Ko'olauloa
This is our second project and we are so excited to share it! In this series of eight books, we will take you along the coast of Koʻolauloa (Kaʻaʻawa to Waimea) and share a few of the legends of this place. Presales for this series are currently open and purchases can be made in our store. If you have any questions or need help with your order, please contact us. Mahalo!
Native Hawaiian Photographers
For this project, we enlisted the help and talents of eight Hawaiian photographers, each tasked with the challenge of bringing one of the legends of Koʻolauloa to life. Our hui of skilled photographes included Kuʻulei Tano, Jolene Kanahele, Kaila Key, Coreen Willams, Tatiana Paneʻe, Kamalani Wright and mentor Mark Holladay Lee, Kaniela Kalama, and Spencer Kamauoha.
Native Hawaiian Models
For the re-enactment of the stories, we were blessed with the talents of roughly 100 Native Hawaiian models. Models models have all donated their time and talents to the project for the preservation of our ancient Hawaiian moʻolelo. Many models have never done this type of work. This was the first time that many of our Hawaiian male models have ever wore a malo, or Hawaiian loin cloth! It was educational and fun for everyone involved. No animal models were harmed in the making of these books.
Community Support
Along with the photographers and models were many other community members who donated their skills to making this project a reality, including:
- Professional Make-up artists
- Seamstresses (for sewing malos, pa'u's, etc.)
- Fisherman (who may lent us your fishnets - and even fish - for the photo shoot)
- Wood-workers (who carved props for us)
- Hula Halau (who lent us costumes, ipu and other implements, fake foilage, etc.)
- Artifact collectors (who lent us your Hawaiian weapons, tools, water gourds, feather lei, etc.)
- Caterers (who provided snacks and drinks for the photographers and models during the photo shoots)
- And the organizations and businesses who allowed us to shoot on their properties, including The Polynesian Cultural Center, The Waimea Valley, and Keana Ziplines. Mahalo!
