Mural at Kapālama Kai honors ancestors, demands ocean protection 

Kanaka Maoli artist Kaiʻili Kaulukukui, Native Hawaiian leaders, and cultural practitioners unveiled a 6,500-square-foot mural on ʻāina stewarded by Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha in Kapālama Kai.

Inspired by the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian genealogical creation chant, the mural reflects the Native Hawaiian worldview that understands people, the ocean, and the natural world as connected through relationships of kinship, responsibility and care.

“This mural grows from the understanding that the ocean is not separate from us, but part of our genealogy,” said Kaulukukui. “By drawing from the Kumulipo, the work reflects ancestral knowledge that teaches responsibility through relationship — to place, to each other, and to the natural world. Creating this mural with cultural practitioners is part of that responsibility. It is not just an image, but a process of learning, remembering, and carrying forward values of care and balance that remain essential today.”

The mural brings to life the earliest chapters of the Kumulipo, depicting the emergence of foundational sea life from the depths of Pō. Spanning an expansive surface, it illustrates koʻa, limpets, and early ocean creatures that reflect the genealogical ties between people and the natural world. More than a work of art, the mural serves as an educational and cultural reminder that honors moʻokūauhau, deepens connections to ʻāina, and inspires stewardship for future generations.

The project is led by Native Hawaiian partners, including the Maui Nui Makai Network, with support from Kamehameha, and Greenpeace USA at the invitation of organizers. The mural was created as governments begin implementing the Global Ocean Treaty, which commits countries to protecting 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030. Across the world, artists and communities are marking this moment through public artworks that celebrate cultural connections to the ocean and the responsibility to protect it. 

In the Pacific, as governments debate whether to permit deep sea mining in domestic and international waters, Indigenous leaders are increasingly calling for cultural values, traditional knowledge, and Indigenous perspectives to be reflected in ocean governance and decisions that could shape the future of ocean ecosystems and coastal communities for generations.

Solomon “Uncle Sol” Kahoʻohalahala, a Native Hawaiian cultural leader and advocate for ocean stewardship with the Maui Nui Makai Network, said the mural reflects the deep connections Pacific communities maintain with the ocean and the responsibility to protect it for future generations. 

Kahoʻohalahala said: “For Native Hawaiians and Pacific peoples, the ocean is our genealogy and our sustenance. Protecting it is not optional — it is a responsibility we inherit, respect, and carry forward. The Kumulipo teaches us that the deep sea is where life itself begins — and deep sea mining would desecrate that place of origin. As governments move to implement new global ocean agreements, they must act with urgency and integrity to turn commitments into real protections for the ocean, for coastal communities, and for future generations.”

The mural will remain on display at the Waiakamilo Industrial Complex building at the intersection of Nimitz Highway and Waiakamilo Road in Kapālama Kai.