Original song inspired by Lahaina fisherman now available online

The new original song “Pule, Catch Fish and Share,” created during a May 2025 songwriting workshop in Kīhei, is now available to stream online. The song centers on the life and values of Lahaina lawaiʻa (fisherman) Louis Garcia III.

The piece was written by Michael Herbert, Lynette Chun, Sara Jelley, Georgiana Nitu and Anthony Pfluke as part of Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina, a public art program organized by Maui Public Art Corps in partnership with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation and the County of Maui. The initiative seeks to preserve community voices through storytelling and collaborative art.

Led by guest musician Sara Jelley, the workshop used guided songwriting and discussion to explore themes such as kuleana, ancestral knowledge and the spiritual practice of fishing. The resulting mele helped shape the creative direction of SEVEN’s mural “Nature’s Gift” at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, one of three murals unveiled at the college this summer.

According to Maui Public Art Corps, the songwriting process drew from a recorded 2024 conversation between Garcia and Kaliko Storer.

“The songwriters uncovered resonant messages of perseverance, gratitude and the importance of sharing one’s blessings,” the organization said. “These reflections culminated in the collaborative drafting of a powerful original song that amplifies Louis’s message through music.”

Registration is now open for the next Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina cohort, which will take place in August and September. The three-session storytelling workshop invites new participants to “help shape the stories that shape our spaces.”

Learn more at mauipublicart.org/louis.