Meet our Fellows

Kamaile Pahukoa

Maui, Hawai’i

Living out kuleana and the value of community

Born and raised on the island of Maui, Hawai’i, Kamaile Pahukoa lives a life shaped by the love of and for her community. The town of Ke’anae was her home base growing up, the place where her family was deeply rooted. Like several local families, the Pahukoa family has called Ke’anae home for generations, and Kamaile is no exception. No matter where she traveled on the island, or to the mainland for college, she found herself drawn back to Ke’anae and its feeling of home and connectedness. “It’s so cool how God leads you home,” she says.

Maui is predominantly rural, with small towns dotting the island, and Ke’anae is no exception.  Located on a small peninsula on the east side of the island, Ke’anae is populated primarily by families who have lived in the area for generations. While outsiders may define the town by what is not there - there are no gas stations, no convenience stores, and local children are sent to the next town to attend school - residents know that Ke’anae is a place of deep connection to each other and to the land. One of the important gathering places for this small community is Lanakila ‘Ihi‘ihi O Iehowa O na Kaua Church, popularly known as Ke’anae Congregational Church. The church was originally built in 1860 from rocks and coral and has been a vital heartbeat of the town ever since.

It is her family, especially her grandmother, lovingly called Tutu Pearl, that ingrained in Kamaile the importance of the Hawaiian values of kuleana and community. Tutu Pearl was a “strong Godly influence” on Kamaile’s life, always encouraging her to pursue doing good for others. Coming from a large local family, Kamaile says she naturally has a desire to support the entire community. “What can we do to better this community and make it so everyone has an opportunity to thrive?” is how she puts it. This lesson was taught in word and deed through her grandmother and the other aunties of the church community, as Kamaile grew up watching their service to the church, how they selflessly devoted themselves to each other, the church, and their community.

The Hawaiian word kuleana can be loosely translated as “responsibility”, but might better be understood as a reciprocal kind of accountability. By witnessing and learning from the care her family and elders had for the church and community, Kamaile herself feels called to take care of her own responsibility to people and place. “I believe that I have a sense of responsibility to this community, which includes the church. I feel encouraged to take care of my responsibility that I feel called to and led to because of their faithfulness, “ Kamaile says. 

The Ke’anae Community Church is the only structure in the community that survived a 1946 tsunami. Maui, and all of the Hawaiian islands, has a windward side (generally the north/east sides) that is lush and green due to the prevailing trade winds, and a leeward side (the south/west sides) that is drier, shielded by the volcanic mountains. However, the same weather patterns that keep the windward side so full of natural life also mean more frequent rain and wind, subjecting this 160-year-old building to the elements and causing accelerated wear and tear. The only repairs to be made on the church happened in 1969, and a 2021 storm caused damage to the church that made it unable to be used, and it is currently closed to the public. 

For Ke’anae residents, this closure is a significant loss. The church is more than a simple gathering place, it is where they were raised, where their parents were raised, where their grandparents were raised, and even great-grandparents. “It holds a special place in everyone’s hearts,” says Kamaile. 

But the scale of what was needed was incredibly daunting, especially the cost of all of the necessary repairs to make the church functional again. Together, the community brainstormed ways to support the restoration of the church. During this process, Kamaile suggested a market, where local vendors could come and sell their wares. So the Ke’anae Market was born. 

The Market happens once a month, on the 4th Saturday. Vendors and artisans from across Maui participate, with crafts and baked goods. They sell local plants, woodworking, their jewelry, even homemade pop-tarts made with local foods like taro. Each vendor pays a fee that goes directly to the church’s restoration fund, and then vendors are able to keep all profits they make. The Market happens outdoors in the church’s yard, and is located along the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana is a famous tourist attraction on Maui, so the Market is an opportunity for these tourists to gain a better understanding of Hawai’i, its people, and its culture, supporting local craftspeople and seeing the island beyond the resorts. Just as importantly, though, the Ke’anae Market is a place for the people of Ke’anae, a way for the community to gather and support each other. Kamaile’s Tutu Pearl is one of the vendors, selling the coconut candy she’s been making for years. 

While Kamaile runs the market and handles the logistics, Ke’anae Market is best understood as something by and for the community. “It’s not just me, it’s not just going to be me in the future,” Kamaile says. “It’s going to be a multitude of us.” Though sometimes the days are long and weather forecasts are watched closely, the hard work is worth it, for what it is doing for the community and for the faithful members of Ke’anae Community Church. Ultimately, the Market is only one way to fund the church repairs and bring together the Ke’anae community, and the community is invested in creating even more opportunities. 

Once the church can make the needed repairs, it can again become a place where people gather, worship, and grow together, through church camps in the hall to worship on Sunday mornings. The restoration is the first step in returning the church to the thriving community center it once was. 

Beyond the benefit to the community by having the church restored, there are other, intangible benefits the Market brings. Hawai’i, and Maui in particular, is home to a significant number of local businesses. Kamaile hopes that what people - vendors and Market guests - take away from the Market is that there is room enough for all to thrive. “What I've seen, and what I hope to see more of in the future is that there is a seat for other people at the table like you, with your creative ideas that can bring that and that can better your community. And you can find support in that,” she says. “The ideas of our local people and Hawaiian people are good and should be supported.”

Profile by Anna Meyer