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by The Kohala Center staff In April 2024, The Kohala Center (TKC) welcomed weavers, artists, scientists, and cultural managers to the hala grove at Niuliʻi, Kohala, Hawaiʻi Island for a co-learning session focused on lauhala. Supported by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Centers, the project titled “Lauhala: Weaving Knowledges and Practices with a Climate Resilient and Culturally Significant Plant on Hawaiʻi Island” represents a collective of hala practitioners, scientists, and knowledge stewards. Together, they are celebrating hala (Pandanus tectorius) and envisioning hopeful futures that embrace the ecological and cultural resilience of this vital plant. Ulana lauhala, the art of weaving hala leaves, is an important Hawaiian cultural tradition. This practice is sustained by a vibrant intergenerational community of weavers, their students, and caretakers of the lauhala trees. The craft goes beyond the weaving process to include the nurturing of hala groves, the harvesting and preparation of leaves, and the creation of specialized tools. The “Lauhala” project explores the impacts of colonialism and capitalism on the practice of ulana lauhala and the broader implications that they have on other Hawaiian arts and crafts. Investigating changes over the course of local history, it examines the destruction of hala groves due to human activities such as urban expansion and sugar plantations. Additionally, it highlights the potential for restoring hala through reforestation and revitalizing ulana practices, all while considering the effects of climate change on the future of hala. Historically, ulana lauhala was a widely practiced skill throughout Hawaiʻi, essential for furnishing household needs. However, the diminished reliance on woven products led to a decline in these skills and the cultivation of hala trees. Today, re-engagement with ulana lauhala is fostering an expansion [...]

Celebrating 60 Years of  Plant Preservation and Research "We're all about perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems and cultural heritage. Our approach is really biocultural and what we mean by that is we care deeply about the relationships between our ecosystems and our communities, between people and plants." ~Communications Director David Bryant (as quoted in Island News, May 19, 2024) Preserving Hawaii's Rare Plant Life The National Tropical Botanical Garden, headquartered in Kalāheo, on the island of Kauaʻi, turns 60 this year. Originally created as the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, NTBG was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964 as a not-for-profit institution, dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. In the years since, its diverse collection of living and preserved plant specimens, plays a crucial role in understanding and protecting the fragile ecosystems of the Pacific region. NTBG garden sites include McBryde Garden, Allerton Garden and Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauaʻi; Kahanu Garden near Hana, Maui which includes the 3-acre Piʻilanihale Heiau, a National Historic Landmark believed to be the largest ancient temple in the Hawaiian Islands; and The Kampong located in Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove, Florida.  View the timeline and history. A Repository for Genetic Diversity NTBG's native plant collection is a vast repository of genetic information for rare Hawaiian plant species.  Their meticulous record-keeping and data management systems play a crucial role in guiding the institution's conservation efforts. Through a living collections database, NTBG maintains detailed information on all the collections that come in, which helps guide where to make additional collections to have good genetic representation of some of the rare species. Collaborating for a Greener Future The NTBG's commitment to plant conservation extends beyond its own borders, as the institution [...]

Explore the history of Chinatowns in the United States through a new storytelling collection and learn how they foster belonging and connections today. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has partnered with Google Arts & Culture and collaborated with over 14 organizations and eight individual artists and creators to create a unique collection of stories about Chinatowns across the United States. The partnership builds on the National Trust’s 2022 America’s Chinatowns Initiative*, created to address a growing need to support historic Chinatowns in the United States through researching and building coalitions for that purpose. "It is long past due to ask what more the national preservation community can do to amplify existing grassroots action to support Chinatowns now and in the future." ~Di Gao, senior director of research and development at the National Trust and leader of the America’s Chinatown initiative. The vibrant online storytelling hub, Welcome to America’s Chinatowns, launched May 9, 2024, chronicles the histories and threats facing Chinatowns nationwide. View the hub HERE. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is honored to be a participating organization, sharing a glimpse of Honolulu’s Chinatown. View HHF’s page which includes photography by Cliff Kimura, historical interpretation by local historian Gary Coover and documentary shorts by filmmakers Kimberlee Bassford and Robin Lung as part of the collection. Often the gateways for new immigrants, Chinatown’s across the United States are an integral part of our shared history and yet are increasingly threatened by economic challenges, gentrification and development. To draw attention to their history and challenges, the Welcome to America’s Chinatowns collection sheds light on what makes each a unique cultural repository by sharing stories about the businesses, individuals and organizations that live, work and play in our Chinatowns. [...]

Editor's note: In March of 2023, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation shared a blog post by Waimea Valley staff introducing their new program, Kaʻapuni o Waimea, just after its debut. The program offers visitors cultural learning opportunities at three of the valley’s cultural sites. The objective of the program design, to allow the visitor to ground their experience in cultural values and engage directly with the valley’s mission: to preserve and perpetuate the human, cultural and natural resources of Waimea for generations through education and stewardship. HHF circled back for an update a year later (see article below). Read the original post describing the program and theme of the Kaʻapuni o Waimea, the Hawaiian cultural value of hoʻokipa, HERE.  Celebrating one year of program growth at Waimea Valley By guest contributor Waimea Valley staff Photos courtesy Waimea Valley  Waimea Valley leadership is proud to share that the Cultural Programs team has established the Kaʻapuni o Waimea initiative as a foundational component of daily programming in the Valley. Beginning with a daily average of 14 pin recipients (visitors completing the program) in the early months after its launch in March of 2023, the daily average of pin recipients is now holding strong at 130. In fact, from January through March of 2024, the pace of the program participation has grown dramatically in popularity, counting over 9,800 visitors earning their pins in the three months – already surpassing the annual total of 9,500 pin recipients in 2023! The takeaway for the Cultural Programs team is that visitors to Waimea Valley are eager to actively and respectfully engage in cultural discourse, if given the opportunity. The frontline staff of Waimea Valley receives special training to be experts in a personal [...]

By Kuʻupuamaeʻole Kiyuna, J.D., Legal Specialist/Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective Coordinator, Huliauapaʻa In November 2023, Mauna Kea was accepted for inclusion on the Hawaiʻi Register of Historic Places (HRHP) as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) and district. On behalf of co-nominators KAHEA and Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Huliauapaʻa researched, drafted, and presented the nomination to the Hawaiʻi Historic Places Review Board. The Board approved Mauna Kea’s listing as a TCP and District on the State register and also recommended the nomination move forward for consideration for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing. TCPs are places associated with the cultural practices or beliefs of a living community that are both rooted in a community’s history and important in maintaining its continued cultural identity. TCP designation benefits state and county agencies because it provides more information at the forefront of regulatory compliance processes. For planning purposes, agencies won’t have to perform historic preservation eligibility and significance assessments at the state or federal levels because the property’s eligibility and significance have already been established through the TCP designation process. This benefit also extends to cultural impact assessments required under Hawaiʻi state law and environmental review because Mauna Kea’s cultural significance as a TCP is established. To be eligible for an HRHP or NRHP listing, a historic property must meet at least one criteria of significance. In the Mauna Kea nomination, Huliauapaʻa provided an in-depth analysis of how Mauna Kea exceeds all eligibility criteria (association with a historical event, a significant person, an example of notable architecture, or provides information important to understanding history and prehistory). Significance is inherent from the role Mauna Kea plays in Hawaiian cosmology and the community’s historically rooted beliefs, customs and practices; Mauna Kea’s association [...]

By Alton Exzabe  After attending the two-day Trades Training Workshop, Maintenance & Repair of Historic Structures, at Kōke‘e Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, on Kaua‘i  in September 2023, I was fortunate to be a part of a team that conducted restoration work at the historic Pua Akala Cabin located at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Hawai‘i Island. The cabin is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Built in 1883, the cabin is constructed almost entirely of native Koa wood. As an Archaeologist for the USFWS, I had no prior experience performing this type of work but was able to employ the methods taught during the Workshop and work with colleagues to repair and reinstall several damaged windows from the cabin. The windows had been previously removed from the cabin, so we conducted the repair work at the Hakalau Forest NWR Station workshop. Tasks entailed cleaning and preparing the windows by removing deteriorated putty, light sanding, and the application of linseed oil. We removed broken glass panes and replaced them with new ones, installing glazing points and new glazing putty to secure the panes. Once the windows were assembled, we reinstalled them in the cabin. We also reglazed the two front porch windows without taking them off the cabin. Additional linseed oil was applied to parts of the exterior window frames to afford protection from the weather. The wide range of techniques I learned at the Workshop proved practical for these repairs and will come in handy for similar future efforts. Alton Exzabe, a Wai‘anae native, is Zone Archaeologist on the Cultural Resources Team, Hawai‘i and Pacific at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [...]