Each ʻIanuali (January), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa pauses to reflect on Hawaiʻi’s history while creating space for learning, dialogue and community gathering. This year, students, faculty and staff are once again invited to come together on campus for three days of events centered on culture, place and shared responsibility to Hawaiʻi and its future.
Now in its fourth year, the annual Hawaiʻi Kuʻu Home Aloha (HKHA) summit will take place January 20–22, featuring a series of free events designed to center Hawaiʻi, our beloved home.
“This summit is designed to deepen our connections—pilina—to oneself, others, and ʻāina, or our relationships with the natural environments around us,” said Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe, director of Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao. “We hope that participants will have a clearer vision of Hawaiʻi’s past, present and future through bringing people together and cultivating such connections.”
Honor and healing
Hosted by the Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office, the summit is intentionally timed to mark the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the National Day of Racial Healing, which coincides with the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s programming includes pilina circles and a range of hands-on and reflective workshops centered on culture, care and place. Sessions invite participants to learn the deeper meaning of Hawaiʻi’s national anthem Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī, take part in ceremonies honoring Queen Liliʻuokalani and Martin Luther King Jr., care for campus mea kanu (plants), and engage in care-centered practices grounded in well-being and healing.
The summit will conclude with a closing plenary, Mele, Moʻolelo, & Momentum: Gifts from Moananuiākea, moderated by Bruce Kaʻimi Watson and celebrating songs and stories from across Moananuiākea (Pacific Ocean).
Additional offerings include self-guided audio tours that explore the layered histories of the Mānoa campus. Workshops and sessions will be led by Pele Harman (Native Hawaiian engagement director, UH Hilo), Nōweo Kai (campus arboretum curator, UH Mānoa) and Tia Hartsock (State of Hawaiʻi Office of Wellness and Resilience).
The free summit emphasizes learning and sharing as pathways to understanding Hawaiʻi’s past and present while shaping a more just and thriving future. UH Mānoa is a designated Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation™ Campus Center, and the summit reflects the campus’s ongoing commitment to healing, belonging and collective responsibility.
