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[{"type":"text","text":"The golden retriever made it perfectly clear how he felt..."}]

Smile no play 8 28 26

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, Aug. 28, 2026</title>

The golden retriever made it perfectly clear how he felt...

Daily Smile: Friday, Aug. 28, 2026

 The golden retriever made it perfectly clear how he felt...

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

Civil Beat has begun a series on meth in the Islands, and it opens with the dead.

, with a selected few arranged as a series of vignettes. Some died of overdose, others of heart conditions caused by their meth habit.

One of the deceased was Christopher Woodard, the chief planner for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, making $139,860 a year. He was found on his apartment floor with a glass pipe in his lap.

John Hill has written about these people with care. He calls them 

It’s a sentimental start to a series of articles on meth that Hill has promised.

Meth is not deadly at the same scale as heart disease, cancer, or stroke. But its impacts are wide ranging. Meth use often tears families apart. It frequently comes paired with mental illness, and it may accompany other forms of disorder, including lying, theft, and violence. The consequences of meth can be seen on many a street corner. For this reason, meth looms large in the social imaginary.

Despite the scale of Hawaiʻi’s meth epidemic, there is little local journalism on the subject, except for reports of arrests and prosecutions. So a series like Hill’s will shape the state’s policies in dealing with meth. This makes it worth asking what the author assumes about his subject.

Every remedy rests on some account of the sick man. Begin with the wrong account of man, and we will spend a great deal of money on cures that cannot work.

 at contingency management, a policy the state is trialing. The idea is to pay people for clean drug tests, in gift cards or small sums of cash. Advocates claim that contingency management is more effective than other treatments. At least that’s what experts and some academic studies suggest, with all the normal caveats about the quality of experts and academic research.

Grant the point that the treatments work, and ask why.

In part, contingency management works because some men will stay clean for $50. Should our state be in the business of paying these drug addicts to stay clean?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"And why doesn’t Hill call them addicts?"}]

 that most newsrooms follow. Writers are steered away from words like 

 are off limits. Journalists shouldn’t call people who use drugs 

, though they can describe people’s drug 

 with select adjectives permitted (e.g., 

Hill is willing to skirt the rules, as he calls his subjects 

But the guide goes further and offers to redefine words: addiction is “a treatable disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior,” brought on by genetics and mental illness and other factors. 

According to this definition, addiction is something that happens to a man, like the flu or chickenpox. The Stylebook’s definition has no place for the man’s will.

The idea underneath this definition is older than the Stylebook. Rousseau taught that man arrives in the world basically good and is then spoiled by civilization. This thought is taken for granted today. It is like water, and we are fish swimming in it.

If corruption comes from outside the man, then the cure must be applied outside him. Adjust his surroundings and he will improve. Nearly every drug policy of the last 50 years has been some version of that hope.

The gift card is the gentle version. The hard version uses incarceration to reform the addict, controlling his environment to change his behavior. But it is the same anthropology in a different uniform.

Both remedies work on a man’s circumstances because neither can account for his will. One offers a reward and the other a threat, but neither engages with the whole person.

Are humans good by nature or fallen? For the answer, we can look to our children.

Leave 10 toddlers alone in a room and no social contract emerges. The result is chaos.

Anyone who has taught toddlers knows that they often defy instruction, sometimes seeming to revel in disobedience. We tell ourselves that small ones are only testing the boundaries, and perhaps they are. But this explanation cannot account for their behavior later in life.

Some people may use meth because of mental illness. Others may use meth because they’re forced to. Many people don’t know the full consequences of meth use when they start. But a few know full well that meth is illegal and harmful, and they use it anyway.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Why do they transgress?"}]

The professional with a house and a pension does not take up meth because his surroundings failed him. The husband who cheats is not always short of affection at home. The teacher who molests a child knows that his behavior is wrong.

The simplest explanation is that man sins because it is in his nature to sin. Augustine stole pears when he wasn’t hungry and then threw them away. He didn’t want the pears. He delighted in sin for sin’s sake.

And meth use is sin, plain and simple. Scripture is filled with cautions against inebriation, often connecting sobriety to spiritual discernment. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

A Christian can say that meth is evil and still feel love for the man smoking it. These are not rival claims. He can pray for the man’s soul, that he would come to faith in Christ and have his sins forgiven. And he can also say something the reporter cannot — that there are some things worse than death.

A journalist keeping his objectivity must treat death as the worst outcome, so his stories end with the funeral and the surviving family’s GoFundMe.

But there are worse things than dying. We used to be able to say so without lowering our voices.

The state should bear the sword against the man who sells poison for money. And the state should stop people from smoking meth on the sidewalk and in public parks. These are proper tasks for government.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"But government cannot reform a man."}]

The state makes no provision for the role of the family and church in helping the addict because the state wants to displace the family and church. But the cures available to the state are clumsy, limited to what can be easily administered and quantified. Hence, gift cards.

Hawaiʻi does have a drug problem, and it does have a meth problem. But the problem won’t be solved by bribing drug addicts with gift cards.

We ache for those who drug themselves to death because we know that they too are made in the image of God. Marred as that image is by sin, it shines through. But getting sober will not make us clean. A man can be sober while his soul is still black.

The problem is sin, and the solution to sin is Christ. The Associated Press can never tell you this, for they have sworn not to.

Meth pipe i Stock 104737541

<title>Hawaiʻi meth deaths and the wrong account of human nature</title>

A state planner earning $139,860 a year was found dead on his apartment floor, a glass pipe in his lap. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on how every remedy for meth rests on some account of the man being remedied.

Hawaiʻi meth deaths and the wrong account of human nature

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

The Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would impose a civil penalty on pet owners if their dogs stray, in an effort to hold pet owners responsible and keep dogs safe.

The current stray dog ordinance makes it unlawful for dog owners to allow their dogs to stray or become a stray. 

 proposes making it unlawful for an owner to allow a dog to stray or become a stray, or to fail to reasonably prevent a dog from becoming a stray.

The term “stray” applies to dogs when they are on public property or private property without permission, except when under the control of a leash, according to city code.

Department of Customer Services Director Kimberly Hashiro spelled it out this way during the committee meeting on Wednesday: “it’s the owner’s responsibility to restrain animals and prevent them from hurting others.”

Councilmember Val Okimoto, who introduced Bill 16 in January, said during a Committee on International and Legal Affairs meeting on Wednesday afternoon that the bill is part of a nearly two years long effort with the Department of Customer Services and Hawaiian Human Society to update city code.

“Bill 16 (26) and Ordinance 26-9 provides HPD and the humane society with new tools which are necessary to enforce existing law, to regulate stray dogs and animal nuisances within the city,” Okimoto said. “I am optimistic that this new strategy will allow the city and the human society to hold irresponsible pet owners responsible effectively while ensuring the safety of our community members are protected.”

Stephanie Kendrick, vice president of community engagement at the Hawaiian Humane Society, told Aloha State Daily that the bill encourages responsible pet ownership.

“Obviously, you don’t punish pets for being stray. It’s their owners who are held accountable for not keeping them safe,” she said.

According to Hawaiian Humane Society, which contracts with the City and County of Honolulu for animal control and welfare services for $7,172,367, 4,459 stray dogs came into one of their four shelters between July 2025 and June 2026. Kendrick said that stray dogs have a higher risk of injury or death.

Spay neuter is one piece of the puzzle to prevent strays. Kendrick said that unplanned breeding leads to more strays, and spaying or neutering pets reduces the animal’s urge to get out and leads to safer and healthier pets. The Hawaiian Human Society cannot legally release dogs that are impounded three times in a 12-month period without spaying or neutering them.

Kendrick said that courts interpreted the current statute to mean that unless an owner is physically present and knowingly allows a dog to stray, then it’s not an offense.

“The wording that we’ve proposed in Bill 16 allows people to be held responsible if their animal is stray because of their negligence.”

Current law imposes criminal penalties and fines of $50, $100 and $500, depending on if the owner let the animal stray before, but Kendrick said that criminal courts are overburdened.

, 6,099 animal control cases were active during the 2025 fiscal year. Of those, 259 cases were dismissed and 192 cases resulted in conviction.

Bill 16 creates a civil penalty structure with fines of $250, $500 or $1,000 depending on if a dog has strayed before.

“We’re hoping that that’s going to be painful enough that the owners are going to get the message and say, 'I can’t keep doing this because I’m going to get a serious fine if I do', but it will also remove the burden from the criminal court system, which just does not have the bandwidth to handle these cases,” Kendrick said.

The stray ordinance applies only to dogs. Other rules are on the books for rabbits and cats.

The primary concern is the safety of the animals, 

however, dogs can pose a public safety threat.

So far, the bill has received support from the public.

Joanne Parker, of ʻAiea, wrote that one of her dogs was attacked by two stray dogs on her street.

“Even though this incident was reported to the police, our laws are so laxed that nothing was done to the owners or the dogs, that were part pitbulls,” she wrote. “This was probably the worst experience, and no one should go through this.”

Residents in Waiʻanae reported to their neighborhood board in July and August that stray or feral dogs were threatening agricultural livestock on the west side of Oʻahu.

Animal Protection Officer

<title>Dog owners could be fined if their dog strays</title>

Bill 16 would create a civil penalty structure with fines of $250, $500 or $1,000 depending on if a dog has strayed before.

Dog owners could be fined if their dog strays

Ray Tsuchiyama

Real Estate

After Hurricane Lala, residents of a Waikīkī high-rise waited 

for power and water to be restored while nearby buildings were already back online, due to its own flooded circuitry.

One storm. One outage. But it points to a much larger question: What happens when Hawaiʻi's aging condominium buildings can no longer keep up with the demands placed on them?

Walk through any 1960s or ’70s-era condominium tower in Waikīkī or Makiki, and you are looking at a building entering a difficult stage of its economic life.

Many of Hawaiʻi's condominium buildings are now 40, 50 or even 60 years old. The issue is not necessarily their structural lives; it is that major systems installed decades ago — plumbing, electrical, elevators and roofs — are increasingly expensive to maintain or replace.

The bills are not small. Some owners are facing special assessments of $50,000, $100,000 or more per unit for repairs and replacement of aging building systems.

And for many owners, their condominium may be the largest asset they own, yet they face a large bill for a unit they may eventually have difficulty selling.

Here is what is missing: Hawaiʻi has a law for terminating a condominium.

 It does not have a practical legal mechanism for turning majority agreement into redevelopment.

Hawaiʻi law provides a process for condominium termination for liquidation through a court-ordered partition sale, which does not address the collective-action problem when a large majority of owners want to sell or rebuild but a minority does not.

Owners are not simply choosing repair over redevelopment.

They often have no practical redevelopment

And zoning can make the problem worse. Tear down an older, grandfathered tower, and current rules may permit less density than the building already contains. A developer may be willing to take on the project, but if the replacement building cannot generate enough value to pay for land, construction, financing and owner buyouts, there is no deal.

The state has never built a door for a redevelopment pathway with development incentives.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Other places have."}]

New South Wales, Australia, created a statutory

 that addresses the collective-action problem. A supermajority can initiate a renewal plan, with a court reviewing the process and protections for dissenting owners, including compensation based on independently determined value.

Florida provides another useful example, although its experience also demonstrates how minority-owner protections can complicate redevelopment and generate litigation.

Japan has gone further in combining condominium-reconstruction mechanisms with urban-planning tools that can allow additional development potential to help finance replacement buildings.

The lesson is not that Hawaiʻi should copy any one system. It is that the problem has already been addressed elsewhere in pieces — and Hawaiʻi needs two of them.

Chapter 514B should be amended to create a condominium-renewal process under which a substantial supermajority of owners could approve a redevelopment plan, subject to independent valuation, notice, financial disclosure, and judicial review.

The principle should be straightforward: dissenting owners deserve fair value and due process, but they should not possess an indefinite veto over a transaction approved by an overwhelming majority and determined to satisfy statutory protections.

A specialized condominium-renewal docket within Hawaiʻi's existing Circuit Court system could develop expertise in these cases without creating an entirely new court.

Second, a way to make the redevelopment economically possible.

Even an approved redevelopment plan is worthless if the replacement building does not pencil.

This is where land economics becomes critical.

Hawaiʻi should establish a statewide statutory framework allowing qualifying older condominiums to seek a defined redevelopment incentive — potentially additional floor area or other development flexibility — when specific criteria are met.

The criteria could include building age, documented physical or financial obsolescence, a professional structural or capital-needs assessment, an approved renewal plan and demonstrated economic feasibility.

This should not become a blank check for developers or a wholesale rewrite of county zoning. The Legislature would establish the rules and eligibility standards; the appropriate authority would administer them against objective criteria; and the courts would address owner rights and the fairness of the renewal process.

The objective would not be to guarantee redevelopment. Some buildings will still be too small, too expensive, or too constrained to make the numbers work. That is a market outcome. But Hawaiʻi should 

This would not apply neatly to every building. Leasehold condominiums present a different problem because the underlying ground lease and landowner's rights must also be addressed. That is a separate legal and economic issue.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Every component already exists somewhere."}]

New South Wales built a mechanism for collective action. Florida offers experience with owner buyouts, dissenters and the litigation that can follow. Japan demonstrates how redevelopment law and additional development potential can sometimes work together to finance replacement buildings. (More on this in future columns.)

Hawaiʻi already knows how to establish special land-use frameworks (e.g. HCDA) when a public policy objective demands them.

What Hawaiʻi lacks is a system that connects these pieces.

We do not need the government to rebuild every aging condominium. We do not need to guarantee developers a profit. And we should not take away the legitimate property rights of minority owners.

But we should give a willing majority of owners a legitimate path to discover whether redevelopment makes more sense than another special assessment.

Hawaiʻi's aging condominium problem is not simply about old buildings. It is about what happens when private property, collective ownership, land economics, and outdated law collide.

Hawaiʻi does not have a shortage of aging condos. It has a shortage of options for renewing them.

That is a shortage the Legislature can fix.

For a parent hoping to pass a Makiki condo to the next generation, the question is no longer simply what the unit is worth. It is whether the building around it has a future.

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Ray Tsuchiyama’s series explores one central question: How does Hawai‘i use the wealth and land it already has to create its next economic future? He can be reached at 

Honolulu high rises i Stock 2276409033

<title>Hawaiʻi doesn't have a condo crisis, it has a missing law</title>

Tens of thousands of people in Hawai‘i live in apartment towers that are now a half-century old, or older. Owners face sometimes ruinously expensive assessments to repair or replace aging building systems. Under Hawai‘i law they're stuck. There's no provision for owners to take the radical step of collectively selling their units and handing the building off to someone else to redevelop. Other places have such laws, here's how they work.

Hawaiʻi doesn't have a condo crisis, it has a missing law

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

A few years removed from electrifying the high school football scene at Kahuku, Kainoa "Kaikai" Carvalho was hoping for a different reintroduction. 

latest edition of EA Sports' College Football video game

 franchise was released, the first time Carvalho was set to be featured in the game. When he saw himself in the game, he couldn't believe it. Not in a good way. 

An image of Carvalho appeared to show the 5-foot-6, 165-pound University of Hawai‘i slot receiver with a comically large head. Despite the inaccuracy, Carvalho laughed it off and 

, amassing hundreds of thousands of views. 

"I thought it was just funny. I've seen so many funny comments on it online, and some random people stop by and they're like, 'Hey, you're the EA character guy.' It's fun," Carvalho told Aloha State Daily. "It's good to be in a game that I grew up playing, and I think it was just funny and it was a good conversation starter for a lot of people that saw me and it's fun to joke around with the guys."

In exchange for the use of his name, image and likeness, Carvalho was paid $1,500 by EA Sports, along with a free copy of the game. "Still not a bad deal," Carvlaho says of the extra cash, but he hopes EA can make some updates soon. 

"I hope that EA saw it and will update my character, but I haven't heard anything from EA, and this is my shoutout to EA that hopefully they can update the picture," Carvalho said. 

On the field, Carvalho's game has been no joke. As a junior at Kahuku High School, he was the 2021 consensus Hawai‘i state player of the year after scoring 12 touchdowns on offense and five on special teams. He signed with the University of Utah following his senior season, then went on a two-year mission 

in Hokkaido, Japan. By the time he returned, the Utes reshuffled their offensive coaching staff, and Carvalho decided to sign with Hawai‘i instead. 

In 2025, Carvalho appeared briefly in two games as he nursed a hamstring injury. During practices, he was mostly seen working on the side with UH strength coach Bobby Thomas. 

"It's all part of the process. Taking two years off, it's a lot to just get right back into the fire," said Carvalho, who ran routes in the morning during his mission in Japan in an attempt to stay sharp. "I had really great mentors like Pofele Ashlock, Nick Cencale, playing a huge role in me just getting to know the offense, understand the offense. Me and Titan (Lacaden) were young bucks last year, and just taking this step now that we can hopefully make a bigger impact on the offense."

All camp, Carvalho has been one of the standout performers, impressing with his ability to get open and make challenging catches, even if a ball is underthrown or a defender is draped on him. 

"Just getting used to my body again, and I feel bigger, faster, stronger. We have those (

 trackers on us now, and so you know the speed's getting there," Carvalho said. "I increased a couple of my numbers in the weight room, and so it's a huge testament to what Bobby Thomas has done with us in the offseason."

In assessing Hawai‘i's receiver room prior to the 2026 season opener at Stanford on Saturday, UH receivers coach Jared Ursua agreed that he has quite a few players cut from the same cloth as Carvalho heading into the season: local high school star from the Islands, sure-handed receiver, not the tallest in height but the type of gritty player that resonates with fans. Particularly in UH's slot receiver rotation, the Rainbow Warriors have Carvalho, 

, Waipahu's Tama Uiliata and Kamehameha's Blaze Kamoku to name a few.

"It just shows what this team is about," Carvalho said. "We want to stay home and we want to build this culture and this team up and just send a message that the best players can play at Hawai‘i and we can put Hawai‘i on the map."

Added Ursua: "Tight group, very close. They enjoy one another. The (local high school football) banter never stops. They're just constantly on each other. ... They're just a very close group. They're connected. I think they love each other for how much work they've put in, but they also appreciate each other for how much they're pushing one another because they've always respected each other and competed."

As for the slot receiver group and the position as a whole, Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang announced on the first day of fall camp that star receiver Pofele Ashlock was working his way back from injury. When asked about Ashlock's status heading into the Stanford game, Ursua says he's "flying around, he's moving, he's well ahead of schedule. ... I hope that Stanford's safeties are ready for him because he might just pop up."

Kaikai Carvalho 082626

<title>Kainoa 'Kaikai' Carvalho adds more excitement to UH football's receiver rotation</title>

Carvalho, who redshirted in 2025, was the 2021 state consensus high school football player of the year at Kahuku before going on a two-year mission to Japan.

Kainoa 'Kaikai' Carvalho adds more excitement to UH football's receiver rotation

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Listen to live music from award-winning artists, attend the Banana Festival, and check out the latest Island fashions. Aloha State Daily put together this list of 10 events happening on Oʻahu this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, Aug. 28"}]

Listen to Izik’s Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning album – live! 

Catch Izik performing KŌWĀ: Ka Summer (reprise)

 at The Leeward Theatre at Leeward Community College. Izik was recently one of the featured performers at the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in July, where he 

won Alternative Album of the Year for "KŌWĀ” and was named Male Vocalist of the Year. He will perform his album “KŌWĀ”

in its entirety with a full band. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50. 

Known for its popular Island reggae and country music, Maoli will release a new album, MMO3 (Maoli Music Overload 3), on Friday, Aug. 28. Some tracks on the album include “I Got a Beer for That,” “Good on You,” “Feels like Love,” “Clarity” and “God on a Gravel Road.” 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Saturday, Aug. 29"}]

ABC Stores’ first fashion show brings island-inspired clothing and lifestyle collections to a runway at the Royal Hawaiian Center. Catch actors Amy Hill and 

 from “Lilo & Stitch” and Kimee Balmilero from “Hawaiʻi Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.,” as well as social media influencers. There will also be a runway appearance by Paul Kosasa, CEO and President of ABC Stores. The event starts at 2 p.m. at the Royal Grove Stage at Royal Hawaiian Center. 

 is now a weekly event on Saturdays. Show up in muʻu or alohawear, complete with lei. The tea features sweet and savory treats, including ube macarons and guava fruit tarts. The experience runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and starts at $55. 

Catch the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival ʻWaikīkī Style.’ 

Catch slack key guitar under the stars at this festival featuring more than a dozen renowned musicians and four hours of live music. Presented by the Ki-hoʻalu Foundation and Outrigger Resorts & Hotels, the event takes place from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Waikīkī Aquarium. Featured entertainers include 

, Kawika Kahiapo, Kahiau Lam Ho, Dwight Kanae, Darrell Aquino, George Kuo and Stephen Inglis. Admission includes access to the aquarium exhibits. Proceeds from the event benefit the aquarium. Tickets are $15 for kamaʻāina. 

The 50th Annual Honolulu Intertribal Powwow will be at Magic Island on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30. The host drum is Scout Society from Logan, Utah. Invited groups include Indigenous Akicita Women’s Color Guard of South Dakota; Tuba City Elementary School Powwow Princess Paulita Whitesinger; Shinnecock Nation of Long Island, New York; Redrum Motorcycle Group, Hawaiʻi Chapter; Thunderbird Throttle, MMIP, of Phoenix, Arizona, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Central Region Indigenous Liaison Unit of London, Ontario, Canada. 

The fifth annual Hawaiʻi Swim Show will take place at Wai Kai on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30. The event showcases designers from around the world including Australia, French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. Guests are encouraged to wear all black semi-formal or formal attire. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the fashion show starts at 7 p.m. General admission is $75 per day. Weekend passes are available for $125. VIP access tickets are soldout. 

Check out cooking demonstrations, tastings and fun activities for the family, which are themed around bananas, at Windward Community College. There will be workshops and a Great Banana Cook-Off contest. Tickets are $10, if purchased online, or $13 at the door. 

In the early days of the Territory of Hawai‘i, Princess Theresa Owana Ka‘ōhelelani La‘anui Wilcox Belliveau was accused of conspiracy to commit forgery of the last will and testament of Queen Lili‘uokalani. “The Queen’s Will” runs Thursday through Sunday until Sept. 20 at Kumu Kahua Theatre. 

Tickets for “The Queen’s Will” are $28

 for general admission, with discounts for students, kūpuna, and large group orders. 

Listen to a tribute to Jimmy Buffett with Henry Kapono. 

This sunset event celebrates the music of Jimmy Buffett and features Henry Kapono. The event is part of Henry Kapono’s Duke’s on Sundays concerts, which take place each week from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Duke’s Waikīkī at the Outrigger Waikīkī Beach Resort. 

Ledward Kaapana

<title>Slack key guitar, a Powwow and more: your guide to the weekend on Oʻahu</title>

Catch slack key guitar under the stars at a festival that benefits the Waikīkī Aquarium or go bananas with an event themed around a popular tropical fruit. Looking for plans for this Friday, Aug. 28, through Sunday, Aug. 30? Aloha State Daily is sharing some ways to celebrate the weekend.

Slack key guitar, a Powwow and more: your guide to the weekend on Oʻahu

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Banyan trees are a wonder of nature, where myths, legends, and ancient knowledge intertwine like the roots that hang from their branches.

In Buddhism, the banyan tree symbolizes enlightenment. In Hinduism, it is associated with the gods. And Asian folklore connects the banyan to spirits and magic. If the main trunk of a banyan is damaged or destroyed, it can continue to grow through its numerous roots, making it a symbol of eternal life and rebirth.

The Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis) is the national tree of India, and represents longevity, strength, resilience, and the enduring bonds of community. A 700-year-old tree in Munger, Bihar, India is considered the oldest banyan in the world, with radiocarbon dating of its wood samples confirming it has been standing since the 1300s.

In Chinese culture, banyan trees are notable for their excellent feng shui and symbolize longevity and perseverance. They are also home to earth gods that protect their villages. In Hainan, China’s smallest and southernmost province, the banyan tree is regarded as a spirit tree that can ward off evil spirits and communicate with God. Shrines are often built at the base of these trees, and in many cases, people worship the trees themselves.

The two banyan trees next to Ali‘iolani Hale were planted in the 1880s. Such trees carry a wealth of symbolism throughout Asian cultures — enlightenment, divinity, magic, longevity, strength, and more. Legends also surround banyan trees as the abodes of ghosts and mysterious spirit beings. That was the experience of one Hawai‘i sheriff, who shared a frightening encounter with our authors.

Daily Smile: Friday, Aug. 28, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Friday, Aug. 28, 2026

Authors

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