Friends of Moku‘ula scholarships available to West Maui students
LAHAINA – Friends of Moku’ula and Maui Nei Native Expeditions will be offering two Akoni Akana Po’okela Scholarships to West Maui residents who will graduate from high school in 2016.
Scholarships in the amount of $500 each will be awarded to one kane (male) and one wahine (female) student.
High school seniors are encouraged to submit a written statement that describes how they will use the scholarship award to advance their education, whether it be in the pursuit of Hawaiian cultural arts, dance or music, enrolling in courses at a college or university, or enrolling in a vocational school.
Full legal name, contact information and signature by the student should be included. Scholarship requests must be submitted no later than March 28, 2016.
Scholarship requests can be submitted by e-mail to mauinei@mokuula .com or by mail to 505 Front Street, Suite 221, Lahaina, HI 96761 (Attention: Program Director).
For more information, call the Friends of Moku’ula office at (808) 661-3659 or visit Mokuula.com/events.
Akoni Akana was the first executive director of Friends of Moku’ula. After his death in 2011, a scholarship fund was established by the organization in his honor to perpetuate a vision of sharing Native Hawaiian culture and history, cultivating spiritual practices in a new generation, and encouraging stewardship and a work ethic that will benefit our youth as they grow into the leaders of tomorrow.
Friends of Moku’ula, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural organization, was established in 1995 to cultivate awareness of the Hawaiian culture through restoration, preservation, education and revitalization of Moku’ula Island and Mokuhinia Pond in Lahaina.
The freshwater pond contained a one-acre sandbar island called Moku’ula, which was home to the high chiefs of Pi’ilani since the 16th century and a royal residence for the Kamehameha line in the 19th century. It was guarded by mo’o goddess, Kihawahine.
Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) ruled Hawaii from Moku’ula between 1830 and 1845 when Lahaina served as the kingdom’s capital. In the early 20th century, Mokuhinia was filled with coral rubble dredged from the Lahaina roadstead, and by 1918 the acreage was turned over to the County of Maui for use as Malu-ulu-o-lele Park.
Today, the Friends of Moku’ula is dedicated to breathing new life into this sacred Hawaiian site. See mokuula.com for information.