The Maui Relief Hat will be available on 8/30 at 5pm online and in store. 100% will be donated.
-Machus
"Land is not a commodity to be exploited, it is a relative that is respected and cared for and, who, in turn, cares for us. Mālama 'āina expresses our kuleana (responsibility) to care for the land and to properly manage the resources and gifts it provides " - Office of Hawaiian Affairs
I've been trying to find the right words to truly express how I feel, and the only word that comes to mind is devastated. Being born and raised on the Big Island and living in a little town on the east side called Hilo, I never thought I'd see something like this happen. I just read a story about Franklin Trjos (reported from Hawaii News Now). He was found dead in the backseat of his friend's hatchback on top of his best friend's 3 year old Golden Retriever Sam(who he loved like his own son). He shielded Sam from the destruction burning around him, and eventually passed protecting one of his best friends. When he was found, Franklin's body was in worse shape than Sam's, Franklin was 68 years old. As sad as this is, that's the spirit of Hawaii, that's the true meaning of Aloha.
I've been having mixed emotions, and I'd be lying if I said that one of them isn't anger. It breaks my heart to see people complaining about cancelling their trip to Maui, when my brothers and sisters are finding bodies of their loved ones. It breaks my heart to hear about realtors trying to leverage the situation and take the one thing that local Hawaiian people have, which is their land. It breaks my heart to see Hawaii consistently giving people that escape to paradise, but when shit hits the fan, people leave it alone. It breaks my heart to know that we don't learn from our mistakes in the past, and we continue to take from the place that I once called home.
We are taught at a very young age by our Kūpuna's in school that it is important to take care of the land, and to help our brothers and sisters when they are in need. There are very few moments in life where you feel so connected to something that when devastations happens, you will try anything and everything to help.
I am beyond blessed to be a part of the Machus family. The moment I brought this to Justin and Juline, they were 100% on board. It gives me hope that even though they didn't grow up in Hawaii, they know how to embody the Aloha spirit. With this hat, it shows how we can be strong together. The lauhala weaving process has been done for thousands of years in Hawaii. It's one of the strongest weaves with material from the land, and it's used for hats, baskets, and more. It stands for being strong together, and the weaving of our connections that we made with each other and with Hawaii. 100% will be donated to the relief efforts on Maui, and nothing will be kept by Machus. You don't have to purchase the hat if you want to donate, every little bit helps. Here are some websites that will go directly to the relief efforts on Maui:
For those that took the time to read this, I can't thank you enough. Please understand that this message wasn't intended to hurt anyone, it's just a plea for help. Thank you again, and I know that the Aloha spirit lives in all of us.
Thank You!
Sean - Manager at Machus