Hoʻākea Source 2026 Grant Awardees

Hale ʻUla

Enoka Phillips
2026 Visual Art Grant Recipient

Hale ʻUla is a small-scale feathered structure that serves as both sculptural installation and research foundation for a future large-scale feathered temple. Constructed from woven ʻieʻie (rattan) and entirely thatched with feathers, the Hale investigates the structural, material, and ceremonial potential of feathered architecture. Inspired by ancestral feathered kiʻi and sacred forms associated with Kūkaʻilimoku, it functions as an embodied image with presence. Through cultural research, material experimentation, and community-based featherwork practices, this phase establishes the groundwork for a monumental iteration of Hale ʻUla in the future.

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Enoka Phillips is a Native Hawaiian visual artist specializing in Hawaiian featherwork. From Lahaina, Maui, and now based in Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, his work bridges ancestral craftsmanship with contemporary storytelling. Through the meticulous practice of Hulu Hana, Phillips transforms feathers into portals—vessels that explore memory, lineage, ecology, and identity.

His practice is both discipline and devotion—an act of grounding, healing, and cultural continuity. Drawing from native bird histories, Hawaiian moʻolelo, and personal narrative, Phillips uses repetition and assemblage to transform small, delicate feathers into powerful sculptural forms. For him, lei hulu is more than adornment—it is a living archive, a love language, and a bridge between past and present.