Culture & Art

Protecting the Irreplaceable

Wednesday, May 28th, 2014

Hawaii has a rich history, which means the state has a wide range of historic places that should be preserved, conserved and protected. Molokai is leading the way in historic preservation, according to Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of nonprofit Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF).

“Molokai has set the standard and set the bar high on preserving active cultural sites, such as the fishponds restoration,” said  Faulkner, who came to Molokai May 17 to hold a seminar on historic preservation. “Molokai has been fierce advocates for a sense of place. The rest of the state is way behind Molokai.”

About 15 Molokai residents and HHF representatives met at Kulana `Oiwi to discuss the importance of preserving historic resources on Molokai.…

2014 May Day Highlights

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

2014 May Day Highlights

Each year, schools around the island celebrate May Day, known as Lei Day in Hawaii. Students at each school are selected for the royal court to represent every island, and perform songs and dances for family and friends. Here, we represent each celebration that’s taken place over the past three weeks.…

From Passion to Power

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

From Passion to Power

Slam poetry has emerged in Molokai schools among students and teachers bringing literary talents to the microphone to spit poems from the depths of their souls.

“When you write slam poetry, it’s an emphasis on your passions,” said MHS Hawaiian Language Immersion senior, `Apelila Ritte-Camara-Tangonan. “My passion and fire burns with my [Hawaiian] culture. I know a lot of people share the same fire and…for me self-expression through music, art or slam poetry rekindles my fire.”

Ritte-Camara-Tangonan was one of 13 rising slam poets who threw down, going word for word in the MHS Library last Tuesday night in the first ever Hana Hou Poetry Slam Competition.…

Veterans Corner

Thursday, May 8th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha my beloved veterans and fellow residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. When you go to the doctor, you’re always hoping for a clean bill of health. But why do we use that expression? The term has its roots in the Navy. A bill of health is a document a ship provides to port cities, according to Naval history and heritage command. It is proof that sailors are not suffering any epidemic or infection. The document is often unnecessary when travelling between domestic ports, according to the manual for the Medical Department of the U.S.…

Dancing With Purpose

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

Dancing With Purpose

What do ballroom dancing and sexual abuse prevention have in common? If your answer is “nothing,” you’ve never been to Kealoha Hooper’s ballroom classes on Molokai. While some might view ballroom dancing as old-fashioned or out-dated, Hooper is using ballroom to teach lessons of respect and start conversations about a problem plaguing many of today’s communities: violence and sexual abuse of children.

Ballroom dance classes sponsored through Molokai’s Consuelo Foundation, an organization working to prevent child neglect, violence and abuse, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) are teaching Molokai students more than how to rumba, fox trot and tango. The classes are enriching lives by improving self-confidence, communication, acceptance of others and regard for personal boundaries, said Hooper, a ballroom dance instructor who danced professionally with at Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Portland Oregon.…

First ‘Made In Maui County’ Festival Accepting Applications

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

First ‘Made In Maui County’ Festival Accepting Applications

County of Maui News Release

The inaugural “Made in Maui County” Festival will be held November 7 and 8 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development announced. Approximately 6,000 to 8,000 residents and visitors are anticipated to attend the event, which will showcase a wide variety of made-in-Maui County products, including foods, produce, art, crafts, jewelry, fashion, gifts, collectibles and more in one location.

Planning for the first-ever festival is in full swing with vendor applications and sponsorship forms now being accepted on the event’s official website, MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com. The event is being presented by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development in partnership with the Maui Chamber of Commerce.…

Dancing with the Winds: Ka Hula Piko 2014

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

Dancing with the Winds: Ka Hula Piko 2014

Ancient Hawaiians used winds to recognize and heed messages of warning, blessings and things to come. The 23rd annual Ka Hula Piko festival brought the Molokai community, along with visitors from around the world, together to celebrate hula traditions and how Hawaiians today are connected to kupuna of the past through the elements.

“The wind and the elements are so important in our lives and our ancestors made connections to them…that taught us to mind the protocol and be aware of these elements when they are in action,” said Elsie Ryder, ho`opa`a, or chanter, of Halau Hula O Kukunaokala. “Our ancestors and Ke Akua communicate with us through the elements.”…

Kawela Moku: Reviving the Aha Moku System

Thursday, May 1st, 2014

Community Contributed

Opinion by Kawika Duvauchelle, Kanoelani Davis, and Hawaiiloa Mowat

The Kawela Moku lies roughly between Kalamaula to Kamalo.  It is rich in natural resources, from stunning waterfalls in the mountains to countless loko ia along its shoreline and from the many culturally significant sites that are scared to Hawaiians to one of the largest fringing reefs in the state.  The Kawela Moku is the source of water for many families on Molokai and provides us with fish from the ocean and pig and deer from the mountains.  Our hope is that these gifts will last for many, many generations.…

Hawaiian Immersion Summer Schools

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Manuwai Peters

With interest and demand growing for Hawaiian language programs for kids entering middle school, a second Kula Kaiapuni Kauwela site will open this summer at Molokai Middle School. Kula Kaiapuni Kauwela at Molokai Middle is for students who will complete grade six, seven or eight this school year.  The Hawaiian language based curricula is designed to engage and excite students in the many aspects of the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage of the Hokule`a and Hikianalia wa`a.

Through direct instruction and inquiry, students will compare stories and traditions of the Polynesian (Maori and Tahitian) migration with primary accounts of Hawaiian migrations, genealogies, exploration, and discovery. …

Learning Journey: Hokule`a Crew Inspires Students

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014

The first time Molokai’s Captain Melvin “Mel” Paoa touched the Hokule`a — a replica of the traditional Hawaiian double-hulled seafaring canoe — in 1977, he said he held on tight and never let go—no matter the odds.

As a diabetic, Paoa was told to discontinue sailing on Hokule`a for health reasons, but he didn’t take no for an answer. In 1985, he set sail on his longest voyage yet for 12,000 miles from Hawaii to Tahiti to French Polynesia and finally the Cook Islands. He told Molokai Middle School (MMS) students, education leaders and community members at an education event last Friday to never give up.…