Who are we?
Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center is a grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located on the island of Molokai. The young organization was incorporated in 2016, with a mission to foster an awareness of cultural and natural resource management and heritage preservation in Hawaiʻi, by encouraging community stewardship, practice, preservation, and restoration of cultural and historical sites, landscapes, and materials while promoting cultural and natural richness, diversity, arts, languages, sciences, history, and traditions of Molokai.
Ka Ipu Makani services the entire Molokai population, addressing the lack of cultural resources and heritage preservation on the island. Our organization firmly believe in community-based resource management. We advocate the community's role as active stewards by providing programs that promote traditional Hawaiian methods of preservation, restoration, and cultural perpetuation. Ka Ipu Makani also aspires to serve as an active repository facilitating, collecting, and providing access to stewardship tools like archival resources, historic maps, mahele land documents, Hawaiian language newspapers, historic photographs, and material collections.
Though deeply rooted in tradition, we also promote the integration of contemporary sciences and technology to advance our island in a way the community sees fit. The work that we do, and the services we provide here on Molokai are unique. We are not confined to the traditional four wall setup, nor do e focus on one particular site or target population. We operate across the island viewing the entirety of Molokai as an active educational center of cultural heritage for all residents. We depend on aloha, relationships, and partnerships to provide meaningful opportunities and experiences. Our vision has always been kūpuna driven and inspired, and we strive to uphold that convenant. Ola nā iwi, i nā iwi ola. The bones live, because the bones that live. The traditions of our ancestors continue because of us.
Ka Ipu Makani services the entire Molokai population, addressing the lack of cultural resources and heritage preservation on the island. Our organization firmly believe in community-based resource management. We advocate the community's role as active stewards by providing programs that promote traditional Hawaiian methods of preservation, restoration, and cultural perpetuation. Ka Ipu Makani also aspires to serve as an active repository facilitating, collecting, and providing access to stewardship tools like archival resources, historic maps, mahele land documents, Hawaiian language newspapers, historic photographs, and material collections.
Though deeply rooted in tradition, we also promote the integration of contemporary sciences and technology to advance our island in a way the community sees fit. The work that we do, and the services we provide here on Molokai are unique. We are not confined to the traditional four wall setup, nor do e focus on one particular site or target population. We operate across the island viewing the entirety of Molokai as an active educational center of cultural heritage for all residents. We depend on aloha, relationships, and partnerships to provide meaningful opportunities and experiences. Our vision has always been kūpuna driven and inspired, and we strive to uphold that convenant. Ola nā iwi, i nā iwi ola. The bones live, because the bones that live. The traditions of our ancestors continue because of us.