Farm tour, moon calendar workshop kicks off Makahiki season, Nov. 19

A free Chang Farms tour and moon-calendar workshop unfolds from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. The event helps to start the traditional Hawaiian Makahiki season of peace and thanksgiving. 

Free Hawaiian moon calendars, valued at $20 each, go to the first 20 who register. The 10 a.m. workshop, open to all, explains the calendar’s use as a farming/fishing guide. 

The Chang Farms on a 6-acre parcel at 5075 Mākena Road cultivates kalo, or taro, and provides pa‘i‘ai, or thick poi. The farm also offers homegrown loofah sponges and handmade soaps, both available at the e-commerce platform projectmahiai.net. 

The Upcountry nonprofit Pa‘upena Community Development Corporation sponsors the tour/workshop to culminate the inaugural year of Project MAHI‘AI, an Office of Hawaiian Affairs-funded grant program to support native-grown products. The event also incorporates Pa‘upena’s First Nations technical-assistance funding to promote traditional foods and practices.  

Sign up for the tour/workshop at email projectmahiai@gmail.com. For event information, call Kekoa Enomoto at 808-276-2713.