SHA Conference 2025

Silent Auction

This year's Silent Auction is a fundraiser for SHA Student Scholarships 

and the UH Hilo Kūikapiko Anthropology Club

Sunday, October 12 to Saturday, October 18, 2025. All items close on October 18 at 8:30 pm. 

*Free shipping available for non-conference attendees who would like to bid

Enter your phone number or email below to register to bid and access the Silent Auction!

Our Sponsors

Mahalo nui loa to our wonderful sponsors!

Conference Details

37th SHA Conference, October 17-19, 2025

Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani, UH Hilo, Waiākea, Hawaiʻi

Hale ‘Ōlelo

113 Nowelo St, Hilo, HI 96720

Schedule Overview

Friday, October 17, 2025: Huaka‘i (see below) 

Friday, October 17, 2025, Evening: Welcome Reception and Keynote (complimentary pupu, beer, and wine), Grand Naniloa Hoʻomalimali Room, Hilo

Saturday, October 18, 2025: Papers and Presentations, Annual SHA Membership Meeting, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelilkōlani at
 University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (continental breakfast, coffee service, and lunch included)

Saturday, October 18, 2025, Evening: ‘Aha ‘Āina, Awards Presentations, and Silent Auction, at ‘Imiloa (dinner and entertainment provided)

Sunday, October 19, 2025: Papers and Presentations, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelilkōlani at
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (continental breakfast, coffee service, and lunch included)

Huakaʻi Information *Sign Ups have closed*

Huakaʻi Hele: Mai Hilo One A I Mokuola (Oct 17th, 8:45-11:30 am)

Join Lokelani Brandt of Hoaʻāina Heritage Services, LLC on a huakaʻi hele (walking tour) from Hilo One to Mokuola from 8:45-11:30 am. Along the way, participants will learn about the wahi pana and moʻolelo connected to this stretch of coastline. The walking tour will highlight the culture-historical significance of Hilo. Come prepared to walk, talk stories, and connect with the various places of this beautiful ʻāina. You may contact Lokelani Brandt via email at lbrandt@hoaainaheritage.com with questions.

Hiking the Puna Trail: exploring historic sites in an alaloa context (Oct 17, TBD)

Join Jackson Bauer, Hawai‘i Island Nā Ala Hele Program Manager, on walk along a 2.2 mile portion of the alaloa from Kaloli to Hāʻena, in the ahupua‘a of Kea‘au, Puna. This section of the alaloa has been in continuous use since time immemorial. Retrace Hi‘iaka’s steps exploring the significance of this portion of the alaloa and adjacent features. At Hāʻena, we will meet with the Shipman family and explore the historic fishpond and other features, from pre-contact through WWII. We will also discuss management strategies and community engagement to manage a recreational trail within a deep cultural context. Note: this an unimproved historic trail and is often muddy and wet. Parking is extremely limited, so carpooling is required. Details and a preparation list will be provided to registrants. Field trip capacity is 30 participants. Contact jackson.m.bauer@hawaii.gov with questions.

Kīlauea Lithic Block Quarry tour at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Oct 17th 11:00 am- 1:00 pm)

Join Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Cultural Resource Program Manager, Summer Roper Todd and HCSU Cultural Resource Associate, Daniel Anekelea Hübner on a tour of the Lithic Block Quarry located along the rim of  Kaluapele.  Kīlauea is a source of a rare, high-quality, dense, basalt rock that was sought out in the past by kahuna kākoʻi (adze makers) to manufacture (koʻi) adzes. During a post fire survey in 2001, park archaeologist discovered and documented numerous lithic workshops spanning a large area surrounding the summit. The source of the rock material and the adze manufacturing will be discussed while hiking a section of the Crater Rim Trail and observing quarry sites along the way. The hike is an easy walk and is less than a 1-mile round trip.  Reach out to Summer Roper Todd with any questions, summer_roper_todd@nps.gov.

Puʻu Huluhulu – Humu‘ula Ahupuaʻa, Hilo (October 17, 9:00am – 1:00pm)

Join Cheyenne Hiapo Perry on a visit to Kīpuka Pu‘u Huluhulu Native Tree Sanctuary and Nature Trail, a 38-acre protected reserve located directly across from the Mauna Kea Access road off of Saddle Road. The Pu‘u is a volcanic cone located near the center of the Island of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii and it is located on the southern side of Hawaii Route 200 (Daniel K. Inouye Highway, also known locally as Saddle Road). Puʻu Huluhulu is Hawaiian for hairy hill (puʻu=hill and huluhulu=hairy). A short hike to the top of the pu’u offers lovely views of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and is an excellent stopping point for checking out what a pristine native Hawaiian forest looks like. There is a network of trails maintained by Nā Ala Hele Trail and Access and created by the Youth Conservation Corps that traverses the small reserve, showcasing a surprising diversity of foliage, birds, and interesting geological features. The trails are well maintained and easy to navigate, and the short loops make this an especially good spot to hike with small children. The pu’u sits at 6,560 feet, so you can expect cooler temperatures, come join us to learn about the history, geology, and ecology of the area.  Special emphasis will be placed on the ahupua‘a (land division usually extending from the uplands to the sea) and ‘ano (Kind, variety, nature, character….) of these unique ecosystems, and linkages made to current management on Mauna Kea. CONTACT Cheyenne Hiapo Perry at chperry@hawaii.edu.

About the Conference

This year’s conference theme, “Ka manu kahea i ka wa‘a e holo” refers to "The bird that calls the canoe to sail." 

This is the kioea (bristle-thighed curlew), whose early morning call was often a signal to canoes to go fishing or traveling. Archaeology and Wahi Kūpuna Stewardship is a journey into the past, through the present, and towards the future. Like the lawai‘a, we who do this work hear the kahea and head out on our voyages of learning and connection. But what is the call that you hear, what draws you to this study of the past? Why is it important, and to whom? 

These questions have always mattered in our practice, but feel especially urgent now in this time of drastic changes — climate, political, technological, etc. For this year’s conference, we invite you to consider these questions about what makes archaeology your calling and encourage you to ask them of the past, present, and future of archaeology and wahi kūpuna stewardship as practiced both in Hawai‘i and by Hawaiians.  

About the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology

The Society for Hawaiian Archaeology was established in 1980 to:

• Promote and stimulate interest and research in the archaeology of the Hawaiian Islands
• Encourage a more rational public appreciation of the aims and limitations of archaeological research
• Serve as a bond among those interested in Hawaiian archaeology, both professionals and non-professionals, and aid in directing their efforts into more scientific channels as well as encourage the publication of their results
• Advocate and assist in the conservation of archaeological data
• Discourage unethical commercialism in the archaeological field and work for its elimination.

 SHA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

2025-2026 SHA Membership Info

At the last General Meeting of the Membership on October 19, 2024, the membership voted to change the SHA "membership year" to Oct. 1 – Sept. 30 to align with SHA’s fiscal year. We extended the 2024 membership year to the start of this new period. This means that 2024 members were active until Sept. 30, 2025. The next membership year will start October 1, 2025.  

 Several individuals renewed their memberships during the transition. If you have paid for membership in 2025 and were already a member in 2024, then you will automatically become a member for the 2025-2026 membership year starting October 1, 2025. If you were not a 2024 member and paid for membership after April 1, 2025, you will also automatically become a member for the 2025-2026 membership year starting October 1, 2025. We will be sending a notification email to all of those that have already signed up or been automatically renewed for the 2025-2026 membership year in mid-September.  

You can sign up for the 2025-2026 membership year via the conference registration platform

 There you can sign up for the conference AND membership by clicking one of the following options:

• Registration & SHA Membership
• Registration & SHA Membership – Student

 *For conference registration and a lifetime membership, please sign up for a lifetime membership (see below) and then register for the conference as a member.

 If you are not planning to attend the conference, you can simply sign up for a membership by clicking one of the following options on the conference registration platform:

• SHA Membership Only ($40)
• SHA Student Membership Only ($20)
• SHA Lifetime Membership Only ($500)

 Please contact membership@hawaiianarchaeology.org if you have any questions on the membership levels, seek clarification on your membership status, or need assistance with registration. For companies and institutions that would like to do bulk registration for their staff, please reach out to membership@hawaiianarchaeology.org for instructions.