Hawaiian Culture

Makahiki is a special time in Hawai’i, a several-month-long festival of peace, renewal, and feasting that stands in stark contrast to the war and labor that characterized the rest of the year. It’s a time to give thanks for the bounty of the land, honor the gods, and enjoy the fruits of one’s labor through games, sports, and merriment. More than just a holiday, it’s a vital part of Hawaiian culture, deeply rooted in tradition and symbolism. The Origins and Significance of Makahiki The Makahiki season traditionally begins around mid-October or November, coinciding with the rising of the Pleiades

On a visit to the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, I watched a young girl tug at her mother’s sleeve. A carved wooden shark hung on the wall, its eye inlaid with mother-of-pearl. “Is that our aumakua?” she asked. The mother didn’t correct her. She said, “That’s one kind. Ours visits when we’re at the beach.” That exchange — casual, specific, unforced — gets at something many visitors miss. In Hawaiian tradition, aumakua aren’t vague nature spirits or symbolic animals you pick from a deck of cards. They are named, inherited family guardians, as particular as a surname. This article

Taro, known as kalo in Hawaiian, is infinitely more than just a root vegetable. It’s a cornerstone of Hawaiian culture, deeply intertwined with the creation story, daily life, and especially traditional celebrations. It represents family, sustenance, and connection to the land, playing a crucial role in ceremonies from birth to death and everything in between. Without understanding kalo, you can’t truly grasp the essence of Hawaiian culture. The Sacred Origin of Kalo The story of kalo begins with the creation myth of the Hawaiian people. According to the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant, Wakea (Sky Father) and Papa (Earth

In 2026, botanists confirmed something remarkable: five plant species on Lānaʻi, feared extinct on that island for decades, had been rediscovered. On Oʻahu, a species of haʻiwale turned up for the first time since 1943. On the Big Island, two critically rare plants—ʻoha wai and makou—were found when only one individual of one and none of the other were known to remain in the wild. These weren’t just botanical footnotes. They were living evidence that Hawaiian plant knowledge, built over centuries of observation and use, still has something to teach us. What that knowledge looks like, how it works,

Hula is not a performance you watch; it is a text you read in motion. Every hand gesture, foot placement, and hip shift corresponds to a word or idea in the accompanying mele (song or chant), creating a layered narrative that communicates genealogy, mythology, and political history simultaneously. The Merrie Monarch Festival, held annually in Hilo since 1971, draws sell-out crowds and live television coverage to watch hālau hula (hula schools) compete in what locals call the Olympics of hula. A 2025 public health study found that a quarter of Hawaii’s residents have danced or still dance hula —

Walking into a hālau hula during a pahu performance, the first thing you notice isn’t the sight of the drum—it’s the vibration. The deep, resonant thud travels through the floor before the ear registers it. For those who know the tradition, that sound carries more than rhythm. According to master carver ʻEtua Turoa Tahauri, the pahu is a mouthpiece to communicate with ancestors, past and present, with each beat spreading like ripples in water. This article traces the pahu from its Polynesian origins to its near-erasure under missionary rule and its revival during the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s,

Outrigger canoeing is more than just a sport in Hawaii; it’s a deeply ingrained cultural practice that reflects the islands’ history, values, and connection to the ocean. From the construction of the canoe to the collaborative effort of paddling, every aspect embodies the spirit of ohana (family) and lokahi (harmony). The Birth of the Wa’a: A Legacy of Ingenuity Long before Captain Cook arrived, the ancient Polynesians, master navigators, sailed across the Pacific in double-hulled canoes. Single-hulled outrigger canoes, known as wa’a kaulua or simply wa’a, evolved as a way to navigate the nearshore waters of Hawaii. These canoes

Hawaiian tiki carvings are much more than just tourist souvenirs; they’re powerful representations of ancient gods, embodying qualities like strength, protection, and prosperity. Understanding their origins and symbolism unlocks a deeper appreciation for Hawaiian culture and spirituality. Each tiki tells a story, connecting us to the rich history and beliefs of the Hawaiian people. The Meaning of Tiki: More Than Meets the Eye The word “tiki” itself has different meanings across Polynesia. In Hawaiian culture, it generally refers to a carved image of a human or god. These carvings weren’t just decorative; they were considered sacred objects (ki’i), holding

In July 2025, a 35-metre sandstone slab emerged from the sand on Oahu’s Waianae coast, carrying 26 carvings chiseled into stone nearly 600 years ago. Among them, 18 humanoid stick figures — some holding hooks, others holding clubs — and two rare figures with visible fingers. That discovery, made by the U.S. Army’s cultural resource programme at Pililaau Army Recreation Center, reopened a question that has lingered since Western contact: what were Hawaiian petroglyphs for? The site is not unique — Hawaii holds over 135 known petroglyph locations with roughly 24,000 individual glyphs, according to archaeological surveys — but

In 1879, the ship Ravenscrag docked in Honolulu with 423 immigrants from the Portuguese island of Madeira, fleeing poverty and agricultural decline. One passenger, João Fernandes, stepped ashore playing a small four-string instrument called a machete according to ukulele historians. Within a generation, that immigrant instrument had been renamed, reshaped, and rebranded into the single most recognised symbol of Hawaiian identity worldwide — the ukulele. The contradiction is rarely acknowledged: what feels like the sound of ancient Hawaii is actually a 140-year-old fusion born from colonial labour migration. The name “ukulele” means “jumping fleas” in Hawaiian, inspired by the