Haili Moe, is a new East Hawai’i Cultural Center exhibit currently on display through November 24. The exhibit, which includes art by six indigenous Hawaiian women, contributes to a deeply thoughtful conversation about how history informs present and future Hawaiian culture.

The works on view include video art of wai (water) on kapa and paintings by Nanea Lum, photographs by Mahina Choy, poetry by Jamaica Osario, an installation about the kū‘ē petition and handmade books by Allison Milham, and a full-length documentary on incarnation and hula by Ciara Lacy. The exhibition opening will feature oli and hula with Kumu Pōlani Kahakalau-Kalima from Hālau Hula Kauluola.

In a press release, Curator Kanani Daley said, “One of the qualities of Hawaiian spirituality is its embodied practice of ancestral knowledge. We believe that our ancestors live within the natural elements as conscious sentient forms who are inextricably connected with humanity. We embody these spiritual forms through oli (chant), hula (dance), and aloha ‘āina (deeply and actively caring for the land). These practices provide the sustaining foundation for Hawaiian culture, and unite us to our genealogy, the natural and spiritual world, and to one another.”

For more information visit ehcc.org, call 961-5711. The gallery is located at 141 Kalakaua Street in Hilo and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photo credit: EHCC