Despite the handful of benefits that relocation offers — less financial strain, wider access to housing, employment opportunities, and an overall lower cost of living — being in the continental diaspora presents significant challenges for Native Hawaiians. Many individuals struggle with the pressures of social assimilation, have trouble maintaining ties to their cultural identity, and feel obligated to navigate an entirely different cultural landscape with less access to the foods, traditions, languages, and values with which they were raised in Hawaiʻi. The children of diaspora families, some of whom are second- or even third-generation born away from the islands, face an additional set of challenges, not having lived experience or been born in Hawaiʻi like their parents or grandparents.

Exhibitions like DISplace, co-curated by Lehuauakea and Kanani Miyamoto and held at the Wing Luke Museum from 2025-2027, showcase these ongoing histories of displacement, diaspora, and community resilience grounded in cultural connection. Featuring artwork from Native Hawaiian artists now living in the Pacific Northwest, personal objects from community members, and recorded interviews with individuals in the diaspora contextualized by an in- depth historical narrative, DISplace highlights these often-overlooked experiences. Offering audiences a more nuanced look at the reasons why Hawaiians throughout history have chosen to relocate to the Pacific Northwest, projects like this grant visibility to the diaspora community while affirming their long-standing contributions to regional industry, cultural landscape, and mutual resilience.

As the diaspora continues to expand and more Native Hawaiians face growing obstacles to remain in Hawaiʻi, it becomes increasingly important to raise awareness of these experiences and work against displacement by building communities grounded in cultural traditions, affirmation, and empowerment. By supporting diaspora families and individuals of all ages, we’re able to strengthen our collective Native Hawaiian identity, regardless of where we call home.