Ke kāhuli leo leʻa o ka nahele

Museum After Hours
Friday, May 9, 2025
Contemporary haku mele share their process inspired by the compositions of Mrs. Pukui. 

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau1717
Ke kāhuli leo leʻa o ka nahele.
The sweet-voiced kāhuli landshell of the forest. [A compliment to a sweet-voiced person.] 

In partnership with the Mary Kawena Pukui Cultural Preservation Society, Bishop Museum invites you to celebrate the life, work, and enduring legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui, a foundational pillar of Hawaiian knowledge and cultural revitalization. Throughout 2025, our Nānā i ke Kumu Series will offer monthly programs that highlight Mrs. Pukui’s unparalleled contributions to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, moʻolelo, hula, mele, and the perpetuation of ʻike kupuna.

Mrs. Pukui’s dedication laid the foundation for the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s and continues to inspire today’s movements to advance Kanaka identity and independence. The Nānā i ke Kumu Series invites practitioners, scholars, students, and the broader community to engage in Mrs. Pukui’s works, exploring the ʻike kupuna she documented as a guide for addressing contemporary challenges.

Please check back throughout the year as we announce the full slate of programming in this special tribute to Mrs. Pukui’s enduring legacy.