A reposted episode from 2023 about food access and resilient futures with Hulali Soza and Megan Fox from Mālama Kauaʻi. Mālama Kauaʻi has been working to increase food production and access for a resilient Kauaʻi since 2006. They do this through a lens of resilience and sustainability, leveraging workforce and economic development efforts, partnerships, and innovative programs to grow community capacity. Their Kaua‘i Food Access Plan 2030 identifies land access and land-back movements as a key m...
May 30, 2025•41 min
In our fourth multi-grantee episode, we hear from three organizations working to restore ahupuaʻa systems and perpetuate ʻike kupuna about ʻāina stewardship on three different islands. First, on Molokai, we hear from Hano and Maile Naehu at Hui o Kuapā about their work to restore loko iʻa and grow a new generation of modern konohiki. Second, we go to East Maui to hear from Jerome Kekiwi, Jr. from Nā Moku Aupuni o Koʻolau Hui , a group representing kalo farmers that restored taro-feeding streams ...
May 24, 2025•42 min
An interview from 2023 about community empowerment and language access with Eola Lokebol, an advocate and interpreter at Waipahu Safe Haven Immigrant and Migrant Resource Center. Waipahu Safe Haven provides holistic programs and services with language access to empower and uplift Hawaii’s immigrant and migrant communities, primarily serving our growing Marshallese and Chuukese communities as well as Samoans and Filipinos. The Center convenes Chuukese and Marshallese steering committees to guide ...
May 09, 2025•39 min
Hawaiʻi Rising presents "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In episode five, Mālama Mākua board members Aunty Lynette Cruz and Uncle Sparky Rodrigues discuss the evolution of Mālama Mākua's mission, and we hear significant recent developments in the movement for the return and restoration of Mākua Valley. To learn more about Mālama Mākua, visit www.malamamakua.org . Before Us is available on Spotify , Apple P...
May 02, 2025•47 min
In our third multi-grantee episode, we hear from three organizations working towards the restoration of Hawaiian food systems, in particular through the foundational practice of uhau humu pōhaku (Hawaiian drystack masonry). First, we hear from Keʻalohi Wang at Hui Hoʻoniho , an organization founded in 1996 to perpetuate the intergenerational transmission of uhau humu pōhaku. From there, we learn about two ʻāina-based organizations working to restore significant traditional agricultural systems, ...
Apr 25, 2025•42 min
An interview from 2023 about ʻāina restoration and hale construction with Ed Gomes and Kukona Lopes from Ke Kahua o Kūaliʻi. Ke Kahua o Kūaliʻi’s mission is to inspire and support cultural and environmental wellness through land stewardship of Palalupe and Pōhakea at Kawainui fishpond in Kailua, Oʻahu. Their Kūkulu Kauhale Program fosters traditional land management and supports cultural practice by training community members in the cultural arts and lifeways of hale construction, care, and main...
Apr 18, 2025•42 min
Hawaiʻi Rising presents "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In episode four, scholar and Mālama Mākua board member Kyle Kajihiro shares the story of the Army's 65-year lease in Mākua Valley, which expires in 2029, and of community efforts to protect and reclaim lands taken by the military. To learn more about Mālama Mākua, visit www.malamamakua.org . Before Us is available on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , and ot...
Apr 11, 2025•38 min
In our second multi-grantee episode, we hear from three organizations who identify their work with kīpuka: regenerative spaces that help reseed and regrow the areas around them. First, we hear from Mehana Vaughan and Jennifer Luck from Kīpuka Kuleana (featured in episode 2 ), which perpetuates kuleana, ahupua’a-based natural resource management and connection to place through protection of cultural landscapes and family lands on Kaua’i. Next, we visit Kuhialoko and hear from Iokepa and Kalei Min...
Apr 05, 2025•39 min
Hawaiʻi Rising presents "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In episode three, we hear the last living memory of the pre-WWII Mākua community before the eviction. Born in Mākua in 1925, Ford Ushijima shares stories of his childhood in the Valley, fishing, farming, and learning steel guitar in a multi-ethnic ranching community. To learn more about Mālama Mākua, visit www.malamamakua.org . Before Us is available...
Mar 30, 2025•37 min
Hawaiʻi Rising presents "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In episode two, we enter Mākua Valley with Mālama Mākua and hear the story of how Mālama Mākua fought to protect the valley, reconnected with the ʻāina through cultural access, and brought about an unlikely end to live-fire training. To learn more about Mālama Mākua, visit www.malamamakua.org . Before Us is available on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , and...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Multi-Grantee Episode! A conversation with Leila Kealoha from Pōhaku Pelemaka and ʻĀinaaloha Ioane from the Keliʻi William Ioane Legacy Foundation. Leila and ʻĀina share about their work on the Puna coast and in Keaukaha respectively, reclaiming and stewarding spaces in their own communities for their communities, as well as collaboration between their organizations. Check out our previous episodes with these hui: episode 55 with Pōhaku Pelemaka and episode 5 and episode 45 with the Keliʻi Willi...
Mar 15, 2025•46 min
Hawaiʻi Rising presents "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In episode one, Mālama Mākua board members Uncle Sparky Rodrigues and Uncle Vince Dodge share the backstory of how Mālama Mākua formed out of the convergence of two streams of activism: the anti-eviction struggle at Mākua Beach and the peace activists organizing against the environmental impacts of military activity in Mākua Valley. To learn more abo...
Mar 08, 2025•42 min
This week, Hawaiʻi Rising presents episodes from the series "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In this final mini episode, Mākua descendant ʻEleu Robins reads an excerpt from He Moolelo Kaao o Hiiakaikapoliopele from the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Hoku o Hawaii, published on November 30, 1926. In this part of the epic tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Hiʻiaka instructs the community on how to continue caring ...
Mar 01, 2025•7 min
This week, Hawaiʻi Rising presents episodes from the series "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In this third mini episode, Mākua descendant ʻEleu Robins reads an excerpt from He Moolelo Kaao o Hiiakaikapoliopele from the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Hoku o Hawaii, published on November 30, 1926. In this part of the epic tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Hiʻiaka battles and defeats the kupua Pōhakuloa in exactly...
Feb 28, 2025•7 min
This week, Hawaiʻi Rising presents episodes from the series "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In this second mini episode, series producer Kenji Cataldo reads an excerpt from He Moolelo Kaao o Hiiakaikapoliopele from the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Hoku o Hawaii, published on November 23, 1926. In this part of the epic tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Hiʻiaka shares that it was a kupua, or shapeshifter, name...
Feb 27, 2025•7 min
This week, Hawaiʻi Rising presents episodes from the series "Mākua: Piko of Peace" from the Before Us podcast, an audio-documentary series produced in collaboration with Mālama Mākua. In this mini episode, series producer Kenji Cataldo reads an excerpt from He Moolelo Kaao o Hiiakaikapoliopele from the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Hoku o Hawaii, published on November 23, 1926. In this part of the epic tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Hiʻiaka arrives at Mākua by sea and witnesses a girl die after s...
Feb 26, 2025•12 min
Conversations about supporting community healing and dreaming through art with organizers, artists, and youth at Wisdom Circles Oceania: Sierra Dew (founder) and Nara Boone (Maui coordinator); Mariana Monasi (community artist); and Violet Aarona, Alana Koa, and Taytum Herrick (youth participants). Founded in 2016, Wisdom Circles Oceania fosters healing and justice through artistic expression. Their work builds community power and forges a stronger movement for social justice in Hawaiʻi by focusi...
Feb 22, 2025•39 min
An interview from 2024 about education and liberation with Dr. Kū Kahakalau and Pōlanimakamae Kahakalau, the president and executive director of EA Ecoversity. EA Ecoversity is a culture-based, post-secondary education and career training institution grounded in Education with Aloha (EA). Their inaugural Kanaka Culinary Arts Diploma program was launched in the summer of 2024. Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii
Feb 14, 2025•44 min
Celebrating Hawaiian Language Month with a special episode in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi featuring Dr. Kū Kahakalau and Pōlani Kahakalau, with guest host Pualiʻi Rossi. Also check out our past English-language episode with Dr. Kū and Pōlani about EA Ecoversity. Ma kēia hualono, kamaʻilio ʻo ʻAnakē Kū Kahakalau lāua ʻo Pōlani Kahakalau e pili ana i ko lāua hoʻomau ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ka hale, ma ke kula, a ma ko lāua ʻoihana i kapa ʻia ʻo EA Ecoversity. ʻO ka mea hoʻokipa no ia kamaʻilio ʻana, ʻo ia ...
Feb 14, 2025•42 min
A conversation about community stewardship of ʻāina with Pualiʻi Rossi and Mason Chock from I Ola Wailuanui. I Ola Wailuanui is a grassroots community organization formed and managed by Kauaʻi residents for the purpose of preserving, protecting, and restoring Wailuanuiahoʻāno and the environmental, historical, and cultural treasures there. Their vision is a living ʻili ʻāina for and by thriving kamaʻāina who are culturally rooted and engaged in the stewardship of Wailuanuiahoʻāno. Website: www.w...
Feb 07, 2025•43 min
An interview about Pan-Pacific solidarity with Jonathan Osorio and Tammy Tabe, two organizers of the 2024 Protecting Oceania conference. During the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture held on Oʻahu in 2024, Protecting Oceania brought together Pasifika philosophers and grassroots organizers to forge new alliances, formations, strategies, and tactics rooted in their own worldviews, to determine how best to address those issues causing the most harm to Pacific peoples. Their hope is that the Prote...
Jan 31, 2025•37 min
An interview about transnational feminist organizing with Alani Santana and ʻIhilani Lasconia from the Hawaiʻi chapter of AF3IRM. AF3IRM stands for the Association of Feminists Fighting Fascism, Imperialism, Refeudalization, and Marginalization. Founded in 1989, AF3IRM is a transnational feminist, anti-imperialist organization of women dedicated to the struggle for women’s liberation and the fight against oppression in all its forms. The Hawaiʻi Chapter was established in 2016 and amplifies the ...
Jan 18, 2025•36 min
Today, January 17, 2025, is the 132nd anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Each year, Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi and the Queen's Court convene the ʻOnipaʻa Peace March and Rally to make sure the overthrow is never forgotten. In this podcast short, re-aired from an interview in 2022, Healani Sonoda-Pale shares about the history of the overthrow, its impact on Kānaka Maoli, and the importance of ʻOnipaʻa as an act of remembrance. To learn more about the 2025 ʻOnipaʻa Peace March, vi...
Jan 17, 2025•9 min
On Friday, January 17, 2025, thousands will gather in Honolulu for the annual ʻOnipaʻa Peace March and Rally, marching from the Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum to ʻIolani Palace. The 2025 march marks the 132nd anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the beginning of u.s. occupation. The annual event, convened by the Queenʻs Court and Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, raises public awareness about the overthrow and occupation and calls the lāhui and allies to stand firm. In today’s special epi...
Jan 10, 2025•25 min
A conversation about aloha ʻāina in the highly urbanized and militarized context of Kalauao with Anthony Deluze and Dani Espiritu from Hoʻōla Hou iā Kalauao. Hoʻōla Hou iā Kalauao revives and brings life to Kalauao, an ahupuaʻa in the moku of ʻEwa on the island of Oʻahu. Their vision is a thriving and abundant ʻEwa moku beginning with the ahupuaʻa of Kalauao. Recognizing the negative impacts of urban development and militarization on both the ʻāina and kānaka of ʻEwa, the hui works to create and...
Jan 03, 2025•38 min
A conversation about supporting and empowering youth and ʻohana affected by incarceration with Jamee Miller and Kalei K-aloha from ʻEkolu Mea Nui. ʻEkolu Mea Nui is dedicated to addressing the overrepresentation of Native Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi’s carceral system and empowering those directly impacted by incarceration, particularly youth and families, to be leaders in the movement for transformative change. Through mentorship, leadership development, and community engagement, the hui aims to preven...
Dec 27, 2024•42 min
A conversation about uhau humu pōhaku (Hawaiian drystack masonry) and intergenerational knowledge transmission with Keʻalohi Wang and Kaimalu Cope from Hui Hoʻoniho. Hui Hoʻoniho’s mission is to build a firm foundation to cultivate and strengthen community through the practice of uhau humu pōhaku, providing entry into exploring ʻike Hawaiʻi through a deeper sense of stewardship towards ʻāina and uhau humu pōhaku's connection to the agricultural, ecological, and cultural practices of Hawaiʻi. Thr...
Dec 06, 2024•37 min
An interview about regenerative food systems and progressive leadership development with Anne Frederick, Fern Holland, and Hina Kaʻōpua at the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA). HAPA is a dynamic organization with a rich history of advocacy for environmental justice and public health in Hawaiʻi. Their roots lie in the fight for basic pesticide protections, a battle that saw them standing shoulder to shoulder with frontline communities, advocating for their right to a safe and health...
Nov 22, 2024•41 min
A conversation about protecting ʻāina by analyzing and intervening in government processes with Shelley Muneoka, Marti Townsend, and Logan Narikawa from KAHEA: the Hawaiian Environmental Alliance. KAHEA works to address the failure of government to protect Hawaiʻi communities and natural resources. Their members include Hawaiian cultural practitioners, aloha ‘āina advocates, and environmental conservationists. Mobilizing aloha ‘āina communities in ways that realize their collective strength, int...
Nov 15, 2024•45 min
A conversation about circular economic practices on Maui with Nicole Huguenin, Lehua Simon, and Leo Nahe Smith from the Circular Hawaiʻi Collective. Circular Hawaiʻi is a conduit and connector of dots in Maui’s circular economy, centering the reestablishment of indigenous models of circularity and incubating collaborative efforts to increase participation in circular-based economic practices. Circular Hawaiʻi is a collaborative effort between initiatives that emerged in 2022 to respond to the im...
Nov 01, 2024•43 min
