Historic Hawai‘i Foundation in partnership with The Merwin Conservancy presents

An Exploration of Land as a Repository of the Past

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

From 5:00-6:15PM

Virtual, via Zoom

Cost: Free

View the video recording below.

A discussion exploring the theme of place literacy and land as receptacle of collective and multilayered histories with Kepā and Onaona Maly of Kumu Pono Associates and the Merwin Conservancy’s executive director, Sonnet Kekilia Coggins.

The Merwin Conservancy is a small and thriving arts and ecology organization on the island of Maui. It conserves both an extraordinary place—a lush and rare, 19-acre palm forest planted and tended by two-time Pulitzer prize winning poet W.S. Merwin from land once designated as agricultural wasteland — and it preserves the sense of wonder that brought forth both Merwin’s poetry, and his garden.

In 2012, Kepā Maly conducted a series of oral history interviews with W. S. Merwin, and in late 2020, he and Onaona were asked to assist the Conservancy in researching and preparing an ethnographic study of Pe‘ahi and neighboring lands.

The study presents a rich resource for the development of  place-based, culturally literate interpretative themes and programs and opportunities for the enrichment of both resident and visitor experiences. It is also a tool to help with future stewardship of this unique place.

The conversation will share the value and benefits of place literacy as a guide for protecting and sharing historic places.

Kepā and Onaona Maly are the founders of Kumu Pono Associates LLC: Giving voice to the land, traditions and people of Hawai’i through ethnographic research, oral history studies and interpretive-educational programs. They have worked together on historical and ethnographic studies for more than 40 years.

Onaona is a beneficiary of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust, and is descended from families with ancestral ties to Hawai’i (Puna, Kaʻū and Kona), Maui (Ko’olau-Hamakua region), Lāna‘i (Keomoku Vicinity), Molokai (Kona), O’ahu (Waialua), and Kaua’i (Ko’olau and Puna).

Kepā was raised on the islands of O’ahu and Lanaʻi. While growing up on Lānaʻi, Kepā was taught the Hawaiian language and cultural practices and values by kūpuna (elders). Kūpuna spoke of, and practiced many aspects of Hawaiian culture, including land and ocean management practices, mele and hula (chants and dances), material culture, traditions, and ethnobotany. In 1975, Kepā participated in an ‘ūniki under Kumu Hula Ma‘iki Aiu Lake, and graduated formally as a Kumu Hula. For nearly 60 years, Kepā has continued to learn about Hawaiian traditions and practices from kūpuna and kumu a’o (teachers) from Hawaiʻi to Niʻihau learning from native Hawaiians who have lived their culture as handed down by their elders before them.

Sonnet Kekilia Coggins is the Executive Director of The Merwin Conservancy in Pe‘ahi, Maui. Intertwined interests in literature, objects, and stories of place brought Sonnet to the Conservancy in 2018. She spent her childhood in Virginia, making frequent visits to family on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. After completing a Masters degree in Education at the University of Virginia, Sonnet moved to France, where she worked in the wine industry and delighted in learning about place names and terroir. She then completed a Master of Arts in French Language and Literatures, with a focus on cultural history and interpretation of historic sites. Sonnet’s interests led her to a career in museums, first at the Denver Art Museum, and then at the Williams College Museum of Art, where she co-curated The Field is the World: Williams, Hawaiʻi, and Material Histories in the Making. Her life and work are guided by a deep curiosity about the world, storytelling about place, creativity, and the arts.