Hawaii's spirit of aloha helps restore a wildfire-damaged community
LAHAINA, Hawaii — It has been more than a month since wildfires swept across the historic city of Lahaina, but from the ashes of the disaster, the traditional spirit of aloha has given rise to a new spirit.
Native Hawaiians say they are not surprised to see neighbors, friends and families helping each other in the aftermath of the tragic fires — the deadliest in modern U.S. history — that have so far killed 115 people.
Aloha is perhaps one of the most recognized and used words in the world, even outside Hawaii — many businesses use it in their branding, goods and services.
"We see it on signage everywhere. We see it spoken all over the place," says Aleah Gomes Makuakāne, the culture and community engagement director at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC). "They used it as a marketing technique, a marketing tactic to really draw tourism here."
But there is more to the meaning of aloha, says Gomes Makuakāne.
After a natural disaster,
