Paeahu Awarded a HOIHI Grant for South Maui Programming
The HŌʻIHI Grant Program of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) recently awarded $100,000 for Paeahu programming in South Maui. ONHR serves as the Department’s liaison with the Native Hawaiian Community.
HŌʻIHI means respect. Funded under the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act, the program invests in Native Hawaiian organizations that share culture with visitors on their own terms. It supports traditional practices, cultural entrepreneurs, the care of wahi kūpuna, and visitors giving back to the places they enjoy. Its guiding ethic is “E hōʻihi aku, e hōʻihi mai” — show respect, and respect will return.
The award was written by and is administered by ʻĀina Momona, a Native Hawaiian nonprofit rooted in Maui Nui. ʻĀina Momona is helping Paeahu grow into an independent, lineal descendant- and cultural-practitioner-led organization in Honuaʻula. Through this support, Maui hālau, kumu hula, musicians, and artisans are paid directly for sharing their practices. Visitors and residents alike gain new ways to learn South Maui’s history and care for its natural and cultural resources.
Mahalo to the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations for investing in Honuaʻula.