The Pā

A simple mound of earth faced with river rock sits in stately silence to one side of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s amphitheater. The structure’s simplicity belies its significance: this is Maui’s first recorded pā hula: a space dedicated to the ancient Hawaiian tradition of hula, and to the cultural practices of Maui’s kumu hula, their students and guests. One of only four known pā in the state, the pā at the MACC was created under the direction of kumu hula and cultural specialists Hōkūlani Holt, Keali‘i Reichel, AI Lagunero, and Bert Sakata. Its purpose is to honor and perpetuate the art forms at the core of Hawaiian culture.