Office of Hawaiian Affairs

September is Hawaiian History Month! Join us in remembrance, reflection, and celebration as we honor Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani, and the rich cultural heritage of our people. This year’s events, organized by the Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition, offer a variety of in-person and virtual experiences, inviting our global community to come together. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a proud sponsor of this month-long event. For the full schedule of events, visit: https://lnkd.in/g-StHZHC

The ʻAukuʻu, or Hawaiian black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli) has an impressive genealogy recorded in the Kumulipo, relating its appearance and ecological function with dozens of other native land and water birds. Despite being called a night heron, ʻaukuʻu hunt during the day and night in their wetland environment. They are skilled fishers, using vegetation and chum to lure prey into their strike zones – a rare example of tool usage and social learning in birds. The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects these predatory wading birds, ensuring their conservation in Hawaiʻi. Read KaWaiOla.News #NativeBirds #Hawaii #Heron

The Office of Hawaiian gives a special shoutout to our very own Kale Hannahs and his group, Waipuna, on their wins during the 37th annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards! On August 3, 2024, they took home Island Music Album of the Year and Best Graphics for their album Uluwehi. They also made the Top 10 for Favorite Entertainer of the Year. When he’s not performing with Waipuna, Kale serves as OHA’s Papakilo Research Systems Administrator. The Papakilo Database brings together a rich collection of information on historically and culturally significant places, events, and documents in Hawai‘i’s history. Congratulations to Kale, David, and Matt of Waipuna, as well as all of this year’s winners! #nahokuhanohanoawards #waipuna #culture #music

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is excited to announce the release of Lahaina Collections preserved from the 2023 Maui Fires, in partnership with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation (LRF). The Baldwin Family Photography and Letter collections are now available to be accessed on the Papakilo Database. The Baldwin Family Photograph Collection includes 80 photos spanning from the 1850’s to 1972, portraying various members of the Baldwin family and their interactions with Lahaina’s community members including detailed summaries of individuals in the photographs along with information about photo locations, clothing styles and much more. The Baldwin Family Letter Collection includes 168 letters and transcriptions, preserved by the famous Lahaina family, that detail life experiences from 1830 – 1868, complementing the 699 records from the Hawai’i Mission Houses’ Missionary Letters collection. To access the Baldwin Family Collections, visit www.papakilodatabase.com.

The Pacific Business News “Pineapple Awards” recognize exemplary leaders in Hawaii’s hospitality industry – a list that includes hotel executives, business owners and other leaders in the sector. The 2024 honorees include six Native Hawaiians pictured: (top row) Monte McComber (Royal Hawaiian Center), Emily Reber Porter (MacNaughton Hospitality) and Jamie Shigeta (Hilton Grand Vacations). Bottom row: Moani Tolentino (Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi Resort & Spa), Leilani Kahoano (Waikikī Beach Marriott Resort & Spa) and Kanoa Kawai (Aulani Resort & Spa). Read KaWaiOla.News online #NewsBriefs #NativeHawaiians #Business #Hospitality

KaWaiOla.News Briefs Clockwise from top left: 1. The Native Hawaiian Intellectual Property Working Group formed last June. 2. Hālau ʻŌhiʻa performs a hula ʻulīʻulī during the ʻaha kīhoʻihoʻi (returning) ceremony for the return of the pōhaku (rock), Kānepō, from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) on the National Mall. 3. Youth Plaintiffs Prevail in Climate Lawsuit - the Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) joined HDOT Director Ed Sniffen and Gov. Josh Green to announce a settlement agreement resolving the case. 4. On July 8, Gov. Josh Green signed SB2575 prohibiting deep sea mining (DSM) in Hawaiian waters. Present at the signing are Sol Kahoʻohalahala, Hawaiʻi’s leading advocate in the international effort to stop DSM (to the right of Gov. Green), Lisa Agdeppa and ʻEkolu Lindsey of the Maui Nui Makai Network (both behind Gov. Green). 5. Keiki dancers perform a hula noho at the 47th Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival on July 20. OHA is proud to be a supporting sponsor of the festival. #NativeHawaiian #News #Hula #AoleDSM #HawaiianLanguage #ikekupuna

Līpoa Kahaleuahi oversees some 26 full time employees, and Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke has more than 60 partners and funders supporting its work including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), Kamehameha Schools, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. A $300,000 OHA economic grant currently assists the group’s I Kū Nā Loea project which aims to increase employability among Native Hawaiian youth, while a $220,000 OHA health grant helps perpetuate Hawaiian language and culture while increasing community stewardship to strengthen connections between ʻohana, ʻāina and kaiāulu (community). Kahaleuahi said Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke has been fortunate to build a partnership with OHA. “What struck me about the OHA grants program is the advocacy for community health, the idea that health spans culture and ʻāina, and that it’s beyond doctors and hospitals. It’s about caring for our ʻāina and our food, and about having access to our culture and language,” she said. Read more at KaWaiOla.News online "Working for Hāna" #MaKaHanaKaIke #OHAGrants #Maui #Economic Stability

Hawaiʻi’s annual “40 Under 40” award recognizes emerging leaders from across the pae ʻāina for their notable career achievements and contributions to the community. This marks the 25th year of the award and, notably, nearly one-third of the “class of 2024” is Native Hawaiian. These 13 individuals were selected from a pool of 120 nominees by Pacific Business News. The Hawaiian honorees are (top to bottom and l-r in alpha order): Jacob Aki (Alaska Airlines); Evan Castro (Shifted Energy); Michelle Chapman (Case Lombardi); Patty Copperfield (Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc.); Noelani Hessler (Cultural Surveys Hawaiʻi, Inc.); Shelly Kaiaokamalie (Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center); Summer Kaiawe (Watanabe Ing LLP); Lono Kealoha (Bank of Hawaiʻi); Leinani Lozi (International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLAB); Kaulana McCabe (Kupu); Kehau Meyer (Hawaiʻi Community Foundation); Naki Sabas (Alakaʻina Foundation Family of Companies); Kekoa Tupua (Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi). Read KaWaiOla.News online #NewsBriefs #Hawaiian #Business

In 2023, the U.S. Space Force, which operates the Maui Space Surveillance Complex at the Summit of Haleakalā, reported that 700 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled at the facility. A year later they are still assessing and mitigating the impacts of that spill. “After numerous proven examples wherein the military has lied to our community, our state and local government, they cannot be trusted,” said Maui County Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez For the AMOS STAR project to move forward, five federal agencies and two state agencies must review and provide permits. These include the National Park Service, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Board of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Rawlins-Fernandez and other officials who have submitted public comment want the military to withdraw its proposal altogether. “Although the scoping period is not yet complete, it will be interesting to see how the military responds to our county council’s unanimous decision, the [position taken by the] Office of the Mayor, and the hundreds of people who participated in the recent community meetings about this project and expressed their opposition to the destruction of their sacred mauna,” said Rawlins- Fernandez. Read more at KaWaiOla.News #Haleakala #WaoAkua #Sacred #SpaceForce

In a decades-long conflict over development on Haleakalā, Maui County officials took the unprecedented step of unanimously standing with community in opposition to the AMOS STAR military proposal to build up to seven telescopes atop Maui’s most sacred summit. Community concerns included cultural and spiritual impacts to Haleakalā as well as negative impacts to the mauna’s natural environment. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen released a formal statement opposing the proposal: “The County of Maui stands in strong alignment with the Maui County Council, seeking that no action be taken by the Department of the Air Force to construct and operate an optical and supercomputing telescope research facility on the culturally sacred site of Haleakalā.” OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey wrote: “The disrespect to the sacredness of the wao akua on the summit of Haleakalā with the construction of the Department of Air Force’s planned AMOS STAR project absolutely will not be tolerated and the no build alternative, or not building at all, is the only alternative.” Read more at KaWaiOla.News #Haleakala #WaoAkua #Maui #sacred #SpaceForce