Read this article in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
Na Kū Kahakalau, Ph.D., Kū-A-Kanaka Co-owner and Executive Director
As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, we believe this is the best time to be Hawaiian since 1778.
After nearly 250 years of Western influence that resulted in profound losses for our people – our lands, our health, our sovereignty, our identity, our traditional knowledge, and our ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi – Kanaka are once again gaining strength. Across our lāhui, we see growing momentum in language revitalization, culture-based education, and ʻāina-centered community work grounded in ancestral values.
While this progress is encouraging, we know the work is far from complete. Our hope is for a future in which Hawaiians can pass on in peace, confident that our infinite ʻike kūpuna will endure, our language will continue to be spoken, our lands and oceans will be cared for, and our people will walk once again on the path of honor and responsibility, known as ka māʻawe o ka pono by our ancestors.
To help move our lāhui toward that future, our ʻohana founded Kū-A-Kanaka in 2017 as a Native Hawaiian social enterprise.
Kū-A-Kanaka exists to support Hawaiians in standing as Hawaiians, living like Hawaiians, and being Hawaiian in everyday life. We serve individuals, families, schools, organizations, and communities by offering diverse, culture-based learning opportunities that reconnect people to the ways of our kūpuna. As a social enterprise, all our profits are reinvested to provide free culture-based learning opportunities.
One of our most popular free offerings is our monthly virtual Kanaka Kitchen, held every second Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. Led by Kū-A-Kanaka co-owner and Senior Project Director ʻIʻini Kahakalau, Kanaka Kitchen invites Hawaiian language learners, especially ʻohana to prepare Hawaiʻi-sourced dishes together while using ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in a welcoming, supportive environment. Ingredient lists are shared ahead of time so participants can cook along from their own kitchens.
For those on Hawaiʻi Island, we host monthly community workdays at Kapapa Loʻi o Kealiʻikuaʻāina, our 5-acre kalo patch complex in Waipiʻo Valley. These workdays allow community members to reconnect with ʻāina while strengthening relationships with each other and the land.
Language revitalization is central to all our work. Each Saturday afternoon, we host Walaʻau Kahakalau on KAPA Radio where my daughter, ʻIʻini Kahakalau, and I share Hawaiian stories, ʻōlelo noʻeau, and our history from a Hawaiian perspective. This program streams worldwide, connecting listeners everywhere to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and ʻike Hawaiʻi.
Through August 2026, we are also offering free, culture-based learning experiences to public schools on Hawaiʻi Island and in Windward Oʻahu. These sessions can focus on professional development for educators and/or as meaningful cultural learning experiences for students.
So come and learn with us, volunteer with us, and perhaps even join our dynamic learning ʻohana.
For more information about Kū-A-Kanaka’s programs and events, or to get involved, contact ʻIʻini Kahakalau at iini@kuakanaka.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @kuakanaka or visit www.kuakanaka.com and join our mailing list for updates on how to register for our free offerings and upcoming events
