Mālie is the Hawaiian word for calm or smooth and is often used in songs to describe the Peacefulness of the Ocean. The history begins in 1984, when the first event of the Kauaʻi Mokihana Festival, with an emphasis on promoting contemporary Hawaiian culture, was planned. Named in honor of the highly treasured Mokihana flower and green berry grown only in Kauaʻi forests, the Kauaʻi Mokihana Festival began with a single event—the Kauaʻi Composerʻs Contest & Concert, and has carefully grown to include special cultural workshops, annual events in the spring, and a full festival week each September. In 1986, the Composerʻs Contest and Hula Competitions became a project of the Garden Island Arts Council, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. In June of 1999, the festival became independent of the arts council and in 2006 received its own IRS nonprofit 501(c)3 designation as Mālie Foundation.
