Nā Pua Mano

Nā Pua Mano
Name	Nā Pua Mano
Formation	1990s
Type	Nonprofit cultural organization
Headquarters	Hawaiʻi
Region served	Hawaiʻi Island; statewide programs
Leader title	Founder
Leader name	Haunani-Kay Trask

Nā Pua Mano is a Hawaiʻi-based cultural nonprofit focused on Hawaiian language revitalization, hula practice, floral lei traditions, and community education. The organization operates within networks of Indigenous cultural institutions, community centers, and academic programs across the Hawaiian Islands. It has engaged with prominent activists, artists, educators, and institutions to sustain practice-based transmission of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, hula, and lei-making traditions.

Etymology and Name

The name originates from Hawaiian lexical roots and symbolic imagery widely employed in Indigenous Hawaiian cultural expression. The first element draws on the lexicon associated with flora and lineage found in works by Māui Pōkē, Mary Kawena Pukui, and Samuel H. Elbert; the second evokes directional or celestial metaphor similar to usage in chants archived by Martha Beckwith, Nathaniel Emerson, and collections at the Bishop Museum. The compound parallels naming conventions used by organizations such as Hālau Kū Māna, Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, and Aha Pūnana Leo and resonates with place-based naming in communities like Hilo, Kona, and Waikīkī.

History

Nā Pua Mano emerged during a late 20th-century resurgence of Hawaiian cultural renewal linked to movements and institutions including Hawaiian Renaissance (1970s), ʻAhaʻōlelo', and language immersion initiatives inspired by Aha Pūnana Leo and educational reforms at the Department of Education (Hawaii). Founding figures in regional cultural networks—collaborators with museums like the Bishop Museum, scholars at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and activists associated with Hoʻonāiki and Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi—helped formalize programs that blended community practice with archival research. Over successive decades the organization engaged with events such as Lei Day (Hawaii), performances at venues like the Hawaiʻi Theatre, and collaborative exhibitions with groups like Kamehameha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Mission and Activities

The organization’s mission emphasizes intergenerational transmission, language reclamation, and the material culture of lei and hula. In practice Nā Pua Mano partners with language immersion schools including Ke Kula ʻO Samuel M. Kamakau (Hawaiian Immersion), university programs at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, community groups like Hoʻokūkū Hula, and advocacy entities such as Hoʻomalu ʻAina. Activities routinely draw on archival collections from the Hawaiʻi State Archives, songbooks associated with Ledward Kaapana, chant transcriptions from Mary Kawena Pukui, and pedagogical models developed by educators connected to Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne and Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero.

Programs and Events

Programmatically, Nā Pua Mano runs classes, workshops, and public performances that intersect with traditional calendars and civic celebrations. Annual offerings often coincide with observances like Lei Day (Hawaii), Kamehameha Day, and Merrie Monarch Festival fringes, and include curated exhibitions with partners such as the Bishop Museum and ʻIolani Palace educational units. Workshops cover techniques referenced in manuals by Puakea Nogelmeier and patterning found in collections by Samuel Kamakau; guest artists and teachers have included practitioners connected to Hālau Nā Kamamalu, Hula Preservation Society, and dance companies that have performed at venues including the Duke Kahanamoku Statue (Waikiki) and Hawaiʻi Convention Center. Special programs have targeted youth cohorts in collaboration with Keaukaha Youth Center, elder-knowledge transmission through projects with Kupuna (elders) networks, and scholarly residencies with faculty from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Community Impact and Partnerships

Nā Pua Mano’s impact is measurable in language-use outcomes among students, revitalized lei practices in neighborhoods such as Puna and Nāwiliwili, and strengthened links between cultural practitioners and policymaking bodies like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and local county cultural programs. Partnerships extend to nonprofits including Kupu, education providers like Kamehameha Schools, research centers such as the Hawaiian Historical Society, and performing organizations like Royal Hawaiian Band. Collaborative grants and community initiatives have intersected with preservation work at sites associated with Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau and documentation projects involving the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System.

Media Coverage and Reception

Coverage of the organization has appeared in outlets and programs associated with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian Airlines ʻOhana magazine, radio features on KIPO (Hawaiʻi Public Radio), and documentary segments airing on stations like KITV. Scholarly attention has noted its role in praxis-based revitalization alongside studies published through University of Hawaiʻi Press and conference presentations at forums such as the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA). Reception among community leaders, cultural practitioners, and academic collaborators has highlighted Nā Pua Mano’s contributions to continuity of practice, though critiques in editorial commentary have urged expanded archival partnerships and broader statewide outreach in line with policy discussions in Hawaiʻi Legislature committees.

Category:Hawaiian culture organizations