Thursday, September 11th, 2025

Molokai Bahá’í Community News Release
The Global Citizenship Speaker series resumes at the Molokai Public Library Sept.17 at 5:30 p.m. The first presentation features Molokai artist Kalaʻe Tangonan, who will share her passion for using the visual arts to make Molokai even more beautiful.
The program will feature moʻolelo behind the mammoth re-muraling project at Molokai High School and how multimedia arts can help make Molokai “the most beautiful island our hearts know is possible.”
Tangonan is a multi-media artist, a graduate of University of Hawaii, Hilo’s arts program, mother of nine children, and community arts activist, providing everything from face painting at keiki fairs to hair and makeup for proms, from decorating for parties to lei making for funerals.…
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
Hawaii Tourism Authority News Release
A Molokai boy is now the prince for the Royal Court for this year’s Aloha Festivals, the largest Hawaiian cultural celebration in the U.S. The 2025 Royal Court began their reign Sept. 6 during the Royal Court Investiture & Opening Ceremony in Honolulu.
The Royal Court, which consists of Mō‘ī Kāne (king), Mō‘ī Wahine (queen), Kamāli‘i Kāne (prince), Kamāli‘i Wahine (princess) and various court attendants, is an integral part of the festival’s perpetuation of the Hawaiian culture and is a visual reminder of the royal legacy of the Hawaiian people.
Sean Kaleohano Kekahuna Jr., of Hoʻolehua, Molokai, is the 2025 Kamāli‘i Kāne.…
Thursday, September 11th, 2025

Communiy contributed
By ʻIolani Kuoha, Maunaloa Elementary School Temporary Vice Principal
At Maunaloa Elementary School, the foundation of learning is rooted not only in books and lessons, but also in ʻāina. On a recent morning filled with mana and mud, every student had the opportunity to plant their own kalo, participating in a powerful cultural and educational experience made possible through the generosity of our community.
Thanks to the support of local kalo farmer Josh Pastrana, students were introduced to a variety of kalo; moi, ʻeleʻele naioea and kapaʻaloa. Students also learned about the deeper meaning of Haloa — the first child of Wākea and Hoʻohōkūkalani in the Kumulipo — and the spiritual elder sibling to kanaka.…
Thursday, September 4th, 2025

Community Contributed
By Keawaiki Madela
Atiu, one of the southern Cook Islands, is a small and close-knit island known as Enua Manu — the land of the birds. It is the third largest of the Cooks, about 28 square kilometers, with a population of just over 400 people. The island is home to five main villages: Teenui, Mapumai, Ngatiarua, Areora and Tengatangi.
Upon arrival, our group was greeted with a warm welcome and introduced to the tradition of pātai. A pātai is a formal village welcome, where the community gathers to offer food, speeches, and songs to honor visitors. We experienced three such welcomes — Teenui Village Pātai, Atiu Enua Village Pātai, and Areora Village Pātai — and at each stop we were fed abundantly.…
Thursday, September 4th, 2025
MCAPP News Release
Molokai Child Abuse Prevention Pathways has been awarded a $240,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to expand child abuse prevention and support programs for keiki, ‘ohana, and schools across Molokai over a two-year period.
This grant directly supports OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan to advance policies, programs, and practices that strengthen Native Hawaiian well-being — including physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health —and its related outcome of increasing availability and access to quality, culturally based, and culturally adapted prevention and treatment interventions in ʻohana, schools, and communities.
“This support from OHA allows us to continue our valuable partnerships with local preschools and public schools on Molokai, expand our programs on school campuses, and offer workshops for parents and school faculty,” Executive Director Talia Cardines said. …