“Lāna‘i Ku‘u Wahi Ola Maoli Nō” written by E ‘Ike Hou Iā Lāna‘i, Cultural Enrichment Program — Summer 2015 Students, Matt Sproat, Jamaica Osorio, & Kepā Maly. June 28, 2015.
In 2015 haumāna composed a new mele as a part of the E ‘Ike Hou Iā Lāna‘i cultural literacy program. This new mele for Lāna‘i describes their experiences at Lāna'i Hale, Maunalei and Kahalepalaoa-Wai‘aōpae. Haumāna wrote the lyrics with the assistance of Kumu Jamaica Osorio, Matt Kawaiola Sproat and Kepā Maly. They then worked with master musician, Matt Kawaiola Sproat to develop the melody, and Kepā Maly translated the words into Hawaiian.

E ‘Ike Hou iā Lāna‘i — To Know Lāna‘i Once Again Cultural Literacy Program —

Summer July 9 to July 20, 2018

 It is the purpose of the website and app to provide residents, visitors and others interested in learning about Lāna‘i’s history with factual information, linking traditional knowledge with modern technology. To experience Lāna‘i and these new tools visit www.lanaiguideapp.org or download the app at the Apple Store or Google Play.

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Copies of the book will be provided to Lāna‘i High & Elementary School, and a limited number of copies will be made available free of charge on a first come, first served basis (one per family while supplies last) at the Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center on October 19th between 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Explore some of the rich history of Lāna‘i and share the joy of reading with island youth.

The short video below, was produced and edited by Shelly Kaleialoha Preza (and shot with ‘Anela Evans). It celebrates the publication of the short story. The puke follows a journey by some youth of Lāna’i to see and learn about storied places of their home island.

The story presented in two sections—Hawaiian at the front and English at the back—was written by Kepā Maly, and features original art work by Wendell Kaho’ohalahala. Funding for the art work and printing was generously provided by a grant from the Maui County Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. The puke is part of the cultural literacy initiative of the Lāna’i Culture & Heritage Center.

lĀ hana community stewardship day

He Pua Au Na Ke Kalo                                 I am a Descendant of the Kalo

O Hāloa naka lau kapalili ka mua                There was first Hāloa of the quivering leaf
A kupu mai—ke kalo lau loa, eia au            Kalo of the long-stalk grew, here I am

Hānau hou mai ka muli o Hāloa                   Next, the younger Hāloa was born
A puka mai—ke kanaka, eia au                   Humankind came forth, here I am

O ke kalo, huluhulu me ka iho kalo              The kalo, the root, the corm,
Ka ‘ohā, ke kumu ‘o—hana, eia au             the offshoot is the source of family, here I am

 He hāhā, he piko, he mu‘o,                           A stalk, a leaf indentation, a sprout
He lau naka—i ka makani, eia au                A leaf nodding in the breeze, here I am

 Eia au he pua—o ke kalo                              Here I am a descendant of the kalo
Mai ka huli mua o Hāloa, eia au                   From the first planting of Hāloa, here I am

 He kalo kanu o Maunalei aloha                   A kalo planted in beloved Maunalei
E ola au—i ke kalo, eia au                            I live through the kalo, here I am

(Hua ‘Ōlelo & Leo na Kepā Maly © Pepeluali 1, 2018)

Mahalo everyone for joining us for Lā Hana Community Stewardship Day at the Hibiscus Enclosure located along Keōmuku Highway. This is a very unique enclosure that provides habitat to many of the island’s rare plants including the endangered ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei), the state flower of Hawai‘i. Volunteers had the opportunity to participate in a number of ways including out planting native wiliwili and ‘a‘ali‘i, collecting native naio seeds, and building a walking trail through the enclosure.

Petroglyphs at Pō'aiwa.

Lāna‘i Cultural Literacy Initiative – Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center Music – ‘E ‘Ike Hou Iā Lāna‘i – Composed by 2015 Cultural Literacy initiative Students. With Matt Kawaiola Sproat and Kepā Maly. Sharing a few places where students visited, Lāna‘i Hale, Maunalei and Waia‘ōpae. Mahalo Nui To: Community Restoration Grant 17CON-86502 Hawai‘i Community Foundation Kamehameha Schools Community Investing Program Kua ‘Āina Ulu ‘Auamo-Hui Mālama Loko I‘a Lāna‘i ‘Ohana Who Are Engaging in Stewardship of Lāna‘i’s Bio-Cultural Landscape Lāna‘i Archaeological Committee NOAA B-Wet Award No 17NOS4730195 Pūlama Lāna‘i A Berktech Solutions & Hi Level Media Production.

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historic photo notes shared on facebook

As the Puke Kamali‘i was being set up for printing, Kumu Hula, La‘ikealoha Kaopuiki Hanog asked Kepā Maly if he could compose a song about kalo for Lāna‘i haumāna. The timing was perfect, and the next day the mele “He Pua Au Na Ke Kalo” was finished — Mahalo ke Akua, Mahalo e nā Kūpuna. We saw it as a perfect addition to the new book—an experiential learning activity for students engaged in connecting with the bio-culutral landscape of their island home. The words and recording of the mele are shared here so that teachers and students can use it in their class and as a way of sharing aloha while they are on the ‘āina.

Celebrating the land, resources, people and history of Lāna‘i

E ho‘ohanohano ‘ana i ka wā ma mua, a e ho‘olako ‘ana i ka mua aku!

(Honoring the Past, Enriching the Future!)

Through the portals of this website visitors are provided with access to Lāna‘i’s history through thousands of historical records (documentary resources are being added regularly). The site includes narratives penned in Hawaiian and English describing all facets of Lāna‘i's history, as well photographs, maps, and information covering nearly 1,000 years of residency on the island.​

December 2015 Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center launched the GPS Web-enabled App, titled Lāna‘i Guide, in both Android and I-phone platforms. In May 2016, we partnered with Pūlama Lāna‘i in development of a second phase of the work to create a web-based version of the app. The app won a Preservation Award from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation in June 2016. And on September 12th, the new website www.lanaiguideapp.org was launched with updated information covering the natural and cultural history of Lāna‘i.

Lāna‘i high & elementary school —

Mrs. montgomery's 3rd graders

The Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center has been engaged in a program of documenting and sharing the history of Lāna‘i since 2007. One of the major programs is the creation of cultural literacy and place-based educational resources for Lāna‘i youth. As a part of the curriculum development a new illustrated book for youth (Puke Kamali‘i) titled, “Ka Huaka‘i Māka‘ika‘i ma Kekāhi Wahi Pana o Lāna‘i a Kaululā‘au” (A Trip to Visit Some of the Storied Places of Lāna‘i of Kaululā‘au) was written in both Hawaiian and English. Kepā Maly developed the story from traditional and historical accounts of Lāna‘i as shared by kūpuna, and

Puke Kamali‘i – stories from Lāna‘i for youth

Sharing more Historic Photo Notes as posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Shelly Kaleialoha Preza and Ikaika Ramones led this year’s Cultural Literacy – E ‘Ike Hou Iā Lāna‘i initiative. Photo, July 20, 2018, Kepā Maly.

The first copies of the book were given to Kupuna Daniel Kaopuiki III (pictured), grandson of Daniel and Hattie Kaopuiki, Sr., and Kupuna Irene Kamāhuiālani Cockett Perry who shared some of the stories retold in the book.

Kūpuna Daniel Kaopuiki and Irene Kamāhuiālani Cockett Perry are among the last elder native Hawaiian Lāna‘i kūpuna and we wanted to honor them with the first copies of the new Puke Kamali’i.

 Executive Director, Kepā Maly presents first book to Kupuna Daniel Kaopuiki III at his home in Washington. Photo, Onaona Maly, October 1, 2018.

Students and teachers gathered with community members to share what they learned on the last day of the summer program, July 20, 2018. Photo, Kepā Maly.

Lāna‘i 3rd graders in Mrs. Jennifer Montgomery’s class return to their film making project to support the community restoration project at Waia‘ōpae Fishpond. In their 4th installment of their mini-documentary, they share their experiences and invitation to the public to come and support the upcoming Lāna‘i workshop on May 17-20, 2018 in partnership with KUA and the Hui Loko I‘a.

LᾹNA'I guide app shares history of LᾹNA'I

​Visitors and local residents enjoy exhibits at the Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center. January 16, 2010. Kepā Maly photo.

Families with generational ties to Lāna‘i, residents of Lāna‘i, researchers, and individuals who are planning to visit Lāna‘i will find a wealth of information attached to this site. For people with ties to traditional and historic residents of Lāna‘i, a search through the records may provide you with information about your family and life in days gone by. For researchers, detailed records of place—residency, land tenure, business initiatives, changes in the natural environment, and past conservation efforts—may be found. And for people who are planning a visit to Lāna‘i, you will find interesting notes on places and customs, and tools for planning a visit to a number of the cultural and historical sites on the island. The digital library of this website provides visitors with access to a wide range of primary source documentation on Lāna‘i’s history.​

The Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center in Lāna‘i City was established in 2007, and is a federally recognized 501c3 non-profit charitable organization. Our programs seek to inspire people to be informed, thoughtful and active stewards of Lāna‘i's legacy landscape by preserving, interpreting and celebrating its natural history, Hawaiian traditions, diverse heritage and cultures, and ranching and plantation era histories.

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Sharing Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center Video Tour. Video produced by Anthony Ka'auamo Pacheco, narrated by Executive Director, Kepā Maly.​