KS Kapālama students helped carry out Hōkūleʻa’s 50th anniversary ceremonies in Tahiti and Raʻiātea, honoring generations of cultural tradition and ties across Moananuiākea. This voyage marked the first time the waʻa had traveled along the ancestral pathway Kealaikahiki directly to the sacred site of Marae Taputapuātea, a center of ancestral knowledge and a mecca for chiefly navigators for centuries.

Kamehameha Schools’ ʻAha Moananuiākea Pacific Consortium is forging historic indigenous partnerships, uniting Pacific nations through culture, language, education, and environmental stewardship. These connections can be seen as a much older and deeper exploration of our ancestral E Ola! roots, as well as an assertive act of self-determination as we broaden our sense of identity and understanding of ourselves as Hawaiians and Polynesians within this dynamic Pacific universe we call home.

Our 2024-25 Lāhui Rising Ea Speaker Series will focus on sovereignty and implications for the future of Hawaiʻi. We begin by featuring Dr. David Keanu Sai, a 1982 graduate of KS Kapālama. Given the current political climate, Dr. Sai discusses his newly-published article “Hawaiʻi’s Sovereignty and Survival in the Age of Empire” and engages and in an inspiring question and answer session to follow.