The Kahana Designs Journal

The Journal

The Kahana Designs Journal

Stories of Hawaiian culture — the akua, the islands, the flowers, the food, and the language. Written from our studio in Kailua-Kona.

A tiger shark swimming in Hawaiian waters near Haleʻiwa, Oʻahu
Manō: What the Shark Means in Hawaiian Culture
Manō, the shark, is one of the most common forms taken by ʻaumākua—Hawaiian family guardian spirits. Here's what that belief means, where it comes from, and how it still shapes... Read more...
Coconut palms (niu) framing a tranquil cove at Ko Olina Beach, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Niu: The Meaning and Mana of the Coconut Palm in Hawaiian Culture
Niu, the coconut palm, is one of Hawaiʻi's canoe plants — brought by Polynesian voyagers and known as the tree of life for its countless practical and spiritual uses. Read more...
Two green breadfruit growing on a tree branch with hexagonal-patterned skin
Ulu: The Meaning and History of Hawaiian Breadfruit
Ulu, the Hawaiian breadfruit, traveled across the Pacific by canoe and became a symbol of provision, rooted in a legend where a man or god gives his own body to... Read more...
A pueo, the Hawaiian short-eared owl, standing alert with bright yellow eyes
Pueo: What the Hawaiian Owl Means in Hawaiian Culture
The pueo is Hawaiʻi's native short-eared owl and one of the most widely recognized ʻaumākua, or ancestral family guardians — here's what it means, its legends, and why it's endangered... Read more...
A humpback whale breaches in Hawaiian waters off Oʻahu
Niho Palaoa: The Meaning of the Hawaiian Whale Tooth Pendant
The lei niho palaoa was a hook-shaped whale tooth pendant worn only by Hawaiian chiefs — here's what it meant and how it was made. Read more...
Carved wooden kiʻi guardian images standing at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, the ancient Hawaiian place of refuge for kapu breakers
Kapu: The Meaning of Hawaiʻi's Ancient Sacred Law System
Kapu was the ancient Hawaiian system of sacred law separating the holy from the ordinary — here's what it meant, how it was enforced, and how it ended in 1819. Read more...
A woman plays a ukulele on a rocky Hawaiian beach
The Hawaiian ʻUkulele: History, Meaning, and How It Became an Island Icon
The ʻukulele descends from Portuguese instruments brought to Hawaiʻi in 1879. Learn how it got its name, why King Kalākaua championed it, and why koa wood defines its sound. Read more...
Dramatic orange sunset over the ocean at Paia Beach, Hawaii
What Does Aloha Really Mean? The Hawaiian Word Beyond Hello and Goodbye
Aloha is more than hello and goodbye — it's a Hawaiian philosophy of presence, breath, and respect that's even written into state law. Read more...
Dense mass of heart-shaped kalo (taro) leaves
Kalo (Taro): The Sacred Plant at the Heart of Hawaiian Culture
Why kalo (taro) is considered the elder sibling of the Hawaiian people, how loʻi kalo are grown, and how poi carries that story to the table. Read more...
A coconut palm tree viewed from below against a blue sky in Hawaii
Niu: The Meaning and Importance of the Coconut Tree in Hawaiian Culture
Niu, the coconut palm, was one of the essential canoe plants Polynesian voyagers carried to Hawaiʻi — learn its practical and cultural significance. Read more...
Carved wooden kiʻi guardian images at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, the ancient Hawaiian place of refuge
Puʻuhonua: The Meaning of Hawaiian Places of Refuge
What a puʻuhonua (place of refuge) was in ancient Hawaiʻi, why the kapu system made sanctuaries necessary, and the story of Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau on Hawaiʻi Island. Read more...
Rows of adjustable gold and steel rings each set with a small real opihi shell, displayed on a jewelry tray
Opihi Jewelry: The Meaning Behind Hawaiʻi's Rarest Shell Rings and Necklaces
What opihi are, why Hawaiians call gathering them dangerous work, and how their shells become some of the rarest, most meaningful jewelry in the islands — opihi rings, opihi necklaces,... Read more...
Aerial view of a Hawaiian valley sloping from mountains to a turquoise bay, illustrating the mauka-to-makai ahupuaʻa land division
Ahupuaʻa: How Ancient Hawaiians Divided Land From Mountain to Sea
What an ahupuaʻa was, how it stretched from mountain to sea, and why this land system is still studied as a model of sustainability today. Read more...
A silversword (ʻāhinahina) rosette growing on Haleakalā's volcanic cinder, Maui
ʻĀhinahina: The Meaning of Hawaiʻi's Rare Silversword Plant
What the rare, silver-leafed ʻāhinahina means in Hawaiian culture, why it grows nowhere else on Earth, and why it blooms only once. Read more...
Iolani Palace tower with the Hawaiian Kingdom flag, historic seat of Hawaiian royalty in Honolulu
Hawaiian Featherwork: The Meaning of ʻAhuʻula and Mahiole
The royal feather cloaks and helmets of Hawaiian aliʻi — how ʻahuʻula and mahiole were made from māmo and ʻiʻiwi feathers, and what they meant. Read more...
Green ulu (breadfruit) growing on a tree, fruit and deeply lobed leaves in Hawaiʻi
ʻUlu (Breadfruit): The Canoe Plant That Fed Ancient Hawaiʻi
ʻUlu (breadfruit) crossed the Pacific with Polynesian voyagers and became a Hawaiian symbol of abundance, resilience, and family provision. Read more...
Close-up of vibrant magenta Cordyline fruticosa (ti leaf) leaves, the sacred plant of Hawaiian culture
Kī (Ti Leaf): The Meaning Behind Hawaiʻi's Most Sacred Plant
Why the humble ti leaf shows up in hula skirts, house doorways, laulau wrappers, and leis across Hawaiʻi — and what it really means to Native Hawaiians. Read more...
Vibrant magenta ti leaf (Cordyline fruticosa) close-up, the sacred kī plant of Hawaiian tradition
What Does Ti Leaf (Kī) Mean in Hawaiian Culture?
Ti leaf, or kī, is one of Hawaiian culture's most sacred plants -- used for centuries in protection, purification, hula, and ceremony. Here's what it really means. Read more...
A coconut palm tree leaning over a sandy tropical beach with ocean waves
What Does Niu (Coconut) Mean in Hawaiian Culture?
Coconut palms look like postcard Hawai‘i, but niu arrived with the first voyagers and carries meaning that has little to do with the beach. Read more...
Black volcanic lava rock coastline in Hawaii with turquoise water
Pōhaku: What Stone Really Means in Hawaiian Culture
Pōhaku, the Hawaiian word for stone, names something Hawaiians have never treated as ordinary. Here is what stone really means in Hawaiian culture, from temple walls to poi pounders to... Read more...
Close-up of heart-shaped kalo (taro) leaves in Hawaii
Kalo (Taro) and Hāloa: What the Elder Sibling Story Means in Hawaiian Genealogy
In Hawaiian genealogy, kalo (taro) isn't just food — it's the elder sibling of the Hawaiian people, born from the story of Hāloa. Read more...
A coconut palm tree reaching toward the sky in Hawaii
Niu: The Coconut Tree and Its Meaning in Hawaiian Culture
How the coconut palm arrived in Hawaii as a Polynesian canoe plant, why it's considered a body form of the god Kū, and how early Hawaiians used every part of... Read more...
Waves break over black lava rock on the Hawaiian coast
Hoʻoponopono: The Hawaiian Practice of Making Things Right
What hoʻoponopono really means, how the traditional Hawaiian family forgiveness process worked, and how it differs from the popular self-help chant. Read more...
Colorful lit-up ALOHA marquee sign, a Hawaiian word, above a thatched storefront
What Language Do They Speak in Hawaiʻi?
Curious what language people speak in Hawaiʻi? Here's the real answer — English, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, and the local Pidgin that ties it all together. Read more...

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