Local urban artists Estria Miyashiro and John “Prime” Hina recently engaged Keauhou-area cultural advisors and the students of Ke Kula ‘o ‘Ehunuikaimalino Hawaiian immersion public charter school in the creation of a large-scale mural at the Keauhou Shopping Center.

The seven-panel mural honors the cultural heritage of Keauhou by depicting events and landmarks associated with the region, including the battle of Kuamo‘o and the royal hōlua slide.

The two-week project, supported by Kamehameha Schools and other community collaborators, is part of the Mele Murals youth art development program created by the Estria Foundation. The program uses art education and ‘āina-based knowledge to develop youth into community leaders.

Miyashiro, founder of the Estria Foundation, says that there is a lesson to be learned in the creation of each mural.

“Our objective is to share with others the transformational power of public art in Hawai‘i that is grounded in place-based stories and living in harmony with nā lani (heavens), ‘āina (land), kai (ocean), kūpuna (ancestors) and ‘aumākua (family guardians),” says Miyashiro. “This is pono. It is balance, and that’s what we want to instill in every youth participant.”

The lessons are not lost on the young minds of the students at Ke Kula ‘o ‘Ehunuikaimalino, who were taught by Estria and Prime how to use meditation, prayer and knowledge of history as a process to conceptualize a story, ultimately sharing it on a canvas for all to interpret.

“The first thing we had to be mindful of was the area that we are in,” says ‘Ehunuikaimalino 11th grader Kawika Lawrence. “We also had to be mindful of the events that took place here and the monuments that still stand here today. With that in mind, we had meditation sessions, and within those meditation sessions, we were asking our deities, our kūpuna, our akua, our ‘aumākua, whether or not the ideas we were thinking of were okay to put on these walls.”

More than 300 community members gathered at the KS-owned Keauhou Shopping Center on November 29 to celebrate the unveiling of the collaborative art project.  Deeann Haberly, West Hawaiʻi support services manager for Kamehameha Schools, has high hopes for the mural.

“Our prayer is that not only will the students of ‘Ehunuikaimalino be impacted by this learning experience, but that the story on these panels – which they’ve created – depicting the history of this place, will in turn impact and educate visitors to Pauahi’s lands here at Keauhou Shopping Center,” says Haberly.

The mural is the fourth in a series of 20 murals that will span the pae ‘āina (Hawaiian islands). The Mele Murals project hopes to find kōkua from others who share a vision to educate and develop youth through practicing art and cultural preservation.

“We are seeking schools to partner with, we’re seeking property owners to give us walls, and we’re seeking sponsors to give us supplies,” says Estria.  “We need a lot of help and it’s very much a community effort.”

For more information, visit the Mele Murals website.

View a short video of the mural unveiling celebration below:

‘Ehunuikaimalino 11th grader Kawika Lawrence shares his mana‘o behind the image of Hawaiian Chiefess Manono and her heroism during the battle of Kuamo‘o.

First grader Pulamawehiwa Cantiberos glides past a mural depicting the famous royal hōlua slide of Keauhou.

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