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.
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.
Photo, Simon Tajiri. August 24, 2016. (KPAC3_9051)
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On August 24, 2016, nearly 100 years after two rare Lāna‘i artifacts left the island, they were returned as a gift to the Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center and the families of Lāna‘i.
Luella Holt Kurkjian—daughter of Venus Leina‘ala Gay Holt, and granddaughter of Charles & Louisa Pakohana Gay—brought an ancient ‘umeke (kou wood bowl) and two miniature canoes which had been given to her grandmother in the early 1900s home. Descendants of the Lāna‘i natives and a small group of ‘ohana gathered at Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center for this momentous occasion. Gay Family Collection
Rare Lāna'i artifacts return home
Upcoming Programs & Updates
New link shares history of LᾹNA'I
Hawaiian musician Matthew Sproat (Waipuna) flew in to direct the student's performance of their new song. The song expresses the student's love for Lānaʻi and was composed by the students under the guidance of Kumu Kepā Maly, Kumu Matthew Sproat, and Kumu Jamaica Osorio. (learned in 5 days as each verse was written weekly and translated to Hawaiian)
“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. Performed live by Blake Tan & Simon Tajiri. End credits performed by Matt Sproat.
This mini documentary shown below from our You Tube Channel of the E ʻIke Hou Iā Lānaʻi cultural literacy program, Summer 2015, (June 8 - July 3, 2015) shares activities and thoughts of students who participated in the four week program sponsored by the Native Hawaiian Education Act Grant through Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center with support from Pūlama Lāna‘i, Honua Consulting, Lānaʻi High & Elementary School and additional partners.
Leo O Nā Haumāna E ʻIke Hou Iā Lānaʻi —
Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center
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!)
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.
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.
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.
Sharing Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center Video Tour. Video produced by Anthony Ka'auamo Pacheco, narrated by Executive Director, Kepā Maly.