Laʻa,Maʻa,Paʻa!

Kanaloa Ka Laʻa o Kohemālamalama: Unconquerable is the Divinity of Kohemālamalama commemorates 50 years of ceremonial practice by the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana on Kohemālamalama o Kanaloa, the island of Kahoʻolawe. Drawing from the island’s deep history as a place of religious and ceremonial practice, the installation brings together historical objects and archival materials from Bishop Museum’s collections with contemporary ceremonial objects and photographs, bridging past and present.

After decades of U.S. military use and bombing of Kahoʻolawe, the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana emerged in the 1970s as part of a movement to stop the bombing and return the island to the people of Hawaiʻi. From its beginnings, the ʻOhana recognized the sacred nature of Kahoʻolawe and grounded its work in ceremony and spiritual practice. Over the next five decades, ceremony accompanied pivotal moments in the island’s history, from the ʻOhana’s first ceremony in 1976 and the renewal of Makahiki, a traditional season of ceremony and observance, to ceremonies for water, healing, the return of Kahoʻolawe to the people of Hawaiʻi, and the dedication of cultural sites across the island.

Kanaloa Ka Laʻa o Kohemālamalama reflects on this enduring continuity of ceremony and its place in the ongoing protection, healing, and restoration of Kahoʻolawe. The installation connects generations of ceremonial practice and reaffirms relationships between people, place, and the sacred.