Mele Metaverse Mākeke is a free, ʻohana-friendly virtual gathering designed to strengthen Native Hawaiian economic opportunity, expand access to cultural practice, and create innovative pathways for connection across islands and the diaspora. By bringing practitioners, creatives, families, and wāhine-owned businesses together in an indigenized online marketplace, the event uses technology in service of culture. The Mākeke creates space for commerce, learning, and pilina that reflects Hawaiian values while removing barriers caused by distance, cost, and mobility.

The Mākeke takes place in a browser-based metaverse environment that uses technology to support Hawaiian ways of gathering. Attendees enter a walkable 2D space that encourages talk story, relationship building, and natural movement between vendors and activities. Proximity-based video and audio allow participants to meet, collaborate, and exchange resources in real time, creating an online experience that mirrors the social flow of an in-person market. This digital environment is lightly customized with Hawaiian-inspired visuals to evoke a sense of familiarity and belonging while remaining fully accessible from any computer or mobile device.