Completed in eight days and led by haumāna (students) of the Kupa ʻĀina Summer Bridge Program (assisting recent Hawai’i Island high school graduates entering UH Hilo this fall) with kōkua from Ka Huliau (assisting students transferring from community colleges into UH Hilo), and Nā Pua Noʻeau summer programs at UH Hilo. The Kupa ʻĀina Summer Bridge Program was created under a partnership between Kamehameha Schools’ Extension Education Services Division and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

The Estria Foundation completed its first Mele Mural at the UH Hilo at the Hale Kauanoe residence hall. The Core Hui of students who led the first Mele Mural project also assisted with this second project. The mural content, like previous murals, was inspired by the moʻolelo and mele of Hilo. Students were taken on huakaʻi (excursions) to Waiānuenue and Peʻepeʻe to find their source of inspiration.

The Kumulipo, a genealogical chant, was also an inspiration of the first wall painted with the youth. The Kumulipo is a comprehensive depiction of cosmic relationships provides a foundation for understanding Hawaiian perspectives on many aspects of life. The elements from the Kumulipo were transferred to the four additional walls of the Hale ‘Ikena building that encompassed this second Mele Murals project on the university’s campus.