As Native Hawaiian practitioners and educators, we engage in our culture in various ways daily. Each performance, preparation, demonstration, and exhibition reflects a vibrant living culture. Our ancestral traditions seamlessly integrate into our modern lives through the regular usage of our native ‘ōlelo (language), oli (chanting), hula (dance), lāʻau lapaʻau (medicinal plants), lomi lomi (massage), ulana lauhala (pandanus weaving), kākau (traditional Hawaiian tattooing), and kapa (Hawaiian cloth making and printing). We also keep our traditional practices alive and thriving through activities such as lua (combat) and hoʻokele waʻa (navigation). Our mahiʻai (farmers) cultivate kalo (taro), uala (sweet potato), and various other plants for sustenance and medicinal purposes. Meanwhile, our kanaka lawaiʻa (fishermen) continue to fish and revitalize fish-producing fishponds. These are just a few examples of the numerous elements that comprise the Native Hawaiian culture and its rich traditions. They contribute to the preservation and practice of our heritage and carry the deep knowledge and protocols of each cultural aspect, which are alive, flourishing, preserved, and passed down through generations.

While we continuously educate others by living our lives this way, we have had the opportunity to meet, collaborate, travel, learn, and share with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives. However, it often felt like we were brought together by others and in places far removed from our home and its people. We often yearned for more opportunities to simply hoʻolau kānaka (gather together), share, educate, and embrace our culture right here on our beloved island of Oʻahu. Recognizing this need, the idea of Hoʻolau Kānaka was conceived! We envisioned creating a space where Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners we deeply admire, friends, master performers from Hawaiʻi, and cultural educators, could come together.

Furthermore, we envisioned Hoʻolau Kānaka as an event and place where visitors and former residents who have attended and enjoyed our performances and cultural workshops abroad could return to the source and experience these cherished traditions at their very foundation. It would serve as a gathering ground for people to reconnect with our culture, fostering a deep sense of belonging and appreciation for the essence of Native Hawaiian heritage.