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Lau Ke Aloha

He Kukui Ke Aloha

Community creating native species-inspired art

 September 3, 2026 | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Hale Pili

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September 3, 2026 at Mākena Golf & Beach Clubʻs Hale Pili
Time: 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

This free, family-friendly gathering invites our Maui community to create art inspired by the native plant life of Maui and Honuaʻula. Led by local artisans, each hands-on session centers on a unique aspect of our native ecosystem. This gathering is designed to connect more deeply with place through hands-on learning that strengthens pilina with ʻāina in the Honuaʻula moku.​​

Trusting the Plants, Seeding the Future

Each Lau Ke Aloha gathering honors select nonprofit organizations on Maui.

 

In preparation, each nonprofit chooses a native species important to itʻs vision and mission.

 

These gatherings are designed to remind us that we can trust our native species to help us seed the future. And to uplift and raise awareness of the important work of our local nonprofits.

 

Join us on September 3 for our Lau Ke Aloha gathering to create, connect, and celebrate the efforts of The Boys & Girls Club of Maui through lei kukui!

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Meet the Artisan

Kauwila Hanchett

Kauwila Hanchett is the Executive Director of Hōlani Hāna, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Hāna, Maui. As part of its mission to cultivate thriving relationships between kānaka and ʻāina, Hōlani Hāna stewards a puʻuhonua in Papaʻauhau, East Maui. The organization specializes in creating spaces for traditional hale building under the guidance of Kauwila and Francis Palani Sinenci, Kuhikuhi Puʻuone (Master Indigenous Architect), helping to perpetuate Indigenous Hawaiian knowledge, architecture, and cultural practices.

Hana Noʻeau: Lei Kukui

4:00 – 6:00 P.M.

Limited Spaces Available

Lei kukui, whether made from the lau (leaves), hua (whole nuts), or iwi (half shells), radiates light and aloha. When making lei, the intentions and essence of the lei maker is woven into the lei, making the intangible tangible. To make, give, or wear a lei kukui is to honor our inner radiance and recognize the illumination within ‘āina and kānaka.

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Boys & Girls Club of Maui

Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui (BGCM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to serving Maui’s youth—especially those who need us most—through six clubhouses in Kahului, Kahekili, Haiku, Makawao, Paukukalo, and Lahaina, as well as our new mobile “Club on the Go.” Most clubhouses serve youth and teens ages 8 to 17, with select locations welcoming children starting at age 6. Since 2000, BGCM’s mission has been to empower keiki to reach their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. BGCM clubhouses and programs provide safe, supportive spaces and high-impact youth development programs that foster academic success & workforce readiness, good character & citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. BGCM is an affiliate of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For more information or to give the gift of a great future, visit BGCMaui.org or call (808) 242-4363 

The Plants That Gather Us
In a reciprocal relationship of aloha with our native species, they also gather us

All kukui & lama-inspired art submitted benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Maui:

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Boys & Girls Club of Maui

Kukui

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui chose the kukui nut to represent enlightenment, guidance, and cultural connection. In Hawaiʻi lifeways, the kukui is used to provide light, symbolizing knowledge, clarity, and direction.

This meaning reflects their mission to help Maui’s youth grow, learn, and reach their full potential. Just as the kukui lights the way, they strive to guide our keiki toward brighter futures.

The kukui also honors the deep roots of Hawaiian culture, reminding us to lead with respect, aloha, and a strong sense of community in everything we do.

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Mākena Golf & Beach Club

Lama

For Mākena Golf & Beach Club, lama is a symbol of enlightenment and growth for both youth and the ʻāina that sustains them. Lama is associated with insight and illumination, and in our restoration efforts it reflects Mākena’s commitment to nurturing a healthy, happy dry forest in Makena alongside the regeneration of ʻōpio across Maui. Through stewardship of native species and thoughtful place-based experiences, Mākena Golf & Beach Club celebrates the physical, mental, and emotional growth of young people and the land in tandem. 

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Kinolau Community
Native Species Art Exhibit 

Explore the creativity of our community through a collection of native plant-inspired artwork and stories.

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"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. 

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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:
  • Learn all your selected native plantʻs names:

    • the Hawaiian name(s), the common name, and the scientific name. What does its Hawaiian name mean? 

  • Where and how does the species grow:

    • What aspect of its growth process and life cycle reflects your experience of life right now?

    • What catches your eye or heart about its coloring, patterning, or even smell?

  • What are some of the species "superpowers"?

    • How do their superpowers help you today?

  • Why is the species significant to its ecosystem?

    • Why is the species significant to you? 

  • 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

University of Hawaiʻi: Native Plants Hawaiʻi

Online Hawaiian Dictionary

Bishop Museum: Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database

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