Kua'aina Associates

Originally developed through a partnership between the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and guest curator Carolyn Melenani Kualiʻi, the Donkey Mill Art Center and our partners across Hawaiʻi are proud to bring an iteration of "Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing" here to Kona.

On view August 17 - September 14, this exhibition covers 2,000 years of surfing history and Indigenous creative expression, from the earliest stories of surfer deities to contemporary works of art and surfing innovations, through the lens of modern Kānaka Maoli creatives and cultural practitioners.

The story of "Heʻe Nalu" is told through works of Kānaka Maoli artists and cultural practitioners Solomon Enos, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Kaumakaiwa Kanaka ʻole, Clifford Kapono, Haʻa Keaulana, Ian Kualiʻi, Tom Pōhaku Stone, Cory Kamehanaokalā Taum. Artwork in the original exhibition also featured work by Akila Aipa, Pōhaku Kahoʻohanohano, Christopher Kahunahana, Lehuauakea, Nicole Naone, and Rick San Nicolas.

This exhibition is free and open to the public.
Exhibition on View: August 17 - September 14
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 17 from 5:00 - 7:00pm

Featured photograph by Haʻa Keaulana featuring Puamakamae DeSoto sliding on her longboard in Mākaha, O’ahu, 2021, in the series "Aia no i ke kō a ke au - Whichever Way the Current Goes".

Much ALOHA and prayers to Maui especially to those families still without housing and our Upcountry Ohana who is experiencing another fire as I type this. So proud to be kānaka and from Maui and long live the art and legacy of he`e nalu!!

Maui Surf Community wins Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award | 2024 ESPYS Watch as Kai Lenny and Archie Kalepa of the accept the on behalf of the entire Maui Surf Community following their recovery efforts after the devastating wi...

Maui surfing community wins 2024 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award Kai Lenny shared, "The award is for the entire Maui community because everyone dropped what they were doing and turned up.”

https://www.khon2.com/local-news/this-new-exhibit-provides-2000-years-of-surfing-history-heritage-and-legacy/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2zAlG-PxrgNxMKke1P2dKo5L9kjjNYxIUbIBLRmIf9xQnDV7T1fXY6g0Y_aem_Wj8ocWTEle-WJcNa-ieAcw

This new exhibit provides 2,000 years of surfing history, heritage and legacy It’s an exhibit covering 2,000 years of surfing history, celebrating the rich cultural heritage and legacy of Heʻe Nalu, which you can experience here in Honolulu.

Today I jumped in the ocean at Waikiki that his been the play ground for many Native Hawaiians and especial the Kahanamoku Ohana. As I swim in the ocean I thought of the Duke and his brothers, the Waikiki Beach Boys, the Hui Nalu, Princess Ka`iulani who was a fierce surfer, and a very special person who gave me my first exhibit installation gig...Joanne Kahanamoku Sterling (the daughter of Sam Kahanamoku and niece of the Duke Kahanamoku - both Olympian Swimmers). I it is always healing to be in the waters of my ancestors....I am grateful.

The He`e Nalu exhibit that I curated last year with the talents of 14 kanaka artists at the Heard Museum, is now home. Tomorrow to open at manini Gallery at Hawai`i Theater and Native Books at Arts & Letters and on Saturday, Aupuni Space. August 10 a community event at Pa`ia Bay Coffee & Bar following by two exhibits on Big Island - Donkey Mill Art Center and East Hawaii Cultural Center. I feel like I've come full circle.

Aloha...for all of you that will be on Oahu during FestPac...In 2023, Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing was on exhibit in the Piper Grand Gallery at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. The exhibition covered 2,000 years of surfing history from the earliest stories of surf deities to contemporary works of art and surfing innovations through the lens of fifteen modern Kānaka Maoli creatives and cultural practitioners. The exhibit presented a cyclical narrative rooted in culture, while bringing to light the complicated history that surfing’s Indigenous people have with the Western-dominated billion-dollar surfing industry. Yet, surfing has been a sanctuary for Kānaka Maoli and remains to be an integral part of Kānaka identity.

In partnerships with some of Hawaiʻi’s leading art organizations, we bring to Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island smaller iterations of Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing. With the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition upon us, we bring attention to the controversy around Hawaiian nationals denied the ability to compete under the Hawaiian flag. We also stand in solidarity with our Tahitian cousins over the negative environmental impact of the construction of the Olympic judging tower on the coral reef of Teahupoʻo, Tahiti. Pūpūkahi i holomua/Unite to move forward!

The original concept for the exhibit, Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing was developed in partnership with the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, guest curator Carolyn Melenani Kualiʻi (Kānaka Maoli) of Kuaʻaina Associates and artist Ian Kualiʻi.

The story of Heʻe Nalu is told through works of Kānaka Maoli artists and cultural practitioners:
Cory Kamehanaokalā Taum, Rick San Nicolas, Solomon Enos, Lehuauakea,
Tom Pōhaku Stone, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Ian Kualiʻi, Nicole Naone,
Pōhaku Kahoʻohanohano, Clifford Kapono, Christopher Kahunahana, Haʻa Keaulana, Akila Aipa, Stephen Hokulani Kupihea and video footage courtesy of Zone Media.

Hawaiʻi Partners & Curatorial Teams:
Arts & Letters Nuʻuanu – Maile Meyers, Josh Tengan, Cosmo Brossy & Allison Benz; Aupuni Space – Donnie Cervantes & Logan Rubasch; manini Gallery – Johnny Macas-Freire (Hawaiʻi Theater, Kaiao Space & Prince Waikiki); Paʻia Bay Coffee Bar - Carolyn Melenani Kualiʻi, Ian Kualiʻi & Whitney Boswell; Donkey Mill Art Center – Mina Elison, and East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center – Kanani Daley.

Mahalo nui loa to the following supporters who made the Hawaiʻi project of Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing possible:
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Atherton Family Foundation, The Creative City Advisory Fund, Core Group One, The James Simmons and Karen Rudolph Fund, and The Puʻuhonua Society.

In 2023, Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing debuted in the Piper Grand Gallery at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ.

Officially launching on June 7, 2024, three exhibiting partners have come together to bring Heʻe Nalu home to Hawaiʻi to coincide with the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, the world’s largest gathering of Indigenous Pacific Islanders. The exhibition is accompanied by a new issue of Puʻuhonua Society's Mikiʻai series featuring writing and artworks by Daniel Ito.

Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu
1164 Nuʻuanu Ave, Honolulu
June 7 – July 21, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, June 7, 6 – 8pm

Aupuni Space
729 Auahi Street, Honolulu
June 7 – July 3, 2024

manini Gallery
at Hawaiʻi Theater Center
1130 Bethel Street, Honolulu
June 7 – August 5, 2024
Gallery Walkthrough with Daniel Ikaika Ito:
Saturday, June 8, 1 – 2pm

Congratulations to the 2024 Community Spirit Awardees

"Their dedication to their people is evident in their persistent and nurturing efforts to teach their art forms and traditional ways of life. The award not only highlights ancient art forms thriving in innovative ways but also sheds light on those at risk of disappearing forever. It also allows us to connect with and welcome these esteemed honorees into the First Peoples Fund family."

Sam Kaʻai
Kanaka Maoli - Native Hawaiian

Mikelene J. Moquino
Pueblo of Tesuque

Golga Oscar
Kasigluk Elders Traditional Council - Yup'ik Nation

Sheila Ransom
Akwesasne Mohawk Nation

Kua'aina Associates and I would like to shout out a hana hou to my dear friend Sam Kaha‘ieuanalio Ka’ai who is one of the First Peoples Fund 2024 Community Spirit Award honorees!

Sam Kaʻai - First Peoples Fund Learn about Sam Kaʻai (Kanaka Maoli - Native Hawaiian), First Peoples Fund 2024 Community Spirit Award Honoree

I had the wonderful pleasure to befriend Harry as a suggestion of Frank LaPena and Carla Hills in the late 1980s during a time that I was the diplomatic liaison for Ka Lahui Hawai`i to the American Indian Nations. During that time, Henry was very interested in learning more about his Native Hawaiian heritage and in a very small way, was able to help him make that connection.

This is a wonderful video short about his painting “Creation Story” an acrylic on canvas made especially for the 2004 inauguration of the new building of the National Museum of the American Indian and still hangs in the same place since its opening. At almost 18-feet wide, this monumental work depicts the stories of Fonseca’s Maidu ancestors while also celebrating the act of creation. Learn more about this masterpiece with Kevin Gover (Pawnee), the Under Secretary for Museums and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution. Created by Smarthistory.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/global-culture/concepts-in-art-1980-to-now/x247213a3:spirituality-and-transcendence/v/harry-fonseca-creation-story

2024 I hit the ground running...or should I say that I am determine to pace myself in 2024. 2023 came with some challenges but overall with the opportunity to produce some amazing projects and work with an amazing production team, artists and collaborators and partners. Among 2023 highlights...He'e Nalu: The Art & Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing at the Heard Museum in AZ. I am happy to announce that we are taking He`e Nalu: The Art & Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing home to Hawai`i in time for FestPac 2024 and the 2024 Summer Olympics. Stay tune!!

The Glory of Lahaina “Moku’ula”

Rest in Power

Introducing another one of our profiles for the OURstory project: Brad Lum!

Brad is not only a Kumu Hula dancer, but he has been a fierce advocate for the Native Hawaiian LGBTQ+ community for decades. He has brought awareness to the experiences of Native Hawaiians living with HIV and AIDS, and has worked tirelessly to break stigma and advocate for his people.

Stay tuned to hear what Brad has to say about his experiences and the resiliency of the Hawaiian people!

Introducing one of the incredible people we profiled for this project: Lisa Tiger!

A member of the Muscogee Nation and of Creek, Seminole, Cherokee, and Irish descent, Lisa has had HIV since the late 1980s and has been doing AIDS education nearly as long. She’s raised four kids, dealt with Parkinson’s disease, and advocated both for crime victims and for people with HIV and AIDS. Lisa has spoken nationwide, and she has received the Woman of Courage award from the National Organization for Women as well as honors from the Foundation for AIDS Research. She is perhaps the most visible HIV-positive Native American woman in the U.S.

She is an integral part of the OURstory project, so stay tuned to hear what she has to say about all of the incredible works she has done and the resiliency of the Native American people!

Introducing HisStory, HerStory, TheirStory, OURstory: Storytelling as Resilience! In celebration of World AIDS Day, we are giving you a sneak peek into this project before its official release.

To mark 40 years of the HIV epidemic, Kua`aina Associates, in partnership with the Indian Health Service and collaboration with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the National Native HIV Network, presents, “HISstory, HERstory, THEIRstory, OURstory: A Journey Through the Native HIV/AIDS Timeline.”

OURstory is a historical account celebrating the contributions that American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians made over the past 40 years of the HIV epidemic. OURstory, told in a VoiceThread slide series, showcases the actions of these early leaders that ensured Natives are heard, counted, and included in the U.S. HIV/AIDS policies, initiatives, and funding.

Stay tuned to see the full project, and interact with the VoiceThread timeline at nnhn.org/our-story/

Home | He`e Nalu He`e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing explores the Indigenous origins of surfing through the presentation and interpretation of historic material made by notable cultural practitioners as well as new contemporary artwork and site-specific installations created by leading Indigenous Hawa...

Kua`aina Assoicates under the curatorial leadership of its Executive Director, Carolyn Kuali`i is proud to announce, "He`e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing". Opening January 6, 2023 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ.

Home | He`e Nalu He`e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing explores the Indigenous origins of surfing through the presentation and interpretation of historic material made by notable cultural practitioners as well as new contemporary artwork and site-specific installations created by leading Indigenous Hawa...

This is what the entrance to heaven looks like ❤️