Bishop Museum to celebrate 50 years of Aloha ʻĀina with Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana

Bishop Museum reaffirmed during its recent Welo Ka Hae Hawaiʻi – Celebrating Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea event its proud partnership with Protect Kaho‘olawe ʻOhana.

Hawai‘i’s museum of natural and cultural history further announced a series of events in honor of Protect Kaho‘olawe ʻOhana’s 50th anniversary and a recommitment to the Aloha ‘Āina Movement.

In an act of bold defiance against U.S. military might, George Helm, Emmett Aluli, Kimo Aluli, Kawaipuna Prejean, Walter Ritte, Ian Lind, Ellen Miles, Steve Morse and Karla Villalba made landfall Jan. 4, 1976, on a ravaged Kahoʻolawe.

They were determined to draw national attention to the illegal role the United States played in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and protest U.S. military control and destruction of Hawaiian national lands.

Their courage and heroism created the catalyst for formation of Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana and birth of the modern Aloha ‘Āina Movement.

In conjunction with the maiden voyages of Hōkūleʻa in 1976, the value and practice of aloha ʻāina forwarded by the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana fundamentally changed the perception of what it means to be Native Hawaiian.

“In 2026, the 50th anniversary of Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana is a time to celebrate and activate around their accomplishments,” said Bishop Musem Vice President of Public Programs and Interim Director of Education Brandon Bunag in a museum release. “These include stopping all military use of the island, refocusing the lives who call Hawai‘i home around the singular importance of our kuleana to aloha ‘āina and revitalizing the Makahiki and other ceremonies honoring [Hawaiian deities].”

Guided by traditional proverbs and wise sayings from the Kuloloio ʻohana — “Laʻa, Maʻa, Paʻa” — the community will gather at Bishop Museum for three talk-story sessions that explore the ways in which Kahoʻolawe teaches how to consecrate, sustain and solidify the relationship to ʻāina.

The three presentations lead to a culminating event on the museum’s Great Lawn, a festival recommitting to the essential value and ethic of aloha ʻāina.

Lending a voice to the modern movements are Keahi Piʻiʻōhiʻa, Pōkiʻi Seto, Kiliona Young, Kaʻikena Scanlan, Kimié Miner, Ikaakamai, Kekuhi Kanahele and Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole, all of whom are featured on the ʻOhana’s “50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina” music album that champions the time-honored message of “aloha ʻāina for the generations to come.”

“Kaho‘olawe is more than an island,” Bunag shared. “It is a living treasure and a place of healing, education, transformation, restoration and ancestral connection. We honor the commitment of Protect Kaho‘olawe ʻOhana members through a half-century of unwavering aloha ʻāina.”

Celebrations will also feature a new Treasure Case installation on the third floor of Hawaiian Hall titled “Kanaloa Ka Laʻa o Kohemālamalama: Unconquerable is the Divinity of Kohemālamalama,” which commemorates the 50 years of Protect Kaho‘olawe ʻOhana ceremony on Kahoʻolawe.

Additional details and ticket information can be found on the museum website.

“The ʻOhana is honored to be hosted by Bishop Museum and excited to put out a kāhea to celebrate and recommit to Aloha ‘Āina.” said Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana A Kua Kaipu Keala in the museum release. “We want everyone who has ever been to Kahoʻolawe to join the festivities to galvanize the next generation of aloha ʻāina movements. Share your moʻolelo of Kanaloa, help us sustain the legacy of Kohemālamalama — not pau yet!”