Sharise Nālani Dudoit & Emma Patao of Lahaina

This recording is part of Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina, our 2025–2026 gathering of richly detailed talk-story recordings created to inform future public artwork, support collective healing, and provide trusted, community-informed guidance for the Lahaina Memorial Project. 

Here, Lahaina Intermediate School student Emma Patao sits with Sharise to reflect on her life in Lahaina, describing a profoundly connected community defined by its safety and multi-generational roots. She highlights the transition from a lush, green landscape once dominated by sugar plantations to a modern environment that has become increasingly arid and vulnerable. The narrative emphasizes the importance of family landmarks while celebrating a childhood of freedom where the town's geography felt like an extension of the home. Sharise characterizes Lahaina's identity through its unwavering spirit of aloha, portraying a culture that remains generous and welcoming despite the challenges of tourism and environmental change.