Stop Stealing Our Pua: Why Picking Flowers in Hawaiʻi Isn’t Just Rude — It’s Disrespectful
In Hawaiʻi, flowers — or pua — are everywhere. They bloom beautifully along the roadside, in people’s yards, and at sacred sites. For many visitors and even some locals, it might seem harmless to pluck a flower for a selfie, a lei, or to take home. But here’s the truth: stealing pua in Hawaiʻi is not okay.
Pua Are Not Just Pretty — They Are Sacred
In Hawaiian culture, pua hold deep meaning. They’re not just decorations — they are a vital part of ceremonies, spiritual practices, and healing traditions. A single blossom might be intended for:
A lei for a loved one’s funeral
An offering to ʻaumākua (ancestral spirits)
A lūʻau or hula performance
Lāʻau lapaʻau, or traditional Hawaiian medicine
A memorial or healing space
When you pick a flower that doesn’t belong to you — especially without knowing its purpose — you’re potentially disrupting something sacred. It’s not just a flower. It could be part of someone’s grief, healing, or prayer.
It’s Not Just Cultural — It’s Personal
Many residents plant flowers in memory of loved ones or care for rare native species that are already under threat. Some of the flowers you see growing along trails or rural roadsides aren’t wild — they’re intentionally planted and nurtured by families or cultural practitioners.
Would you walk into someone’s yard and take a flower off their grandmother’s grave? Probably not. But when you pluck pua from places that aren't yours, that’s essentially what you might be doing — whether you realize it or not.
If You Love Hawaiʻi, Respect It
It’s easy to say “I love Hawaiʻi,” but love without respect is hollow. Showing aloha means understanding that not everything is meant for you to take. Some things are meant to be left untouched, to be appreciated without being possessed.
So next time you’re tempted to pick a flower from a bush, tree, or roadside in Hawaiʻi, pause and ask yourself:
Is this my flower to take?
Do I know what this pua is meant for?
Am I honoring or harming this place by removing it?
Here’s How You Can Malama (Care For) Hawaiʻi:
Buy flowers or lei from local farmers and lei makers.
Ask permission if you're unsure.
Learn about native plants and their significance.
Practice aloha ʻāina — love for the land — by leaving it better than you found it.
Let’s protect the beauty of this place — not just for the photos, but for the people, the culture, and the generations who come after us.
Pua are not yours to pick.
Respect the flower. Respect the culture. Respect Hawaiʻi.
