Our Partners

ʻĀina Archaeology is the unique alternative to standard cultural resource management in Hawaiʻi. We formed our practice to fulfill a kuleana (privilege and responsibility) to care for Hawaiʻi’s cultural and natural resources. We utilize an innovative blend of traditional epistemologies with the latest scientific technologies and research techniques to push the boundaries of best practices and achieve excellence in our endeavors. We take pride in our commitment to our values that are the basis on which we operate. Our pioneering methodologies and firm commitment to our values enables us to implement creative solutions for all your historic preservation needs.

For more information about ʻĀina Archaeology, visit www.ainaarch.com.

Mākena has served as a focal point of South Maui for generations. From early pre-contact settlements, to the economic ‘boom’ times of the plantation and paniolo eras, to the growth of tourism following World War II, Mākena and the surrounding lands of Honuaʻula have provided a hardy leeward landscape that has sustained resilient Mākena families for generations. Inspired by timeless Hawaiian practices of living in balance with the natural surroundings, we continue to celebrate the deep connection these families have to Mākena and join them in taking responsibility to care for this precious land and ocean.

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For more information about Mākena, visit www.makenainfo.com/.

ʻŌiwi can be translated as Native, that which is the substantial make up of something, what gives character or ornament. Our ʻŌiwi Resources & Stewardship team is just that – those whose character and personal appearance reflect this place. These are the skilled and strong hands that protect and nurture Makenaʻs natural cycles and cultural resources. Honuaʻula kua laʻolaʻo is an ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise proverb) used to describe the hard working ʻōiwi of Honuaʻula, those with calloused backs, supporting life in this drier, leeward landscape.

The foundation of ORS’ work is based on a Hawaiian worldview, a Makena and Honuaʻula worldview more specifically, of knowing how Life expresses itself in this place. ʻIke kūpuna (ancestral wisdom) and Makena and Honuaʻula cultural vitality are at its core. They know Makenaʻs lifecycles and seasons, the movement of the celestials in this skyscape, the different wind and ocean currents, the timing of this ecosystem, when the wiliwili will bloom, when the first ‘iwa (frigate bird) and koholā (humpback whale) will return.

This worldview doesnʻt work in isolation of practice, of daily commitment to the resources of this place. They carry with them the teaching of families who have long belonged to Makena, of todayʻs natural and cultral resource subject matter experts, and apply all this knowledge in their work to care for our natural and cultural resources today. ORS strengthens symbiotic relationships between ʻāina (land, that which feeds) and kānaka (humans) towards a vibrant and fertile leeward lowland Honuaʻula ecosystem.