Commissioned Artists
Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina & Malia Osorio
Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 12, xxii.
Abstract
This section introduces the artists who created the cover and section art for No ka Pono o ka Māhui.
COVER PORTRAITURE: He Pae Māhū by Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina (@mahucha_art)
Kahikina’s cover figures reflect the diverse embodiments of māhū, all descendants of our shared ancestor, the ʻāina. As its progeny, each Kanaka expresses the mystique and majesty of ʻāina in distinct ways. With the ao ʻōnohi behind them, the light of Kānehoalani reveals the sinewy shadows of ʻāina—bodies shaped by the elements that define Kanaka past, present, and future.
COVER AND SECTION ART: Kino Lau of the Māhūi by Malia Osorio (@malialia)
Osorio’s pieces draw on symbols invoked throughout this issue: the sea-hovering red mist of Lāʻieikawai, signaling the birth of a pae māhū; the pali laumania, a lush and solitary cliff where māhū are sustained by ancestral rains; and the god-summoned winds that gather into new cloud forms on the horizon, carrying forward ʻike and signaling our futures.
Recommended Citation
Kahikina, K., & Osorio, M. (2026). Commissioned Artists. Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 12, xxii.
