Hale Ohana: Hukilau mural by Matt Alisa

The beautiful mural – comprising of the three middle panels along the back of Hale Ohana was created by local Laie artist, Matt Alisa. It is representative of the Hukilaus held at the nearby Hukilau Beach in the early 1960s. These Hukilaus, which is a community fishing activity that utilizes many people pulling a very long, very strong net through the surf in order to gather a variety of fish. These activities were used by locals to raise funds for the local Church College (now BYU-H). Matt’s representation takes you through the entire activity. The panel on the left shows the imu and food preparation. The man with the long stick is spreading the hot rocks so that they can place the pig and other items inside the imu. The scene continues into the right panel where the men are bringing in baskets of fish being gathered behind them. You will also notice other food items in various stages of preparation along the front of the painting.

Matt, whose art work graces many buildings and homes, including the Hawaii Convention and Visitor’s Center and the Mid Pacific Institute, both in Honolulu, was literally given 4 weeks to complete this mural. Because he was also working on a large mural on the other side of the island during the daytime, he only had evenings to accomplish this beautiful work. With the help of two daughters, he was able to complete the assignment on time, leaving us with a historical and artistic look at our luau history. The mural is an acrylic, sealed with varnish.