Pohaku Kahoʻohanohano on Lauhala Weaving & Cultural Survival | Hoʻomau Maui 2025

Pohaku Kahoʻohanohano is a lauhala weaver living in Kahakuloa, Maui, who traces his connection to the craft through both bloodline and kuleana. After discovering that both of his great-grandmothers were weavers, he began learning the art in 1993 from kūpuna across Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, seven kumu in total. Today, he carries forward their knowledge by weaving and teaching, committed to ensuring this ancestral skill lives on. In this interview, Pohaku reflects on lauhala’s importance, not just as a material, but as a foundation of Hawaiian survival and innovation. He speaks about the plant’s role in canoe sails, thatching, bedding, clothing, and ceremony. He shares values instilled by his kumu: aloha, laulima, and hanalike. And he emphasizes the practical, spiritual, and economic power of ulana, that knowing how to weave means you’ll never starve. Hoʻomau Maui is a cultural event dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Hawaiian practices by creating space for intergenerational learning. Through live demonstrations, workshops, and community engagement, it provides an opportunity for cultural practitioners to share their crafts and stories with the broader public, especially the next generation. This video series documents the voices of our kūpuna and kumu so their ʻike will not be lost to time. These skills are foundations of identity and resilience.