Nā Kālai Waʻa

Nā Kālai Waʻa is a Native Hawaiian cultural and educational nonprofit that has been serving communities across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific for over 30 years, reaching thousands of keiki, ʻohana, and kūpuna through land-based and voyaging programs.

Growing up I spent alot of time at Kawaihae. This is where Makaliʻi, the double-hulled canoe of Nā Kālai Waʻa, was first launched in 1995. I was raised by kūpuna who led with aloha and a deep commitment to culture and tradition.

My work with Nā Kālai Waʻa goes far beyond design and content—it is kuleana. It is learning, it is connection, it is responsibility to story, place, and people in ways that can’t always be fully explained in a short space.

In design, I’ve been able to work alongside talented creatives to help shape and present their work through Nā Kālai Waʻa. The website took over a year to form—steady, intentional, and grounded and still evolving. Social media here is not about attention, but intention. Itʻs about moʻolelo and pilina to "He waʻa he moku, he moku he waʻa."