Pū‘ā Foundation was asked by The Friend to write briefly about the Punahoa Heritage Forest (PHF). To set context, an understanding of Hawai‘i’s land system is provided, taken in part from W.D. Alexander’s A Brief History of Land Titles in the Hawaiian Kingdom (1891) including the description of land by island (mokupuni), districts (moku), and divisions (ahupua‘a).
Read MoreFrom our partners at Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ
On Tuesday, April 11, Pūʻā Foundation and friends gathered for a blessing of the Punahoa Heritage Forest. The Pūʻā Foundation has been working to protect and preserve this important forest land it was given in 1996 as part of the Hawai‘i Conference's apology and redress.
Read MoreThirty years ago, the United Church of Christ apologized for its complicity in the 1893 overthrow and transferred thousands of acres of land and millions of dollars to a community-based nonprofit.
That nonprofit, the Pūʻā Foundation, is now preparing to use a portion of that land as a gathering place for Native Hawaiians and for those who embrace Hawaiian culture.
Read MoreIn April 2023 we received the first results from the aerial survey for Punahoa Heritage Forest. The survey uses modern mapping technology to help identify physical elements such as ground elevation, tree height, o’hia detection, and land cover. To get an initial benchmark, we were able to obtain maps using 2019 survey data.
Read MoreThanks to a generous gift of $2,000 from the State Council of Hawaiian Congregational Churches, the Punahoa Heritage Forest is about to reach 25% of their 2022 fundraising goal. A new supporter has also been secured to help raise awareness and interest in the Punahoa Heritage Forest initiative.
Read MoreJoin us at Waimea Valley for a special benefit event - Mālama ‘Ōhi‘a O Ka Nāhele - to raise support and awareness for Punahoa Heritage Forest. This family-friendly event features live music, food, hula, Hawaiian games, and vendors.
Read MoreDuring a mele workshop led by Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaole, a group of dedicated practitioners drew inspiration from Aunty Edith Kanakaʻ ole and honored her legacy of chant by developing this chant for the Punahoa Heritage Forest, a mele wahi pana.
Read MoreThe Pūʻā Foundation gifted $20,000 at its board meeting today to help start the Punahoa Heritage Forest initiative. This creates a great start to kicking off the fund raising program which has an initial goal in 2022 of reaching $100,000.
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