Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 3, 1 March 2001 — Hale Kūʻai [ARTICLE]

Hale Kūʻai

Ka Lāhui Hawai'i's retail outlet, Hale Kū'ai Cooperative, is the subject of a new exhibit at Japan's National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, opening March 15. According to Hale Kū'ai Executive Director Rebekah Luke, the Hau'ula store exhibit is the only

feature from Hawai'i. "Hale Kū'ai Cooperative represents a small part of the eeonomie activity by Hawaiians. Many Hawaiian business people are attempting to combine Hawaiian cultural values with the capitalist economy. When Hawaiians emphasize their national identity in their business activities, they are proposing a Hawaiian model of economy, an alternative to the dominant system of capitalism that is characteristically competitive, self-assertive and exploitative toward others," she said. "We are very honored to have been selected for this exhibit." Labels are written in Hawaiian, Japanese and English. Two other new exhibits there focus on Aotearoa and Australia.