Pia (Tacca leontopetaloides) Polynesian arrowroot Growing to around 3 feet tall, pia was brought to Hawaiʻi as a canoe plant and once cultivated with other canoe plants such as maiʻa (banana), kī (ti leaves), and kō (sugarcane) around loʻi kalo (wetland taro fields) It was primarily grown for its tuber, from which a starch powder could be made that was used as a thickener for cooking and medicines, similar to cornstarch. One of the best uses for pia, in our opinion, is to combine the starch with coconut cream and some kō (sugarcane) then bake, boil or steam to make haupia 😋Yum! Like ginger or ʻōlena (turmeric) the leaves of the pia plant will die down in the winter, remaining dormant until spring. #ManoaHeritageCenter #CanoePlants #Pia #PolynesianArrowroot #TaccaLeontopetaloides #FridayFlower #FridayFlora #FlowerFriday #FloraFriday

Give Western-style papermaking a try at one of our Intro to Paper mini-sessions! 📜 If you love it, you can sign up for a full 3-hour Saturday class. More information and registration is available on our website (linked in our bio) or visit bit.ly/mhcminipaper #ManoaHeritageCenter #MHCPaperClub #HollanderBeater #IntroToPapermaking #WesternStylePapermaking #MouldAndDeckle

Looking for an educational activity for your kids? "Papa Hoʻōla" is a 6-week program by @ho.ola.music that teaches youth Hawaiian values through Hawaiian music, culture and the arts. Register at on our website, linked in bio, via the Event Calendar located in the top menu. #ManoaHeritageCenter #HoōlaMusicAndCulturalArts #PapaHoōla #HawaiianCulture #HawaiianValues #HawaiianMusic #HawaiianArts #ProgramsForStudents #EducationalPrograms #MusicPrograms

Happy Aloha Friday! 💚 We have some free ‘ulu available for pick up today, just make sure to call first 🤙🏽 #Ulu #Breadfruit #FreeFoodFriday #ManoaHeritageCenter #FridayFreebees #ManoaValley

Just an FYI that our phones are down today so the best way to reach us will be by email 💚 Mahalo!

Some shots from our gardens on this Aloha Friday! 💚 The ʻAkoko up by Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau is blooming, and the Pia in our Kaʻahaʻaina Garden will be blooming soon. The white agapanthus lilies in Monte’s white garden are showing their flowers along with the pāpala kēpau on the Hogan house lawn. Lastly, our kō is growing strong. #ManoaHeritageCenter #NativeHawaiianPlants #FloraFriday #FridayFlora #ManoaValley

Join private chef Sayuri Cockey to learn about TENRO, a cooking method using all natural ingredients for restoration of body, mind, and spirit. Sayuri has been a private chef for 4 years and owner of the restaurant Aisunao in Naoshima, Japan since 2001. You can find more information about her and about TENRO at her website: www.leai.space Find more info and registration at bit.ly/sayuri623. You can also find it on the event calendar on our website (link in bio). #ManoaHeritageCenter #ManoaValley #MaKaHanaKaIkeWorkshop #LearnByDoing #CookingWorkshop #AllNaturalIngredients #TENRO

"Papa Hoʻōla" is a program by @ho.ola.music that teaches youth Hawaiian values through Hawaiian music, culture and the arts. Here is a little bit about the kumu, Kauʻionālani Mead: Kauʻi was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and grew up in her family home in Mānoa. After graduating from Sacred Hearts Academy, she received her BA in Music with an emphasis on voice from UH Mānoa. Her love for music and Hawaiian Culture took her into education and teaching keiki throughout the state in various capacities. Because of this, she went back to UH Mānoa to get her Master's Degree in Educational Foundations focusing on Multicultural Education. Not only is she a teacher, but Kau'i has also starred in various musical productions and on stage. She lives her faith out loud and loves when people are free to be everything they were designed to be. In 2016, Kauʻi created Hoʻōla Music and Cultural Arts, a non-profit that has many different avenues to explore. Her desire is to make Hawaiʻi great by providing different music and education programs, such as songwriting and 'ukulele, in every community and reaching one child at a time. Register on our website linked in our bio or go to bit.ly/mhchoola #ManoaHeritageCenter #HoōlaMusicAndCulturalArts #PapaHoōla #HawaiianCulture #HawaiianValues #HawaiianMusic #HawaiianArts #ProgramsForStudents #EducationalPrograms #MusicPrograms

It is with great sadness and appreciation that we relay to you that our founder, Mary Moragne Cooke, passed away on Saturday, June 25th, 2022. Mary has passed along a baton of stewardship, giving back to the community with the utmost grace and humility that we can all carry forward. Memorial plans for her will be arranged later this year when, hopefully, COVID conditions subside. Mary M. Cooke dedicated her life to community service and to the Hawaiʻi that she loved so much. In addition to founding Mānoa Heritage Center with her late husband Sam Cooke, Mary founded Mālama Mānoa in the early 1990s. She served as a Trustee for Punahou School, the National Trust for Historical Preservation and as President of the Garden Club of Honolulu. We are so very grateful to you Mary and will miss you from the bottom of our hearts.