#Keeaumoku Kapu

“EA (SOVEREIGN),” the feature-length documentary exploring the enduring relationship between people, land, and memory, will have its international premiere at the prestigious 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto, Canada.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda journeyed into Lahaina’s rich historic and cultural past with an eye on its future Wednesday.

The annual Green Party of Hawai’i (GPH) State Convention will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2024, via Zoom or in person from noon to 3 p.m., at the Kīhei Villages Clubhouse (140 Uwapo Road). A lunch meet and greet from noon to 1 p.m., followed by guest speakers and the election of state party officers, delegates and alternates to the Green Party of the United States National Committee (GPUS-NC).

At the end of a nearly four-mile walk, community organizer Archie Kalepa addressed a crowd gathered at Launiupoko saying, “The depth of our grief and the warmth of our aloha is overwhelming. Today marks a different kind of point in the history of this place.”

Prayer, ʻoli (chanting) and protocol were practiced during the Lele Aloha Hoʻūlu Lahaina Unity Walk held Saturday morning in West Maui. “We need to come together all of Hawaiʻi. We have the opportunity to rebuild Lahaina in a pono way,” said Kalepa. “Lahaina will take the lead but we need everyone’s support.”

“I want to see that grow out of this situation we’re in today. Let us find the people who bind us together. Let us find the strength in our lāʻau (plants), in our community. Let us find the koʻi (adze) that define the future and shape our world as we’re going to see it; the kālaimoku (high official), the kālai waʻa (canoe carver)—all of those people. They’re in our community. I can stare into this audience and see all the individuals, and that’s what gives me comfort,” said Kaipo Kekona.

The wildfires and their destructive aftermath created a prominent backdrop in the discussions about Lahaina. Three Lahaina residents reflected on nostalgic moments as they shared their earliest memories of Lahaina. This is Part 1 in a 3 part series.

Today marks Day Two of the 22nd Annual Native Hawaiian Convention, taking place at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.  The four-day event was moved to Maui this year to uplift its voices and people following the Aug. 8 wildfires. 

The 22nd Annual Native Hawaiian Convention gets underway today at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, Maui. The four day event was moved to Maui this year to uplift the voices and people following the Aug. 8 wildfires.

The state Commission on Water Resource Management held a marathon meeting on Maui Tuesday, lasting nearly nine hours. Members received testimony and updated the public on the Lahaina Aquifer Sector Area including wells in the fire-impacted area, water resources at Kauaʻula and Interim Instream Flow Standards (IIFS) for area waterways.

Nā ʻOhana o Lele, a coalition of community members in Lahaina, today called on Governor Josh Green to meet three demands for the recovery of the community.

The losses from the Lahaina fire include Front Street’s iconic banyan tree, a fishpond and the Na ‘Aikane o Maui Cultural Center.

The Water and Infrastructure Committee agreed on a proposal Monday to rename Puamana Beach Park in Lahaina to Puamana Cultural Preserve at Waianuʻukole.

When explaining the significance of the name “Waiahiokole,” Keʻeaumoku Kapu, CEO of Aha Moku said “kole” means raw, and “waiahi” talks about the turbulence during the time of the shark birthing process. In addition to the literal translation, Kapu said scholars that he reached out to told him it was also named after a prominent chief that lived in the area. Dr. Janet Six, principal archaeologist for the County of Maui said, that while “Puamana definitely is a Hawaiian word–it just is one that was assigned to a large plantation house in the 1920s.” She explained that the area is historically a large grave site.

Salvage of the grounded vessel, Kuuipo, began today with the placement of large sandbags between the boat and the Hauola stone (birthing stone), located less than eight-feet away.

The Hawai’i Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Keʻeaumoku Kapu and his family regarding his claims to a kuleana parcel that his house sits on in Kauaʻula Valley, but the case is not over as it returns to the Circuit Court on Maui.  

The Maui Police Department has launched its new Multi-Cultural Advisory Counsel or MMAC. This collaborative group is comprised of various community members representing diverse groups within the community alongside MPD personnel.

Kalo patches are flourishing at Apuakehau, the Hawaiian cultural park across from the Baldwin Home Museum on Front Street. Planted by students from King Kamehameha III School and Holy Innocents Preschool in early February, the kalo plants are now over 5 feet tall.

Maui resident Ke’eaumoku Kapu has announced his candidacy for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Maui Trustee seat.

The public is invited to this weekend’s midnight launch of a 193-mile torch-lit trek around the island. Chanters for the Kaʻapuni will gather at 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, at Mokuʻula, across from 505 Front Street in Lahaina, for a blessing and launch event.