Puni Hokea (1953-2011) was a longtime community leader in Seattle. His full name was ’O Kana‘iaupuni Iwi'ula, and he was a Native Hawaiian spiritual leader and healer. In 1993 he founded the Kalama Foundation, which educated people about Native Hawaiian culture and medicine. Hokea worked as a health administrator at the Washington Department of Health, the Seattle Indian Health Board, the University of Washington, Group Health, and Sea Mar. Hokea also served as a member of the Commission on Asian American Affairs and the Seattle Parks Board. In addition, he was a founder of the Maple Leaf Community Council, which advocated for the neighborhood’s welfare and development. Among the Community Council’s achievements during Hokea’s leadership were scaling down zoning regulations to require off-street parking, building a bus terminal at Northgate, and persuading the city to install traffic circles on neighborhood streets to slow down traffic and avoid accidents.
This image shows Puni Hokea in 1993, during his ultimately unsuccessful campaign for a Seattle City Council seat. Hokea campaigned on diversity training for police, more public transit routes connecting different neighborhoods, city-funded community clinics, and incentives for businesses to stay in or move to Seattle.
Caption information source: “Farewell to Puni Hokea, creator of Maple Leaf community,” by Sara W, Maple Leaf Life, retrieved from https://mapleleaflife.com/2011/11/20/farewell-to-puni-hokea-creator-of-maple-leaf-community/ Caption information source: “A plan to boost Seattle’s self-esteem,” by Michael Paulson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 13, 1993, page C2. Caption information source: "’O Kana‘iaupuni Iwi'ula," Kalama Foundation, retrieved from https://www.kalama.org/aboutus.php
