Lahaina Stories
Rooted in ‘Ōlelo No‘eau #1266: I wawā ʻia ka hale kanaka. Nawai e wawā ka hale kanaka ʻole? (Voices are heard around an inhabited house. Who hears voices about an uninhabited one? | Where people are. Life is. From a chant for Kaʻahumanu.)
Following the August 2023 wildfires, several groups and individuals reached out to request our Hui Mo‘olelo workshop and story recording approach as a way to help process the experience. Through a collaborative effort with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Hui Mo‘olelo cohort members interviewed highly revered elders of Lahaina. Professional artists then submitted proposals to bring these stories to life as short, animated films. Upon selection by a community panel, artist Sasha Hercik entered a period of project development to infuse her proposal in Lahaina history, culture and sense of place -- ultimately resulting in a freely accessible work created through community engagement. The final animated shorts were unveiled at the 2025 Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina Film Festival.
Enjoy the stories that provide the animation audio tracks below:
Following the August 2023 wildfires, several groups and individuals reached out to request our Hui Mo‘olelo workshop and story recording approach as a way to help process the experience. Through a collaborative effort with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Hui Mo‘olelo cohort members interviewed highly revered elders of Lahaina. Professional artists then submitted proposals to bring these stories to life as short, animated films. Upon selection by a community panel, artist Sasha Hercik entered a period of project development to infuse her proposal in Lahaina history, culture and sense of place -- ultimately resulting in a freely accessible work created through community engagement. The final animated shorts were unveiled at the 2025 Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina Film Festival.
Enjoy the stories that provide the animation audio tracks below:
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Artwork
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The Koa Bench: If you ever find yourself in the Hawaiian Heritage section of the bookstore, there's a consistent aesthetic theme that finds its way onto every cover, and it was that aesthetic that inspired the look and feel for this film. Theo Morrison creates a rich, storybook feel with her creative narrative, and each 'page' of this story was illustrated to bring her words to life. This film uses a combination of historical imagery, modern photography, physical elements and vivid line art to create a collage style experience, showcasing the magic of a single item's ability to recreate history. The story and film are guided by purpose and intention to pay homage not only to the building that was lost, but also to the voices that still echo from its bones and the hopes that rest on the arms of a lone Koa bench.
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Memories of Pu'ukoli'i: This film is a dedication to Lahaina, childhood memories, and to the exuberant kupuna Sally Ann Delos Reyes. The goal of this film was to evoke the feeling of warm nostalgia and the essence of growing up in Lahaina. The vintage aesthetic represents recalling the past while the story elements focus on combining metaphorical imagery with literal visuals to create the intangible feeling of recalling a childhood memory. We are walked through the story by the child form of Aunty Sally as her present-day self narrates her memories, showcasing the plantation of the past, the stark recollections of her days in Pu’ukoli’i, along with incandescent metaphors that shine bright in these difficult times of rebuilding. The Kamehameha butterfly, or Pulelehua, follows young Aunty Sally throughout the film, representing hope, healing and transformation for Lahaina, along with a firm tie to Hawaii’s heritage to remind us that even in these moments after much has been lost, as long as we remember it is forever.
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Sleeping Town: Approaching this film with a sense of preservationism, the goal was to gently walk the viewer through the memory being shared while capturing as many details as possible. The gentle tinkling of the piano in the background partners with the natural sounds of the setting, highlighting the beauty of Jodo Mission's property while transporting you to the past. The bodhi flower, a symbol of Buddhism and spiritual awakening, acts as a subtle narrative throughout the film of the resilience of humanity while also embracing its impermanence. The name 'Sleeping Town' comes from Reverend Hara himself, a loving nickname he gave to Lahaina Town before the boom of tourism, which perfectly encapsulates the essence of this film. A peaceful love letter to the past, a soothing balm to an aching heart, with a note of hope at the end to tie it all together.
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Artist Sasha Hercik
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I am a Kihei-based digital artist with skills in animation, character design, storyboarding and illustration who is passionate about creating visually stunning and engaging art that tells a story.
Being a Maui-based artist, there's always this desire to create art for the community that promotes our culture and furthers the voices of our kamaaina. Art is this complex vessel that allows you to demonstrate your own interpretation with the world of how you experience it, something that is so singular and personal but also meant to be shared, to be seen. Having the opportunity to share Maui's experiences in the light of such a turning point in our history is a humbling, necessary venture that I feel privileged to be a part of. |
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From the Project Proposal: Listening to the Hui Mo'olelo excerpt between Sally Ann Delos Reyes & Lopaka White was a joy. Aunty Sally is a fun, engaging storyteller and Lopaka asks excellent, driving questions. I was almost disappointed when the story was over because of how entertaining her story was. This Mo'olelo has wonderful imagery, and I especially could FEEL the intensity of the deep blue ocean when she described it, could SEE the shelf of rock the shark all Maui residents have heard of slept under, and yet the story is joyous and bright, an honest depiction of growing up here on Maui. Community engagement might include an animation workshop using Procreate (an iPad application) and giving a demonstration of how to animate water.
Theo Morrison's "The Koa Bench" sounded almost like a bedtime story, and the way she described every beautiful moment from the historic oil lamp, to how she thought the light would've painted the faces of the Hawaiians of years past in a building that no longer exists, to the way her Koa Bench looked in the antique store, every word carried weight and through her story I could see what she was trying to show us. I want the opportunity to bring that story out into the world with images that go along with her words, to animate what she so eloquently described and give everyone a chance to see it too. Community engagement for this piece could be a painting exercise, maybe a workshop on light and shadows because that part sticks out to me the most in her story.
I was deeply inspired by the imagery and storytelling in the Hui Mo'olelo between Reverend Gensho Hara & Yayoi Hara, even Reverend Hara's soft voice. I could clearly picture the temple he spoke of, being familiar with that area of Lahaina myself, but even if you'd never been there his words painted a lovely mental image that you could almost feel. This excerpt feels like a soft, gentle memory, a sunlit corner of Lahaina that echoes with peace and also highlights the Japanese culture deeply rooted in Hawaii's history, and I feel very inspired to bring this moment to life. For community engagement, I think a collaboration/interaction with community members affiliated with Mise Kimono, Taiko drumming, Izaka Genbe, or maybe the management of the Obon/Matsuri festivals would align well, whether that's a crafting workshop, intro to animation, or even listening/reading the excerpt and painting/drawing your interpretation.
Theo Morrison's "The Koa Bench" sounded almost like a bedtime story, and the way she described every beautiful moment from the historic oil lamp, to how she thought the light would've painted the faces of the Hawaiians of years past in a building that no longer exists, to the way her Koa Bench looked in the antique store, every word carried weight and through her story I could see what she was trying to show us. I want the opportunity to bring that story out into the world with images that go along with her words, to animate what she so eloquently described and give everyone a chance to see it too. Community engagement for this piece could be a painting exercise, maybe a workshop on light and shadows because that part sticks out to me the most in her story.
I was deeply inspired by the imagery and storytelling in the Hui Mo'olelo between Reverend Gensho Hara & Yayoi Hara, even Reverend Hara's soft voice. I could clearly picture the temple he spoke of, being familiar with that area of Lahaina myself, but even if you'd never been there his words painted a lovely mental image that you could almost feel. This excerpt feels like a soft, gentle memory, a sunlit corner of Lahaina that echoes with peace and also highlights the Japanese culture deeply rooted in Hawaii's history, and I feel very inspired to bring this moment to life. For community engagement, I think a collaboration/interaction with community members affiliated with Mise Kimono, Taiko drumming, Izaka Genbe, or maybe the management of the Obon/Matsuri festivals would align well, whether that's a crafting workshop, intro to animation, or even listening/reading the excerpt and painting/drawing your interpretation.
Community Consultations
Kalapana Kollars
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Hara Ohana
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Lopaka White
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Project launch & ‘Ōlelo No‘eau meeting
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Community Workshops
Key to the process of developing public artwork, each artist or artist team is required to workshop their proposals with community members. In January, we collaborated with Maui High School for an animation techniques workshop led by Sasha Hercik & Hoku Pavao. In February, we leased a dance studio at the MACC to interweave a previous Hui Mo‘olelo project, Ola I Ka Wai ʻO Maui (Nov 2023), with the forthcoming Memories of Pu'ukoli'i (February 2025) in a session merging animation, dance and life drawing. Mahalo to Michael Takemoto of University of Hawai'i Maui College for bringing your talented drawing students!
Mahalo
- Hui Mo‘olelo: Lāhainā facilitators Anuhea Yagi and Kalapana Kollars
- Storytellers Sally Ann Delos Reyes & Lopaka White, Theo Morrison, and Rev. & Yayoi Hara
- Partners County of Maui, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society and Lahaina Restoration Foundation
- Sponsors National Endowment for the Arts, HCF Maui Strong, Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and private donors of Maui Public Art Corps
- Community Consultants & panelists
- Maui Economic Development Board, Maui High School & ProArts Playhouse
"Thank you everyone for selecting our interview. It is so nice to be a part of a project like this, we are uplifted by your enthusiasm and your interest. My dad wanted to share these images that were just sent to him, the first image of the President Wilson Oceanliner he traveled from Yokohama, Japan to Aloha Tower in Honolulu. The second image is on the ship, as told in there interview he and Rev. Tanaka were traveling together and coming to Hawaii as missionaries, although they were staying in coach, they were selected to dine in the first class dining hall. Although they are both ministers and in Japan had their hair shaved, they had been told that in American only prisoners had their heads shaved so let their hair grow out. They were not traveling with the women at their table, he said these women were married to Americans. Mahalo again!" -- Yayoi
Project Timeline
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