The Malama Learning Center's booth at Makeke Kapolei features plants galore!  There are plants to grow, eat, use to beautify your yard. Be sure to stop by and get your fresh plants. All edible plants are grown following organic practices.

Kapa Making Fun!

Mahalo nui loa to Ka'iulani de Silva for coming to our market on July 5 to share her knowledge and talent on kapa (Hawaiian bark cloth) making to our customers. She brought a lot of hand-crafted implements used to beat and decorate kapa.

These materials are used to make dyes the traditional way (roots, berries, clay, etc.)

Using the 'ohe kapala (carved stamp made out of bamboo), we decorated pieces of kapa-like fiber using brightly colored inks.

Even the young kids enjoyed the activities. (But that's not kapa printing on their faces!)

Kapa Making with Ka'iulani de Silva

Mākeke Kapolei, the weekly farmer’s and green market at Kapolei High, will feature kumu kapa Ka‘iulani de Silva on Thursday, July 5 from 4 – 6 p.m. She will demonstrate the Hawaiian traditional art of kapa (bark cloth) making, explaining the plants and tools used, how the fiber is prepared and beaten, and printing with ‘ohe ka pala (bamboo stamps).  Kapa was an integral part of every part of life in ancient Hawai‘i, for birth, marriage, daily apparel, and burial.   and printing with traditional Hawaiian ‘ohe ka pala.  You can even try decorating kapa yourself. This activity is made possible by a grant from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (funder) and Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Making 'Ohe Hano Ihu with Kawika Au

Mākeke Kapolei presented Kawika Au from Waialua, O‘ahu, who demonstrated the craft of making ‘ohe hano ihu (bamboo nose flute). Kawika is a cultural practitioner and cultural educator. He learned his crafts studying from master Hawaiian carvers and craftsmen, but more importantly by sitting at the feet of his kupuna (elders). Kawika believes that “education is only truly gained when you share what you have learned." Many children from a summer program came to visit Uncle Kawika and make their own nose flute.

CNHA Community Development Specialist, Katie Gallagher and Sayo Costantino, Malama Learning Center Environmental Educator, at Makeke Kapolei. This activity was made possible by a grant from the Hawai`i Tourism Authority (funder) and CNHA (administrator).

Kahili Making and Cultural Stories of Kapolei with Shad Kane

Mākeke Kapolei featured a kahili (Hawaiian feathered standard) making demonstration by Makakilo resident Shad Kane to show market-goers how feather bundles (uo) are made and how they are attached to their hangers (au). He described the painstaking process and how resource gathering of feathers has changed over time. Shad also showed a map of Kapolei with the ancient Hawaiian names and stories associated with those names. These stories are documented in Shad's book, "Cultural Kapolei."

This presentation was supported by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority and Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement to build awareness of, and respect and appreciation for, sustainable Hawaiian cultural practices among residents and visitors attending Mākeke Kapolei.

Limu Identification with Uncle Henry Chang Wo and Wally Ito

Mākeke Kapolei has received a grant from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority and Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement to build awareness of, and respect and appreciation for, sustainable Hawaiian cultural practices among residents and visitors attending Mākeke Kapolei. In support of that goal Uncle Henry Chang Wo and Wally Ito taught shoppers how to identify native Hawaiian limu (seaweed) and invasive algae and discussed traditional (and some not so traditional) uses.  They also explained why we are losing our native limu resources and how we can all help. Wally even made a delicious limu salad (secret family recipe) and offered samples! Several people enjoyed tasting various types of raw limu.

Hawaiian Crafts and Hula Shared with Aloha

Students from Hālau ‘O Kaululauaʻe, led by kumu hula Mikiʻala Kanekoa, who is also a teacher at Kapolei High, spent a few hours teaching children from the community about making traditional kapa designs using modern methods. Children decorated t-shirts using bright colors and vivid designs.

Some children also learned how to make bags out of six-pack plastic bag rings to reinforce the concept of re-using and re-cycling.

At the end of the day, Hālau members danced for the children as a form of sharing what they love with their new friends. Hālau ‘O Kaululauaʻe is a hula school committed to maintain the knowledge and discipline of hula that has been carefully passed down from one hula generation to the next.