HVNP to Celebrate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

To commemorate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has created new digital features, tours, and tools for visitors to connect with Hawaiian culture. The new features include web content about the cultural significance of park landscapes and new self-guided tours on the free National Park Service (NPS) App.

Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans have a rich heritage that has shaped the history of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

“Just as the volcanic and biologic features of the land have formed Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, so too have the people who have been a part of its history and sacred landscapes. We are thrilled to share these places and their stories with enriching and exciting new tools such as the NPS App,” said Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh.

Virtual visitors to the park website can learn more about culturally significant park places, the many and varied cultural sites contained within its boundaries, as well as some of the moʻolelo connected to them. Moʻolelo are stories, myths and legends that are part of the cultural fabric of Hawaiʻi.

Visitors to the park have new ways to learn and explore with six self-guided tours on the NPS App. Created by park rangers with visitors in mind, the NPS App gives the public up-to-date information about not only Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, but all 423 national parks in one easy-to-use app. Visitors can download the NPS App in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store to plan a trip, find places to view the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea, use interactive features, and download maps and self-guided tours ahead of time.

In addition to the web content and NPS App, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes joins the Pacific Island national parks on social media throughout May to share posts that highlight the special pilina (interconnections) between culture, human history, and traditions.

While on a visit to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, the public is reminded to recreate responsibly, follow park safety guidelines and wear masks while inside all federal facilities and outside where physical distancing cannot be maintained.