Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 7, 1 July 2008 — Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center

On June 5th, OHA Trustees approved the last of its 2008 fiscal year grants. The final list of grants ranged from program services for incarcerated and homeless populations, to construction of conununity and cultural centers. After a year-end reconciliation of OHA's budget, Trustees were able to award $1.5 million dollars toward these eight final projects. Included in the list of grant awards was the Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center. Trustees voted unanimously to provide $750,000 in matching funds to the project. The Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center is the result of 20 years of work on the island of Lāna'i under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) dated November 1987, between Hui Mālama Pono o Lāna'i, Lanaians for Sensible Growth, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Castle & Cooke Resorts LLC. The basic programs of the MOA worked to ensure that native Hawaiian sites, traditions, customary practices and heritage, as well as resources and knowledge of the historic ranching and plantation periods of Lāna'i, were documented, protected and perpetuated. "The vision is to honor the past, and share Lāna'i's rich history with present and future generations," said Executive Director Kepa Maly. The heritage and cultural diversity of Lāna'i are among its most distinguishing and endearing resources. Since opening as a nonprofit conununity organization on Oct. 1, 2007, the Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center (LCHC) has hosted more than 4,400 residents and visitors in programs at the center and in field outings. Generous donations from Lāna'i's residents, Castle &

Cooke, visitors and Hawaiian organizations have resulted in our raising funds to help us ensure that the artifacts, family eollections and historical documents will be saved and available for present and future generations. Their goal is to ensure that the living culture of Lāna'i remains an integral part of the connnunity. The Lāna'i CHC is now actively engaged in efforts to form partnerships with Castle & Cooke and eonnnunity organizations to establish a permanent home for the growing collections. "We are working towards developing a facility in whieh we ean care for the cultural-historical items, and from whieh we ean we ean share exhibits on Lāna'i's natural history, rich Hawaiian material culture and the history of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company," says Kepa Maly. The vision is to develop both fixed exhibits (more typical of museum settings for valued items) and living history collections, where Lāna'i's residents and visitors ean experience the diverse heritage of Lāna'i. The LCHC is also planning for a controlled archival eolleehon storage and conservation area, and community heritage library, whieh will house historical documents, photos, maps, textiles and other items of importance to Lāna'i's people and past. To do this they are eliciting the help of Castle & Cooke, hoping that in the time allotted for the grant, they will be able to acquire an existing historical structure whieh is suitable to fulfill the vision and mission laid out by the community through agreements made in the 1987 MOA. They are also seeking help of the eommunity, in order to make the Lāna'i CHC programs sustainable. "If we are to protect and pass on Lāna'i's history, we need families to donate cherished items reflective of the diverse cultural heritage of Lāna'i. If we are to be good stewards of the artifacts and historical collections, and ensure that the rich history of Lāna'i is shared with Lāna'i's people and those who visit the island, we need the facility and financial support to offer the programs," concludes Maly. E3

Cūlette Y. Machadū TrustEE, Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i