海角大神

Regaining a sense of place: People and culture come first after Lahaina wildfire

The historic district of Lahaina remains mostly cordoned off to visitors two years after the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century. Fencing, signs, and orange blockades keep curious passersby at bay.

Next month, some activity will return when two piers are expected to reopen at the harbor. County officials say 18 vessels will resume tours and whale watches, bringing some business and jobs back to the area.

But for this island community, the push for progress is tempered by growing calls for a thoughtful, culturally sensitive recovery. The 2023 blaze that killed more than 100 people in Lahaina also leveled centuries of history.

Lahaina sits on sacred cultural grounds. It was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Restoring that history, say residents and county leaders, will allow the area to reclaim its identity, benefiting generations to come.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got to go slow,鈥� says Ke鈥檈aumoku Kapu, executive director of N膩 鈥楢ik膩ne o Maui, Inc. The nonprofit has been overseeing cultural monitoring of the fire clean-up. 鈥淎nd whatever happens here should set the standard of what happens throughout the town.鈥�

That aspiration isn鈥檛 without challenges. County leaders and cultural advocates alike say thoughtful recovery is hinged on education and community buy-in, not to mention warding off investors hoping to scoop up property.

Cultural restoration also includes bringing back the very people who call Lahaina home. The wildfire physically separated the community鈥檚 ohana, or family, dispersing residents near and far. Outside the historic district, houses are rising from the ground once again.

Maui County operates a rebuild dashboard that tracks metrics such as building permit status (342 being processed; 527 issued; and 89 completed for residential and non-residential buildings as of early November). Last month, the county announced that the final truckloads of wildfire debris had been moved to a permanent disposal site, clearing the way for roadway and other restoration projects to begin.

鈥淲e could rebuild the entire town and rebuild every single structure, but if we鈥檝e lost our people, then ... those metrics don鈥檛 matter,鈥� says John Smith, Maui County鈥檚 recovery administrator.

Center of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Tourists likely knew Front Street as the waterfront roadway filled with shops, art galleries, and restaurants. The fire consumed it. Now, cultural advocates are on a mission to restore what visitors may not have realized: the area鈥檚 historical significance.

In the early 1800s, long before Lahaina emerged as a vacationers鈥� paradise, King Kamehameha declared it the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. A cadre of royal buildings materialized near the harbor, where multiple fishponds existed. But then 海角大神 missionaries, whaling operations, and sugar plantations arrived and erased certain aspects of cultural history. Thirsty sugar crops also diverted water from Maui鈥檚 streams.

Gone were the town鈥檚 Hawaiian names for streets, replaced by English surnames such as Shaw and Dickenson. The fishponds disappeared as well, filled in for purposes such as a baseball field.

The fire took even more. It destroyed the N膩 鈥楢ik膩ne Cultural Center, home to original signed manuscripts, land awards, historical documents, and artifacts. In the aftermath, Mr. Kapu sees an opportunity to recast a vision of Lahaina that honors its past.

鈥淟et鈥檚 just bring back the integrity of our town,鈥� he says while standing next to a map of the Lahaina Royal Complex and cultural sites. 鈥淥ur children are losing their sense of place.鈥�

In July, Maui County officials launched a two-year, $1 million master planning process for the Complex. The project, with community feedback involved, is expected to include restoration of coastal wetlands and historical sites.

Mr. Kapu pointed out some of those sites on a recent tour of the fire-ravaged sacred space. A damaged courthouse sits near the harbor. A short walk away is a barren plot of overgrown land where a 17-acre pond called Loko o Mokuhinia existed more than a century ago. In the middle was Moku鈥檜la, a manmade island that housed King Kamehameha III鈥檚 palace.

Even longtime residents weren鈥檛 necessarily aware of the area鈥檚 history. Earle Kukahiko, a Lahaina resident who worked for the county for 33 years, says the fire inadvertently provided an educational opportunity, including for himself.

鈥淔or me growing up, that was a park,鈥� he says, referring to Loko o Mukuhinia. 鈥淚 played ball there.鈥�

But Mr. Kukahiko says he has seen minds slowly change as more residents learn about Lahaina鈥檚 history. A few months ago, at a community meeting, he watched a group of women back off advocating for rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary School in the same location after they heard聽iwi kupuna, or ancestral remains, were discovered at the site. Instead, the school will be rebuilt roughly a half mile north of its original footprint.

That kind of thought shift is crucial, Mr. Kukahiko says, as Lahaina attempts to braid its past and future in this post-fire era.

鈥淵ou see what a little bit of education does,鈥� he says.

鈥淧lace of peaceful recovery鈥�

Up a hill from the shoreline sits a tiny-home community known as Ka La鈥檌 Ola. The Hawaiian name, a gift, means 鈥渢he place of peaceful recovery.鈥�

That鈥檚 what it seeks to be for more than 900 Lahaina residents displaced by the wildfire. The modular homes, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms, are providing interim housing for up to five years. It鈥檚 not quite temporary but not long term either.

The community is the product of a public-private partnership that has brought together the state, the Hawaii Community Foundation, and HomeAid Hawai鈥檌, among other partners, in a bid to provide fire survivors stability while they navigate next steps. Roughly 90% of Lahaina residents affected by the fire were renters.

Cesar Martinez and his family were among them. Now, he鈥檚 working for the nonprofit HomeAid Hawai鈥檌 and living at Ka La鈥檌 Ola with his girlfriend and three children. They spent more than a year going from 鈥渉otel to hotel to condo,鈥� he says, before moving into a three-bedroom modular home.

鈥淭here鈥檚 kids knocking at our door. There鈥檚 kids riding bicycles down the street,鈥� he says, describing a renewed sense of home. 鈥淪o they have [a] more community feel and a lot of friendships here.鈥�

That sense of community reverberates from a pop-up Halloween festival situated within walking distance of Ka La鈥檌 Ola. Ukulele music greets costume-clad children, some clutching their parents鈥� hands as they arrive. Food trucks, an inflatable bounce house, and 鈥� of course 鈥� candy await.

Anthony M. La Puente II, a longtime Lahaina resident who lives in the interim housing development, attended the festival with family friends. Two years ago, he was shopping at Safeway when they called to warn him about the fire so he could get to safety. There were no other sirens or alarms.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the people of Lahaina that is Lahaina,鈥� he says from under a white canopy tent that is filling with families. He wants their voices to be heard as recovery efforts continue.

But intentional design helps. The community features garden beds and communal barbecue areas where neighbors can gather. A ti leaf plant brightens every corner of a pod containing these tiny homes. In Hawaiian culture, the tropical shrub symbolizes protection.

鈥淲hen you look around, you鈥檒l see that it鈥檚 landscaped,鈥� says Joseph Campos, deputy director of Hawaii鈥檚 Department of Human Services. 鈥淭here are native plants here, so all to just help people find some sense of normalcy.鈥�

Normalcy doesn鈥檛 mean forever, though. The goal is for Lahaina wildfire survivors to re-establish permanent housing.

County officials have launched a program dubbed Ho鈥檕kumu Hou that offers three housing assistance programs. Two provide financial help for homeowners rebuilding. The third program is for renters who want to become first-time homeowners 鈥� a feat notoriously difficult in this high-cost-of-living state.

Mr. Smith, who is shepherding recovery efforts, says the county received roughly 2,800 applications for the first-time homeowners grant. The program, which offers assistance up to $600,000, will help aspiring homeowners cover closing costs or bring down the cost of their mortgage payment.

鈥淚t is moving through the process,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to help a couple hundred people become homeowners.鈥�

Mr. Martinez and his family hope to make that transition.

鈥淲e鈥檙e taking the classes. We鈥檙e signing up for anything possible,鈥� he says, a note of optimism in his voice. 鈥淎t the end of five years for Ka La鈥檌 Ola, we鈥檙e going to be able to purchase a home.鈥�

Ohana spirit at work

On a breezy Saturday morning, Mr. Kukahiko 鈥� or 鈥淯ncle Earle,鈥� as he is known 鈥� sits under a canopy strung from a makeshift bathroom. Nearby is a tool shed.

He calls the temporary dwellings, which he built where his daughter鈥檚 house once stood, his sanctuary. Mr. Kukahiko and his wife lived next door. The wildfire razed their homes, along with many of their neighbors鈥�. Like so many others, the family now lives at Ka La鈥檌 Ola.

But you can find him here most days watering plants and holding conversations with community members.

鈥淚鈥檓 here most of the time just for peace of mind,鈥� he says.

While Mr. Kukahiko is quick to label his family fortunate, he doesn鈥檛 gloss over the reality of a nonlinear recovery. Displaced residents remain wary, wondering who is telling the truth and if the influx of disaster relief money is going to the intended purpose. They also have to beware of scams. Someone tried using his daughter鈥檚 name, he says, for wildfire-related benefits.

But there are other reasons to remain optimistic. Good Samaritans helped rebuild a neighbor鈥檚 house. And a local contractor whom Mr. Kukahiko coached in youth baseball has promised to rebuild his home. The handshake agreement is a nod to the ohana spirit that underpins Lahaina recovery efforts.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 our people,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we do here.鈥�