However, if we want to see positive change in our community, one of the most powerful ways we can make this happen is by showing up, casting our ballots, and voting individuals of character into office who will represent the people and communities they serve with transparency and integrity.

If you have not already registered to vote, there is still time. Legal residents, 18 years or older, can register to vote right up to Election Day (August 8 for the primary).

Voting is one way to show that we care about our community and our ʻāina – and it is the only way that we can make sure that the people who are making the laws that govern Hawaiʻi are representing the needs and concerns of regular people – not just the wealthy, special interest groups, or lobbyists.

Strong Native Hawaiian Representation in This Year’s Election

Over 300 candidates filed to run in the 2026 Hawaiʻi election, and this year, representation from the Native Hawaiian community is impressive. A third of the all the candidates, about 90 individuals, identify as Native Hawaiian. Some are first time candidates younger than 40, who are leaders in their respective communities.

Of special note is the emergence this year of a new coalition called Moho ʻĀina which has adopted a standard of Hawaiian values and practices for Hawaiʻi politicians. It is not a political party but a hui of 13 political candidates.

Moho is a political candidate or representative, and ʻāina is the land or that which feeds. The members refer to themselves as moho ʻāina – candidates who have drafted strategies to make Hawaiʻi better in areas of education, housing, aloha ʻāina, agriculture, keiki and kūpuna care, healthcare and in the economy.

Some of their general objectives include decreasing the DHHL blood quantum requirement, demilitarization, changing place names (like Hawaiʻi Kai or Pearl City) back to their original names, reducing violence in communities, and reducing traffic fatalities. All of these issues have been raised before in politics but have only seen incremental – or no – improvements.

Nā Hoa Moho ʻĀina (friends of Moho ʻĀina), are a group of 11 additional candidates, some Native Hawaiian and some not, who align with the hui’s objectives and actions.

You can learn more about these candidates, and their objectives and values, at mohoaina.com.

The post 2026 Primary Election Updates appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

Beneficiary Services Agent Kauʻikeaolani Wailehua was honored for her 25 years of service to the organization. She was the longest serving among the staff who were recognized this year.

Two OHA staff retiring on December 31 were also recognized.

Beneficiary Services Agent Roy Newton has been the backbone of OHA’s Maui office for 28 years. He has devoted countless hours to community outreach, talking with people, listening to their needs and offering support with genuine care and humility. He is also an ordained kahu and serves at Maluhia Church, continuing his lifelong commitment to uplifting others.

Compliance Manager Kai Markell has worked in various positions at OHA over the past 21 years. His expertise has shaped decisions on hundreds of projects, court cases, repatriations, iwi kūpuna protections, and preservation efforts. Outside of work, Markell is known for his captivating online storytelling and photography.

Newton and Markell are both bearers of valuable institutional knowledge and experience which they have shared with those who will carry on their work going forward.

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OHA’s 2025 fourth quarter (October, November, and December) Alakaʻi Awards were also presented that evening. Each quarter, Alakaʻi Awards are presented to an employee and a supervisor who embody the organization’s values through their actions, leadership and decision-making. A peer-nominated award, it recognizes individuals who demonstrate commitment to OHA’s mission and who consistently go “above and beyond.”

Fourth quarter Alakaʻi Award recipients were Director of Economic and Business Resilience Poni Askew who received the supervisor award, and Ka Wai Ola News Publications Editor Puanani Fernandez-Akamine, who received the employee award.

Fernandez-Akamine was also named the 2025 Alakaʻi Award Outstanding Employee of the Year. Colleagues say she inspires excellence, pono living, and ethical integrity. Her writing and editing skills have established an enduring legacy of outstanding journalism and storytelling for OHA, exemplified by Ka Wai Ola’s numerous awards from the Indigenous Journalists Association.

Interim Director of Land and Integrated Assets Lori Walker was named 2025 Alakaʻi Award Outstanding Supervisor of the Year. Described as an accessible leader who models excellence and humility, under her leadership OHA has secured millions in project funding, and she has boosted lease revenues to advance land acquisition and development initiatives.

All awardees recognized on December 19 were noted by their nominators as being inspirational and dedicated employees.

The end-of-year holiday gathering celebrated the ʻOHAna with aloha, music, pilina, and a donation drive to support two Hawaiian-serving nonprofit organizations: Pūʻā Foundation and Makana o Ke Akua.

The post Recognitions, Awards and an ʻOHAna Holiday Celebration appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

Their collaborative business model featured locally made Hawaiian fashion, art, clothing, cultural items made from wood, stone, bone, shell and materials from the ʻāina, food products like Mamaki tea, beauty products, hula implements, Hawaiian books and other mea (things) made in the islands.

Nā Mea was always a collective effort intended to support small businesses, farmers, practitioners, artists, writers and the makers of Hawaiian things. In perpetuating traditional values and communal practices, their business model was more about sharing than financial gain and about instilling pride in the culture and community rather than commodifying it.

This model attracted people who also valued participating in a shared economy – like some retailers who are working for causes bigger than money.

“David Shepard is a scientist and conservationist who initially sold shirts out of the back of his car. And Hawaiian Force got popular really fast but their main focus is to support PKO (Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana),” Meyer said, emphasizing the altruistic nature of these businesses.

Each business has different goals and sharing a value system allows for flexibility in supporting each one. Nā Mea’s retailers and makers range from small start-ups looking to create a stable income to those who have reached their goals and everything in between.

In the spirit of community, Nā Mea added activities and a Kīpuka Makerspace to bring people together to learn lauhala, featherwork and lei-making.

Nā Mea Hawaiʻi has cultivated a Hawaiian way of doing business by working collaboratively in a sharing economy rather than a profit margin. This past June, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) purchased Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and plans to carry that legacy forward.

“CNHA is committed to honoring Maile’s vision and continuing her decades-long work of uplifting Native Hawaiian makers, learners, and practitioners,” said Max Mukai, CNHA’s director of business development.

“They are the right amplifier of Nā Mea’s value system in supporting local businesses and start-ups,” Meyer added enthusiastically. “They have been a steppingstone for so many businesses.”

Meyer remains actively involved with Nā Mea Hawaiʻi under CNHA as a consultant to guide the transitional process and ensure that the Na Mea brand’s legacy, values, and cultural integrity are upheld.

It has only been a few months, and CNHA has already expanded the brand reach, launching into the Hawaiʻi’s Finest Summer Expo and acquiring and moving into a second retail space at Bishop Museum’s Shop Pacifica.

“The museum provides an opportunity to reach even more audiences and deepen engagement through programming that celebrates Native Hawaiian culture, storytelling and craftsmanship,” said Mukai.

Bishop Museum is anticipating stronger brand alignment between Shop Pacifica, the museum and the possibility of exclusive merchandise created in collaboration with local artists, makers, and cultural practitioners inspired by the museum’s collections.

“We saw in CNHA not just a capable retail operator, but an organization that puts community at the center of everything they do,” said Brandon Bunag, Ed.D., Bishop Museum vice president of public programs and interim director of education. “CNHA is a natural partner for us because of the deep alignment between our missions and their community focus.”

Shop Pacifica will also be a space for workshops, product showcases, and cultural events that will turn the shop into a place for gathering and learning.

“Bishop Museum is a natural fit to uplift businesses that have been long standing vendors with Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, The Mākeke, and our KūHana business accelerator,” said Mukai.

“Together in one space, visitors and kamaʻāina are offered a curated selection of local fashion, accessories, snacks, memorabilia, and more.”

Nā Mea Hawaiʻi’s brand is now a part of CNHA’s integrated business and ecomonic support programs that offer entrepreneurial training, business loans, retail opportunities and cultural education. Individuals can potentially work their way through the various multifaceted programs, gain valuable information and life experience, and eventually create a thriving business venture of their own.

CNHA is working to build more capacity to support and establish a larger presence of Native Hawaiian businesses in the marketplace, reaching visitors and the local community on a larger scale.

Local and Native Hawaiian-owned businesses interested in participating in CNHA’s larger marketing presence can fill out a vendor application at themakeke.com.

The post Nā Mea Hawaiʻi: A Model for Hawaiian Business appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

Locally, there were a few significant changes determined by this year’s election. One was the defeat of longtime House Speaker Rep. Scott Saiki (District 25) by Kim Coco Iwamoto who beat Saiki in the primary with 49% of the votes. This new dynamic will significantly shift things in the House and in the community.

Another change was the decisive loss of Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Mitch Roth after just one term to Dr. Kimo Alameda who garnered 51.2% of votes.

Low voter turnout has long been a concern for the state and, according to media commentary, one reason is a lack of participation by Native Hawaiians. However, there is no data to support that.

Hawaiʻi does not have any election data defining the Hawaiian voter. ʻImi Pono surveys asking Native Hawaiians about their community and civic engagement show that the Hawaiian community practices both kuleana and community engagement in leadership and politics at the same rate, and in some instances are more engaged, than the average Hawaiʻi resident.

In areas where Native Hawaiians are a majority, the turnout of registered voters was consistent with other precincts across the state.

In areas like Anahola and Kekaha (Kauaʻi), Waimānalo and Waiʻanae (Oʻahu), Hāna (Maui), the island of Molokaʻi, and Hilo (Hawaiʻi Island), most residents are described as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

The number of Native Hawaiians living in any given community (according to census data), does not necessarily reflect the number of registered voters from that community that are Native Hawaiian. However, if 70% of the population on the Waiʻanae Coast is Native Hawaiian, and voter turnout is 50% of registered voters, it is safe to assume that most of those voters are Native Hawaiians.

Voter turnout by county was consistent across the pae ʻāina: Hawaiʻi (51%); Honolulu (58%); Kauaʻi (57%); and Maui (55%).

And voter turnout in communities where Native Hawaiians are the residential majority reflected a similar pattern: Anahola and Kekaha, Kauaʻi (53%); Hāna, Maui (53%); Keaukaha, Panaʻewa, Kaikoʻo and Kealakehe, Hawaiʻi Island (60%); Molokaʻi (53%); Waiʻanae Coast, Oʻahu (50%); and Waimānalo, Oʻahu (55%).

Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) trustees are elected every two years by voters across the state. Even though these are elected offices voted on statewide, OHA trustee candidate races and issues do not get the same kind of media attention as does the governor’s race – the only other elected office voted on by all Hawaiʻi citizens. In most cases, OHA candidates do not have the budgets or staffing to run statewide political campaigns.

As a result, about 40% of ballots for the OHA races were left blank. In Native Hawaiian majority precincts, blank votes account for 20-35% of votes. On average, voters in Native Hawaiian majority precincts on Hawaiʻi Island averaged 48% blank votes for the OHA trustee races for Molokaʻi/Lānaʻi and Kauaʻi/Niʻihau.

According to general election results by county, communities generally voted for the incumbent OHA trustee from their respective regions. The only exception was the Molokaʻi/Lānaʻi race. Across all counties and districts, voters fluctuated between incumbent Luana Alapa and challenger Kūnani Nihipali. While Alapa ultimately prevailed at the polls, among voters from Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, Nihipali received more votes.

In a noteworthy development, former U.S. Congressman Kaialiʻi Kahele won more than 50% of votes in the August Primary Election in August for the Hawaiʻi Island trustee seat vacated by Mililani Trask, who decided not to run for re-election. Kahele’s return to public service via OHA will add a new dynamic to the nine-member board.

As Hawaiʻi moves into the future, small leadership changes have the potential to recalibrate the balance of politics in Hawaiʻi and to advance – or hinder – the lives and needs of the people in our community.

Going forward, effort should be made on both sides to build pilina (relationship) between elected officials and their constituents. Developing pilina with lawmakers – understanding who they are and what they stand for – can help to equip and engage voters during election time.

Having an informed, engaged electorate is the best way to advocate for the changes we want and need in our community. And active community engagement in the political process helps lawmakers to better understand the needs and challenges of their constituents – and to help find actual solutions and develop laws and policies that improve the quality of life for all citizens of Hawaiʻi.

The post Hawaiian Voters on Par With the State appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

What was only supposed to be a small, one-time pop-up market has grown to an annual event with over 100 vendors and a mission to not only build a thriving ʻŌiwi economy, but to do it while elevating Hawaiian culture and giving back to the community.

Kailee Freitas, owner of Mahina Made, a lifestyle brand, got her business off the ground by participating at various markets featuring local crafters and small businesses. She enjoyed engaging with customers, the networking with other vendors, and the whole event feel.

About five years ago, she was inspired to put together a market specifically featuring businesses who were creating nā mea Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian products) or intentionally using their businesses to elevate the Hawaiian culture.

“I didn’t know how to run a market. I’d never run one before, just participated in them,” Freitas said. “And I was like, let’s just do a small market.”

Freitas thought it would be fun to hang out with other business owners who shared the same cultural values and network. Held in Waikīkī, their first event was promoted primarily on social media and featured just 30 local vendors.

“We filled the parking lot before the event even started. It was absolutely insane,” Freitas recalled.

Over 3,000 people attended the first Hoʻomau Market. Because of the enthusiastic response, Freitas felt compelled to continue the effort and plan another market – and so Hoʻomau Market continued to grow.

This month, the largest Hoʻomau Market yet – with over 100 vendors, 83% of which are Native Hawaiian-owned businesses – will be held Nov. 9 and 10, at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Waikīkī.

An ʻOhana Effort

“I attended the first few Hoʻomau Market events as a customer,” said Leilani Sill, owner of apparel business, The Keiki Dept. “The energy and feeling of aloha the minute you enter – it’s just incredible! From set-up to the event itself to breakdown, it feels like family. Like a big get-together.”

Hoʻomau Market is managed by Freitas’ family and close friends. Her core team includes her “Aunties of Aloha” and her mother-in-law, who help with ticket sales, greeting customers, and making sure everyone is enjoying themselves.

Her husband, Logan Freitas, helps vendors unload and find their booths, while her friend, Kanoe Tjorvatjoglou-Cup Choy, serves as the market’s vivacious emcee, spotlighting the vendors and giving-away items. Her mom is assigned to “keiki duty” and her grandmother just likes to sit, relax, and watch the younger family members run the show.

“We don’t have a huge team, and we kind of like it that way, because it helps to keep that family feel for the market,” Freitas said.

“Something that Kailee does really well is curating the vendors,” said Sills. “Being able to put on an event that showcases all of us and our different products, with so many vendors in one place, has helped a lot of us to succeed.”

The curated list of Hoʻomau Market business participants is shared in an online directory on the market’s webpage. The directory can be searched by island, product or business name, providing year-round access to culturally inspired products.

A Kākoʻo Thing

The Hoʻomau Market has provided structure for marketing new businesses, shared resources for business courses and tutorials, legal references for help with certificate of insurance needs, and more.

“When I was a new business owner, there’s just so much to learn about promoting your business. They really helped with marketing behind the scenes,” said Rachel Domingo, owner of Moon Dance Designs jewelry.

Domingo is a full-time teacher and runs her jewelry business on the side. Within the last few years of participating in the market she has established her brand, done partner collaborations with other brands and businesses, learned about Hawaiian culture and the native plants that she now incorporates in her product, and grown her Instagram followers from 20 to almost 7,000.

“Most importantly, in terms of support, a lot of these women are moms. I’m a new mom and I still message a lot of the women that I met from the very first Hoʻomau Market. It’s like we’ve built lifelong friendships from [being involved in] the market,” Domingo said.

Developing lasting friendships is a common theme expressed by the various business owners about their experiences participating in the Hoʻomau Market.

“We come from different backgrounds, but it’s really interesting because now some of my closest friends are people I’ve met through Hoʻomau,” said Sills.

“In a traditional business model we’re all competing for the same customers,” Sills reflected. “But I don’t see it that way. The way I see it, we’re all businesses trying to perpetuate and share our culture. The only way that we’re going to continue to move forward is to work together.”

Giving Back

From the beginning, giving back was a key element of the Hoʻomau Market’s foundational values.

“Even though at first we didn’t have much money to give back – just a couple hundred dollars – we gave it to Pūnana Leo,” Freitas said. “That is something that has been consistent in every event – that we donate to some Hawaiian nonprofit or organization. And that’s just on the event side.”

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The level of inclusivity and kākoʻo extends beyond the market itself. Many of its vendors give a portion of their proceeds back to the community – to Hawaiian language organizations, cultural conservation groups, or the Hawaiʻi Food Bank, to name a few.

In 2022, The Keiki Dept., which regularly donates 1% of their online sales to support ʻAha Pūnana Leo, created a special limu print to celebrate the “Year of the Limu” and donated it to the Waimānalo Limu Hui.

“When I was younger, and went to the beach there was limu all over the place,” Sills reminisced. “Now, when we go to the beach, we sometimes don’t see any.” For her, supporting the hui’s work to restore native limu is important.

“Giving back and being a part of the community is super important to me,” she said.

For Native Hawaiians, reclaiming our brand and taking control of the narrative about Hawaiʻi and our people is important.

As a “brand,” Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiian people have been exploited for decades. The arts, traditions, language, ʻāina, symbols and motifs of our kūpuna have been taken, appropriated, and manipulated for profit by entities with no – or only superficial – connections to our ʻāina, culture, history, and values.

By supporting businesses that promote Hawaiian culture and values, and purchasing goods created by Native Hawaiians and by kamaʻāina who honor and respect our culture, we are helping to keep local families in Hawaiʻi.

It is an investment in our ʻŌiwi economy that directly supports our lāhui. And it also supports the authentic perpetuation of our culture, language and environment for generations to come. E hoʻomau!

The post The Hoʻomau Market: Helping to Build a Thriving ʻŌiwi Economy While Giving Back appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

John Kruse, Dennis Chun, and the late Patrick Aiu are longtime members of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and crew members on the Hōkūleʻa voyaging canoe. Inspired by their experience, they wanted to build a canoe for the Kauaʻi community to perpetuate the Hawaiian traditions of canoe culture, celestial navigation, and open-ocean voyaging for present and future generations.

“The community on Kauaʻi needed to have its own voyaging canoe to help perpetuate the culture and values of our ancestors, and to provide educational opportunities for our young people,” said Chun.

The trio established the nonprofit group Nā Kālai Wa’a o Kauaʻi (The Canoe Builders of Kauaʻi) in 1996 and embarked on building a voyaging canoe. In 2016, after two decades of construction, the 72-foot-long double hulled sailing canoe, Nāmāhoe, was launched at Nāwiliwili harbor.

While they were building the canoe, Aiu had a dream that inspired its name. He dreamt that he was sailing between Oʻahu and Kauaʻi in ancient times and the navigator mentioned a future canoe would be named Nāmāhoe.

“Nāmāhoe” means “the twins” in Hawaiian and encapsulates both the physical twin-hulled design of the voyaging canoe as well as the guiding constellation, known as Gemini, that serves as a celestial marker for wayfinding and open-ocean navigation.

In the months following the launch, Nāmāhoe did sail runs, crew training and eventually embarked on the 110-mile journey from Kauaʻi to Oʻahu in June 2017 to greet Hōkūleʻa when she returned to Hawaiʻi from her Mālama Honua Voyage.

This crossing of the Kaʻieʻiewaho channel, the widest channel among the populated islands of the pae ʻāina, was a significant achievement, testing the canoe’s capabilities and the crew’s skills. The voyage from Kauaʻi to Oʻahu is usually against the tradewinds and takes longer than sailing the other direction.

In 2020, Nāmāhoe was pulled out of the water for general maintenance work and to ensure its seaworthiness. At the time, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions prohibited groups of people gathering, so workdays were put on hold.

Now that restrictions are lifted, and people have returned to gathering, Nā Kālai Waʻa o Kauaʻi will be scheduling workdays to invite the community back to connect with Nāmāhoe.

If you live on Kauaʻi and are interested in learning about canoe building, traditional canoe sailing, and how to follow the movement of the stars to a destination, becoming involved with Nā Kālai Waʻa o Kauaʻi is a rich resource.

Kruse, Chun, and other volunteers work on Nāmāhoe Sundays before noon. She is currently out of the water (in drydock) and located across from Honsador Lumber next to the Kauaʻi Petroleum tanks in Nāwiliwili.

Visit their website www.namahoe.org to learn more.

The post Nāmāhoe: Kauaʻi’s Voyaging Canoe appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

In March, Māori King Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Tou Travel Ariki, kaumaiti nui (president) of House of Ariki from the Cook Islands, elders, and other leaders from Tonga, Tahiti, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) signed the treaty at the April declaration ceremony in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

Whales now have inherent rights, such as freedom of movement, the right to a healthy environment, and the right to thrive alongside humanity. With this treaty, the giant of the seas will be protected in South Pacific waters by legislation and its habitat secured.

“He Whakaputanga Moana is not merely words on paper. It’s a Hinemoana Halo, a woven cloak of protection for our taonga – our treasures – the magnificent whales,” King Tūheitia said.

“We can no longer turn a blind eye,” said Kaumaiti Nui Ariki. “Whales play a vital role in the health of our entire ocean ecosystem. Their decline disrupts the delicate balance that sustains all life in Te Moana nui a Kiwa. We must act with urgency to protect these magnificent creatures before it’s too late.”

He Whakaputanga Moana draws upon the traditions of Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) and emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things. Recognizing the urgent threats whales face from unsustainable extractive practices, pollution, and climate change, the declaration outlines a comprehensive plan for their protection – including establishing marine protected areas and implementing rāhui (customary restrictions guided by ancestral wisdom).

While not a binding international treaty, the He Whakaputanga Moana declaration, based on customary law, still carries significant weight. Already, it has sparked a global conversations about the legal and ethical status of whales.

Whales are a key part of an initiative to embrace Indigenous values and protect nature as a viable and sustainable solution to climate change.

“Whales aren’t just resources to be exploited, but sentient beings and our ancestors,” said Mere Takoko, vice president of Conservation International Aotearoa, and a descendant of Maui and Paikea. “My whakapapa (genealogy) is intricately woven with the moana (ocean); its mana (spiritual essence) flows through me,” she said in an online article (atmos.earth).

The treaty will allow Māori and other Indigenous groups to start talks with governments in Aotearoa, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Tonga and other Polynesian countries to develop a legal framework to enforce protections around whales.

Calling He Whakaputanga Moana a “declaration for future generations,” King Tūheitia said in his speech at the declaration ceremony, “Our mokopuna (descendants) deserve to inherit an ocean teeming with life, where the songs of whales continue to resonate across the vast expanse.”

The government in Aotearoa previously granted legal personhood to the Te Urewera Forest in 2014, and to the Whanganui River and Mt. Taranaki in 2017.

Mauna Taranaki, named Te Kāhui Tupua, holds the same legal rights as any individual human being, including the ability to own assets, appear in court, and make submissions. The purpose of this legal recognition is to protect the mountain’s interests and enhance its mana.

The Whanganui River is recognized as an indivisible and living whole, with its own rights and interests. The legislation aims to protect and restore the health and wellbeing of the river ecosystem.

These acts reflect the growing respect for Indigenous knowledge systems and their significance in environmental protection on a global scale.

“The sound of our ancestor’s song has grown weaker, and her habitat is under threat, which is why we must act now,” King Tuheitia emphasized. “Let this declaration be a turning point. Let us ensure the whales, our kin, our pouwhenua (guiding posts), continue their migrations for generations to come. Kia ora, kia kaha! (Be well, be strong!)”

The post Whales are Now Legal Persons appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

“We would not be here without our kupuna who came before us, it is their iwi that created our foundation, our ʻāina.” – Keomailani Hanapī Hirata, keiki o ka ʻāina

Last year, iwi kūpuna, human ancestral remains, eroding out of the ground on Molokaʻi were found along a beach path. Erosion, sea level rise, development, and human traffic are contributors to many of the iwi that have been surfacing in the past few years. Exposed iwi kūpuna need to be preserved in place, if possible. However, erosion makes it difficult and sometimes impossible do that.

“We, the Kupaʻāinas on Molokaʻi, we have a hui that has to mālama our kūpuna that come up on our island,” said Keomailani Hanapī Hirata, a keiki o ka ʻāina of East Molokaʻi who can trace her family genealogy back to time immemorial.

Growing up in the late 1980s, Hirata saw her parents and other families caring for iwi kūpuna.

“Our kuleana lands became Molokai’s unofficial repository for our tūtūs and kūpuna that we’re being dug up,” she said. “We had to learn cultural protocols at a young age to mālama the kūpuna and [know] what we can and cannot do on our own ʻāina.”

But it was only in 2021 that she agreed to apply to the Molokaʻi Island Burial Council (MIBC). Because of the large number of open cases, she was asked to join the council.

Growing up she learned to balance the ʻeha, or pain; the kaumaha, or grief; and spiritual unrest that comes with the kuleana of protecting and preserving the rest for iwi kupuna in modern times.

“This kuleana cannot be taught,” Hirata shared. “It’s the voices of our kupuna that echo through us, that choose us and guide us.”

Ahupuaʻa ʻo Mapulehu

One case in particular has been ongoing for over 33 years. “That case has not been able to be mihi [resolved] yet,” she said in her testimony to the Senate Hawaiian Affairs and Energy, Economic Development and Tourism Committees in February this year.

In the early 1990s, a discovery of human skeletal remains was uncovered during a development phase of land clearing, with a bulldozer on the parcel of land formally known as the Mapulehu Glass House.

According to the testimony of Halealoha Ayau at the MIBC meeting for the Burial Sites Working Group, the archaeologist at that time estimated the iwi of 60 individuals had been unearthed. The bulldozed iwi were crushed and scattered over four acres. The landowner was prosecuted and fined for this desecration.

Since then, the land has been sold multiple times for various proposed developments. Each endeavor would bring more iwi kūpuna into the light.

Today, the land at Mapulehu is currently in the hands of Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen’s office. Hirata noted positively that with the support of Mayor Bissen and councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez the county recently “expensed funds … to help put our tūtūs and kūpunas to rest, come up with a burial management plan, hire consultants to make it happen and work with the recognized descendants.”

Recent Erosion

The iwi recently found on a beach path was reported to police. The landowner allowed the burial council members to conduct a ceremony and keep the iwi secure on site while the legal processes are followed. The law states the iwi of a single individual that arise on a Neighbor Island are to be processed within two working days.

The process entails numerous steps and individuals to the scene: identify the age of the iwi by a coroner, and archaeologist; a burial sites specialist must gather information such as oral histories to document and determine a plan to work with the burial councils; as well as notify OHA and other relevant organizations, especially if the iwi need to be removed from the location.

After a week of waiting for State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), Hirata and community members worked with the landowner to kanu, or bury, the iwi in a more protected and secure location on the property.

“On the island of Molokaʻi we get no support from the State Historic Preservation Division. They never come here,” Hirata said. “We have multiple open cases of inadvertent discoveries, disturbances, and some intentional desecrations.”

A lot of the cases that remain open are because they have police reports attached to them. Police are first on the scene, then Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers attend to the scene and submit their report to SHPD to start their process.

Every other island has had some type of staff member from SHPD but Molokaʻi has none. The law says the state is to come up with a burial management and treatment plan when iwi are inadvertently discovered. In the case of the iwi arising due to erosion a plan must be made and that requires SHPD, archaeologists or burial sites specialists to review the area.

In reference to this breakdown of the process, Kamakana Ferreira, OHA lead compliance specialist, inquired of SHPD about how inadvertent discoveries are handled without an archaeologist or SHPD staff on island.

Kealana Phillips, SHPD burial sites specialist, stated that they rely on the council and their resources when iwi are unearthed.

“It’s true we don’t have an archaeologist, or any representative from SHPD on island. It’s been the case, at least since I’ve been here at SHPD (seven years). I’ve always relied on the ʻike of the council members and the resources that they have at their disposal on island to kōkua when iwi become unearthed,” he said.

“I have full trust in their ability to make the best decision possible to care for the iwi kūpuna. Ideally, we would fly to Molokaʻi and conduct site visits (history, culture and archaeology) when we do get an inadvertent call, however that has proven challenging for a variety of reasons the last few years. Until that issue can be resolved, we will continue to work with the council and community to mālama iwi kūpuna.“

“That’s not our kuleana, for us Kānaka Maoli who are volunteers, to come up with [Burial Treatment] Plans. It’s the state’s position, but they can’t get here.” Hirata said. “It’s a dereliction of duty.”

Further clarification from Ferreira to SHPD to confirm compliance with the legal processes for dealing with Moloka’i cases, and from Ka Wai Ola newspaper, regarding this article received no response as of press time.

Hirata acknowledges that there are many fractures in the current state system. The laws and procedures need to be looked at and revised, she said, and SHPD needs staff support and resources.

“SHPD is so understaffed they cannot approve applications that come through the boards and commissions who apply for the burial council,” Hirata said. The MIBC cannot make quorum to do meetings.

According to the SHPD Burial Council webpage all the MIBC member seats are vacant. Hirata said she is still in a “holdover” status and the other two members, Kawehi Soares and Laʻa Poepoe, have termed out.

All of them have reapplied for their seats. They’ve received confirmation emails saying their applications were received and now they are waiting. If they are not confirmed before the legislative session ends for this year, the council could sit dormant and vacant this year and unable to address the multiple open cases.

Nā Wai e Mālama i nā Iwi?

“Molokaʻi needs the support of the state of Hawaiʻi. The SHPD is supposed to be the keeper of our history, our culture and all of our records and they are failing our people,” exclaimed Hirata. “Not just our people but our ancestors.”

For Hirata and her hui, taking care of iwi kūpuna is a generational kuleana. “There’s a lot of people like me, who are generational families who take care of and mālama this kuleana of our kūpuna,” said Hirata, “and we do this with or without the support of the state.”

“Our kūpuna never thought that they were going to be dug up, or climate change is going to be the way it is now, and have all of this erosion,” Hirata said. “That was a different time, we live in a different time.” The Kupaʻāina of Molokaʻi will continue to malama nā iwi kūpuna, no matter what.

The post The Voices of Our Kūpuna Echo Through Us appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

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The Living Life Source Foundation was awarded an ʻAhahui Grant from OHA for its Waiakeakua Reforestion project to continue the work to restore native koa and ʻōhiʻa, which once grew tall in Mānoa Valley.

A community planting day, last December, brought together over 50 volunteers to clear overgrown vegetation and plant about 200 native plants. Large pots of koa, and alaheʻe, were carried to the planting site along a muddy trail with a small stream running through the path. Shoes we’re held captive in the deep wet soil while volunteers transported large and small pots to their destination. Most people took off their mud caked shoes and preferred to grip the ʻāina with their toes.

The stream flowing alongside and through the planting site is called Waiakeakua and means water of the gods. The wai, fresh water, from this stream was historically reserved for high chiefs. According to a moʻolelo (story) Kāne and Kanaloa were traveling about Oʻahu and Kāne, who is associated with wai (and drinking ʻawa with Kanaloa) opened a stream of water in Mānoa with his walking stick.

The restoration of the Waiakeakua Forest began over 10 years ago when Uncle Bruce Keaulani and Aunty Kehau Lum began to steward a section of the land in the Mānoa watershed. They planted ʻulu (breadfruit), kalo, ʻōhiʻa ʻai (mountain apple) and other food and medicinal plants to establish sustainable food resources for the community. In addition they planted koa, ʻōhiʻa lehua, kukui, loulu and other trees that can be used for future native reforestation efforts.

The vast number of albizia trees in Mānoa make it challenging to reestablish a native forest. Introduced to Hawaiʻi in 1917, albizia (Falcataria moluccana) was used to reforest areas across the state.

Matthew Lynch, the director of the UH Mānoa Sustainability department, approached Uncle Bruce in 2021 with an idea to remove some albizia trees in the area and use the lumber for a house building project. Together with the Albizia Project they removed 15 large albizia trees, allowing sunlight and space to grow more resources.

Uncle Bruce shared at the end of the community planting day that he hopes one day koa will be harvested for a canoe from the planting being done now. He hopes future generations will see native koa trees thriving once again in Mānoa Valley and for the forest to be resilient in the face of climate change.

“We are deeply grateful to OHA for its support of this initiative through the ʻAhahui Event Grants program,” expressed Yuko Barretto, a dedicated and administrative volunteer for the reforestation project.

To support the establishment and growth of the native plants visit www.waiakeakuaforest.com for more info. Work days are on the second Sunday each month.

OHA Grants

Grant funding is distributed through community nonprofit organizations and is not awarded directly to individuals.

For more information on OHA’s Grants program visit www.oha.org/grants.

The post Waiakeakua Forest Restoration Project appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

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A uniquely worded Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed last November between the Navy, the Aliʻi Pauʻahi Hawaiian Civic Club (APHCC), Living Life Source Foundation, and Nā Lima Noʻeau to affirm their commitment to work together as an ʻohana and in the spirit of aloha.

The MOU states: “Whereas the Navy and the recipients form an ʻohana or familial partnership grounded in trust to align efforts among the parties, united in compassion, understanding and aloha to achieve the successful preservation, restoration and maintenance of the fishpond system.

“So now, therefore, the Navy and the recipients embrace this historic partnership and important vision for the future in the spirit of aloha.”

“It’s not common for the Navy to use those [kinds of] words,” said Kehaulani Lum of APHCC. “Allowing the words to be placed on the paper that say that we are ʻohana is a step in the right direction.”

Lum and the other signers of the MOU, lineal descendants Kahu Bruce Keaulani and Verna Takashima, worked together with the Navy to craft the unique wording expressing their commitment to work together on the preservation and restoration of Pāʻaiau, an ancient royal fishpond.

Mōʻī Wahine Kalanimanuʻia, was the daughter of Kūkaniloko and, like her mother, she ruled over the island of Oʻahu. She is known to have built many loko iʻa (fishponds), covering hundreds of acres of Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor) and providing abundant sustainable food resources for her people.

She had three kapu loko iʻa (fishponds reserved for royalty) built close together: Pāʻaiau, ʻOpu and Kapaʻakea. Today, ʻOpu and Kapaʻakea are now mostly filled in. A small area of Kapaʻakea Fishpond is still visible, but is located on private property.

Loko iʻa Pāʻaiau was recorded in 1933 to be about 190 x 600 feet in size, rectangular in shape, and fed by fresh water running through surrounding taro patches. Kalanimanuʻia reigned for over 60 years and Pāʻaiau, located in the Kalauao ʻahupuaʻa, was the site of one of her two residences.

The Navy assumed jurisdiction over the property in 1947. Over the years, the fishpond was overgrown with mangrove, kiawe and other invasive plants and filled with sediment from runoff.

While clearing mangrove, Jeff Pantaleo, a Navy archeologist, found remnants of the original fishpond wall dating back about 400 years. Of the three royal fishponds, Pāʻaiau is the most intact. Pantaleo worked to have the site added to the State Register of Historic Places and was instrumental in the Navy establishing partnerships with APHCC, Living Life Source Foundation, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), descendants of Noa Webster Aluli, and other community groups to facilitate implementation of the fishpond preservation and restoration plan.

In the last eight years, Lum, Keaulani, and Takashima have seen six or seven Rear Admirals come and go. Some still keep in touch and have passed along the importance of the fishpond and the value of maintaining the Navyʻs relationship with the community before they leave.

The current Navy commander is Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett. He has been working closely with Lum, Keaulani, Takashima and other community members, and is the signatory on the current MOU, which has no end date.

Loko iʻa Pāʻaiau is the last, and only, royal fishpond in Puʻuloa that is envisioned to be restored as a fully operational fishpond. This would support the perpetuation of traditional knowledge, resources, and practices. And perhaps provide an opportunity for its stewards to return to a more traditional way of life.

Clearing the mangroves a few years ago made space for a variety of native birds to return to the area, along with some marine life. The next task is to dredge the silt that has filled the pond. This will allow fish, limu and even oysters to revive in the fresh water flowing in to the harbor.

“Restoring ʻāina is a healing work, so for long-term sustainability, we don’t want it to just be a project,” said Lum. “Restoring these places, giving them [the wildlife] places to nourish again, to grow again, to thrive again, helps everybody.”

Pāʻaiau community leaders hope to bring forth the fullness of this historic wahi pana once again by cultivating the values of peace, abundance and sustainability inspired by Kalanimanuʻia’s six decades of benevolent, peaceful leadership.

“There is the possibility of returning to the abundance that she [Kalanimanuʻia] created,” added Lum. “The remedy to heal this place is aloha.”

The post Navy to Work With the Community to Restore Loko Iʻa Pāʻaiau appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.