Kanaka Maoli are under constant threat of becoming exiles in their homeland. With the steady encroachment of development such as new luxury subdivisions on Moloka'i, high-rise condominiums in Waikiki, and new multi-million-dollar homes on the beaches of all the major islands, they are being pushed off their land and replaced by new wealthy migrants who can afford the high cost of living. As these and other development projects continually drive up land prices, many Kanaka Maoli struggle to manage the ever-expanding gap between salaries and the high cost of housing, whether buying or renting. For those who cannot manage to bridge this economic divide, their options are constrained: a family can find a way to make do, or they are forced to uproot themselves and follow the now well worn path to the continental United States. There is more than just an economic side to exile; for those who stay, the exile that they experience is cultural and spiritual as well as physical. In this article, the author explores how stories are one important strategy that Kanaka Maoli use to resist psychic and spiritual exile. The author argues that keeping alive the mo'olelo, the stories and histories that live and give life to the sacred places that surround them, is a necessary stopgap against continued encroachment of development of the 'aina, or land. (Contains 43 notes.)