Stay updated with breaking news from Wo Hing Museum. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
To the outside world there has been no more vivid symbol of the storied history of Lahaina, and its potential for rebirth, than a 150-year-old banyan tree in the center of town whose scarred branches are now, nearly three months after a devastating wildfire, sprouting new, green leaves.
Native Hawaiians are demanding that their place in the town’s history be at the forefront of a future Lahaina.
LAHAINA, Hawaii — To the outside world there has been no more vivid symbol of the storied history of Lahaina, and its potential for rebirth, than a 150-year-old banyan tree in the center of town whose scarred branches are now, two months after a devastating wildfire, sprouting new, green leaves. The tree’s image adorns “Lahaina Strong” logos on T-shirts and coffee mugs for sale by online merchants. And when President Joe Biden visited Maui after the fire, he pointed to the tree as a metaphor for
The wildfire that devastated Lahaina wiped out many vestiges of the town’s past. Conservators are racing to recover what they can.
Theo Morrison has been a staunch advocate for the restoration of historic buildings and the preservation of Maui history, through her work as executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation for the past 15 years. Morrison, once a fiber artist creating baskets from a variety of natural materials, has helped to successfully weave the stories of Lahaina’s past into an amazing tour through history. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota conducts this People of Maui interview.