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Culture & Art

Your May Day

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020

Your May Day

Mahalo to all who sent us your photos for our May Day contest! We couldn’t choose just one, so here are a few of our favorites, with some words from the photographers.

 

Submitted by Jessica Sanchez:
Aloha from Kalaupapa! Jessica Sanchez and Albert Espaniola with dogs Hulali and Hooch.

 

 

Submitted by Eugene Santiago:
I’d like to submit this photo I took on the beach… to recognize the Hinahina for its subtle beauty that gets overlooked many times, just because it’s a ground cover. I discovered its beauty after being curious and getting on my knees to get a real close up look and what I saw was truly amazing.…

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May Day Photo Contest

Wednesday, April 29th, 2020

May Day Photo Contest

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

With schools closed and May Day celebrations this year cancelled, we still want to see how you’re observing Lei Day! Maybe you made a spectacular lei to gift, maybe you’re wearing one with your mask. Maybe your dog is even sporting some pua! Whatever it is, share it with us for a chance to have your photo featured on our front page. Please email us your photo to editor@themolokaidispatch.com or tag @molokaidispatch in your Facebook post by Saturday, May 2 at 4 p.m. and show us your Lei Day celebrations!…

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Online Hawaiian Cultural Lessons

Wednesday, April 15th, 2020

Online Hawaiian Cultural Lessons

Ka Hale Hoaka News Release

Parents seeking to transform “shelter-in-place” into a cultural learning adventure will be happy to discover Ka Hale Hoaka, taught by Molokai’s Maile Naehu. This new learning environment offers lessons in Hawaiian language and culture designed for students aged 5 through 11. Learners of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and places of residence are warmly welcomed. Although the introductory course began on March 31, registration remains open for the remainder of the free Introductory Series, held online at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 16. Register at kahalehoaka.com or visit Ka Hale Hoaka on Facebook for details.…

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Participate in Online Artist Marketplace

Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

CNHA News Release

Are you a Molokai artist or entrepreneur whose business has ben affected by COVID-19? The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) and our community partners are launching an online Pop-Up Makeke to support our local artists and small business owners in Hawaii impacted by COVID-19.

As we witness nearly all community events, gatherings, craft fairs and farmers markets get cancelled or postponed, we recognize the impact that this will have on Hawaii’s economy, especially our many Native Hawaiian-owned businesses who depend on these activities to feed their families.

We are looking for businesses interested in being a part of this online makeke.…

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Survival on Molokai

Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

I share the vision and belief for survival of our life on Molokai. Farm, plant coconut, ulu, kalo, banana from our Polynesian heritage. King Kamehameha V’s vision and message to all of us was to farm, plant coconut trees, the tree of life and survival.

Look around – what is happening to life in the world?

Farm, plant our Polynesian heritage food. Create art: beautiful edible landscaping, happy fun financial hobbies. All lands are sacred, same time our survival depends on using them. That’s what the earth is all about for mankind. With care and respect, Molokai, recognize what you have.…

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Ghostbusters of Kalaupapa

Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa
I was here in my easy chair, where I tend to think better, when they burst onto the scene. Some were carrying white buckets while others were toting back tanks from which hoses protruded. They looked like ghostbusters. I wondered if they had been sent here by the Board of Health to fumigate the church property or perhaps the resident pastor himself. Then I recognized their supervisor was Kaohulani. So I felt safe to go out to meet and greet them.
In actuality, these “ghostbusters” are a group of students from the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Hawaii Island.…

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Lantern Ceremony Brings Grieving Families Together

Thursday, November 7th, 2019

Lantern Ceremony Brings Grieving Families Together

The Molokai community gathered last Saturday evening to remember the 20 lives lost 30 years ago when Aloha Island Air flight 1712 crashed in the mountains of east Molokai on Oct. 28, 1989. Family members and friends of the victims released glowing lanterns onto the water at twilight, joining other residents in remembering loved ones they’ve lost at the sixth annual Floating Lantern Ceremony.

“Sometimes in grief, you feel that if you push it away, it will make it easier, but in reality we need to remember their names, remember their faces, remember their lives and the ways that they impacted our lives,” said Barbara Helm of Hospice Hawaii Molokai, one of the event sponsors, along with Molokai’s Guzeiji Soto Mission.…

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Halawa Church Has Collapsed

Thursday, September 5th, 2019

Halawa Church Has Collapsed

Portions of the iconic lerusalema Hou Church in Halawa Valley fell to the ground last week after sitting vacant since 2015. Tucked into the lush valley, the church was built in 1948 and at more than 70 years old, it had fallen into disrepair. The church’s Kahu Reynolds Ayau said in 2015 that the church was closing its doors for services because “dry rot and termites have made it a total hazard.”

Pilipo Solatorio of Halawa said he recalls helping to build the church when he was a kid. His grandparents, along with other families, worked to erect the structure and it had seen many services, celebrations and community losses in its 70 years.…

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Kalaupapa Pavilion Gets a Facelift

Thursday, January 17th, 2019

Kalaupapa Pavilion Gets a Facelift

For 53 years, a small building has stood at the edge of the ocean in Kalaupapa, holding many special occasions and happy memories for residents. The Ocean View Pavilion, built in 1965 by members of the Kalaupapa Lions Club, recently underwent long-awaited renovations and was reopened in a dedication ceremony on Dec. 19. “After years of sea spray, rain and trade winds, the building needed repairs, specifically a new roof, some structural beams and a painting,” stated a Kalaupapa Lions news release last year. “ [It] stands as a testimony to the strength and fortitude of the residents of this tiny settlement.”…

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Recalling Kulaia History

Sunday, September 9th, 2018

Molokai Canoe Festivals Committee News Release

Historical records dating back to 1865 note Hawaiian outrigger canoe race competitions as one of the many events our kupuna took part in during annual la kulaia, days of festivities honoring the Kingdom of Hawaii and especially honoring our beloved monarchy.  During that era, kulaia generally occurred once a year during a national holiday or birthday celebration of a mo’i (monarch). 

After the overthrow of our beloved Hawaiian Kingdom, kulaia festivities changed focus and no longer celebrated the Kingdom and monarchy.  In historical records, we see the shift from national celebration to simply canoe race competitions. …

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