• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    February 5, 2026

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    February 6, 2026

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    February 11, 2026

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

Culture & Art

Long Live Art on Molokai

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Long Live Art on Molokai

Known for its close community of musicians and artists, Molokai inspires with its rich culture, history, and natural beauty. Recently a group of artists, including Molokai keiki, had a chance to share their own inspiration translated into art. 

The piece is comprised of several art mediums hewn together. Several kapa-patterned batik screens as wide as 12 feet hang from overhead. Below, on the floor, copper kalo leaves stretch skyward from their metal stalks. Bamboo, rock, and other natural materials compliment the organic vibe of the piece.



Over a year ago, the Hawaii Primary Care Association (HPCA) decided to give the state’s 13 community health centers the opportunity to heal their patrons with more than medicine. They sent out applications for grant money to create wellness art projects, and the MCHC hopped on board.

“We liked the idea of trying to use indigenous art in a healing or therapeutic kind of way,” said Cyrus Siu, MCHC’s chief financial officer. Molokai received $19,000 for supplies, shipping, and artist stipends – money secured by Sen. Dan Inouye.

While the art piece made its debut at the MCHC groundbreaking, it later displayed at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. Molokai and two other community health center’s projects were featured in an exhibition called “Maoli Arts in Real Time.”

Siu added that once the health center completes its renovations of the old Pau Hana Inn, a permanent exhibit space will be planned for the Healing Project and other community art.

“The more people, the more ideas, the more mana`o you get, the more people it’s going to touch,” Tangonan said.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Molokai Halau Victorious

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Molokai Halau Victorious

Community Contributed

By Kim Markham

Raymond Hiro and his band pulled a fast one on some unsuspecting old folks on the morning of Thursday, September 16, 2010. The kupuna were the senior members of Kumu Raquel Dudoit’s halau "Na Kupuna o Moana." At 7 a.m., they were up early for their final rehearsals before the 28th annual Kona Kupuna Hula Contest being held at the Keauhou Sheraton Convention Center.   Molokai’s hula dancers, who are all over age 55, have been practicing their Mixed (Men and Women) Division hula to the tune of “Hilo E” for almost one year. It is a challenging hula because the dancers must spin around and around while changing formations and beating bamboo pu`ili sticks. When Raymond and the musicians started to play their guitars, ukuleles and bass, they double-timed the music. They strummed so fast that the poor old hula dancers tripped over their own feet trying to keep up with the music. After collapsing in laughter and catching their breaths, the band and halau rehearsed the song one final time at a reasonable rhythm.

With over 26 halau presenting hulas in various divisions, it was a very long day for Molokai’s senior citizens who were scheduled for the last performance of the evening. In fact, the audience and judges seemed a little sleepy by the time Molokai was finally called to stage.  Once again Raymond and the band pitched a fast and jazzy version of Hilo E.  Not surprised this time, Na Kupuna o Moana came out strong, whirling and twirling their ti leaf skirts and executing precise moves. The audience woke up quickly and many in the audience jumped to their feet clapping in time with the music. With huge smiles, our Molokai dancers thrilled over 1,000 spectators who gave a standing ovation before the dance was even finished.

After five judges tallied their scores based on the dancers’ movements, appearances, costumes, flowers, and expressions, the decisions were announced. Molokai’s Men took third place for their performance of Kaulana Molokai. Molokai’s Men and Women Combined won first place for Hilo E. Na Kupuna o Moana wish to thank everyone who made the exciting trip to Kona possible by purchasing pizza tickets, candy, plants, baked goods, soup and lucky number tickets from halau members throughout the past year of fundraising.  Na Kupuna also wish to thank their beloved kumu Aunty Moana and Aunty Raquel who spend so many hours teaching beautiful hula to keep their students young and smiling, no matter how old they are!

Posted in comments1 Comments

Tax Relief Workshop for Native Hawaiian Organizations

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Honua Consulting News Release

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is sponsoring free workshops for small Native Hawaiian serving organizations, to help them come into compliance with tax requirements by the Oct. 15 deadline.

A network of Hawaiian organizations and businesses have banded together to help small Native Hawaiian organizations maintain their tax exemption status. The IRS recently announced that October 15, 2010 will be the final day for small charities to take advantage of a one-time tax relief program before losing their tax exemption status.   

Posted in , comments1 Comments

Kalaupapa Celebrates Aloha

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

The small, isolated community of Kalaupapa didn’t let their size stop them from throwing a grand party on Sept. 1 for the settlement’s third annual Night of Aloha. Patients, staff and topside folk celebrated with festive music, hula and stomachs full of ono food.

“It went absolutely beautiful,” said Ziana Kaulia, a Department of Health employee who organized the event. Kaulia said she started the event in 2008 after hearing some of Kalaupapa’s patients talk about the Aloha Weeks they used to have decades ago.

“They were never able to participate in the court,” Kaulia said. “That’s why I wanted to start something like this, so the patients could participate and be in the court.”

Posted in , comments1 Comments

Credit Where It’s Due

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Credit Where It’s Due

The photo that appeared on the front cover of last week’s issue, Sept. 15, may have been taken by Molokai Dispatch staff, but was crafted by an impassioned group here on the Friendly Isle. Some members of Kalamaula Mauka – Hawaiian Homestead Association created a new homestead group: `Opio o Molokai – the youth of Molokai. Among their beginning goals was to increase participation in the voting process.

“Our number one target is Hawaiians, but we know it’s important that everyone get out,” said `Opio member Suliana Aki. “It’s important who represents us, and who we can see in regard to complains and compliments.”

Following the primary elections, `Opio o Molokai encourages all of us to keep up the momentum, get educated and vote in the general elections in November. Mahalo to Candice and Stanley Bicoy, Vanna and Kanahele Montizor, Royce Villa, Fred Aki, Sybil Lopez, and `Apelila and Kapena Meddela for the message.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Hau`oli La Hanau

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Hau`oli La Hanau

Students from all of Molokai’s Hawaiian immersion programs come together once a year to honor Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, Queen Lili`uokalani.

Hosted by the Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center (QLCC) on Molokai, this is the seventh year the student’s have shared `oli, hula and essays written about the queen, according to Andrina Reyes, QLCC office supervisor. This year marks the third year that all immersion schools – MHS, MMS, Kualapu`u and Punana Leo – have come together in a larger celebration.

means a lot,” she said.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Molokai Taro Variety Field Day

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Molokai Taro Variety Field Day

Community Contributed

By Alton S. Arakaki, County Extension Agent

Lehua or Lehua Maoli is a native Hawaiian taro variety name most familiar today.  That is because it is the most common variety that is made into poi we see in the market today.  But have you ever heard of taro varieties called Lauloa Eleele ula or Ulaula Poni or Manini Kea or Nihopuu?  At one time these varieties, along as many as 300 other varieties, were in the common kalo language in native Hawaiian communities as Lehua. 

On Saturday, Sept. 18, Hawaiian taro varieties and their significance to the Hawaiian culture will be discussed at the 2010 Molokai Taro Variety Field Day. Held at the Molokai Agriculture Park at 8:30 a.m., Mr. Jerry Konanui will be our featured speaker.

Many years ago, as poi making became a commercial activity and fewer families made their own poi, commercial poi mills like any other manufacturing operation tried to deliver a predictable and consistent product their customers expected.   This required commercial poi mills to narrow their selection of taro varieties for poi making to deliver a poi product that had consistent taste, viscosity and stickiness, and most of all color.  Taro farmers also conformed to the needs of poi mills and began to produce varieties that produced a consistent poi product.  Eventually that variety became Lehua Maoli, and a more narrowly focused, Lehua Maoli that are produce in lo`i, or wetland paddy fields you see today in Hanalei and Waimea Valley on Kauai.  Other varieties fell victims to farming philosophy “if you can’t sell’um don’t grow’um.”  Today lesser known taro varieties are grown by families that are familiar with them through generations of growing and consuming them or by private collectors and institutions that share similar cultural or educational goals.  Thus the numbers of native Hawaiian taro varieties we have today have dwindled down to about 70 today.

Taro farming is hard work that requires the use of valuable and limited land, water and labor resources.  I’d like to believe that Native Hawaiians developed and maintained many of these varieties because they had some value.  They had hardly the resources to waste on things that didn’t contribute to their daily existence.  At one time many ahupua`a, or land divisions, grew their own varieties, and even grew varieties that were reserved for Hawaiian royalties that visited their ahupua`a.  Why they grew certain varieties in certain ahupua`a is knowledge that has not been captured well in historic information.  All we know is certain varieties were favored over others in many of the ahupua`a that had different micro climates throughout the state.   At least one of the reasons I’d like to believe they produced a particular variety is that it produced well in the ahupua`a to meet the five-to-nine pound of taro consumption per person per day, for the carbohydrates needed to generate the body energy to perform the daily physical tasks of survival.  Now that there is increasing awareness and more discussions on sustainable communities and food security, the source and security of nutritional carbohydrates need to be part of the discussion.  Or maybe it is also about time for these varieties are returned to their ahupua`a to learn more about what the Native Hawaiians knew about them and for their safe keeping.

We will have cooked samples of different taro varieties.  A limited amount of native Hawaiian variety taro huli will be available for you to cut.  If you are interested in cutting huli, come in your field attire, taro sap will stain.  Please bring your own container, tools, pens and labels.  A tank of Clorox solution will be prepared for treating your huli for soil plant diseases that might be on the surface of the planting materials.  Planting native Hawaiian varieties will help preserve and perpetuate these rare culturally significant plants and also help clean and prepare the field for the next project.

Posted in , , comments2 Comments

Mau’s Dream Lives On

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Mau’s Dream Lives On

Community Contributed

By Paanaakala Baybayan

At around one a.m. on Aug. 27, three of Hawaii’s deep-sea voyaging canoes Hokule`a, Makali`i, and Hokualaka`i set sail from Kawaihae Harbor bound for Oahu. The journey served as training for a future world-wide voyage; but more so, it honored the continuing legacy of Master Navigator, Mau Piailug. Considered by many to be the father of the re-emergence of traditional Polynesian navigation, Piailug passed away on July 12.

As the three canoes sailed away into the darkness, there was much excitement in the air. For some of the crew it was their first time crossing the `Alenuihaha, but for both new and veteran sailors, it was a time filled with anticipation and excitement.

The `Alenuihaha is noted for its fierce winds and steep waves, and on this day the early departure allowed the canoes to cross the channel before the heat of day contributed to the acceleration of the tradewinds. Under the light of a waning full moon the three deep sea canoes made their way safely to Maui.

Before reaching Oahu, the three canoes were greeted by a film crew from National Geographic who were circling the three wa`a from a helicopter. The first canoe to arrive, Hokualaka`i, sailed along Waikiki where Uncle Nainoa Thompson personally escorted her for a short while from his one man canoe.

This was an amazing journey for all three canoes. It confirms Papa Mau’s dream will live on as the young and old continue to learn and build upon his legacy. We all hope that these three canoes continue to sail together as a fleet and that more canoes continue to join them.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Family Laundry

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii News Release

Don’t miss this one-time performance on Molokai: “Family Laundry,” a musical, comedy and a drama about a local Hawaiian family and their struggle to deal with a family member’s alcohol abuse.

The play will be performed at the Mitchell Pauole Center, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m., and is free to the public.

The title of the play “Family Laundry” comes from the belief that you should never air the family’s laundry or let the family problems become public. The play shows, however, that the act of sharing the family’s secrets can be a very courageous one, particularly when it comes to alcohol and other drug problems.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Molokai Is… Photo Contest Round IV

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Molokai Is… Photo Contest Round IV

Our winning photo this month reminds us, without words, of the unconditional love of `ohana that resonates deep within the people of Molokai. During an auntie’s embrace, great joy flows from her niece like a bountiful spring, or puna. Perhaps this is why our elders are called ku-puna.

Kekoa Cummings, congratulations – you’ve earned yourself a $50 gift certificate to the Kualapu`u Cookhouse. Now that everyone knows, expect your friends to start dropping hints about prime rib night.

Posted in , comments2 Comments