Hāwane Rios

Hāwane Rios — Singer, Chanter, Protector of Mauna Kea

Born and raised in Puʻukapu, Waimea on the Island of Hawaiʻi, Hāwane Rios is a powerful Native Hawaiian singer‑songwriter, chanter, & activist deeply rooted in her kūpuna’s traditions. She carries her cultural lineage forward through mele (song), oli (chant), hula, and steadfast advocacy for aloha ʻāina and justice.

Cultural Roots & Mission

From an early age, Hāwane was nurtured in the arts of chant and dance—foundational practices that shaped her musical identity and spiritual life. Her work is not simply performance, but living moʻolelo, breathing meaning, memory, and purpose into every note.

She leads with a vision where art, land, and sovereignty intertwine, believing that song is a form of reclamation, spiritual resistance, and communal healing.

“The practice of oli is revolutionary and restorative. It is a reclamation of power in the form of sound and frequency. It is the practice of healing in motion and in action.” — Hāwane Rios

Activism & Mauna Kea Kiaʻi (Protector)

For more than a decade, Hāwane has stood on the frontlines of the Protect Mauna Kea movement, filing as a petitioner and sharing her voice, hula, and chant in courtrooms, protests, and community spaces. She supports Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, weaving her music into educational outreach, cultural resilience, and land defense.

Her mele often carry messages of sovereignty, connection to the land, respect for kūpuna, and the imperative to heal our relationship with ʻāina.

Musical Achievements

Winner, 2020 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award — Contemporary Album of the Year

• Multiple Big Island Music Awards
• Creator of Lift Project — Reclaiming Our Rightful Place in the Sacred House of Women, a chant training program rooted in kāne/ wahine healing arts, ceremony, and ancestral vocal practice

In her LIFT Project, Hāwane offers weekly chant classes for her Hale Haumea (hula school), culminating in ceremonial performances that reclaim ancient protocols tied to hula, chant, and the sacred feminine lineages.

Why We Honor Her

Support Local Hawaii is proud to feature Hāwane Rios as a Diamond Listing because she embodies what it means to be kanaka ʻōiwi in action: creating cultural resurgence, giving voice to ʻāina, and weaving art and activism into a path forward for Hawaiʻi.

Her story invites us to listen—to chant, to learn, to care—and to stand together in aloha for our land, our people, our future.

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