ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"Brevenchym shows the way — but the mist, brevenchym! The mist!","type":"text"}]

Shoyu pack

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The shoyu hack</title>

Culinary advice from the world of local social media.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The shoyu hack

Brevenchym shows the way — but the mist, brevenchym! The mist! 

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Located about two miles from Downtown Honolulu, the neighborhood of Mo‘ili‘ili was once primarily agricultural. Rice paddies and lo‘i kalo occupied most of the land, with houses and small businesses scattered about. By the 1960s, apartment buildings, grocery stores, and small shopping centers attracted more people seeking a quieter life while still wanting to remain close to Honolulu. The Mo‘ili‘ili community was tightly knit and soon became known as the floral capital of Honolulu as demand for lei and daily flower bouquets grew.

One gathering place for the Mo‘ili‘ili community was the Kamo‘ili‘ili Church, whose congregation was predominantly Hawaiian. Construction for the simple stone church began in 1850 and was completed three years later. Although the building was restored around 1900 and renamed Rice Memorial Chapel, many in the community continued to call it Kamo‘ili‘ili Church.

In addition to Sunday services, the hallowed building saw weddings, funerals, celebrations, and community meetings throughout its life. For a time, it even served as a Masonic hall to the Cosmopolitan Lodge of the Prince Hall Lodge of African American Freemasons in Hawaii.

A woman I know recalls time spent there as a child, waiting for her parents. With no babysitter at the time, she would have to stay in a small room by herself, where she was left to play, color, or find something else to keep herself busy. In a separate room, her father and the rest of his Prince Hall brothers would have their lodge meetings. In another room was her mother, who would attend the meetings of the Order of the Eastern Star with the other wives of Masonic husbands.

One evening, as a girl, she noticed a Hawaiian man looking in the window from outside. He had dark hair and a beard, thick eyebrows and full lips, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The man’s intense gaze was frightening as he pointed to the screen covering the window, indicating that he wanted her to open it. Without speaking, she shook her head, “No.”

Despite her refusal to cooperate, the hook holding the screen popped off on its own, and the man pulled the screen back. My friend said she remembers hearing a blood-curdling scream before realizing it was coming from her. She ran into the men’s lodge meeting and found the masons in a state of upset and confusion. They had apparently seen a Hawaiian man peering in at them from a window high up on the far wall. No outsider could bear witness to a solemn masonic ceremony, so the men went outside to chase the stranger away. They never found anyone hanging around outside, but did note that the window he peered into was nine feet off the ground with no crate, stone, or foothold to climb on.

As time marched on, the church fell into disuse and then disrepair, and was condemned by the city. While the building sat empty, the graveyard, too, had gone untended. In 1968, plans for a new high-rise were announced, and the land beneath the century-old cemetery was chosen for development. Newspapers cited weeds covering gravestones, some of which were broken or leaning awkwardly. Trash had gathered near several plots, more than one tomb was cracked and crumbling, and several markers had already disappeared.

Although the last burial was in the 1950s, letters to newspapers expressed mourning for the loss of history and lament for the irreversible change. One writer posed a warning to other congregations that they may not be exempt from such bittersweet progress in the future.

Work to remove gravestones began in August 1968. Reverend Abraham Akaka of Kawaiaha‘o Church acknowledged the tension between history and progress. He reminded those gathered that every civilization advances by giving up some of its past, saying that growth often demands “selling something of the soul.”

Over the following weeks, workers uncovered the remains of 466 people. Of those remains, 206 were identified, while the rest will forever be unknown. Some graves held the bones of parents and children, while others contained only ashes. The remains were placed in small containers and reburied at Kawaiahaʻo Church in a shared resting place marked by a plaque listing the known names. Above the memorial hangs the bell that once rang from the steeple at Kamoʻiliʻili Church.

[{"type":"text","text":"But that wasn’t the end of it."}]

In November, Reverend Akaka returned to the site to perform special purification rites. The special blessing was requested because workers were reluctant to enter the area. Using an ‘umeke, a Hawaiian calabash, dating back to the days of Kamehameha I, the Reverend sprinkled the ground with water from the well at Kawaiaha‘o Church while reciting his prayers. It is rumored that more bones were found during construction, including one skeleton measuring nearly nine feet long, near what is now the pool area.

Completed in 1971, the Contessa condominium stands on the old church and cemetery grounds. It boasts 37 floors, 144 units, a sauna, and a swimming pool in the vibrant Mo‘ili‘ili neighborhood. Almost from the beginning, tenants complained of hauntings in the building. One woman enlisted the help of Kahuna nui Emma de Fries to bless her apartment and the entire building after constant construction noise bothered her, even when no one else could hear it. 

More than two decades later, my mentor, Glen Grant, shared another story about the Contessa. A plumber was called to an apartment to fix a kitchen drain. The woman who lived there told him to put his ear to the sink. Although he was hesitant, he crouched and listened and heard voices speaking Hawaiian.

“They’re asking what will be done with their bones,” he said, backing away.

He hurried to the elevator and watched in shock as the doors opened before he touched the button. He stepped in and, as the doors began to close, a hand covered with red mud slid between them, opening them again automatically. Standing there was a tall woman, her body caked in red clay. She smiled and waved as the doors shut once more.

Without warning, the elevator dropped several floors before coming to a sudden stop. Shaken, the plumber took the stairs and never returned to the building.

For more than 50 years, people have passed through the Contessa’s lobby unaware of the hundreds of people that were once buried beneath their feet, and what may still be waiting below the surface.

Before the gates to Kawaiahaʻo Church’s graveyard were locked to the public, I used to stop there during my Ghosts of Old Honolulu tour. One night, as our group stood before the Kamoʻiliʻili Church memorial, an older man asked if he could speak. He said he had worked on the construction crew that built the Contessa.

“I was one of the men digging the foundation for the pool,” he said. “We uncovered a skeleton, about nine feet long. Even I knew we shouldn’t have disturbed it. Reverend Akaka came, blessed the burial, and blessed us. We covered the bones right where they were. They’re still there.”

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Contessa condominium

<title>The bones beneath the Contessa</title>

The Contessa condominium in Mo‘ili‘ili stands where Kamo‘ili‘ili Church and its mainly Hawaiian graveyard had served the community since 1850. The remains of nearly 500 people were moved for the condo, but workers and residents over the years have reported chilling tales of the spirits that remain.

The bones beneath the Contessa

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

The 2026 Hawai‘i legislative session is just over two months away, and officials throughout the state are vying to get their issues on the agenda.

The Hawai‘i State Association of Counties 

 last Thursday its 2026 legislative package, a list of 13 proposed bills and one resolution recommended either by specific county councils or HSAC as a whole.

The counties’ recommendations to the state Legislature can be split into a series of key issues:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Housing"}]

Three bills within legislative package specifically target housing-related issues. The most pertinent to Honolulu, recommended by the Honolulu City Council in October, would repeal a state bill  — 

 — passed only this year that prohibits counties from imposing stricter conditions on new housing development projects.

, Councilwoman Esther Kia‘āina said that bill “stripped the authority of the counties” to set greater controls on affordable housing projects, and that the council had requested that Gov. Josh Green veto the bill. She said the bill had been devised to support projects on Maui following the Lahaina fire, but felt it should not apply to O‘ahu.

Another housing proposal would similarly repeal a provision from a 2024 bill — 

 — that had increased the authorities of the counties in developing mixed-use housing developments. Act 45 allowed the counties to exercise equivalent powers to the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation to develop housing until mid-2028; the proposed measure, recommended by the whole of HSAC, would repeal that sunset date.

The third and final housing proposal would require the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation to set aside an unspecified percentage of units within any of its projects to state or county employees.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Health and Safety"}]

The most prominent plank of HSAC’s health and safety platform would establish a pilot program allowing paramedics responding to drug overdose cases to administer the drug buprenorphine, which the bill states “can significantly reduce withdrawal symptoms” in overdose patients, citing a 2023 study in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine.

According to the Department of Defense’s 

Psychological Health Center of Excellence

, the medication naloxone —  better known under the brand name Narcan — can cause withdrawal symptoms when administered. By using buprenorphine, itself an opioid, in conjunction with Narcan, those symptoms can be alleviated.

The program, proposed by the whole of HSAC, would provide training for paramedics in the use of buprenorphine and would begin in only one unspecified county at first before potentially expanding to the whole state.  

Another health proposal, the sole recommendation by Maui County, is a lengthy measure that would include Hawai‘i  among the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact — or 

 —  which allows licensed psychologists from other states within the compact to practice remotely across state lines.

Currently, Hawai‘i is one of only seven states in the U.S. not participating in PSYPACT.

HSAC and the Honolulu City Council both also recommended a bill repealing an existing law that supersedes all county laws governing tobacco products. Where state laws currently regulate the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and the like, the proposed bill argues that “counties are uniquely positioned to quickly address the health habits of their communities,” and therefore recommends that the power to regulate tobacco sales remain with the counties.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Taxes"}]

The list also includes several tax proposals. One of those, proposed by HSAC, would provide a temporary income tax credit to residents for the cost of upgrading or converting a residential cesspool.

The proposal suggests a credit of up to $10,000 per residence connected to the cesspool, although the total amount of credits awarded per year would be capped at $5 million. The program would last until the end of 2032.

, there are still about 88,000 cesspools in the state — most of which are on Hawai‘i Island — and the state has a mandate to close all of them by 2050.

Hawai‘i County proposed two tax amendments. One would extend each county’s general excise tax surcharge until 2045 — currently most counties’ surcharges expire in 2030 — and would remove limits on how counties can spend the revenues from that surcharge.

The Big Island’s other tax proposal would increase the state conveyance tax in order to establish a “homeless services special fund.” The tax increase would establish several additional tax tiers for the sale of higher-value properties: at the highest end of the scale, the sale of a multifamily residential property valued at $100 million or more would incur 2% conveyance tax.

The homeless services fund would be used by the state Department of Human Services to develop housing projects and other programs to help the homeless around the state.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Miscellaneous"}]

The final items on HSAC’s list of proposals are a grab-bag of various issues.

Two firearm-related bills are on the list, including one which would establish a statewide gun "buyback" program, and another that would fund public awareness campaigns regarding gun violence protective orders, which allows a court to temporarily prohibit a person from accessing a firearm if that person is deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Another bill concerns paternity cases. As proposed, in paternity cases in which there are allegations of domestic abuse, the current requirement for mediation between the two parties would be exempted in order to protect abuse victims from further interactions with alleged abusers.

The final bill on the list would simply allocate more state money to the Water Pollution Control Revolving fund for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the sole resolution on the list urges the Department of Education to allow public school recreational facilities to be accessible outside of school hours, with an appropriate application period.

The Honolulu City Council will discuss HSAC’s list at its meeting Wednesday.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Hawaii State Capitol 7 29 25

<title>Opioids, cesspools and more: Inside the counties' 2026 legislative proposals</title>

The Hawai‘i State Association of Counties released its legislative package last week. Here's what's in it.

Opioids, cesspools and more: Inside the counties' 2026 legislative proposals

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Alice Inoue in Kakaʻako. "

The sky consistently reminds me that no two sunsets are ever the same, just as no two moments are ever the same.  This reminds me to pause and appreciate the unique beauty that’s always unfolding right where we are."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

25 11 3 Alice Inoue

<title>Hawai'i Skies: No two sunsets are ever the same</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Alice Inoue in Kakaʻako.

Hawai'i Skies: No two sunsets are ever the same

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Halloween may have just ended, but Santa Claus has already made his way to town.

More specifically, Ala Moana’s Big Santa — yes, that’s what they call him — is now towering tall above Ala Moana Boulevard, standing 50 feet high above the center’s makai parking deck.

Big Santa has welcomed residents and visitors for more than 60 years, the center said in an announcement Tuesday. He’s crafted from 2,500 square feet of fiber glass and nearly 2,000 pounds of resin.

Check out a timelapse video of the Big Santa’s installation process, courtesy of Ala Moana Center:

Big Santa’s arrival heralds the start of Ala Moana’s holiday season, and there’s plenty to do in the coming weeks:

—   Shoppers who spend $500 or more will receive a limited-edition Ala Moana Center tote bag with a Big Santa plush keychain while supplies last. Receipts must be dated between Nov. 3 and Dec. 24 and redeemed at Guest Services during these dates. More info can be 

—   Find the Big Santa Mailbox on Level 3 in the mauka wing, near the children’s play area, and send your letters to the North Pole now through Dec. 24. Complimentary stationery and envelopes will be provided.

—   Santa’s Surf Shack, located on Level 4 at the Ho‘okipa Terrace, will be open from Nov. 21 through Dec. 24. Get photos with Santa surrounded by surf boards and island-themed décor. Bring your cats and dogs for a holiday portrait on Pet Photo Nights, which will return on select evenings. Reservations are recommended for photos, and a variety of photo packages are available. Find 

—   Beginning Friday, Nov. 28, the center’s daily 5 p.m. hula show at Centerstage will take on a festive theme. Meanwhile, performers in the keiki hula show, which takes place at 1 p.m. on Sundays, will showcase a rotating mix of contemporary and holiday-themed dances.

—   Catch live performances by Hawai‘i singers and songwriters as part of the Pau Hana Music Series at 5:30 p.m. daily on the ‘Ewa Wing Stage.

—   Choirs, halau, school groups and other community organizations will perform throughout November and December at Centerstage and ‘Ewa Wing.

—   Pop into the Winter Wonderland pop-up bar, where you'll find festive décor, twinkle lights and seasonal cocktails daily from 5 p.m. to midnight Nov. 28 to Dec. 24.

—    Beginning Nov. 22, fresh Christmas trees can be purchased from Richard Tajiri’s Christmas Hawai‘i. Located at the Atkinson Trolley Depot, you’ll find a variety of firs, along with wreaths, stands and tree care essentials.

—   Ala Moana Center will open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28 for Black Friday shopping. Some retailers will open early and offer deals and exclusive promotions. A full list of participating stores and promotions will be available on the 

—   Feeling charitable? The Salvation Army Angel Tree and Red Kettle can be found near Macy’s on Mall Level 2 in the Diamond Head Wing from Nov. 17 through Dec. 23. Select a tag from the Angel Tree to provide gifts for keiki and kūpuna or donate through the Red Kettle. Meanwhile, the Giving Machine, an interactive “vending machine” for charitable giving, launches Nov. 22j. Find it on Street Level 1 in Center Court. You can buy donations that will benefit local and global charities.

—   Guest Services will wrap up to three gifts per person with same-day proof of purchase from the mall’s retailers.

Ala Moana Center opened in 1959 and is the world's largest open-air shopping center with more than 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It has more than 350 stores and 160 dining options.

Check out what’s new and what’s coming to Ala Moana 

The shopping center is normally open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. but hours will be extended to 9 p.m. Dec. 5-23 and 26-30, although it’ll close at 8 p.m. on Sundays. Individual store and restaurant hours may vary.

The center will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas days, and close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Big Santa 1

<title>Big Santa returns to Ala Moana</title>

Big Santa’s arrival heralds the start of Ala Moana’s holiday season, and there’s plenty to do in the coming weeks.

Big Santa returns to Ala Moana

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Palaka is once again becoming a popular style of Hawai‘i fashion. The fabric’s increasing popularity is a turning point in the evolution of a garment whose influence over the Islands has persisted for nearly two centuries. In September, a 

 of palaka apparel sold-out in a matter of hours at the University of Hawai‘i. 

What once endured in palaka fabric was a clear political ideology informed by Hawai‘i’s history. The exact ideology is not subject to consensus. At times, the meaning of palaka has been lost in translation. Today, Palaka is no longer the working-class fabric of the plantation era with strong political connotations. As Hawai‘i’s culture inevitably evolves, however, the fabric is re-generating as an expression of a new era without a clear definition of local identity. 

Palaka is an old style with a new sheen. It may come off as ironic, as the fabric’s international roots lend to Hawai‘i’s formation as a dynamic meeting point for different cultures. Palaka, like ‘local’ identity, appears to be evolving in the Hawaiian Islands. 

At its heart, what lies in Hawai‘i’s fabric? 

The Tangled Roots of Hawai‘i’s Distinct Cloth

The origins of palaka are long worn with mystery. In 1976, University of Hawai‘i linguist 

as a transliteration of the word ‘frock,’ a term used to describe the garments worn by British and American sailors in the decades following the beginning of documented Western contact in 1778. As Hawaiians began to adopt western forms of wear, 

 became an expression of Hawai‘i’s standard form of dress. 

The pragmatic, durable fabric acquired a populist identity of its own. Laborers, notably those recruited from the Japanese Empire, soon adopted the dress over the following century. The late Barbara Kawakami, a researcher of plantation life and dress, 

style of earlier sailors bore many similarities to plaid-printed fabrics of rural Japan (known as 

). Palaka, simply put, was regarded as practical because it was hardy, comparatively light, and fairly affordable. 

The generations on the plantations grew old and had children who did not work on the plantations. With this ascendant and urbanizing generation, palaka

became a more nostalgic, politically charged expression of one’s identity in the islands. Over time, this style was popularized by stores like Arakawa’s General Store in Waipahu. 

, a Professor with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, also curates the University’s fashion collection. The University’s collection boasts palaka from Arakawa’s General Store. “What we start to see once we get to the ’80s and ’90s is an explosion of color,” Reilly explained. Pale pinks, mint greens, and other expressive colors become common. 

There was a clear distinction between the old palaka of the plantations and the palaka of the newer generations. The fabric of palaka shirts became cheaper as it became printed, not woven. “Real palaka, true palaka, is woven,” Reilly explained. 

clothing to “a uniform or badge, certifying the wearer's cultural identity and status (or perhaps merely his intuitive sympathies): as when palaka is described in advertisements as ‘Da Kine Checker Cloth’, ‘More Kamaaina than the Aloha shirt.’” Many of the shirts in the University of Hawai‘i’s curated collection seem to confirm this shift in palaka’s purpose. 

The descendants of laborers began to re-purpose palaka

to express a ‘local’ identity. Palaka became a political expression of Hawai‘i’s distinct identity, as confirmed at Hawai‘i’s 1978 Constitutional Convention.

 David Hagino circa 1977. “It does not have the fragility or sheen of silk. It represents the strength of our people.” 

Hagino saw Hawai‘i’s identity in the fabric. It was a cloth of the people of Hawai‘i from a departed era marked by decades of hard labor, racial injustice, and low wages on plantations, ranches and docks across the Territory of Hawai‘i. Within less than two decades of Hawai‘i’s admission as a U.S. State in 1959, the era belonged to the retired or deceased plantation workers, paniolos, and dock laborers. There was a tangible history to the fabric, one whose legacy could inspire residents who identified with this heritage of hard work and perseverance. 

“Palaka is a cloth that has a fascinating, weaving pattern of lines and colors. Its criss-cross pattern represents the interlocking strength of all our people to make one people and one culture.” Hawai‘i’s one people and one culture were expected to be those who identified most with a fabric that protected people “against the wind, sun, dust, and the luna’s whips.”

This was the basis of Palaka Power, a political tract which gained infamy as one of the most significant political manifestos in the State of Hawai‘i’s history. 

The tract influenced the 1978 Constitutional Convention. One Honolulu Advertiser profile of then-Delegate (and future Governor) John D. Waihe‘e III described his philosophy as “a derivative of the militant advocacy of ‘localism’ outlined by House candidate David Hagino in a phamplet (sic) called ‘Palaka Power.”

When elected to serve as a State Representative in House District Twelve in November 1978, David Hagino believed the year to be a watershed in Hawai‘i’s history. “I believe that 1978 in Hawaii is our generation’s 1954,” Hagino told a Honolulu Star-Bulletin reporter. “Like in ’54, there won’t be any new achievements right away,’ Hagino warned. ‘I don’t think things have crystallized yet. We have to find a common ground.” Hagino explained that he had written Palaka Power on a whim for a conference of Hawaiians. It was a draft—a working document perceived as a prospective ‘underlying philosophy’—‘a possible agenda and philosophy’—for  potential delegates at a then-imagined 1978 Constitutional Convention. 

To the young, it was a hopeful premise. Hawai‘i was done trying to become an American place. Could it steer its own path? Could Hawai‘i build out a Constitution that did not look like it was copy-and-pasted from other states? For those assembled delegates, the ethos of Palaka Power inspired Hawai‘i’s re-written 

 to assert that the people of Hawai‘i “reserve the right to control our destiny, to nurture the integrity of our people and culture, and to preserve the quality of life we desire.” It was a declaration of an island people’s liberty, independence, equality, and freedom in an increasingly scattered, globalized society. 

 Perhaps the declaration was too laden with too nostalgic and grandioise. Hawai‘i, after all, was still getting incorporated as a U.S. State, albeit with strong influence from Japan. Nevertheless, Palaka Power became mythical, lending a certain degree of hysteria about its aspirations to differentiate Hawai‘i and its people as a distinct, even foreign society in the American Union. 

At the formal ratification of the Hawai‘i’s 1978 Constitution on Saturday, December 2, 1978, several members of the Convention’s ‘Independent’ faction wore bands across their arms and wrists to seemingly signal their opposition to the new Constitution and its association with Palaka Power. Two such protesters, Anthony ‘Tony’ Takitani and Michael Crozier, were reported as wearing “black armbands over strips of palaka material’ to signal the ‘death of the aloha spirit.’ The doctrine of Palaka Power, by this point, had been defined as “a belief that locals should retain political power and preserve Hawaii’s uniqueness in the face of an infusion of newcomers to the state.”

Hagino, however, would continue to see palaka as less a divisive ideology and more an expression of Hawai‘i’s uniqueness. In invoking the example of McDonald’s serving Hawai‘i staples like Saimin and Portuguese sausage, he appeared to imagine a uniquely local identity capable of resisting the overwhelming cultural—and political—influences of the American continent. 

“The question is how we can remain in tune with the times and still remain uniquely Hawaiian,’ Hagino explained. ‘You have to bring something to Hawai‘i when you come and then we’ll make it something uniquely Hawaiian.” In this vein, the 1978 Constitution was not opposed to the outsider. Instead, it was an exercise in adapting the Constitution of the State of Hawai‘i as a document indicative of Hawai‘i’s self-confidence as a distinct place secure outside of its American position.

 to legislative power mirrored the 1978 Constitution, and the rise of a generation that appeared poised to re-invigorate Hawai‘i’s politics. This generation’s peak arguably arrived eight years later, with the election of John D. Waihe‘e III as Governor in 1986. This era faded by the time Waihe‘e (and Hagino) left office in 1994. 

By 1994, the ideology had become associated with a new bastion of entrenched power at the state level. “While the state bureaucracy continues to overflow with friends of the governor,” critic John McLaren 

 in the Star Bulletin on April 4, 1993, “the current and past state administrations have clearly failed to advance any of the broad, idealistic social and political reforms advocated by the proponents of Palaka Power.” 

While Waihe‘e’s administration had established a State Water Code and stewarded the establishment of an Office of Hawaiian Affairs (which had begun under his predecessor, Governor George Ariyoshi), McLaren’s abiding frustration was with the corruption of the ideology’s proponents. The corruption of an ideal is only natural in the pragmatic world of politics. 

It was only natural, as even the best palaka wears with time, sun, and wear. 

Palaka Power, perhaps like the palaka of the ’70s, seems to have fallen out of fashion. “I just don’t know why any people are even interested in [Palaka Power] anymore,” Hagino joked with this writer in October 2025, “I thought it’d be long forgotten.” 

Palaka Power’s idealism is the reason it enjoys some staying power, especially among those idealists in our society. Like the palaka attire of the ’70s, ‘Palaka Power’ would carry an enduring, if not controversial, ring to local politics. After all, was the declaration of a local identity intended to exclude outsiders? How could outsiders that believed in Palaka Power join the circle? 

Former Governor Ben Cayetano, who was running for the State Senate in 1978, contended in his 2009 memoir that the doctrine had only widened the political gulf between insiders and outsiders. “Preserving local values was important, but ‘Palaka Power’ seemed written to exclude the political outsider, haole and local. I felt excluded. And I think most of the independent Democrats I was allied with felt the same way.” Defining a local identity and excluding outsiders was not the same. 

Palaka won’t go away. Pessimism might have dampened the more idealistic variants of Hagino’s manifesto. Manifestos, like the ebb and flow of palaka’s popularity, can grow stale with the years. 

However, the era of pessimism is giving way to another wave of interest in palaka. Reilly notes that contemporary designers in Hawai‘i like 

 are re-inventing the fabric. Palaka, while serving as the base of new designs, is subject to innovation.

Hawai‘i’s political culture may deserve such innovation. Palaka power was written for a different generation meeting a different Hawai‘i. Decades after its formation, David Hagino believes a new definition of 

is long overdue. “I think the younger generation–you guys and the younger ones–you guys have to carve out your own destiny.” 

Palaka, however, once inspired a certain populism in Hawai‘i. This populism was never cheap, nor was it expensive. It was accessible and precious, durable and clear. Hawai‘i deserves a spirit of such gravity. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hawai‘i deserves some true palaka."}]

Manoa ctahr palaka

<title>What endures in Palaka?</title>

Palaka — the fabric — has passed through many hands and generations to become a distinctive fabric of the Islands, reflecting its multicultural history. So, too, has Palaka Power, the political philosophy that took its name from the working-class history associated with the humble cloth. Is there a place for that philosophy now?

What endures in Palaka?

Real Estate

Ward Village — Howard Hughes' 60-acre master-planned community located between Downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī — 

has welcomed its newest residents to its newest tower, Ulana Ward Village.

Construction on Ulana, Ward Village’s eighth tower, began in 

. Its opening on Monday adds to the island’s housing inventory 697 workforce units for households earning between 100% and 140% of the area median income.

“All 697 residences were pre-sold to first-time kama‘āina homebuyers under the HCDA [Hawai‘i Community Development Authority] 

, which supports moderate-income working individuals and families who do not qualify for traditional subsidized housing,” an announcement from Ward Village on Monday noted.

Designed by AHL, Ulana — a name that comes from the Hawaiian word meaning to plait or braid — offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with high-end finishes; full-height windows; and views of the ocean, mountain and city skyline, according to the announcement.

Meanwhile, interiors by Honolulu-based InForm Design, Inc. include stainless steel appliances, porcelain tile floors and quartz counter tops, among other features, the announcement states. Art by Hawai‘i-based artists and inspired by the word “ulana” can also be found throughout the property, Ward Village says.

Amenities include surfboard storage, barbecue cabanas, a dog park and a front lawn that leads into Ka La‘i o Kukuluāe‘o

. The tower also has 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, the announcement noted.

“The opening of Ulana Ward Village marks a transformative moment for Honolulu, especially for first-time homebuyers who now have the opportunity to own a home that reflects the quality, design, amenities and lifestyle for which Ward Village is known,” said Doug Johnstone, president of the Hawai‘i Region and National Condominium Development for Howard Hughes Communities, said in a statement. “Ulana strengthens our commitment to creating a truly inclusive community that continues to redefine urban island living.”

To mark the milestone, Ward Village donated $120,000 to six local nonprofits: After-School All-Stars Hawai‘i, American Cancer Association Honolulu Hope Lodge, Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders, Hawai‘i HomeOwnership Center, KCAA Muriel Preschool and KUPU.

Ward Village has sold out its first eight mixed-use residential towers: Waiea, Anaha, Ae‘o, Ke Kilohana, ‘A‘ali‘i, Kō‘ula, Victoria Place and Ulana Ward Village.

New residential buildings under construction or in development at Ward Village include The Park Ward Village, Kalae, The Launiu Ward Village, Melia Ward Village, and ‘Ilima Ward Village.

The developer broke ground on The Launiu, its 11th residential tower, 

, and provided Aloha State Daily with an update of its ongoing work at that time.

, located between residential towers Victoria Place, which 

, and is bordered by Auahi Street on one side and Ala Moana Boulevard on the other.

A $17.8 million elevated walkway connecting Victoria Ward Park Makai to Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Basin 

16 Ulana Ward Village courtesy of Ward Village

<title>Eighth residential tower opens in Ward Village</title>

All 697 residences in Ulana Ward Village were pre-sold to first-time kama’āina homebuyers under the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority's Reserved Housing program.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The shoyu hack

ASD Staff

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Take a trip

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Too busy vibing

Most read

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The shoyu hack

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Take a trip

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Too busy vibing

Most read