About Makahiki | 2010 Makahiki Project | Past Makahiki Projects

In ancient Hawaii, the Makahiki season marked a time of healing and cleansing. It was the season our ancestors set aside to pay tribute to Lono, the god of agriculture, for the abundance received from the land.

During the Makahiki celebrations from November to February, our employees are challenged to create traditional items that our ancestors used in everyday life. Each department is called upon to select an item as their project and these can range from mats and bowls, to weapons and musical instruments. And all this is done for a purpose – to reconnect of with our culture, to learn about kuleana (responsibility), and to grow as practitioners of the Hawaiian culture.

Projects include using feathers to create lei and kahili, gourds for making musical instruments and containers, carving wood and bone into drums, poi boards and fishhooks, weaving fishnets and twisting coconut fibers into sennit. Mats are woven using hala leaves, and koi, ulu maika, pohaku kui ai, kukui hele po, papa mu are made out of stone.

In the first two years, employees crafted more than 200 items. Living the host culture to the fullest means observing, Makahiki as a season. As Hawaii’s Most Hawaiian Hotel, our employees are committed to taking on their kuleana (responsibility) and to do their best to craft and complete these treasured items. Below are some examples of items made the first two years and the closing ceremony to celebrate the end of our observation of the Makahiki season.

 Employee presentations and the closing protocol ceremony.

Na Mea Makamae (Treasured Things)