘āina. And it can be done safely without spreading the disease.

Kanahele-Mossman explained that lei making and hula is a process, from gathering the organic material to making the lei to getting the dress ready. After the dance is done, the lei should be returned to the forest or tree where the flowers were picked.

“If that’s not done, you’re not done,” Kanahele-Mossman said. “Returning the ‘ōhi‘a back to the ‘āina provides a feeling of completion.”

And it is important to not spread the disease. She said: “Bottom line, if we don’t have the forest we don’t have hula.”

Dancers are an extension of the forest and hula is how Hawaiians participate in nature.

“We need to make sure we have the forest for generations,” she said.

Since 2016, inspectors with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s Quarantine Branch have been at Hilo and Kona airports after Merrie Monarch to make sure people do not leave with ʻōhiʻa. Itʻs illegal to do so.

Inspectors will be at the airports this year as well. ‘Ōhi‘a material collected will be respectfully returned to the native forests.

“If you go back four to five years ago, we used to collect trash bags of Lehua at the airports,” said Donn Yanagisawa, Hawai‘i County Supervisor for Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture’s Quarantine Branch.

But with the public education conducted about the problem, inspectors have been seeing less of it.

If hālau do have lehua or liko in their lei, they can also return it to the ‘āina on their own by leaving it at mile markers 12 and 16 along Daniel K. Inouye Highway. These locations were chosen by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ wildlife division because the area already is heavily infested with the disease.

“People don’t want it to be just thrown to the trash after making something with such care,” said Franny Brewer, manager at the Big Island Invasive Species Committee.

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death was first noticed in 2010 in Puna. In 2014, the fungus was identified. And by 2016, it was illegal for people to transport any part of the ʻōhiʻa off the island. At that time, hālau took it upon themselves years ago to help prevent the spread of the fungus by not gathering the tree’s lehua blossoms or liko for Merrie Monarch.

“It was really striking when hālau chose not to use it because it’s in so many mo‘olelo [stories],” Brewer said. “People really rallied to try to do the best for ʻōhiʻa. It’s been heartening to see from that standpoint.”

From what she could tell, Brewer said it wasn’t until 2019 that lehua started showing up again in adornments during the Merrie Monarch competition.

Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death was detected on Kauaʻi in 2018 and on O‘ahu in 2019. Also in 2019, one ʻōhiʻa tree on Maui was infected and destroyed. The disease has not been detected on Maui since. It is not known how the disease entered the state or where it came from.

But on the Big Island, Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death is still spreading.

To help combat the problem, Kanahele-Mossman said it became part of hālau practice to brush their shoes when they went to the forest to gather plants for lei making and to spray their tires with alcohol to kill any fungus.

Brewer said a tree needs a wound, or break in the bark, for the fungus to get in. Just under the bark, Brewer explained it’s the living layer of the tree where nutrients flow up and down.

“Fungus gets inside that layer and it chokes that tree and it can no longer pass nutrients up and down the tree,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking. They’re living beings and they’re hard to lose.”

So for Feb. 13, the Hawaiian Word of the Day is ānuenue, which means rainbow, a favorable omen.

Ānuenue, the Hawaiian Rainbow Goddess, is a messenger of the Gods. Legend says she was born of the divine wind and rain of Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu. Since ancient times the valley has been regarded as “the royal palace of rainbows.”

Ānuenue is so beautiful that a rainbow follows her wherever she goes, bringing good luck and prosperity.

The colorful ānuenue has deep meaning to Hawaiians. It is on souvenirs, license plates and, of course, the University of Hawai’i sports teams are known as the Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine.

The Rainbows nickname dates to 1923. As the story goes, a rainbow appeared over the field during an upset of Oregon State. The team had been known as the Deans, but reporters started calling the team the Rainbows. Legend has it that the team never loses if a rainbow appears on the field.

Hawaiʻi’s football team adopted the nickname the Rainbow Warriors in 1974, but dropped “Rainbow” in 2000. It was put back in place in 2013.

The ānuenue is believed to be a path to the heavenly world. For gods, it was a path to come down to earth.

“The ānuenue can represent so many things to various people and cultures throughout the honua (world),” University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumnus Kedan Waiokila Frank was quoted as saying on a UH website page. “For me, the ānuenue represents hope, love, equality and joy. All things that we need a little bit more of in Hawaiʻi and the world today!”

It’s no wonder so many other businesses, organizations and products use the term ānuenue in their names.

They include the Ānuenue Fisheries Research Center , a 4-acre facility on Sand Island, about six miles from downtown Honolulu. It serves as a base yard, hatchery and culture center for the State of Hawaiʻi Division of Aquatic Resources.

Decades ago Sand Island used to be called Ānuenue Island, but that was changed in 1969 by a proclamation by memorandum of the Governor. But the name of the research center stuck.

The Ānuenue Canoe Club was founded in 1983 in the shadow of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Rainbow Tower next to the old Heliport. It is a low profile small canoe club which reflects the lifestyle and philosophy of coach and founder Nappy Napoleon, according to its website.

The Tripler Army Medical Center Dining Facility on Oʻahu is called the Ānuenue Cafe. There is Kula Kaiapuni ‘O Ānuenue high school in Honolulu and Ānuenue preschool in Makawao on Maui.

In 1985, Camp Ānuenue was established to help kids who have had or are dealing with cancer. Today, children enjoy a week-long camp on the north shore of Oʻahu.

Many products also have connection to rainbows.

There’s ānuenue lettuce. Seedsavers.org says while its “mellifluous Hawaiian name” means rainbow, “this lettuce is a beautiful, uniform bright green.”

There is a whole series of aNueNue ukeleles. There is the rainbow koa for $175 at ukulelemovement.com.

There is the Ānuenue UT200E Moonbird acoustic electric tenor ukulele with case listed on sale for $1,698 at Pennylaneemporium. com. But alas, it is out of stock.

Maui Jimʻs has the Ānuenue polarized classic sunglasses. Its sales pitch: “Literally translated to mean “rainbow”, Ānuenue’s frame takes inspiration from the multicolored arches for a slightly curved square silhouette. Paired with MauiPure lenses, this style guarantees clear, vibrant views in a lightweight and versatile nylon frame. Featuring adjustable, rubber nose pads for all-day comfort, Anuenue makes the perfect companion for any adventure, planned or impromptu.”

And the North Shore Coffee Roasters makes an Ānuenue Blend. Its sales pitch: “A balance of different roast styles that display the different degrees of roasting, yet blend together to create a brilliant cup of coffee. This is proof that it is always sunshine and ānuenue (rainbows) in the Aloha State.”

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

So for Feb. 12, our Hawaiian Word of the Day is pōpeku, which means football, the sport. Kinipōpō peku means football, the ball.

Some pōpeku terms to know:

• kūlele: offense
• kūpale: defense
• kīoli: pass
• kūlaʻi: tackle
• ʻaihue: turnover
• ʻaiholo: touchdown
• ʻaipeku: field goal

The current biggest Hawaiian star ʻailihikūlele (quarterback) in the NFL is Tua Tagovailoa, who plays for the Miami Dolphins. He was born in Ewa Beach on Oʻahu.

But while Tagovailoa and his team are watching this year’s Super Bowl like the rest of us, a big fan of Hawai’i and Hawaiian shirts will be coaching the Chiefs.

As many people know, Andy Reid is a fan of the palaka aloha (Aloha Shirt) and has been for more than two decades.

In 2020, some of his players surprised him by wearing Chiefs-themed florals to travel to the Super Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. It proved to be good luck, with the Chiefs beating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20.

Go online and there are plenty of Kansas City Chiefs-themed palaka aloha to choose from. One sales pitch: Say “Aloha” to your must-have fan fashion style. With this Kansas City Chiefs Hawaiian Button-Up Shirt, you’ll be the freshest fan at any tailgate, pig roast, family reunion, or office holiday party.

Here’s another sales pitch: Nothing says “I love Kansas City” like a classic Hawaiian Chiefs shirt. Andy Reids’ favorite shirt style can now be yours as well! You can make this iconic garment a staple of your Chief’s football gear by adding this sweet baby to your collection. 

There is even a Kansas City themed plumeria fabric hair pick, and lucky you, they are in stock on Etsy.

But don’t fret Eagles fans, before Reid coached the Chiefs he led Philadelphia from 1999 to 2012, where he also was noted for wearing palaka aloha.

And even more exciting, there are also plenty of Philadelphia Eagles-themed palaka aloha to purchase online. They are much more menacing than the Chiefs versions. Sorry, no Philadelphia Eagles-themed plumeria fabric hair picks appear to be available.

And of course most people tune into the Super Bowl not for the pōpeku but for the hoʻomaha hapalua: halftime. This year’s show is headlined by Rhianna, whose 17-year career includes 14 No. 1 songs and 32 top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

So for Feb. 11, our Hawaiian Word of the Day is mākaʻi, which means police. This is not to be confused with makai, which means “at the ocean” or “towards the sea” when the word does not have an ʻokina and kahakō.

Donʻt know what ʻokina and kahakō are? Here is a quick lesson:

The ʻokina, which looks like a backward apostophre — ʻ —, indicates a glottal stop or clean break between vowels. It is not considered punctuation but an actual letter — a consonant. A great example: Hawaiʻi.

The kahakō is not a letter but a diacritical mark. It is a line over a vowel that indicates the letter has a longer vowel sound. This is sometimes referred to as a kō.

So back to mākaʻi. Benjamin Moskowicz is Hawaiʻi County’s new chief of police, which is luna mākaʻi in Hawaiian.

Other variations:

• hale mākaʻi: police station
• mākaʻi kau lio: mounted police
• mākaʻi hoʻomalu pō: patrolling night police

Most people know the slang for police in Hawaiʻi: Five-O, from the TV police drama that first aired in 1968, with a revamped, modernized version of the series popular today. The title referred to the 50th stateʻs police department. These days the slang term is used for police in general throughout the country.

But want to get on the good side of a cop? Say akamai kēlā mākaʻi, which means that police officer is smart.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

So for Feb. 10, the “Hawaiian Word of the Day” is māla, which means garden, plantation, patch or cultivated field.

In Hawaiian, a food garden is a māla ʻai (ʻai means food) and a flower garden is a māla pua (pua means flower).

While most people appreciate mālas, in 2015, just after New Year’s, vandals and thieves struck at the Honolulu Community College māla. They cut down seven taro plants, according to Hawaiian instructor Alapaki Luke.

This is the first time the school’s taro patch, which was several years old, has been damaged, Luke said at the time. Previously, only a few banana bunches were targeted. Maybe for students wanting to make smoothies?

Māla also is the name of a land division in the Lahaina region on Maui that was once an important wharf. Māla Pier, which became more popularly known as Māla Wharf, was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and dedicated in 1922. Those engineers did not listen to the local Hawaiians, who did not recommend the location due to its strong currents and large surf.

But it was built, with the town hoping it would eliminate the inconvenience of light freighters having to load and unload steamers anchored in Lāhainā Roadstead.

The Hawaiians proved to be right. Heavy surf and strong currents made it treacherous for ships to navigate to and from the wharf safely, which limited its use.

In 1992, the end of the pier was destroyed by 30-foot surf from Hurricane Iniki. Now Māla Wharf is one of the best shore dives on Maui, with a large group of turtles congregating around pilings and pieces of the wharf submerged in up to 30 feet of water to create an artificial reef.

The Māla area now is a popular complex of shops and restaurants, including the fine-dining Māla Ocean Tavern, which used to be a pineapple weigh station not far from the Baldwin Packers pineapple cannery.

The Tavern’s website says: “MALA means Garden and the experience of being in a garden near the ocean as you watch turtles (honu) splashing in the surf and see rainbows over the West Maui Mountain is one of a kind.”

Māla Kaluʻulu is one of the nine founding members of the Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative. It was established in 2015 through Kamehameha Schools’ Mahiʻai Matchup contest – which connects farmers to agricultural land. Māla Kaluʻulu is dedicated to restoring the ancient breadfruit agroforests that helped sustain Hawaiʻi before the Western World arrived.

The farm’s geographic focus is on the kaluʻulu, or ancient breadfruit belt of South Kona. It spans nearly 10 square miles from Honaunau to Kaʻupulehu along the Big Island’s western coast.  

By restoring and adapting its 3.8-acre parcel to demonstrate the functionality and viability of the kaluʻulu system in the 21st century, the farm’s goal is to “learn from the past to create a more resilient food future” for Hawaiʻi.

At the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Māla Lāʻau Lapaʻau (Medicinal Plant Garden) is part of The Department of Native Hawaiian Health.

The vision of the māla was “to create a living outdoor classroom that would provide opportunities for learners to appreciate the Hawaiian ancestral knowledge and reestablish a connection to the land.”

The most commonly used plants for lā’au lapa’au practices that are growing in the māla are: ‘awa, ‘awapuhi kuahiwi, ko, ko’oko’olau, kukui, mamaki, noni, ‘olena, popolo and ‘uhaloa. They are described in this guide.

According to the Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence, approximately 100 native Hawaiian plant species no longer exist in the wild, and only a handful have been saved in cultivation. Of the remaining 552 Hawaiian plant species that are rare, 150 have fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild, and those numbers are decreasing every year. Oʻahu-based Hui Kū Maoli Ola, which states on its website its the “Worldʻs Largest Native Hawaiian Plant Nursery,” and its partners are hopeful that though teaching and public awareness, these endemic and native species will thrive for the next generation to enjoy and embrace.

According to Allbabynames.com, Mala is a female name.

Soul Urge: People with the name Mala have a deep inner desire for love and companionship, and want to work with others to achieve peace and harmony.

Expression: People with the name Mala tend to be passionate, compassionate, intuitive, romantic and to have magnetic personalities. They are usually humanitarian, broadminded and generous, and tend to follow professions where they can serve humanity. Because they are so affectionate and giving, they may be imposed on. They are romantic and easily fall in love, but may be easily hurt and are sometimes quick-tempered.

And wrapping up this Hawaiian Word of the Day, the Hawaiian Shirt Shop has an aloha shirt called Nani Māla, which means beautiful garden.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

It means airport.

In 1986, in the Hawaiian Dictionary published by the University of Hawaiʻi Press Honolulu, authors Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert posed the question: “Have any Hawaiian words been invented?”

They wrote that over the years, hundreds of words have been taken from English and have been rewritten with Hawaiian sounds. Some are not obvious, as penikila is “painkiller.” But they said in some instances, new ideas and inventions fit easily into Hawaiian, like airport. The dictionary states kahua means place, hoʻolulu means anchor and mokulele means a “flying ship.”

So does that mean that Mokulele Airlines — a Kailua-Kona based commuter service established in 1994 by Rebecca “Kawehi” Inaba — has a fleet of flying ships?

Well, according to the company website: In Hawaiian the word moku means island and lele means to leap or hop. Since there was not a word for airline in the Hawaiian language, when the first plane was introduced, native Hawaiians created the word mokulele.

“So our name has two meanings 1. Airline 2. Island Hopper,” the website said

But in the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum website, they feature a 2018 story by Bryan R. Swopes called: “The curious tale of a flying boat named ‘Hawaiʻi Clipper.’ “

On July 29, 1938 at 4:11 GCT, the Pan American Airways System Flying boat Hawai’i Clipper just disappears. As Swopes tells the story, the flying boat lifted off from the waters of Apra Harbor on the west side of Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean, at 12:08 p.m. local time. The plan was to fly 12 1/2 hours to Manila in the Philippine Islands with nine crew members and six passengers.

Hawai’i Clipper never arrived at its destination. What happened to the flying boat and the 15 persons on board remains an enduring mystery in aviation history.

As with the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan the previous year, conspiracy theories were plentiful. One theory said agents of the Empire of Japan had stowed away on the Hawai’i Clipper, hijacked it and flew it to Truk. The theory concludes the passengers and crew were murdered and their bodies buried under the foundation of a hospital that was under construction.

And a “United News” Newsreels shows the U.S. Navy’s “Huge flying ship Hawai’i Mars” in a trial run during World War II in the 1940s. The video says the flying ship is: “The size of a 15-room house with two decks and sleeping accommodations for 36. The Hawai’i Mars can fly to Europe and back nonstop. Until total victory, she will speed mighty men and supplies throughout the vast Pacific battlefront.”

In 1961, Mokulele Elementary School on land in Honolulu leased from the federal government to provide an education for the growing number of military families stationed in Hawaiʻi during the Vietnam War.

The significance of the school logo represents the Hawaiian interpretation of the word Mokulele meaning “flying ship or airplane.”

The school’s nickname is the “Flyers” and the airplane refers to its ties with the United States Air Force because the educational facility is located on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The school colors are blue and yellow.

Here are some other useful words to know when you are at an airport:

• kāinoa komo: check-in
• kikiki mokulele: flight ticket
• kahi e heled eku ai: destination
• ukana pākela: excess baggage
• hōʻae: arrival
• haʻalele: departure
• ʻōhua: passenger
• pāiki: suitcase
• wahi kāʻili ukana: baggage claim

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

Hahahana also means work.

Some variations:

• akahana: work carefully
• pa’u hana: tedious, prolonged work
• hana lima: work with hands, or manual work
• hana hihiu: unusual or rare work
• hana ʻoʻoleʻa: to work hard
• huli hana: to look for work
• hana a ka lani: the work of the chief
• hana wale: to work aimlessly, uselessly
• And, our favorite — ʻAʻohe hana i koe!: No work is left!

Big Island native Ilima Shim knows how to hana ʻoʻoleʻa. She was selected to be one of 12 contestants on Season 4 of the CBS reality TV show “Tough as Nails.“

In 2005, Hui ‘O Hana Pono was established. It is a non-profit Native Hawaiian corporation whose name means: “The house that does good work.”

The organization’s mission is to improve the lives of Native Hawaiians through economic empowerment, education and advocacy.

Kō Hana Distillers operates in Kunia on O’ahu. In Hawaiian, kō hana means “work of the sugarcane.” The companyʻs website says: “Kō Hana embraces the natural earthiness and sweetness of the Kō (sugarcane). In stark contrast, the vast majority of the rum in the world is made from molasses — the industrial byproduct of processed sugar manufacturing.”

In the boutique distilleryʻs story, it explains: “Nearly a thousand years ago, the first Polynesians set sail for the Hawaiian islands using only the stars for navigation. Among the canoe plants they brought with them were select varieties of kō.”

Fortunately for visitors on Maui, the Road to Hāna is not a curvy, narrow route to work, but to one of the most pristine and remote locations on the island. The small, traditional village has stunning coastlines, a red sand beach, lush green forests, rich history and Hawaiian cultural practice. A big attraction is the breathtaking 122-acre Waiʻanapanapa State Park with a volcanic black pebble beach and panoramic ocean views.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

On Kauaʻi, a Native Hawaiian group was not happy with how the body of a dead 60-ton sperm whale that recently washed ashore was treated as a science specimen and buried into the ground by a federal-led response — instead of being buried at sea.

So to honor the poor mammal the word of the day for Feb. 7 is “palaoa,” which means sperm whale.

Palaoa are the colossal giants of the deep ocean, with males growing to 52 feet and weighing 45 tons. They have square-shaped heads, stumpy dorsal fins and two small pectoral fins. Their jaws have up to 52 cone-shaped teeth in the lower half and a blowhole close to the front of the head and slightly to the left, according to NOAA.

They also have the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth.

To search for prey, a palaoa can dive more than 10,000 feet and hold its breath for up to two hours, although 45 minutes is the average dive time. In the deep dark ocean, the whale uses echolocation to navigate and hunt for squid and fish.

Although the Hawaiian language is traditionally an oral language, throughout the islands there are petroglyphs (carvings in stone) that illustrate some of the aspects of Hawaiian culture, including three believed to represent whales. One is on the island of Lānaʻi on an area known as Palaoa Hill, or “Whale Hill,” where there is a good vantage point to see the creatures. A whale appears to be ridden by a human on its back.

The Palaoa Point Lighthouse, also known as the Cape Ka’ea Light, is on Lānaʻi, too. It is a white wooden skeletal tower that was first displayed on June 6, 1934.

Palaoa were mainstays of whaling’s 18th and 19th century heyday. A mythical albino sperm whale was immortalized in Herman Melville’s 1851 novel “Moby Dick.”

Palaoa were targeted for oil and ambergris, a substance that forms around squid beaks in a whale’s stomach. Ambergris remains a very valuable substance once used in perfumes.

Palaoa also means ivory, especially whale tusks as used for the highly prized lei palaoa and a whale-tooth pendant.

Hawaiian society under the ‘Aikapu system was stratified according to rank. An individual’s rank was not determined by wealth or gender, but by genealogy. One important symbol of rank for the highest ali‘i (royalty) was the lei niho palaoa, a whale tooth pendant. It was a whale tooth carved into a hook shape suspended by plaited human hair.

Although there is no record of Hawaiians killing whales, palaoa that washed ashore were considered extremely sacred to the aliʻi. The necklaces made from their teeth and bones represented the strength of the gods and their mana (spirit). They also symbolized the chief’s rank and his authority.

In December, a family heirloom necklace that features a walrus ivory palaoa pendant was stolen from a storage facility in HIlo. The family wants it back.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

In light of the news, today’s “Hawaiian Word of the Day” is “holoholona,” which means animal. It’s generally applied to domestic “four-footed beasts.”

In 2011 the Cornell (University) Hawaiʻi Club in a Facebook post explained the word this way: “Holo” means to run or go – when you go “holoholo” you go cruise. So a good way to remember the Hawaiian word for animal is to think of an animal as something that goes or moves.

February is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month. Here are a few examples of holoholona used in combination with other words:

• holoholona lōhiu: wildlife
• holoholona hānaiahuhu: pet
• holoholona hānai: livestock
• na holoholona maoli: native animals
• A hoʻomalu holoholona lōhiu: state wildlife official
• A loea holoholona lōhiu: wildlife expert
• ʻĀina Hoʻomalu Holoholona Lōhiu o Hawaiʻi: Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge
• ʻAhahui Makaʻala Holoholona: Humane Society
• ʻOihana Iʻa me ka Holoholona Lōhiu o ʻAmelika: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

On the Big Island, Hui Pono Holoholona is a nonprofit in Mountain View that spays and neuters pets and feral animals. The organizations stated this on its Facebook page: “A sterilization lasts 20 minutes, the suffering of an abandoned animal lasts his lifetime.”

The word holoholona is part of the title of several children’s books.

Part of the keiki’s first books series is “Say It in Hawaiian: Nā Holoholona Maioli (Native Animals)” by Wren and Maile. It’s available at thriftbooks.com and amazon.com.

Another children’s book is “Nā Waiho’olu’u a me Holoholona: The Colors & Animals in ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi.” The bright and beautifully illustrated photo book of well-known farm animals and their colors was published in August 2022 by Makanui Kitahara.

And if you like to cook, there is Holoholona Spice Bundle or “Meat Lovers Bundle” for $44.95 on bellalicious.com.

“This Meat Lovers Bundle is dedicated to all the carnivores out there, whether you prefer beef, pork, lamb or poultry. It is perfect to spice up your next BBQ with interesting flavors and light up your dinner guests. Our Holoholona Spice Bundle offers you 3 characteristic flavors of classic favorites meat dishes with a bellalicious twist: create the best Hawaiian meats dishes on your BBQ, oven or stove.”

And in 2016, designer Bri O’Neal of Lynchburg, Va. created a line of clothing and accessories called “Holoholona.”

“I gained inspiration for this project after I went on an amazing trip to Hawai’i,” she wrote on her website. “The title, Holoholona, means animal in Hawaiian and each illustrated pattern is based off of the tribal tattoos that many of the natives have. I went with an overall bright and eye catching color scheme because the nature in Hawaiʻi is full of color and life, with brilliant flowers and bright greens everywhere.” 

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

The Hawaiian Dictorary also said it means: seeker after knowledge, philosopher, scientist and scholar.

Some people may remember the dolphin named Akeakamai. In the 1980s, Akeakamai was the best-known of the “language” dolphins in Louis Herman’s animal language studies at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu.

Akeakamai also was the subject of other scientific studies about dolphin cognition, sensory abilities and language acquisition. Akeakamai appeared in National Geographic’s Dolphins with Robin Williams, BBC’s Wildlife on One’s Dolphins: Deep Thinkers with David Attenborough and ABC’s Touched by a Dolphin with Sharon Lawrence.

Due to the prominence of Akeakamai in the animal language research, the name also was given to a dolphin character in the science fiction novel “Startide Rising” by David Brin.

In the animal world, there is another famous Akeakami, a Laysan albatross. In 2020, her love life with Wisdom, then 69 and the oldest banded albatross, was documented by the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

A Facebook post said the pair were “spotted together on December 9 but have not been seen again. The Good News: It is normal for couples to skip a nesting year and it gives them a much needed rest. Each week, our fervent FWS volunteers keep checking their nesting area for any sightings. We will let you know if anything changes!”

Akeakamai also is a girl’s name that rocks according to myfirstname.rocks. But while it may rock, Akeakamai is not ranked in the top 1,000 of baby girl names, according to Babynamespedia.com.

And, the Hawaiian translation of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is available for $19.95 on Amazon. It’s called: “Harry Potter a me ka Pōhaku Akeakamai.”

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

Today, Big Island Now has a story about the Kanaloa Octopus Farm receiving a state cease and desist letter from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for not having permits. So for Feb. 4, our “Hawaiian Word of the Day” is “heʻe.”

In the melting of cultures in Hawaiʻi, some words get lost in translation. While tako is a common name for the octopus in the Aloha State, it is of Japanese origin. The Hawaiian word for octopus is heʻe.

More than 70 different types of cephalopods are found in Hawaiian waters

Heʻe are tasty. The cephalopod also is respected for its intelligence and creativity. They have a large brain in comparison to their body size, image-forming eyes and the ability to problem solve.

And, heʻe are masters of camouflage. Sensory organs on their eight arms enable the sea creatures to blend in with the colors and textures of surrounding corals.

In Hawaiʻi, there are day and night octopuses hunting on the reef.

The “day octopus,” Octopus cyanea, is the most common cephalopod. By day, it hunts snails and crabs. At night, it slithers into a tiny cavity to rest. They have a wide range of defense mechanisms: squirting water at their attacker through their funnel; using their suction cups to hold up a wall of rocks as protection; and even ejecting a cloud of ink.

Empty shells piled at the entrance of a heʻe cavity can show divers and snorkelers where there is an “octopus garden.”

Ringo Starr made the creatures iconic in the Beatles popular song “Octopus’s Garden.” As the story goes, Starr was on a boat belonging to comedian Peter Sellers in Sardinia in 1968 when he ordered fish and chips for lunch, but got squid. While he thought it was a bit rubbery, Starr became enamored with them after the boat captain explained how they travel along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build gardens.

While cephalopods first appeared in the world’s oceans about 500 million years ago, day he’e have a short lifespan and reproduce only once. Sometimes the females eat the males after doing the wild thing.

When is the best time to search for heʻe? According to a Hawaiian proverb — Pua ke kō, kū mai ka he‘e — it’s “when the sugarcane flowers, the octopus appears.”

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

It means celebration or festival.

A hoʻolauleʻa may consist of authentic hula dancing and music, foods, vendors and games.

Last week, the KWXX Ho‘olaule‘a returned for its 27th annual installment. The musical festival featured more than 20 bands participating on four stages.

On Hawaiʻi’s ninth island, also known as Las Vegas, there is an annual Prince Kūhiō Hoʻolauleʻa & Pacific Island Festival in the suburb of Henderson. It’s a two day event that includes authentic island food, handmade crafts, Polynesian villages, keiki zone (kids activities) and cultural entertainment.

On June 11 in Hawai‘i, a state holiday, there are many ho‘olule‘a around the state to celebrate and honor Kamehameha the Great, also known as Kamehameha the First, Kamehameha and King Kamehameha.

And on Kaua‘i, the upcoming Waimea Town Celebration will feature a two-day finale Ho‘olaule‘a on Feb. 24 and 25. It will be a huge block party featuring food booths, craft vendors, 22 hours off free entertainment and the Paradise Beverages/Koloa Rum Beer Garden.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

Hōkū means star. Welowelo means floating or streaming. Together, hōkū welowelo means shooting star or comet.

For a “Hawaiʻi Five-O” episode called “Hoku Welowelo,” the producers called the translation “fire in the sky.” In that Season 4 episode, which originally aired in 2017, Five-O investigates a triple homicide connected to a downed top-secret Chinese satellite.

Hōkū Welowelo also is the name of a craft fresh hop IPA that was introduced in 2020 by Pono Brewing in Portland, Ore. The company says it is made with “fresh Comet hops that impart tropical fruit, citrus and floral flavors and aromas. We hope you enjoy it as much as we loved making it.” But donʻt try to get some now. The beer flavor currently is unavailable.

“Hōkū Welowelo” also is a song released in 2016 by Kūpaoa on their “Hoʻokele” album.

Eight years earlier, “Hōkū Welowelo” also was a song released by Hema Paʻa on the album Two Voices, One Heart.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.

Our first “Hawaiian Word of the Day” on Feb. 1 is ‘ōlelo. It means language, speech, word, quotation, statement, utterance, term, tidings.

Like most indigenous languages throughout the world, the Hawaiian language faced a significant decline due to colonization. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Hawaiian language was ripped away from the local people when U.S. troops invaded the Hawaiian Kingdom. This led to a conditional surrender by the Hawaiian Kingdom’s executive monarch, Her Majesty Queen Lili’uokalani.

Prior to this, ʻŌlelo Hawaii was the first language of Hawaiʻi’s people and the official language of the Hawaiian Kingdom. 

Ōlelo Hawai‘i has come a long way since the 1980s, when the language was considered nearly extinct with fewer than 50 keiki fluent in the language, according to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. By 2016, nearly 19,000 residents speak Hawaiian at home and that number continues to rise.

Over the past 40 years Hawaiian language immersion schools have revitalized the language, growing a new generation of mānaleo, native speakers with Hawaiian as their first language. The resurgence of Hawaiian language and culture are due in large part to the Hawaiian Renaissance.

Editor’s Note: Each day in February, we have a new “Hawaiian Word of the Day” during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month. Check out the other words of the day on the Big Island website by clicking here.