October 2023 - Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center (Lāna‘i CHC) has launched E Mālama i ke Koehana Waiwai o Lānaʻi (to care for the valuable artifacts of Lāna‘i), an ambitious two and half-year project to preserve and honor the native Hawaiian artifacts in Lāna‘i CHC’s care.
Lāna‘i CHC stewards the largest collection of Lāna‘i-focused archival materials in the world, representing traditional Hawaiian times through the island’s ranching and plantation era to the present.
This project was made possible through funding by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) through its Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program grant line. This project inventories, catalogs and begins the digitization of the Center’s robust collection of more than 2,500 Hawaiian artifacts that make up a portion of Lāna‘i CHC’s archival collections. This valuable project also includes environmental upgrades so that the cultural artifacts are properly stored and protected.