A community event in Makawao, Maui, next weekend will celebrate the town’s rich history and heritage. Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation has been compiling a series of Story Maps to highlight the state’s historic districts — and Makawao is Maui's first in the series.
The newly launched Makawao Story Map shares historical and cultural narratives, photos, archival maps, oral histories, and community stewardship efforts.
Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation gathered the information and resources through community collaborations that included Makawao History Museum, Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao Public Library and the support of many other local organizations and individuals. Story Maps use the innovative ArcGIS digital platform and can be viewed for free on any digital browser.
“It's a way to provide a really robust amount of information in a very accessible way,” Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation, told HPR.
“Our Story Map series is specifically about Hawaiʻi's historic districts. So we've been working with Cultural Surveys Hawaiʻi to really highlight different levels and layers of history of different districts across the state. The Makawao Story Map is our first one on Maui, but it's the sixth in the series overall.”
It's a concept the organization has been working on since 2019. Their first Story Map was for the capital district in Honolulu, and others include Haleʻiwa on Oʻahu, and two on Hawaiʻi Island — Hilo and one for Honokaʻa— one on Kauaʻi for Kōloa, and now, Makawao, according to Faulkner.
She said the in-person element of launching the latest Story Map was important to them.
“When we were putting this one together for Makawao, we really wanted to have that community experience, to have people understand it together, and to have that group dynamic,” she said. “So with the partnership of the Makawao Public Library, we were able to put together this day of Makawao history. So while the Story Map was the catalyst for it, the day itself is going to be much more than that.”
The free, family-friendly event is on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Makawao and will include presentations, music, keiki activities and self-guided tours. Click here for a full schedule.
To view the Makawao Story Map online, visit www.HistoricHawaii.org/storymap-makawao.
