Pacific Arts: The Journal of the Pacific Arts Association

In 2022, Edith Kekuhikuhipuʻuoneonāaliʻiōkohala Kenao Kanakaʻole (1913–1979) was selected to be featured on a U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters program, a collaboration between the United States Mint, the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Museum (AWHM), the National Women’s History Museum, and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of American Women to a variety of fields. In 2023, the United States Mint and the AWHM partnered with Hawaiʻi Community College, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation to organize a celebration of the quarter’s release. Collectively titled E Hō Mai Ka ʻIke: Celebrating the Launch of the Edith Kanakaʻole Quarter, the two-day event (May 5–6, 2023) showcased the vitality and innovative forms of contemporary Native Hawaiian visual and performing arts—a testament to Aunty Edith’s enduring legacy as it continues on through her descendants and students today.