It was as if Kohala had their own royal court with all the ceremonial groups attendant to the kingdom. The secret here is to provide a place and occasions for the cultural side of the community to perform. It was important to recognize their excellent work and see that they were encouraged to tie their work directly into the aspirations of the community. This required what I will call ceremonial leaders who understood what was auspicious or should be then planning the event to see that it happened. It is easy for a community to lose the sense that it is making progress over time.
News is a spot-based reporting system.
Sometimes news in a small town tends to read like gossip. But that gossip is the desired way for people to talk about what's important to them. One level more useful than the weather. In Kohala the continuity issue was solved when a small newspaper finally surfaced. The content was decidedly local style.