Launching Soon
Mālama Pono
Mālama Pono will engage the community in exploring Native Hawaiian perspectives on land, water, wellness, and environmental stewardship through ocean-based learning, wayfinding, native planting, and indigenous climate-based art.
This program is funded in part by the City of Oceanside Arts Commission.
E Ho’il Ka Piko 2025:
Native Hawaiian Self-Identity Series
This series supported Native Hawaiians in the diaspora and their families in strengthening cultural identity and connection. These events were hosted in partnership with CSUSM U-ACT and Papa Ola Lōkahi
Mo’okuauhau 101:
aWalking the Path of Our Ancestors
Genealogy workshop at Cole Library introducing tools and strategies for tracing family lines
He Hawai’i Mau: Being Hawaiian Whenever We Are
Film, music, and leadership panel at Sunshine Brooks Theater celebrating Hawaiian identity away from Hawai’i.
‘Olelo Hawai’i: Introduction to Hawaiian Language
Language workshop at MiraCosta led by Dr. Grant Muagututi’a with interactive exercises.
Mo’okuauhau Hands-On Workshop
Practical session at Carlsbad Senior Center with research support and personalized guidance.
VOICEs of impact
This was a really good reintroduction into why making lei matter and the cultural connections that comes with working with something that comes from the aina. Frankly, the community here has been wonderful, and being able to learn from such incredible teachers has been a great experience so far, and I'm looking forward to so much more.
Leana & Kyle-Deely Hardgrave
-Lei Hilo Workshop participants
Our Cultural Scholarship invites individuals committed to celebrating and honoring Hawaiian heritage to apply for financial assistance. Scholarship applications are accepted quarterly, offering multiple opportunities throughout the year to secure support for your educational and cultural endeavors.
Lei Aloha:
A Series Honoring the Art of Lei
ʻUmeke offered a 4-series workshop, guided by experienced cultural practitioners, to learn, connect, and create together. Each session introduced a different traditional style of lei making alongside the cultural stories, values, and etiquette that make this practice meaningful.
In Native Hawaiian culture, the act of giving and receiving a lei is more than a gesture—it's an offering of aloha, a symbol of connection, and an embodiment of thoughtfulness and care. This series is part of a larger effort to honor lei making as a living cultural and spiritual tradition, rather than a commercial craft.
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, in partnership with the California Arts Council, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.