The week after devastating wildfires swept across Maui, Hōkūlani Holt walked to the center of a grassy courtyard about 12 miles from Lahaina, just over the island’s steep mountains.
A kumu hula, or hula teacher, Ms. Holt gathered about 50 listeners into a half-circle, and exhorted them to “lift your voice.” They each held a cup of water, a connection between the body, soul and ʻāina, Hawaiians’ expansive idea of the land.
Several men and women blew hollowed-out bamboo pipes called pū ʻohe, producing a deep, trumpetlike sound.
Then, led by Ms. Holt’s voice, the group began to chant.
After the country’s deadliest fire in more than a century — at least 115 people have been confirmed dead, with hundreds still missing — practical recovery responses were clicking into place: food distribution, debris cleanup, a visit from the president.
Persons:
Hōkūlani Holt, Holt, ”, Holt’s
Locations:
Maui, Lahaina