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Author Archives: Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai History Project Transfers to Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center

Thursday, October 9th, 2025

MHP News Release

The Molokai History Project and Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center jointly announce the formal transfer of MHP operations, collections and programming to Ka Ipu Makani, marking a new phase in the continued care and sharing of Molokai’s history.

Since its founding, the Molokai History Project has served as a community space for historical exhibits and narratives of life on Molokai. This transition ensures that that work continues — now strengthened by Ka Ipu Makani’s Native Hawaiian-led approach to cultural stewardship, heritage preservation, and culture- and ʻāina-based education. 

“Molokai’s history belongs to its people — not just in the past, but in how we carry it forward,” said Dr.…

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Master Blacksmith to Lead Forging Workshop

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

Master Blacksmith to Lead Forging Workshop

MAC New Release
Hawaii Craftsmen, in partnership with the Molokai Arts Center, is proud to announce a two-day blacksmithing workshop titled “Small-Scale Non-Ferrous Forging: Form and Function.”
Led by acclaimed Seattle-based artist Lisa Geertsen, this hands-on workshop will teach participants how to forge functional and artistic items from copper, such as dinnerware, cuffs, and hairpins.
The workshop will be held at a private residence in Kalae Saturday, Nov. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Geertsen will also give a public lecture on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Molokai Arts Center at 5-7 p.m. Registration begins Oct.…

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OHCRA World Championships Celebrate Legacy of Hawaiian Canoe Racing

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

OHCRA News Release
The Oahu Canoe Racing Association (OHCRA) announces a record-breaking year for the Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai and Molokai Hoe World Championship canoe races, presented by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, with participation numbers reaching an all-time high.
Seventy-three female crews competed in the Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai, shattering the previous record of 71 crews and marking both the largest field in the race’s 46-year history and the most female crews ever registered for the world championship.
“We’re continuing the incredible momentum started last year with the return of these world championship races,” said Ikaika Rogerson, Treasurer of OHCRA.…

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Tahitians Win Na Wahine O Ke Kai

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

Tahitians Win Na Wahine O Ke Kai

By Léo Azambuja

In 1975, two Hawaiian crews of 18 women each made history by completing the first unofficial crossing of the Kaiwi Channel during the traditional Molokai-to-Oahu canoe race. They proved that women could also participate in the race that had been an all-male affair since its first year in 1952. 

Exactly 50 years later, the 10-woman crew of the As Ihilani Vaʻa also made history last Sunday by being the first Tahitian team to win the Na Wahine O Ke Kai, a 41.9-mile race that had been dominated by Hawaiian teams for the last 20 years. They took first place overall and first place in the Glass: Women Open division.…

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The Beetle Stops Here: Interim Rule Against CRB Approved

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

The Beetle Stops Here: Interim Rule Against CRB Approved

 

By Léo Azambuja

State officials added an important layer of protection against the threat of the coconut rhinoceros beetle on Molokai, the last of the major Hawaiian Islands where the invasive pest has not been detected yet. 

The Hawaii Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity voted unanimously Sept. 23 to recommend adoption of a year-long ban on landscaping and some construction materials entering Molokai from other islands. The moratorium went into the effect the following day. 

“It’s a battle that we have to win when it comes to attack on our canoe crops (and) our indigenous plants,” U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda said after meeting with Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee coordinator Lori Buchanan the same day the interim rule was approved.…

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Kulāia Festival Kicks Off Canoe Races

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

Kulāia Festival Kicks Off Canoe Races

By Léo Azambuja
A large street celebration rocked Kaunakakai last Friday, welcoming the most important Hawaiian outrigger canoe races in Hawaii and honoring one of Molokai’s most beloved watermen.
“Aloha mai kākou. Welcome to Kulāia, our 8th Annual Molokai Canoe Festivals Hoʻolauleʻa,” event organizer Lori-Lei Rawlins-Crivello said at the beginning of the festival. “Although we had missed a few years due to COVID, last year we came back very excited.”
Hundreds of people attended the event taking the entire block of Ala Malama Avenue in front of the Molokai Public Library from 5 to 10 p.m.
The event, she said, was all about perpetuating the culture and legacy of Molokai.…

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King Kamehameha Shows Support for Molokai Heritage Trust

Thursday, September 25th, 2025

King Kamehameha Shows Support for Molokai Heritage Trust

By Léo Azambuja
ʻĀina is no small legacy, according to a relatively young, grassroots nonprofit organization seeking to make history on Molokai. Even Kamehameha, the Great knows this and supports this community-led and -driven initiative.
“All the way. Let’s go. Anything for Molokai,” said Kaina Makua, the actor who plays King Kamehameha I in the new Apple TV+ series Chief of War.
A Native Hawaiian community leader and taro farmer on Kauai, Makua attended Molokai Heritage Trust’s annual meeting Sept. 20, showing support for the nonprofit’s plan to purchase more than 55,000 acres — about a third of Molokai — from Hong Kong-based investment holding company Guoco Group Ltd.…

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Walking Out of the Darkness

Thursday, September 25th, 2025

Walking Out of the Darkness

By Léo Azambuja
Even in the heart of the most violent storm, when nothing goes your way and you feel alone, lost in the darkness and searching for meaning in life, there are many people out there willing to light the way and walk with you until things get better.
“I want people to know they are not alone. I want people to know where they can go if they need help. I want people to know that it is okay to not be okay, and that there are people who love them, even if it feels like in the moment, they don’t feel that, and if you reach out for help, someone will be there,” Uʻilani Kiaha said at the Out of the Darkness Walk at Kaunakakai Wharf Sept.…

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Pineapple Jam IV at the Park

Thursday, September 25th, 2025

Pineapple Jam IV at the Park

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff
At any point of your life, was 96770 your area code? Are you or anyone in your family from the Maunaloa Pineapple Era, from 1923 to 1975?
Come reminisce and make more memories at the Pineapple Jam IV at One Aliʻi Park Saturday, Sept. 27 from 5 p.m. until pau.
Bring food and drinks; it is a potluck-style celebration. Do you have paper plates? Bring them too. Don’t forget your dancing shoes; kanikapila is in the program. Share your old stories with everyone; perpetuate Molokai’s rich plantation history.
And most important, bring aloha.…

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Learning to Make Ti Leaf Lei

Thursday, September 25th, 2025

Learning to Make Ti Leaf Lei

By Léo Azambuja

In Hawaiian culture, the ti plant is believed to attract good spirits and ward off evil. A ti leaf lei symbolizes good luck, protection and blessings. Gifting someone a lei is considered a gesture of respect and an embodiment of the aloha spirit.

“Ti leaf plays a significant role in laʻau lapaʻau, in cooking, hula, in ceremonies and in celebrations,” said Pomaikaʻi Ah Mook Sang, who led a ti leaf lei workshop at Hoʻolehua Homestead Makeke Sept. 20.

A half-dozen people learned or got a refresher on how to make basic ti leaf lei in the introductory workshop sponsored by the Molokai Arts Center, in a partnership with the Hoʻolehua Homestead Makeke. …

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