HI HR91

Honors Kumu Francis Palani Sinenci, a Native Hawaiian master builder from Hāna, Maui, for his contributions to revitalizing traditional hale-building (kūkulu hale) and masonry (uhau humu pōhaku) practices.

Recognizes his 1994 construction project at Helemano Elementary School that combined extensive research with ancestral knowledge to restore traditional building skills.

Acknowledges his creation of over 300 hale structures across the Hawaiian islands, including the Kauhale o Hāna and Hōlani Hāna cultural park, which serves as a training space for new practitioners.

Notes his leadership in developing the Indigenous Architecture Building Code, establishing a certification program for hale builders, and founding Hālau Hale Kuhikuhi school for hale building instruction.

Recognizes his receipt of the 2022 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and 2016 Malaikini Public Service Award (co-recipient with wife Esse Sinenci) for his three decades of cultural revitalization work.