Mural at Kapālama Kai invites reflection on Kumulipo, kai and kuleana

June 19, 2026

In the heart of Kapālama Kai, a new mural on ʻāina Pauahi is inviting the community into a story that begins in Pō and flows through the ocean, connecting kānaka, kai and all forms of life.

Created in collaboration with the Maui Nui Makai Network, Greenpeace USA and Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha, the mural draws inspiration from the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant that traces the genealogy of life from darkness into light. Spanning 2,102 lines, the Kumulipo has been transmitted orally from generation to generation, revealing the genealogical connection of Hawaiians to ʻāina and kai, as well as all forms of life. The cultural implication is the kuleana to care for all life forms, as they are our older siblings. The mural depicts the very beginnings of that legacy in visual form.

For Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha, the project reflects a broader vision of stewarding land in ways that advance culture, education, kaiāulu and a thriving lāhui. On the 104 acres of commercial lands Kamehameha stewards in the Kapālama ahupuaʻa, that vision is taking shape through community-centered renewal as part of the Kapālama Kai Plan. The mural adds another layer to this work by bringing moʻolelo, ʻike kūpuna and environmental awareness into a highly visible urban space.

“Public art has a way of meeting people where they are,” said “Kumulipo” muralist Kaiʻili Kaulukukui. “My hope is that this mural sparks curiosity and encourages people to learn more about the Kumulipo and their own relationship to kai.”

“If someone sees the mural and becomes curious about the Kumulipo, or thinks differently about their relationship to the ocean, then the artwork is doing what it was meant to do,” said Bobbie Lau KSK’84, senior asset manager with ʻĀina Pauahi.

The “Kumulipo” mural depicts the beginning wā in Pō, the darkness from which life emerges. In its unfolding, sea life appears before land life and kānaka are born much later in the genealogy. This ordering offers an important teaching: we are younger siblings of ʻāina. As kaikaina, people have a responsibility to observe, listen, learn from and mālama their elder siblings.

That message is especially resonant in Kapālama Kai, a place shaped by industry, movement, commerce and community. The mural will help illuminate the enduring relationship between place and people, reminding passersby that even in urban spaces, ʻāina has memory, genealogy and mana.

“To have this mural on ʻāina Pauahi in Kapālama Kai is meaningful. This is a place where culture, community and commerce all meet,” said Hilarie Alomar, ʻĀina Pauahi director of planning and development. “It gives us an opportunity to bring ancestral knowledge into an everyday space where people live, work and drive by daily.”

The mural emerges at a time when nations around the world are working toward protecting 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. Advocate Solomon Pili Kahoʻohalahala KSK’69 of Maui Nui Makai Network is helping to raise awareness about key issues such as deep sea mining — making ʻike kūpuna and our ancestral connections to the ocean as an enduring foundation for safeguarding it as a living ancestor and source of life.

“For Native Hawaiians and Pacific peoples, the ocean is our genealogy and our sustenance. Protecting it is not optional — it is a responsibility we inherit and carry forward,” said Kahoʻohalahala. “The Kumulipo teaches us that the deep sea is where life itself begins and deep sea mining would desecrate that place of origin. As governments move to implement new global ocean agreements, they must act with urgency and integrity to turn commitments into real protections for the ocean, for coastal communities, and for future generations.”

This project aligns with Kamehameha’s approach to ʻāina stewardship, which recognizes that each place has its own history, relationships and possibilities. Through this lens, cultural grounding strengthens communities and supports a thriving, self-determined lāhui.

“The Kumulipo gives us a framework for understanding our place in the world. It teaches that koʻa, ʻāina and kānaka are all part of the same moʻokūʻauhau,” said Kanoe Puʻuohau KSK’05, senior manager for planning and development with ʻĀina Pauahi and project manager for the “Kumulipo” mural. “Our hope is that people see this mural and are inspired with a sense of wonder and responsibility. The Kumulipo shows us that life is interconnected, and when we care for the ocean, we are caring for ourselves, our ʻohana and generations yet to come.”

As the mural takes shape, it offers more than color on a wall. It becomes a point of connection between ancestral chant and contemporary art, between kai and kūlanakauhale, between ʻāina Pauahi and the communities it serves.

This project reminds us that stewardship is active and generational. It calls us to care for the places entrusted to us, to honor the ʻike of our kūpuna and to help grow conditions where keiki, ʻohana, kaiāulu and ʻāina can thrive together.

The mural can be viewed at the Waiakamilo Industrial Complex at the intersection of Nimitz Highway and Waiakamilo Road in Kapālama Kai.