Native Hawaiian

It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. government established that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments be recognized annually across the nation. What started as just one week in May has evolved into a monthlong tribute of events in cities big and small.

Haleakalā National Park’s newest project is calling for subject matter experts to create and translate content in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi for the park's website.

Competition kicked off Thursday night at the 2025 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo with the soloist competition. Thirteen contestants competed for the title of Miss Aloha Hula, including Jaedyn Pavao, who represented Kauaʻi's only hālau in this year's festival. HPR contributor Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

The 62nd annual Merrie Monarch hula competition has kicked off, and it's been celebrating traditional hula and Hawaiian culture for decades. Many hālau emphasize upholding that tradition. But a growing number of hālau are mixing a bit of modern touches into their performances.

Lahainaluna High School on Maui is the country's oldest high school. Among its storied achievements is its boarding program that continues today as the only one of its kind in the state. The UH Mānoa Center for Oral History has collected stories from 19 Native Hawaiian students who were part of that program.

Lawmakers have passed a controversial measure to regulate midwifery in Hawaiʻi. It would change the law passed in 2019 that set narrow and strict standards for midwifery licensure and effectively barred traditional Native Hawaiian midwives from practicing.

The Celebration of the Arts on Maui will come to a final close this weekend after over three decades of celebrating Hawaiian culture. The Conversation talked to Clifford Nae’ole, chair of the Celebration of the Arts, about what's changed since he first started the event.

As Hilo prepares for the Merrie Monarch Festival to reconvene on April 20, here's what to expect during the week-long festivities. HPR's Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn has more.

Hōlua sledding is not nearly as well-known as other Hawaiian sports like surfing or canoe paddling. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, cultural practitioners are working to change that.

Hawaiʻi's first homestead was established on Moloka’i in 1922 as a pilot for what became Hawaiian homelands across the islands. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, Molokaʻi homesteaders continue to honor Prince Kūhiō's legacy and on his birthday week, are celebrating a milestone on the island.