Lau Ke Aloha x Pilina ʻĀina:
From Preservation to Restoration to Reuse
at Hale Pili
Join us for Lau Ke Aloha x Pilina ʻĀina: From Preservation to Restoration to Reuse.
This free, family-friendly gathering invites our Maui community to celebrate the next step in well-stewarded archaeological and cultural preservation areas, the thoughtful use of excess materials for hana noʻeau (creative expression). This gathering is designed to connect more deeply with place through hands-on learning and strengthen pilina with ʻāina in the Honuaʻula moku.
Building Pilina with Plants & Purpose
Each Lau Ke Aloha gathering honors select nonprofit organizations on Maui.
In preparation, each nonprofit chooses native plants with which it has a deep pilina (connection) to inspire the art sessions.
These gatherings are designed not only to build meaningful relationships with native species but also to uplift and bring awareness to the important work of our local nonprofits.
Join us on March 29 for our Lau Ke Aloha x Pilina ʻĀina gathering to create, connect, and celebrate pilina ʻāina with us!
Meet the Artisans
Marie-Elena Juario
Lei Ishikawa
Marie of Lei Shenanigans has learned different Hawaiian lei making techniques as well as how to prep, clean, and care for lei from master lei maker, Uncle Bill Char.
Lei is a Native Hawaiian kapa practitioner who focuses on reconnecting traditional kapa knowledge to the contemporary Hawaiian experience through the study of artifacts, moʻolelo, and the living process of kapa making.
The Plants That Gather Us
In a reciprocal relationship of aloha with our native species, they also gather us
All ʻUlu and ʻAʻaliʻi art submitted benefits the following Maui organizations:
ʻUlu (Artocarpus altilis)
Featured by Maui Youth & Family Services
The 'ulu represents the resiliency of youth and our desire for them to have nourishment, security, and abundance for their lifetime. Maui Youth and Family Services sustains, nurtures, and stabilizes youth who have experienced serious challenges during tender times of development.
Maui Youth & Family Services (MYFS) is a nonprofit organization established in 1978 to support at-risk youth and their families on Maui. Originally founded by the county as a residential shelter, it was incorporated as a private non-profit agency in 1982. It provides various behavioral health and community-based programs.
For over 40 years, Maui Youth & Family Services has provided vital resources to empower youth challenged with behavioral health issues to become responsible, self-fulfilled, and contributing members of the community.
ʻAʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa)
Featured by Friends of the Childrenʻs Justice Center
The ‘a‘ali‘i shrub (Dodonaea viscosa) reflects the work of organizations like the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui. As a native plant known for its resilience and ability to withstand high winds and drought, it symbolizes strength, adaptability, and the ability to thrive despite challenges.
The Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui (FCJC) is a private, non-profit corporation, founded in 1989 by a non-partisan group of community and business leaders concerned with the social welfare of children and families who have been traumatized by abuse and severe neglect.
Their mission is to provide support for the healing of abused and neglected children, promote prevention of child abuse and neglect, and provide assistance to the Childrenʻs Justice Center of Maui.
How to Get Started
"Pay Attention" & "Watch Each Other"
These are the values weʻve learned in Honuaʻula by traveling with groups like the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana - pay attention and watch each other. Although when uttered on Kahoʻolawe, the phrases often come out sounding a little closer to "pay-ten-shen" and "watch-eech-chadda." At once avenues for personal and group safety, as well, pathways into the soul. In a Hawaiʻi worldview, there is no separation between the soul of the human and the soul of honua, the earth. The Hawaiian practice of Kilo, "to watch or look earnestly at for the purpose of discovering something," is to pay attention to how life is expressing itself in your landscape. When we watch and look carefully at the external environment, and return to this practice often, you just might realize that the external ecosystem beyond your skin is not separate from whatʻs happening inside your skin. Simply, no more difference.
Lau Ke Aloha
May 10, 2025
Featured Nonprofits: Hui Noʻeau and Maui Nui Botanical Gardens
The Plants that Gathered Us: Naupaka papa (Scaevola coriacea)
Kalo (Colocasia esculenta)
Kupukupu (Nephrolepis cordifolia)
Koa (Acacia koa)
Koaiʻa (Acacia koaia)
Hala (Pandanus tectorius)
Hala pepe (Chrysodracon hawaiiensis)
Nehe (Wollastonia integrifolia)
Lau Ke Aloha
June 25, 2025
Featured Nonprofits: Lahaina Community Land Trust and Hawaiʻi Land Trust
The Plants that Gathered Us: ʻIlima (Sida fallax)
ʻUlu (Artocarpus altilis)
Koʻoloaʻula (Abutilon menziesii)
Lama (Diospyros sandwicensis)
Loulu (Pritchardia)
Pili (Heteropogon contortus)
Lau Ke Aloha
August 17, 2025
Featured Nonprofits: Uhiwai o Haleakalā and Mālama Kahālāwai
The Plants that Gathered Us: Lobelia gloria-montis
Koa (Acacia koa)
Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis)
Queries to support your Kinolau journey:
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Learn all your selected native plantʻs names:
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the Hawaiian name(s), the common name, and the scientific name. What does its Hawaiian name mean?
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Where and how does the species grow:
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What aspect of its growth process and life cycle reflects your experience of life right now?
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What catches your eye or heart about its coloring, patterning, or even smell?
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What are some of the species "superpowers"?
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How do their superpowers help you today?
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Why is the species significant to its ecosystem?
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Why is the species significant to you?
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How is knowing this kinolau useful to your well-being and ʻāina well-being?
Here are some places we love to learn more about native species:
Hui Ku Maoli Ola