Native Hawaiian

Nestled in a vegetated area in Mākaha, Dalani Tanahy's workspace is adorned with photographs and Hawaiian barkcloth. She grows wauke, or paper mulberry trees, not far from her property to make kapa. She's one of at least 40 kapa makers who will showcase their artistry at the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports.

A 1,200-foot-long ti leaf lei made by the Kohala community on Hawaiʻi Island was draped across Pololū Valley over the weekend. As HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports, the lei ritual is a reminder of a growing community of residents opposed to increased development in the area.

Punahou School President Michael Latham said Pukui's legacy inspired the naming of the building: Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons. This is also in light of the private school's recent revision of its mission statement.

A new research project is uncovering the history of reformatories or industrial schools in Hawaiʻi during the territorial period. Remnants of Hawaiʻi's first reformatory, the Waialeʻe Industrial School for Boys, still stand on Oʻahu's North Shore. As HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports, uncovering its history is part of a larger community effort.

More than 30 years ago, the state set aside about 1,200 acres on the southeastern slopes of Maunaloa to serve as a sustainable source of koa for constructing canoes. Now, dozens of these trees are ready for harvest, and a permitting process has been approved. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

House Bill 2074 would appropriate more than $3.5 million to fund 13 full-time positions at the kaiapuni schools. The measure needs a full floor vote in both chambers before it heads to the governor’s office for final approval.

Genealogical research out of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa offers Native Hawaiians an opportunity to reconnect with their ancestral roots. The Moʻopono Project is digitizing thousands of pages of moʻokūʻauhau, or genealogy material, dating back to the mid-1800s. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

The project called Lei Pua ʻAla: Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi builds on a recent production about the Kapaemahu stones in Waikīkī. It aims to bring forward hidden histories about LGBTQ experiences in all the cultures and ethnic groups that call Hawaiʻi home. The Conversation's Catherine Cruz has more.

Research into the history of government-run reformatories and industrial schools in Hawaiʻi during the early 1900s is getting a boost in funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The operator of a lūʻau in a residential area of Honolulu said he plans to continue his business despite city officials ordering him to stop. At the end of February, the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting gave Karl Veto Baker until March 30 to correct the violation. Baker said he created the lūʻau to bring back representation of Hawaiian culture. HPR's Cassie Ordonio has more.