The Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) announced today the award of $1 million in grants to six Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) to implement the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act. The funding aims to enable Indigenous communities to participate in national tourism goals while enhancing native tourism, empowering native communities, and expanding cultural tourism opportunities.

“NATIVE Act funding is critical to bolstering Indigenous heritage and cultural tourism opportunities, which also supports the socio-economic empowerment of the Native Hawaiian Community,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget Joan Mooney. “We’re excited to partner with these six organizations in sharing cultural heritage across their communities and with all Americans.”

The Hawaiian value of hōʻihi (respect), reflected in the ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb), “E hōʻihi aku, e hōʻihi mai,” meaning “show respect, get respect,” represents a core principle of ONHR’s Heritage Opportunities in Hawaiʻi (HŌʻIHI) program. This principle encourages visitors to be welcomed as guests with a shared kuleana (responsibility) to preserve Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and cultural practices.

Since 2021, ONHR has administered NATIVE Act funding for the Native Hawaiian Community. The HŌʻIHI program has supported visitor programs that showcase the heritage, places, art, foods, traditions, history, and continuing vitality of the Native Hawaiian Community.

“The HŌʻIHI grant puts Native Hawaiian culture and traditions at the forefront of Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry while providing opportunities to experience Hawaii's natural and cultural resources to foster appreciation,” said Keala Fukuda, HŌʻIHI Grant Manager with the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations. “This year’s awardees are great examples of Hawaiʻi’s overall shift towards regenerative tourism.”

The six NHOs awarded HŌʻIHI grants in 2024 are:

- **Hawaiʻi Island Land Trust**: Mahukona Navigation and Ecological Complex project supporting an 'āina-based education curriculum specific to Mahukona.

- **Hui Makaʻāinana o Makana**: Maliu Mai a Pono: Balance-making in Hāʻena State Park project supporting visitor engagement and resource management.

- **Koa ʻIke**: Hoʻolakou Ia Kakou economic development program for Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and small business owners.

- **Kumano I Ke Ala O Makaweli**: Kulāiwi Connection Project restoring native forests and food systems in Makaweli, Kauaʻi.

- **Mana Maoli**: Mana ʻIke Kuʻuna: The Power of Traditional Knowledge project using music and media for community education on cultural practices.

- **Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association**: Hoʻokipa Hawaiʻi project showcasing practitioner knowledge through professional development culminating in a two-day showcase in Waikiki.

For more information about the HŌʻIHI Grant Program and ONHR, please visit ONHR’s website.