Culture & Art

Getting Creative with the Crown Flower Lei

Thursday, May 28th, 2026

By Dayanti Karunaratne

The crown flower lei is among the most common lei types, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something new to learn. At last week’s Molokai Arts Center lei-making workshop, attendees learned to pull apart the petals and how to make patterns using the skirts, pods and crowns of the plant.

“To see the different styles is really amazing. When we were growing up, it was just one way; with the crowns of the flower. We didn’t do all these different styles,” MAC Executive Director Alice Kaʻahanui said.  

About 25 people attended the event at Hoʻolehua Homestead Makeke May 17.…

Honoring Prince Kūhiō’s Legacy

Wednesday, May 6th, 2026

By Léo Azambuja
A free theatrical play honored the legacy of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi before a crowd of nearly 100 Molokai residents at Lanikeha Community Center last week. The play was part of the Prince Kūhiō Day celebrations that had been postponed due to the Kona Low storms in March .
“Although our kingdom is lost, we are still the Hawaiian people, and as an aliʻi, part of me stands outside of any government, and I’m determined to serve,” the actor portraying Prince Kūhiō said during the “Ka Kauā o Ka Lāhui: The Life of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi” play April 26.…

Native Plant Spotlight from Kamalō: ʻAʻaliʻi

Friday, March 27th, 2026

By Ka Ipu Makani

Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center is excited to begin sharing a new series highlighting the native plants being grown and prepared for planting at ʻAikoʻolua in Kamalō as part of the Kīpuka Kamalō Restoration Project. The work on the ground is led by ʻAnakala Bobby Alcain, who has spent many years working with native plants and sharing knowledge about their propagation and care in dryland environments.

Over the coming months, this series will introduce some of the native species being propagated for the project and share a bit about their ecological roles, cultural uses, and significance in Hawaiian traditions.…

Lauhala Anthuriums for Valentine’s Day

Thursday, February 5th, 2026

By Léo Azambuja

The hala tree was one of the most important plants in old Hawaii. All parts of the tree were utilized — the fruit was a famine food also used for lei-making and paintbrushes, the roots and flowers had medicinal properties, the wood was used to build structures. But it was its leaves, called lauhala, that made the tree so popular until today. 

Weaved in a variety of ways, lauhala was used in crafting floor mats, hats, containers, burial vessels, baskets and even canoe sails.

“I am a third-generation weaver, taught by my tutu lady and my hanai mama and my hanai tutu.…