‘LAND OF FIRE AND WATER’ EDITORIAL BY JACK WATERLOT

For the cover of our new print issue, NATURE, photographer JACK WATERLOT turns his lens to Native Hawaiian communities and the traditions connecting land, identity and ancestral knowledge. Two figures anchor the story: the koa warrior, whose name evokes both courage and the native koa tree, and the hula kahiko practitioner, whose dance tells stories of ancestors, honours gods and keeps Hawaiian history alive. Together, they speak to traditions passed down through generations, living in movement, memory and a profound relationship with the natural world.

TEAM CREDITS:
creative direction and photography JACK WATERLOT
hula dancer MAHINA ORIAN
kumu (teacher) KEAHIKAAIOHELO KANAHELE
hālau (school) KALEO A KEAHILAPALAPA
talent JOSH MCCOLLUM CHARON
costume design & styling MAHINA ORIAN and KEAHIKAAIOHELO KANAHELE
historical costume design IRIS GIL VIACRUSIS
cultoral advisors and makers from NA HULU NO’EAU O KANILEHUA – KOA CHANG, ALAKA’I and GAY COVINGTON, KUMU
weapons production SOL APIO
location BIG ISLAND, HAWAI’I
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN