LCHC Grand Opening
On January 16th, 2010 more than 500 residents and visitors gathered on Lanai to celebrate the blessing and grand opening of the new Lana'i Culture & Heritage Center exhibits and archive.
The celebration, sponsored by First Hawaiian Bank started off with a blessing, followed by--tours of the new facilities; Hawaiian, Filipino and Japanese folk music and dances; and a taste of foods from Lanai's community.
Program Background
In 1987, members of Lanai’s community, concerned that changes on Lanai would lead to the loss of cultural identity, historical resources and Lanai’s unique lifestyle, formed agreements with Castle & Cooke, the Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the State Department of Land and Natural Resources (Historic Preservation Division), which included the development of a community museum-heritage program. Initial work on museum and cultural awareness programs began shortly after the 1987 agreements.
The Lanai Culture & Heritage Center (Lanai CHC), opened as a community non-profit entity on October 1, 2007. Since opening, we have hosted more than 11,600 Lanai residents and visitors in programs of the heritage center.
In 2008, recognizing the importance of the heritage program on Lanai, Colette Machado and fellow Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs provided the Lanai CHC with a generous grant with which to initiate planning, design and construction of a larger facility to house and share Lanai’s rich cultural legacy and care for the growing collections.
The community vision of opening a quality facility in which to share Lanai’s history and care for a diverse collection of artifacts and historical resources has come to life.
We will also dedicate the new Kapihaa Interpretive Trail along the leeward coast of Lanai as a part of the day’s events. Kapihaa is an ancient village site set aside as a preservation area. A rich interpretive experience has been created at the site, with funding from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority/County of Maui, Lanai Archaeological Committee, Hal Hammatt & Cultural Surveys Hawaii, and the Lanai CHC.
Heritage Collections
The Lanai CHC is home to a rich collection of native Hawaiian artifacts—many donated by families with Lanai ties, and others collected on Lanai in 1921-1922 by Kenneth Emory, now on long-term loan from Bishop Museum to the people of Lanai. The collections also include many things reflective of the diverse cultures of Lanai, with items from the ranch and plantation days of our island home. We also care for a large collection of plantation era photographs and records, covering the lives and history of Lanai’s people. These resources—a community asset—are preserved to ensure that present and future generations remain connected to our island heritage.