Our Common Nature Hawai‘i: Yo-Yo Ma on Moloka‘i
Nov 12, 2025
Bernard Punikaiʻa, a musician and advocate who lived in Kalaupapa due to Hansen's disease, shares his powerful life story and the role of music in building community. Mikiʻala Pescaia, a Molokaʻi native and U.S. Park Service employee, explains the cultural significance of mana and leads listeners through sacred sites like the kukui grove. Together with reflections on Yo-Yo Ma's performance, they honor the resilience of Kalaupapa residents and discuss the importance of memory and memorialization.
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Mana As Persistent Energy
- Mana is an enduring energy in Hawaiian belief that survives death and fuels living acts.
- Mikiʻala Pescaia explains mana accumulates and returns to the land through burial and ritual.
Lanikaula Buried Under Kukui Trees
- Lanikaula was buried in secret and kukui trees were planted so his mana would nourish them forever.
- Mikiʻala led the hosts to that sacred grove to show how bones and roots connect energy to landscape.
Bernard's Childhood Removal
- Bernard Punikaiʻa was taken from Honolulu hospitals as a child after red spots were found and sent away.
- He remembered feeling like a specimen while nurses examined him and then being told he'd be admitted to Kalihi Hospital.