The University of Hawaiʻi’s Center for Oral History has received $538,000 in grants to launch four projects preserving the voices and experiences of Maui communities, with a strong focus on Lahaina wildfire survivors. Initiatives will record up to 100 hours of interviews and document cultural, environmental, and recovery-related histories.
- Four separate funded projects will document Lahaina fire survivors, water history, and broader Maui community experiences through recorded oral histories.
- The largest grant — $250,000 from the Maui Strong Fund — supports ‘Lahaina Memories,’ aiming to capture up to 100 hours of interviews with fire-affected residents.
- A $159,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant funds ‘Echoes of Wai,’ focusing on water history through 30 interviews in West and Central Maui.
- Projects emphasize community collaboration, training local educators and youth to conduct interviews alongside university researchers.
- The work is framed as contributing to Maui’s long-term cultural recovery and resilience following the August 2023 wildfires.
Source: Hawaii
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