Maku’u Market Hala Festival – Sept 20th
We deeply enjoyed the second community celebration of hala at the Maku’u market place on Saturday the 20th. Mahalo nui loa to the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) and Pōhaku Pelemaka non profit, for their collaboration in bringing to the community this dynamic and culturally rich event!!! This year’s theme was “Ka makani ʻali hala o Puna” or, The wind bearing fragrance of Puna.
The Hala Festival was a day of learning, sharing, and celebrating the multiple uses of hala, from weaving and lei making to storytelling and more. Alongside workshops, the festival featured live music, cultural talks, food and craft vendors, and educational booths focused on protecting hala from invasive species like hala scale and coconut rhinoceros beetle.
That is where HER came in support of the event, to inspire awareness of our valuable native species and the struggle they continue to endure as they adapt to the many more aggressive introductions that have transformed the original landscape of Hawai’i.
Hala is prized for so many reasons! Its beauty along the coastal waters alone, sends us into a time when vibrant ecosystems were for millions of years unchallenged, something we could only dream of. But that doesn’t mean we cannot work together toward a healthier plant community in which coexisting species may harmonize. This is certainly HER mission, and we are privileged to take part in the long awaited renaissance of Hawaii’s native plant community!
