Piʻo Summit 2024

“Hulihia” refers to an overturning or complete change - a concept that aptly describes the transformative power of community leadership in times of crisis. This year’s Piʻo Summit will bring together community organizers, scholars, activists, and survivors to explore how communities rise to demonstrate resilience and leadership in the wake of devastating events.

Our focus centers on two recent catastrophic events that have reshaped the Hawaiian landscape and its people: the devastating wildfires that swept through Lahaina, Maui in August 2023, and the record-breaking rainfall event - dubbed the "rain bomb" - that caused destructive flooding in Kauai in April 2018. These events, while tragic, have unveiled the extraordinary resilience, innovation, and leadership from within affected communities.

Join us to engage in crucial discussion on how our indigenous knowledge, practices and values guide us through crisis and healing. Throughout the summit, key conversations will include:
Key Panel 1: How Community Healed Hāʻena after the Rainbomb

Panelists: Chiper Wichman, Lei Wann, Billy Kinney

About: In April of 2018, the island of Kauaʻi experienced a catastrophic rainfall event that would later be dubbed a "rainbomb." The resulting flooding, landslides, and damage to roads and bridges left communities from Hanalei to Hāʻena inaccessible except by boat for weeks. Plenary Panel One brings together three respected community leaders of Hāʻena—Chipper Wichman, Lei Wann, and Billy Kinney. They will share personal stories about the storm’s immediate aftermath and longer-term impacts, the way ‘ohana and community showed up for each other in new and known ways, and six years on, the lessons that were learned from this natural disaster. Key topics of this panel include the unprecedented severity of the rainbomb and its impacts to ʻāina and people, the application of traditional Hawaiian knowledge and practices in response and recovery efforts, and the crucial leadership and organizing roles communities organizations play in disaster relief and long-term rebuilding. Additionally, this panel will highlight innovative, homegrown solutions that emerged out of crisis. This powerful discussion will showcase the resilience of rural communities in the face of extraordinary challenges, offering valuable insights and inspiration.

Key Panel 2: Beyond the Fires: Lāhaina One Year On

Panelists: Kekai Keahi, Kapua Sproat, Clay Trauernich

About: Residents of Lāhaina have faced unparalleled challenges since fires decimated the historic town in August of last year, leaving widespread destruction and profound loss in their wake. Plenary Panel Two brings together three esteemed experts to discuss the impact, response, and path forward in the aftermath of this catastrophic event. Kekai Keahi, Kapua Sproat, and Clay Trauernicht will delve into crucial topics including the impacts of the fires on Lāhaina's community and cultural heritage, the role of ancestral knowledge in the ways we respond, recover, and heal from trauma, and the intersection of climate change, land management practices, and increased wildfire risk in Hawaiʻi. This panel will also address the challenges and opportunities as Lāhaina rebuilds, focusing on regenerative and culturally appropriate approaches that honor the area's rich history while enhancing its resilience against future disasters. This discussion aims to not only shed light on a community's journey of recovery and regrowth, but also to explore valuable lessons that can inform disaster preparedness, response, and community resilience across Ka Pae ʻĀina Hawaiʻi and beyond. Join us as we explore how tragedy can become a catalyst for positive change, stronger communities, and a more hopeful future for our keiki.

Keynote:

Dr. Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective, and ecological healing. She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. She recently finished her PhD on the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island (aka the Americas) to produce abundant food systems for humans and non-humans.

Muliwai Mixer: A chance to build and strengthen pilina with summit attendees over light pupus and refreshments.

Event Venue

Hawaii Imin International Conference Center at Jefferson Hall, 1777 East-West Road, Honolulu, United States