Awareness, Education and Action: Hilo Event Highlights Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Māhū Organized by He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna and Going Home Hawaiʻi, the Event Uplifted Victims, Families, and Voices Silenced by Oppression

Awareness, Education and Action: Hilo Event Highlights Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Māhū

Organized by He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna and Going Home Hawaiʻi, the Event Uplifted Victims, Families, and Voices Silenced by Oppression

HILO, HAWAIʻI – He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna and Going Home Hawaiʻi hosted a powerful and emotional gathering on Monday, May 5 to honor the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Māhū (MMIWGM) and raise awareness about the urgent need for accountability, healing, and systemic change.

Held at the grassy strip outside Ross along busy Kanoelehua Highway during the evening rush hour, the event brought together community members, advocates, cultural practitioners, and families directly impacted by the crisis. Drawn together by shared pilina and kuleana, attendees honored those lost by calling attention to the disproportionate rates of violence faced by Native Hawaiian and other Indigenous women, girls, and māhū, through sign waving, data sharing, and personal testimony.

“Raising awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Māhū is vital to the existence of our lāhui,” said Dr. Dayna Schultz, one of the organizers. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that this does not happen in the islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, this remote location places us at a higher risk because of the heightened glamour of tourism in paradise.”

The event included oli, prayer, resource sharing and sign waving, creating space not only for remembrance, but for action and solidarity. Some participants shared deeply personal stories, bringing voice to those too often silenced.

Dr. Schultz, who is Lead Peer Mentor of He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana Oʻ Puna, a Community-Based Intervention Mentoring Program for Women, cited a 2022 report published by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs showing that Hawaiʻi ranks eighth highest in the nation for the rate of missing persons per capita.

The report also revealed that “the majority (43%) of sex trafficking cases are Kānaka Maoli girls trafficked in Waikīkī, O‘ahu.”

Jess Waiaʻu, who held a sign emblazoned “MĀHŪ LIVES MATTER,” said “Even within our lā hui and our Hawaiʻi context, while we are reclaiming the word māhū, I still believe that there is a lot of violence toward our māhū community.”

Waiaʻu also spoke about her organization, Kū Ānuenue. “We are a community of care for māhū and LGBTQ+ folks,” said Waiaʻu. “We really believe in creating safe spaces for the māhū community to come together and be in a sense of belonging and community.”

Aurora Leanillo came out for the second year in a row to honor her mother, who was murdered when she was three years old.

“I had to face challenges… without the comfort and care of a mother, but I was supported by the community and thatʻs how I started to succeed out of those challenges,” said Leanillo. “If you have a loved one who is missing or you are supporting this event, come out and share your moʻolelo with us.”

County of Hawaiʻi Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen also participated in the event and reflected on the community’s visible support. “Just by seeing the number of people out here today, people understand that this is an important issue,” he said.

“We have to bring awareness to issues that sometimes are overseen and overlooked,” Waltjen continued. “People sometimes look at our criminal justice system and feel that their needs aren’t being addressed. We want to make sure people feel like they have a voice.”

The Hilo MMIWGM gathering is part of a growing global and local movement that originated in indigenous communities in Canada to shed light on the crisis and to demand policy changes, better data collection, culturally grounded responses, and accountability for families.

“When Kanaka Ōiwi women, girls and māhū go missing in silence, their names also die in silence,” said Dr. Schultz. “We call on government, law enforcement, and media outlets to stand with us in changing that—to give these lives the visibility and urgency they deserve, just as they would for any other community.”

He Ho‘omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna and Going Home Hawaiʻi express gratitude to all who stood in solidarity, contributed their mana, and helped to create a space of truth-telling, remembrance, and resilience.

“It is our kuleana to be the light for our loved ones and shine even brighter to uplift our missing and murdered ʻohana,” said Dr. Schultz.

For more information, future events, or to get involved, please contact:

Renee Rivera, MSW

Co-Director, He Ho’omaka Hou Ana O’ Puna

(808) 557-3338