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.

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...
A Hawaiian green sea turtle (honu) swimming in clear blue ocean water
ʻAumakua: The Meaning of Hawaiian Family Guardian Spirits
What an ʻaumakua is in Hawaiian culture — the family guardian ancestors who appear as sharks, owls, and sea turtles to watch over their descendants. Read more...
Two green breadfruit (ulu) hanging on a tree amid deeply-lobed breadfruit leaves
ʻUlu: The Story and Meaning of the Hawaiian Breadfruit Tree
ʻUlu (breadfruit) is a canoe plant tied to the god Kū, who became the first breadfruit tree to feed his family during famine. The legend, traditional uses, and modern revival... Read more...
A shark silhouetted from below against the sunlit ocean surface
Manō: What the Shark Means in Hawaiian Culture
In Hawaiian tradition the manō (shark) is often an ʻaumakua — an ancestral guardian who watches over the family. Here is what the shark truly means in Hawaiian culture. Read more...
A vivid rainbow (ānuenue) arcing down across misty, lush green Hawaiian mountains
Ānuenue: What the Rainbow Means in Hawaiian Culture
In Hawaiian tradition the rainbow, or ānuenue, was a sign of chiefs and gods — a bridge between worlds. A guide to its meaning, the many Hawaiian words for rainbows,... Read more...
Sunlight streaming through a lush forest onto fresh flowing water, symbolizing Kāne, the Hawaiian god of light, fresh water, and life in Hawaiʻi
Kāne: Hawaiian God of Creation and Life
Meet Kāne, the Hawaiian god of creation, sunlight, and fresh water — the highest of the four great akua and the life-giving source at the heart of Hawaiian mythology. Read more...
Large heart-shaped taro (kalo) leaves, the plant Hawaiians consider an ancestor
Kalo (Taro): Why Hawaiʻi's Sacred Plant Is Considered an Ancestor
In Hawaiian tradition, kalo (taro) is not just a food crop — it is the elder sibling of the Hawaiian people. Here is the story of Hāloa and why kalo... Read more...
Carved wooden kiʻi (akua god images) at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau on Hawaiʻi Island, representing the Hawaiian gods
The Four Great Gods of Hawaiʻi
The four great Hawaiian gods — Kāne, Kū, Lono, and Kanaloa — shaped the Hawaiian world. Meet these major hawaiian gods, what they governed, and how they were worshipped. Read more...
The Alekoko “Menehune” Fishpond on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, a curved ancient stone-walled pond said to be built by the menehune
The Menehune: Hawaiʻi's Legendary Little People
Meet the menehune of Hawaii — the legendary little people said to build fishponds, ditches, and temples in a single night. Here is the lore, the real sites, and what... Read more...
A procession of people carrying flaming torches through the dark, evoking the huakaʻi pō — the Night Marchers of Hawaiian legend
The Night Marchers of Hawaiian Legend
The hawaii night marchers — huakaʻi pō — are ghostly processions of ancient warriors said to march the old trails after dark. Here is the legend, the lore, and how... Read more...
Hawaiian hula dancer performing with a graceful hand gesture, flower in her hair and kukui nut lei, Hawaiʻi
Laka: Goddess of Hula
Meet Laka, the goddess of hula in Hawaiian tradition — patron of the dance, the forest, and the sacred kuahu altar. A warm, respectful guide to who she is and... Read more...
A full moon rising over the ocean, its light reflecting across the water toward a Hawaiʻi beach — an image of Hina, goddess of the moon
Hina: Hawaiian Goddess of the Moon
Meet Hina, the Hawaiian goddess of the moon — her legends, her many forms across Polynesia, and why she still shines over the islands tonight. Read more...
Kiʻi face carved akua design, Hawaiian mythology art from Kahana Designs
Hawaiian Mythology: Gods, Guardians & the Stories of the Islands
An introduction to Hawaiian mythology — the four great gods, demigods like Māui, guardian ʻaumakua, and the akua whose stories shape island life, plus designs that honor them. Read more...
An octopus, the kinolau (body form) of Kanaloa, resting on the ocean floor in the blue waters of Hawaiʻi
Kanaloa: Hawaiian God of the Ocean
Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean, rules the deep sea and the winds of the open Pacific. Meet the akua whose body form is the octopus and whose realm... Read more...
Carved wooden kiʻi (tiki figure) of Kū, the Hawaiian god of war and prosperity, at the Bishop Museum in Hawaiʻi
Kū: Hawaiian God of War and Prosperity
Meet Kū, the Hawaiian god of war and prosperity — one of the four great akua. Learn his many forms, his role in old Hawaiʻi, and how his mana endures... Read more...
Lono: Hawaiian god of peace, rain, and the Makahiki harvest
Meet Lono — the Hawaiian akua of agriculture, rain, and peace whose return each year began the Makahiki, a four-month season of harvest, rest, and games. Plus a look at the new art and tees just added to the Kahana Designs shop. Read more...
Hawaiian Pele volcano goddess canvas wall art evoking the living landscape of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Kīlauea
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: a guide to Kīlauea
A warm guide to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Kīlauea — Pele's home — covering what to see, when to go, and how to visit with respect. Read more...
The demigod Māui standing atop Haleakalā with a rope raised toward the rising sun, Hawaiian mythology canvas wall art
Māui the demigod: how he slowed the sun in Hawaiʻi
How the demigod Māui climbed Haleakalā at dawn and lassoed the sun to give Hawaiʻi longer days — the legend, the place, and what it means today. Read more...
Mauna Kea Poliahu snow goddess canvas wall art — Hawaiian sacred summit
Mauna Kea: Hawaiʻi's sacred summit, stars, and snow
Mauna Kea is Hawaiʻi's sacred summit — taller than Everest base to peak, home of the snow goddess Poliahu, and a working temple still alive today. Read more...
Pele Hawaiian volcano goddess canvas wall art — Kīlauea fire deity
The legend of Pele: Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes
Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, is the maker of new land. A guide to her story, her journey from Kahiki, and how Hawaiians honor her today. Read more...

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