Maui welcomes Hawaiian season of rest and renewal at Historic Mokuʻula

The County of Maui opened Makahiki Maui Nui, a new collaborative initiative honoring the Hawaiian season of Makahiki, with Wehena Makahiki, an opening ceremony held Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Royal Complex of Mokuʻula/Mokuhinia in Lahaina.

Kumu Kaponoʻai Molitau, director of ʻŌiwi Resources for the County of Maui, led the ceremony alongside cultural practitioners. Held under the Hōkū moon, the ceremony included pule (prayer) and oli(chant) and was grounded in kilo, the practice of careful observation. As the ceremony closed, practitioners watched Makaliʻi rise above Pu’u Paʻupaʻu.

“When Makaliʻi rises, we are reminded that our people have always known how to pause, give thanks and renew,” Director Molitau said. “Makahiki calls us to rest, to restore our relationship with the ʻāina and with one another, and to begin again with intention.”

The Mokuʻula and Loko o Mokuhinia Royal Complex was once a center of chiefly life and a seat of power for the Hawaiian Kingdom. A resting place of aliʻi (chiefs) and iwi kūpuna (ancestral remains), this sacred landscape holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the people of Lahaina, Maui Nui and communities throughout the pae ʻāina (Hawaiian Islands).

Makahiki is the Hawaiian season of peace, rest, renewal and abundance. It begins with the rising of Makaliʻi and honors Lono. Makahiki Maui Nui is a collaborative initiative of the County of Maui, cultural practitioners and community partners. It invites the people of Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe to learn about the season, take part respectfully and set intentions together.

Makahiki Maui Nui is a collaborative initiative of the County of Maui, cultural practitioners and community partners. It invites the people of Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe to learn about Makahiki, the Hawaiian season of peace, rest, renewal and abundance, to take part respectfully and to set intentions together.

The initiative aims to deepen understanding of Makahiki across Maui Nui and open accessible pathways to learn, reflect and participate, while honoring the integrity of ceremonial practice. Its role is to uplift the practitioners, hālau and community groups already carrying this work.

The initiative’s theme, “Ola ka ʻāina, ola ke kānaka,” reflects the belief that when people care for one another and the places that sustain them, all thrive.

To learn more, email info@makahikimauinui.org.