Kūnihi Keahiakahoe

Kilakila i ka ua ʻĀpuakea

Hanahano lua ‘ole o Kaneohe

Haku ‘ia e Kalani Kuloloia

The 27th Annual Native Hawaiian Education Association (NHEA) Convention invites educators, practitioners, leaders, and community members to gather in deep relationships with ʻāina, ʻike, and one another through an immersive, hands-on learning experience.

This year’s convention centers hana noʻeau — the practice of skillful, intentional work rooted in knowledge, responsibility, and relationship to place. Participants will be fully immersed in Hana Noʻeau workshops, engaging both mind and hands through experiences that include weaving, woodworking, music, medicinal practices, and more. These workshops are designed not only to teach techniques, but to transmit ʻike, values, and ways of being that strengthen our lāhui.

Our 2026 theme, Hoʻolaʻa ʻia i ka ʻĀina, Hoʻohanohano i ka Hana Noʻeau — Dedicated to the Land, Honored by Skillful Work— honors those within our lāhui who draw upon the gifts of the ʻāina not for extraction, but for elevation. It celebrates the careful gathering, growing, crafting, and creating that uplifts our people and sustains collective well-being.

At the same time, the theme calls us to reflect on the wisdom of our kūpuna, who prepared with foresight in times of uncertainty. Through cultivation, craftsmanship, and stewardship, they ensured not only survival, but continuity. In this spirit, hana noʻeau becomes both an act of creation and an act of readiness — weaving knowledge, resources, and community into resilience for whatever lies ahead.

Join us as we learn, create, and prepare together — rooted in ʻāina, guided by ʻike, and strengthened through the work of our hands and hearts. Stay tuned for forthcoming announcements on our keynote speakers, Educators of the Year honorees, and immersive workshops.

This design tells a story of collective responsibility—one rooted in our relationship to ʻāina and guided by the ancestral wisdom that continues to shape how we innovate and prepare for the future. Every element is intentionally composed to reflect hana noʻeau: skillful work carried out with purpose, care, and deep understanding.

At its foundation is the ʻUpena, the diamond form that frames the design. Inspired by netting found throughout Hawaiian cultural practice—from royal ʻahu ʻula and the koko that cradle gourds to fishing nets cast into the sea—the ʻupena symbolizes the essential skills that sustained life in Hawaiʻi. It reflects connection: to one another, to our ancestors, and to the ʻāina that provides for us.

At the center rests the makau, representing stewardship, conservation, and kuleana. The fishhook speaks to our ancestors’ sophisticated understanding of resource management and their attentiveness to the health of both land and sea. Oriented upward, the makau signifies readiness—preparedness grounded in knowledge and responsibility.

Interwoven throughout the design is the kalo pattern, honoring kalo as our ancestor and affirming our genealogical connection to Hāloa. This element represents cultivation, innovation, and sustainability—systems of care that have nourished our people for generations and continue to inform how we build for the future.

The interplay of wai and ʻāina, expressed through blue and green fields, reflects the inseparable relationship between water and land. This movement traces the journey of wai from the mountains, through the aquifers, and into the sea, underscoring a water-conscious worldview that is central to Hawaiian identity and survival.

This contemporary mark is more than a visual identity—it is a declaration of continuity. It affirms that by remaining grounded in ʻike kupuna and connected to our traditions, we move forward with the same intention, purpose, and thoughtfulness that have guided our people across generations.

Designed by U‘i Naho‘olewa

Keynotes & Panel Presentations

Pōʻalua (Tuesday), 17 Malaki

9:30 a.m. – Opening Keynote
ʻŌiwi Ē: Our Bones Remember, Our Voices Rise
Featuring Mehanaokalā Hind

10:30 a.m. – Educator of the Year Panel Presentation
Hana Noʻeau & Kuleana: The Work We Carry
Featuring Kapulani Landgraf, Keone Nunes, and Marques Hanalei Marzan

3:45 p.m. – Closing Talk Story
Be ALOHA
Featuring Dave Dunaway and Baba Akiona of Imua

Pōʻakolu (Wednesday), 18 Malaki

9:00 a.m. – Keynote Panel
Warriors Behind the Screen, Masters of the Art
Featuring ‘Umi Kai, Keone Nunes, and Pōhaku Stone

10:00 a.m. – Plenary Talk Story
Huli Ka Lima I Lalo
Featuring Kaina Makua

3:45 p.m. – Closing Keynote
Ke Kilo Lani
Featuring Robert Cazimero

Hana No‘eau Workshops

• ‘Apu & ‘Awa 
• Kāhili 
• Kākau Uhi Demonstration
• Kāpala: Block Printing 
• Ke Kilo Lani at Gallery ʻIolani
• Lei 
• Lā‘au Lapa‘au: Wai Kī
• Mea‘ai Hawai‘i - 
• P.I.L.I.N.A: People In Love with Investigating Nā Ahupua'a
• Pālau Kōhi
• Pena Ki‘i 
• Pōpō Lomi

Research & Practice Workshops

• A Healer In Every Home
• ALOHA Roots:
• Aligning Decision-Making, Behavior, and Relationships through Hawaiʻi Values
• Am I Hawaiian Enough?
• Banner Blues: Making It Work Anyway
• He Au Puni Palapala: Christo-Colonization and the Persistence of Missionary Linguistic Forms in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
• The Long Road Home: Ekolu’s Journey Through Incarceration and Healing
• Pehea Kou Piko?
• Pilina First: Integrating 'Āina, Indigenous Legacy, and Self-Reflection in a 6-Day College Success Framework
• Preparing for Hana No‘eau: Tools, Materials, and Timing