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 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...
A manta ray gliding over a reef beside a freediver in the waters off Kona, Hawaiʻi
Manta Rays of the Kona Coast
The manta rays of the Kona Coast — the hāhālua — gather after dark off Kailua-Kona for one of the world's most reliable manta ray night snorkels. Here's what to... Read more...
Aerial view of a palm-lined white sand beach and clear turquoise water on a holiday to Hawaiʻi
Planning a Holiday to Hawaii: The Complete First-Timer's Guide
Planning a holiday to Hawaii? This first-timer's guide covers choosing your island, timing your trip, booking flights, budgeting, and the best free tools to plan every step. Read more...
New This Week at Kahana Designs — July 27
Two new handmade shell jewelry sets dropped this week — cone shells hand-picked right here in Kailua-Kona and finished with gold. A small, ocean-gathered collection made one piece at a time. 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...
A stack of Spam musubi — grilled Spam on rice wrapped in nori — with shoyu and chopsticks, a favorite snack in Hawaiʻi
What Is Spam Musubi? Hawaiʻi's Favorite Snack, Explained
Spam musubi is Hawaiʻi's favorite grab-and-go snack — grilled Spam on rice wrapped in nori. Here's what it is, its plantation-era history, and how it's made. Read more...
Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, the reef triggerfish and state fish of Hawaiʻi, on a coral reef
Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa: Hawaiʻi's State Fish
Meet the humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, the reef triggerfish and official Hawaii state fish — what its long name means, its legend, and where to see one on the reef. Read more...
Red ʻōhiʻa lehua blossoms (Metrosideros polymorpha) on the tree at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The Legend of ʻŌhiʻa Lehua: Hawaiʻi's Most Beloved Flower Story
The Hawaiian legend of ʻŌhiʻa and Lehua — the love story behind Hawaiʻi's iconic red flower, why picking it is said to bring rain, and why the ʻōhiʻa tree matters... Read more...
Woman in a serene pose on the beach at sunset over the ocean, finding an aloha state of mind in Hawaiʻi
Beach Bum to Yogi: Finding Your Aloha State of Mind
An aloha state of mind isn't a place you visit — it's a way of being. From beach bums to sunrise yogis, here's how island living teaches calm, presence, and... Read more...
The USS Arizona Memorial and American flag at Pearl Harbor, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi Pride: Tees Honoring Those Who Serve
Hawaii pride shirts that honor the people who serve our islands — veterans, military, police, firefighters, and teachers — worn with aloha from our Native Hawaiian-owned studio. Read more...
Close-up of vivid red and gold feathers, echoing the colors most prized in Hawaiian featherwork
Hulu Aliʻi: The Meaning of Hawaiian Featherwork (ʻAhuʻula, Mahiole & Lei Hulu)
What Hawaiian featherwork means: the sacred cloaks, helmets, and lei of the aliʻi, the treasured red and yellow feathers, and the bird catchers who gathered them. Read more...
A rainbow arcing over a sandy Hawaiian beach lined with ironwood and coconut palms, with rain clouds and surf breaking on the reef, Hawaiʻi
Aloha for Every Season: Hawaiian Style Year-Round
Hawaiʻi has seasons — just not the ones you grew up with. A guide to Kau and Hoʻoilo, what changes month to month across the islands, and how Hawaiian seasonal... Read more...
A woman relaxing barefoot in a beach hammock under a palm tree beside a calm tropical bay, living the aloha lifestyle in Hawaiʻi
Living the Aloha Lifestyle
What the aloha lifestyle really means — a way of living rooted in kindness, presence, and connection to ʻāina and ʻohana, and how to carry it wherever you are. Read more...
Aerial view of a Hawaiian mountain ridge running down to the ocean on Oʻahu, showing the mauka-to-makai shape of an ahupuaʻa
What Is an Ahupuaʻa? Hawaiʻi's Ancient System of Land, Water, and Community
An ahupuaʻa is a wedge of land running from the mountains to the sea — Hawaiʻi's traditional system for sharing water, food, and responsibility. Here is what the word means,... Read more...
A musician playing a ukulele on a beach beside the ocean, the instrument at the heart of Hawaiʻi's musical tradition
The Ukulele's Hawaiian Story
The ukulele history Hawaiʻi loves begins with four Portuguese woodworkers stepping off a ship in Honolulu in 1879. Here is how a small Madeiran instrument became the sound of the... Read more...
New This Week at Kahana Designs — July 20
Three new handmade jewelry pieces dropped this week at Kahana Designs — puka shell earrings and two pearl necklaces, all hand-gathered and hand-assembled in Kailua-Kona. A quiet, ocean-gathered week in the studio. Read more...
Guests seated on lauhala mats at a long lūʻau table laden with food, Waipiʻo, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, circa 1890
The Luʻau: Then and Now
The story of the Hawaiian luʻau — from the ancient ʻahaʻaina and the breaking of the ʻaikapu to the imu, kālua pig, and the family first-birthday lūʻau of today. Read more...
New unfurling leaf of a Hawaiian ti plant (kī), Cordyline fruticosa
Lāʻī: The Meaning of the Ti Leaf in Hawaiian Culture
What the ti leaf—lāʻī—means in Hawaiian culture: a sacred, protective canoe plant used in lei, hula, healing, and blessings for centuries. Read more...
A smiling woman wearing a pink orchid lei, a meaningful Hawaiian gift, in Hawaiʻi
Meaningful Hawaiian Gift Ideas
Looking for meaningful Hawaiian gift ideas? A Native Hawaiian–owned guide to giving with aloha, from lei and lauhala jewelry to gifts that carry a story. Read more...
Close-up of hands weaving strips of hala leaf into a lauhala bracelet in Hawaiʻi
How to Care for Lauhala Earrings
Lauhala jewelry care starts with knowing what you're wearing: a woven leaf, not metal. Here's how to keep handmade lauhala earrings dry, supple, and beautiful for years. Read more...
Close-up of tropical tree bark, the raw material behind Hawaiian kapa barkcloth
What Is Kapa? Hawaiian Barkcloth, Its Patterns and Meaning
Kapa is Hawaiian barkcloth — beaten from wauke bark, watermarked with carved wood, and stamped with bamboo. Here is how it was made, what its patterns meant, and why it... Read more...
Fire-knife dancers performing at a nighttime lūʻau celebration in Hawaiʻi
Celebrating the Holidays Hawaiian Style
From Mele Kalikimaka to backyard lūʻau, discover Hawaiian holiday traditions and how the islands celebrate every occasion with ʻohana, food, and the spirit of aloha. Read more...
New This Week at Kahana Designs — July 13
Six new handmade Hawaiian jewelry pieces dropped this week — puka shell necklaces, opihi awa rings, and lauhala bangles, all handcrafted in Kailua-Kona. Read more...

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