• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    May 29, 2025

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    May 30, 2025

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    May 28, 2025

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Culture & Art

MHS Prepares for Ka Molokai Makahiki

Wednesday, January 18th, 2023

MHS Prepares for Ka Molokai Makahiki

By Sage Yamashita, Intern Reporter

It’s a new year and the annual Makahiki games are right around the corner. In a time of joy and prayer, friendly competition will excite Molokai’s community. Last Thursday, Molokai High School students prepared with their own Makahiki games to find their representatives for the upcoming community games on Jan. 28.  

“Since we started academies this year, we wanted to kind of have our academies build that sense of belonging and that teamwork, that idea of teamwork,” said Vice Principal Tilana Roberts. “So each academy actually finds the champions.” 

According to Roberts, freshmen to seniors are in academies of community service and sustainability academy (CSS) or innovation and business technology (IBT).…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Kanikapila Group Therapy Returns

Wednesday, January 18th, 2023

Kanikapila Group Therapy News Release

For those of you who fondly recall the days when Kanikapila was at the Coffees of Hawaii site in Kualapuu, let it be known that it has returned! It was named Kanikapila Group Therapy because so many people who showed up for it would comment that they felt so good afterwards. 

If you don’t know what the word “kanikapila” means, it is a style of Hawaiian music produced in an impromptu jam session. The term comes from “kani,” which means sound, and “pila” which means any string instrument in the Hawaiian language.

Kanikapila Group Therapy (KGT) meets the first and third Tuesday of every month from 10a.m…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Christmas Carolers

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022

Christmas Carolers

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Kaunakakai School students toured businesses in town last week to bring holiday cheer and sing Christmas carols to appreciate audiences. 

The Molokai Community Choir, led by Leah Aquino, and the Molokai Instrumental Music Education group, instructed by Bob Underwood joined to offer a Christmas concert at Grace Episcopal Church’s Saturday Market last weekend. …

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Children’s Theatre of Molokai Launches

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022

Children’s Theatre of Molokai Launches

Hokulani CTOM News Release 

There are currently no ongoing theatrical opportunities in the community or any of Molokai schools. To fill this gap, a grassroots community effort began in 2022 by Vicki Boswell, a former elementary school performing arts teacher and social worker from the island. The mission of Hokulani Children’s Theatre of Molokai (Hokulani CTOM) is to enrich the lives of young people and inspire them to build a better community by gaining performing art experience that will deepen their understanding of human connections and values. Hokulani CTOM is in the process of being created.

Working with other community organizations we officially launch in January with our first community production play, “The Legend of Mulan” for youth between the ages of 7 and 14 years old. …

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment

Visit Molokai Ceramic Artist

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

Ark Ceramics News Release

 “I walk a beach marked by the ebbing tide,” says ceramic artist Arabella Ark, “where I step over broken coral and loose limu to the pond wall. There I watch the heron fishing, the kolea pecking, the fish jumping, while whales breach in the channel beyond the reef. The wind picks up and the sea begins to churn. These are the elements of design on my ceramics.”

At Arabella’s studio, you can find shapes, sizes, colors from our changing natural world. There are pots glazed in pinks and corals like the setting sun; others in deep turquoises and greens like the sea.…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Makahiki, a Celebration of the Harvest

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH CTAHR Molokai Extension Agent

In ancient Hawaii, the rising of the constellation Makali’i, also known as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, signaled the start of the Makahiki season and the season of the harvest. Southerly storms signaled the arrival of Lono i ka Makahiki, a special season to give thanks for the bounty of food, and another year without famine. The celebration of abundance was probably the most important aspect of Makahiki, while also giving thanks to the God Lono, the god of fertility, agriculture, rain, music, and peace for blessing our fertile, fat lands or ‘aina momona. …

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment

The Legacy of Dr. Aluli

Sunday, December 11th, 2022

The Legacy of Dr. Aluli

Molokai mourns the loss of a beloved doctor, Native Hawaiian healthcare advocate and activist who will be remembered for his infectious smile, kindness and generosity. Dr. Noa Emmett Aluli died on Nov. 30 at the age of 78.

Born on Oahu in 1944, Aluli was one of the first graduating class from University of Hawaii’s medical school in 1975, and chose to complete his residency on Molokai.

“I wanted to come here to learn from the people, learn from the patients, on how to deliver state of the art health,” said Aluli of his arrival to the island in 1975. “The health of this island, the health of the land, the health of the ocean, the health of the resources, is the health of her people.…

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment

The Garden of Easy

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

The Garden of Easy

By Paul Hanley, Community Reporter

It’s been about 15 years since Nelson Puailihau—aka Easy, aka Honeyboy—gave up his rough and rowdy ways. Three years ago, he began to tend a parcel of land near Kilohana school. From the thicket of bananas, papayas, and taro to the expansive, impeccable lawn, the “Garden of Easy” is the expression of his deep desire to bring life and beauty to the ‘aina.

“Since I got clean and sober and turned my life around,” says Puailihau. “I’ve put my heart and soul into this land.”

Each plant he nurtures symbolizes his commitment to growth, not just in the garden but in his own life.…

Posted in , , , , commentsAdd your comment

Gift Local, Support a Dream, Part 2

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

Gift Local, Support a Dream, Part 2

By Sage Yamashita, Intern Reporter

Shopping Molokai-made products will be the highlight of gift-giving during the holiday season. To give an inside look on gift hampers canberra, a selection of local artisans, crafters and shops are featured for the next couple of weeks. This week, we talked with the Molokai entrepreneurs behind Hulalei Designs and Buji-fied about supporting the island’s community, while keeping your money local this holiday season.

Lehua Paris is the creator behind the brand Hulalei Designs and the terms “Eat more Veg’Aina” and “Making Mo’olelos.” These brand terms are frequently heard and seen on Molokai.

“I actually started off making jewelry,” said Paris.…

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment

A’o Aku; A’o Mai: What I Learn, I Teach

Sunday, November 27th, 2022

A’o Aku; A’o Mai: What I Learn, I Teach

By Sara Jane Larkin, Teacher

Kilohana Elementary School is a Project Based Learning School and we encourage learners to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills, and extend our thinking beyond the classroom. In answering the question, “How can we share our learning with our friends, families and our community?” first graders at Kilohana will share their understanding with our community in the Dispatch.

We were very thrilled about the big storm east end last week.  Our writing was focused on what we saw, what we heard and how we felt during the storm.…

Posted in , , , , commentsAdd your comment