Ua Hilo ‘ia i ke Aho a ke Aloha

Braided with the cords of love | Held in the bond of affection

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation developed the Hilo Story Map in collaboration with project partners, Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i; the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, History Department and Professor Kerri Inglis; ASM Affiliates senior archaeologist Lokelani Brandt; and Lyman Museum. Students from UH Hilo contributed to the research and content of the map as part of their history course curriculum under the direction of Professor Inglis. The project also enlisted three student interns who worked closely with Professor Inglis and contributed research, contextual essays, and photography.

The result is a familiarizing, remembering, and intertwining of the intimate stories of Hilo

Learn, remember and share the intimate stories of Hilo

The Kanilehua rain of Hilo | Hilo, where the rain moistens the lehua blossoms

Just as the rain, the voices of Hilo spread across the land, satisfied in the resonance

“Continue to be steadfast in your love for the land”

Ever evident in the words of Iosepa Kaho'oluhi Nawahi-o-Kalani'opu'u (1896), Hilo is a place of forceful peace, of immovable devotion

Hilo, eater of taro greens | When storms came... it was impossible to obtain fish...people had to be content with taro greens

Hilo continues to thrive--soaked in the rain of Kanilehua and nourished between the waters of Wailuku and Wailoa

A special mahalo to our program partners!

The Hilo Story Map is supported by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).