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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...

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