Friends of Moku'ula – Ka 'I'imi 'Ike

A big mahalo to Kevin Nagasaki, Executive Director, of the Lāhainā Salvation Army on Shaw Street and a group of his volunteers.   They turned on their electric saws and worked steadily to trim the trees between the Salvation Army and the parking lot across of 505 Front Street.  Spending the entire morning to tackle the task, they accomplished the job just as the Lahaina high noon  sun peaked above.

Sensitive to this wahipana, they took special care in trimming the hau trees as they understand that it is a favored hoʻokupu of Kihawahine, the moʻo akua for Mokuʻula.

Another clean-up day will be held on Saturday, September 4^th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.  For more details, check out the flyer posted on the website or call the office at 661-3659 and our friendly staff will help you.

The Friends of Moku’ula was recently gifted with an assortment of jewelry fashioned by Frances Akana, mother of Akoni Akana, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Friends of Moku’ula.

Aunty’s exquisite designs are treasured by many as she generously shares her creations with friends and family.  Expect to receive compliments as you model her finest in designs and feel like a queen!  Stop by our office to check out the lei, fimo necklaces, hair picks, earrings and other creations by Aunty Frances.

Uncle Skippy and Aunty Frances share Akoni’s passion and vision for Moku’ula as they support FOM in other ways – recently matching their son’s contribution, not to mention providing her special lei for our VIP “friends” at important events.

Mahalo to the Akana ‘ohana for believing in this legacy.

Kas Nakamura, kumu of Halau Pulama Mau Ke Aloha Ka ‘Ohana ‘Ilima, of Pasadena, Maryland, is adorned with the pua kalaunu…a favorite flower of our beloved Queen Liliuokalani.

Tropical tradewinds, the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, warm sunshine, balmy weather, childrens laughter, tantalizing delicacies, lulling waves and the enticing aroma of pulehu meat, were tantamount to a beautiful, relaxing day!

The beachfront home of the Lindseys, in the heart of Lele, offered us this and more. At the invitation of the Aunty Pua and her ohana, the Kamehameha Schools Hoolauna Program coordinators and kumu, along with partners in the program, enjoyed a day of basking in the sun, listening to beautiful Hawaiian music, sharing stories and catching up on the latest family news. The Lindsey hospitality set the tone for the day as each person chose their choice of activity – swimming, canoeing, paddle boarding, talking story, playing konane, eating or just kicking back. It was a perfect ending to another successful Hoolauna season!

Kumu Kalapana Kollars, Maui Nei kumu, joins Ekolu Lindsey out on the ocean.

Kapena Mike takes the next set of seafarers on their adventure.

Lehua Hough gets a few tactical pointers for konane.

Anabelle Paet is all smiles over her victorious win at konane!

Whether you are from Sleepy Hollow, Illinois or born and raised in Hawaiʻi, when you believe in a mission, you will invest your full support and pour your heart and soul into that commitment!  And, that is just what Dave and Barb Williams did ten years ago when they adopted the Friends of Mokuʻula.

It is a heartwarming story about how they became involved with FOM.

They walked through the doors of Mokuʻula on a Saturday morning nearly a decade ago wanting to purchase tickets to the FOM fundraiser being held at the Old Lahaina Lūʻau and Shirley KahaʻI, new to the job, was preparing for the fundraiser that evening.  While talking story, they shared that they had a condo at the Mahana and Shirley realized that she had heard this story before and that Dave looked familiar.  She asked if they were in the travel business and when they confirmed this, she jumped up and said “Iʻm Shirley from the Maui Hill”.  Business associates for years, by phone only, they had reunited!  Shirley was the Reservations Manager at the Aston Maui Hill Resort in Kihei and Dave and Barb are owners of Royal Hawaiian Condos and booked their business through her.  They had lost touch when Shirley left her job to work for the Friends of Mokuʻula!  Needless to say, it was quite a reunion and they have stayed in touch since and their friendship rooted even deeper.

Barb and Dave are an integral part of the FOM ʻohana as donors and their self-instilled kuleana have not stopped there!  They have helped to clean and beautify the grounds, invested in tools for outdoor cleaning, attended community forums for FOM programs, cheered at the Celebration of the Arts when Akoni Akana, Director Emeritus, returned home to Maui to accept the Namahana Award, constructed shelving for the office storage, gone on huakaʻi with the staff to special island spots, parked cars in the back lot for popular local events, and most recently, they made a wish-list item a reality and donated a JVC camcorder for use in documenting events, programs, visitors, tours, etc.…their contribution to our non-profit organization has been wholeheartedly selfless.

Their love for our islands and culture are the strong ties that bond them to Maui and its people.  We are fortunate to have these special friends of Mokuʻula and wish to thank them for all that they have done for the sacred site.

The Friends of Mokuʻula staff were astounded by the creativity of the haumana that participated in Kamehameha Schoolsʻ Hoʻolauna Program as they presented their skits at the final Hōʻike at the MACC.

The Hoʻolauna Program encourages the students to acknowledge their Hawaiian cultural identity through a connection to the ʻāina,  Hōkuʻao Pelligrino, Enrichment Program Coordinator – Trainer (Maui) compiled a comprehensive educational curriculum where the students became aware of their environment and the cultural and historical significance of various wahi pana focusing on the traditions of the each area within Mauna Kahalawai.

The following mele was written and performed by the haumana of the July 18-23^rd session.

A big mahalo to Kamehameha Schools for offering our children opportunities to experience and learn about our ʻāina.

The Friends of Mokuʻula took another moʻo step and launched a Facebook page for the non-profit organization and its Maui Nei Native Hawaiian Walking Expedition business.  In just 48 hours, we were astonished to have 55 Mokuʻula fans and the number keeps climbing!  Why donʻt you become a fan yourself.

Click to sign-up on Facebook to connect with Friends of Moku'ula, Inc.

A big mahalo to Anabelle Paet and Lehua Hough for taking on the kuleana of developing this high-power communication tool for Friends of Mokuʻula and Maui Nei!  Great job ladies!

We like the New Age of Facebook and have retired our pohaku and chisel!

Transplanted from the San Francisco Bay Area years ago, famed artist known for her magnificently majestic landscapes, Janet Spreiter, recently offered the Friends of Mokuʻula the opportunity to showcase her artwork.   A neighbor to Mokuʻula, she was inspired by the mana and sacredness to paint The Kingʻs View, a grand painting of Mokuʻula in ancient day.   Visitors to our office have already been captivated by the powerfulness of this painting.  We thank Janet for giving us the privilege of displaying her art.  More of her art may be seen on lahainaartist.com or she may be reached at spreiter@mauigateway.com.

The Friends of Mokuʻula is pleased to congratulate Dr. Janet Six who co-produced and wrote Hoʻokele Waʻa, Turning the Canoe, that was premiered at the Maui Film Festival on June 17th at the MACC. The film, shot here on Maui by Danny Miller, addressed navigating a sustainable future for Maui and the world.

On hand to support Janet on the debut of her film was her archaeology field school from NYU and UH Maui College!

Well-known pop artist, simply known as Davo, recently became a “Friend of Mokuʻula”.  We met Davo when he stopped by the office, joined as a member and he has since been an advocate for us.

His commitment, dedication and passion in perpetuating the Hawaiian culture is manifested in his artwork as he pays tribute to our aliʻi and other renowned native Hawaiians which is the opposite end of the spectrum with his work on more modern icons.

Davoʻs talent and flair is comparable to his generous and considerate character.   The Friends of Mokuʻula was just presented with one of his incredible paintings, one of Princess Kaiulani.  Shirley Kahaʻi accepted the makana on behalf of the non-profit organization and was in awe of his thoughtfulness.  If you are interested in Davoʻs art, visit www.davoart.net, for more information.

Nancy Wahineokai, State Regent for the Daughters of the American Revolution, visited the Friends of Mokuʻula on June 14, 2010 and presented Shirley Kahaʻi with a contribution on behalf of DAR and her late husband, Wayne Wahieala Wahineokai, who passed away on December 20, 2009.   Accompanying Nancy to Maui for the day trip, was her daughter, Lindsay.

The DAR “adopted” FOM in April, 2008 and as a fundraising endeavor, sold cloisonné pins with the ulu design.  Not realizing the connection of the ulu to Lāhainā and Mokuʻula, they had a successful benefit and donated the proceeds to The Friends of Mokuʻula.  To further confirm the ulu correlation, the DARʻs objective is Hoʻoulu…to grow…in membership, mind, body and spirit.

The DAR Aloha Chapter was established in 1897 and is comprised of female descendants of individuals who served in or gave material aid to the cause of American Independence, and continues to promote their objectives in communities.  One of their commitments concentrates on PRESERVATION and their interest and support of Mokuʻula helps to nurture our project.

Passionate about the work of Mokuʻula, Shirley Kahaʻi was only too happy to spend time with Nancy, Lindsay and Gentry (family friend) telling them about the phases of the project with a touch of historical background.  They were able to hear Dr. Six talk about the archaeology work being done and to actually see the top layer of Mokuʻula.  Nancy was engrossed with the archaeology and wished she had more time to spare on her visit.

We thank Nancy Wahineokai and the Daughters of the American Revolution for sharing in our vision.  And, to the family of the late Wayne Wahieala Wahineokai, we give you our aloha…E hoʻomaha me ka maluhia (may he rest in peace).

Shirley Kahaʻi and Nancy Wahineokai at the FOM office.

Dr. Janet Six, archaeologist, explains how they identify the different layers and the cultural sensitivity of their work.