Campus Engagement in Storied Places and Lived Spaces
Photo Story by Jalyssa Kamamo Atualevao
On September 26, 2025, the Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center (NHSC) hosted an event titled_ A Niu Crafternoon_ that was on its third installment due to popular demand. Guided by Puna native niu practitioner Kumu Mikey Kyser, we focused on the beginning steps of making wreaths out of the leaves of hala, also known as the pandanus tree. Kīpuka Hui Transfer student workers Kaleikukui Watson and Hoʻoli Cui-Yockeman brought some foliage and decorative attachments to further adorn our wreaths ahead of time for the wintry holidays coming ahead in December.
Guest speaker Kumu Michael W Kyser Jr. holding a wreath out of many that he had helped create at the A Niu Crafternoon event.
Hilo History Club President Antonio Miguel R. Vite and Photo Editor of Ke Kalahea Jalyssa Kamamo Atualevao showcasing their finished hala wreaths in elation
Just a day after in the evening of September 27, 2025, I was invited to a continual weekend gathering within the campus neighborhood to learn how to play Filipino Mahjong among friendly folks. With prior knowledge of Mahjong being limited to observing my Grandmother play Chinese Mahjong on the computer, it was a refreshing experience to physically hold onto the actual tiles and to learn certain Tagalog words that announce certain plays and matches. I also got to relish in Filipino spaghetti and homemade garlic focaccia for dinner as the night went on. I never won a game that night, but I observed a lot of beautiful and energizing plays that got me used to performing Mahjong with ease.
Intermission during an evening game of Filipino mahjong by nourishing our bodies with homemade garlic focaccia and other gifted pairings (not pictured)
Brief glance of the formation of Filipino mahjong on a table juxtaposed with a cheat sheet of sorts about the rules of the game
Lastly, on October 4, 2025, as a member of Hilo History Club, I was fortunately able to attend the Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival alongside students from classes IS 150: Kuleana and Community with Dr. Makana Kushi and Dr. Colby Miyose and HIST 284: History of Hawaiʻi taught by Dr. Kerri Inglis. There were two scavenger hunts happening for those that attended this event, one created by the Honokaʻa Heritage Center itself geared towards the historical insights of Honokaʻa Town, and the other one being a Hāmākua Bingo game made through the IS 150 course tended by Dr. Kushi and Dr. Miyose. Partnering up with Krystal Cazimero, another member of Hilo History Club, we were able to complete the Hāmākua Bingo scavenger hunt through photos in order for a blackout win.
In honor of their ancestor whom was a Filipino sugarcane plantation worker, the descendants of the Gacayan family walked in the 2025 Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival Parade down Māmāne Street amongst the other floats and vehicles present
Close up photo of the Gacayan family's patriarch who was a Filipino sugarcane plantation worker in the harsh and heated environment of Hāmākua when it was operated. He was found in one of the informational booths that was a part of the Hāmākua Fair, in which explained the history of the sugar plantation days from firsthand accounts, their descendents, and historical archival documents