Hoʻēmi 4.28-5.7.24

Aloha nō kākou,

This past weekend was the 2024 Manu o Kū Festival on the grounds of ʻIolani Palace, and I had the opportunity to join the limahana of Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai at our tent—and also be in a quick photo for the debut appearance of Aloha the Manuokū:

Speaking with community folks and helping them learn more about the beautiful diversity of kalo varieties is truthfully one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday, especially when the connections between kalo, manu, and iʻa are not always apparent. As I had the chance to talk story with my kumu, who was in the first graduating class of Hawaiian Studies, she told us that the iʻa and manu were not seen as frequently during her time there. Today, Kānewai is a puʻuhonua for the Manuokū to nest safely, and this malama (month) we’ve been joyfully observing flying lessons for the babies. 

One of the ways that the iʻa have returned to Kānewai is through the kalo that we plant. At our event table, we were able to show folks some varieties of kalo that show their pilina (meaningful relationships and connection) to iʻa, such as the ʻOʻopu Kai and the Manini ʻOwali with their dappled and striped coloring, respectively. And of course, we are familiar with the ʻElepaio variety from last anahulu! 

Anahulu Reflection: 

We each experience returns differently. In the memory of our ʻāina, each (re)turn is already known: the characteristic colors and markings of kalo, the presence of iʻa and manu, or even a conversation with a kumu about something (k)new. As we return to Muku, what will mark our journey back to the new moon? How else might we experience (re)turns based on the memory of long-existing pilina? 

Poepoe 4.19-4.27.24

Aloha pumehana kākou,

The honua is beautiful and blooming in this last month of Hoʻoilo, our rainy season, as we transition into Kauwela, summer. Even as we experience change in our daily lives, our ʻāina remains as the source of our aloha:

E lei kau, e lei hoʻoilo i ke aloha.
Love is worn like a wreath through the summers and the winters.
Love is everlasting. (ʻŌN #332)

For myself, aloha ʻāina is a constant in my life, even as the hana and individual actions change depending on the season. Because aloha is inherently reciprocal, what I receive in return reflects the season. A little ʻohā from this ʻelepaio (a variety of kalo that is known for its variegated leaf patterns like the speckled feathers of the ʻelepaio bird) appeared earlier this mahina, and I have been appreciating how well the all-kea leaf grows in the abundance of fresh-flowing wai and soft sunlight. More ʻohā will continue to grow like a lei sprouting around the makua’s puʻe.

Anahulu Reflection:
As we enjoy the flourishing of the honua, what are some experiences from Hoʻoilo that have bloomed for us as lei or to make lei to carry into a different season? What pua are soon to emerge this Kauwela?

Next Monday, don’t forget that Earth Day festivities are happening! Our office will be wrapping up the week with an Aloha ʻĀina Friday where we will have the opportunity to mālama ʻāina. Come join us, if can!

Hoʻonui 4.9-4.18.24

Aloha mai kākou i kēia anahulu hou! 

Yesterday, we began our day with an eclipse as the mahina rose Muku. This morning, the sunrise brought the beautiful misty Waʻahila rain along the shores of Kou, and the colors of the sunset tonight will accompany the braided Hilo light of the setting mahina. Aloha nō to you all and to this beautiful ʻāina of Oʻahu nei. 

For our second anahulu hoʻonui together, we will (re)turn to He Moʻolelo Kaʻao No Laukaʻieʻie, written by Mose Manu and printed in Ka Leo o ka Lahui. This selected passage is again from ʻApelila 19, 1895 and picks up from where we left off last month as Makanikeoe continues to travel through Waikīkī, following the winds and waters from this particular source at Mauoki all the way to the southern stretch of beach parallel to the construction of the Ala Wai. Although my own understanding of this moʻolelo is incomplete as I continue to learn and read, there are many important place names found within that help us to better situate ourselves in Mānoa through this moʻolelo perspective of this place: 

Ma hope iho o ko Makanikeoe ʻike ʻana i kēia mau mana wai o Mauoki kekahi kēia o nā kiʻowai i hele nui ʻia e ka poʻe hoʻolana mai o Oʻahu nei, a me ka muliwai o Kawehewehe, ua hiki aku la kēia a hui pū me Laukaieie ma ka ʻili kai o Waikīkī, aia hoʻi nā ʻae kai o Kahaloa he ʻula pō wale nō i ka ʻili o nā kānaka mai Kapahai a hiki i ka lihi kai pua rose o Kaha, a ʻo ke kahua hale o nā aliʻi ma Ulukou a me ka wai o ʻĀpuakehau a me Helumoa, ua piha pono kēia mau wahi i nā aliʻi a me nā kaukaualiʻi. 

In the above passage, I have included some hyperlinks to the place names that are featured in this paragraph, and the photos really help to exemplify the beauty and layered stories of these wahi pana. For example, Makanikeoe identifies Kawehewehe as the location of muliwai, estuaries of salt and freshwater gradients that serve an important ecological role for the water cycle and for the many organisms that rely on such brackish water environments. If you click on the link to the Halekulani hotel, there are photos that show the deep blue-green of the waters there—the very same water that runs through our ʻāina of Mānoa. For myself, I learned so much in the brief time of research I spent with these places, so I encourage you to find time to familiarize yourself along the mauka to makai spectrum of our ʻāina. Ulukou in particular is a great place to learn more about! 

Anahulu Reflection: 

Waikīkī has many moʻolelo (i.e., a long history) of surfacing waters in the form of pūnāwai, kahawai, muliwai, and all the other ways our kūpuna knew to identify and name sources of fresh water. Although development in Honolulu and Waikīkī broadly has altered the natural movements and pathways of the water, the wai continues to find ways to spring forth. As we continue to meet new people and deepen existing relationships with the people here in Mānoa, we might find that our ʻāina provides these pockets of community, allowing us to gather in nourishment. In my own time here at Mānoa, the ʻāina and my kūpuna have provided me with so many opportunities and people I didn’t even know I needed.

In our own ways, we are each underground springs bubbling and (re)surfacing fresh water, and we are fed by the same sources of water here in Mānoa. Who are the people who have provided you with fresh water when you needed it? Who are the communities who are your source of life? Where are these pūnāwai located in your own life? Ola i ka wai!

Hoʻēmi 3.30-4.8.24

Aloha pumehana kākou! 

Mahalo e kuʻu mau mea heluhelu for your patience as I have been adjusting to this new pathway of sharing my writing each anahulu with you all. I will admit that for this anahulu hoʻēmi, I was struggling with finding a way to articulate myself split between languages and my desire to express myself fully in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English alike. I was stuck in a tangle of run-on sentences and overgrown weeds and half-strung thesis statements for all my writing projects.

So what else was there for me to do except pull weeds and make nice?

For this slightly retrospective email for the anahulu hoʻēmi, I invite us to think about how we mālama our kūpuna, how we take care of and protect those who came before us and those who have passed their knowledge to us.

To steady my restless hands, I spent the morning remounding all the individual puʻe in the loʻi kalo named Uhai, as seen in the photo. Uhai is the eldest loʻi kalo at Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai, and I understand the importance of mālama ʻāina in that particular area because Uhai represents the kūpuna who I must mālama. In pulling weeds and oxygenating the overturned lepo (soil, dirt/mud, earthen materials) beneath my feet, a sense of clarity arrived in the waters that ran cold between my fingers: Sometimes, all we need is time with our ʻohana. And sometimes, we don’t even need words—just the simplest of actions. 

Anahulu Reflection:

In my own anahulu-based practices, I use the moons of hoʻēmi to prepare for the night of Muku, the new moon. Because the light of the mahina is often hidden to us this night, I use this time of the mahina to look inwardly at my own light. With gentle care, I extend this reflective invitation to you:

What might your body telling you that you need in order to prepare for a new moon? How can you honor your radiance even while acknowledging the darkness? Where are you able to find the source of your own light—whether it be from the knowledge of your kūpuna or from the depths of the lepo or in the laughter of your keiki? 

Poepoe 3.20-3.29.24

Aloha kākou i kēia anahulu hou! 

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the beauty of the mahina piha, the full moons. During this anahulu poepoe, we celebrate the mahina piha during the time of Ka Piko o Wākea, also known as the spring equinox. In acknowledging the pathways of the sun’s journeys and the turning seasons in relation to the moon and our selves, we also acknowledge the strength and survivance of our predecessors who have endured these long seasons in the generations before our time.

To ground our thoughts, I invite us all to (re)turn to a beloved ʻōlelo noʻeau:
He ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani mai au; ʻaʻohe makani nāna e kūlaʻi.
I am a wind-resisting ʻaʻaliʻi; no gale can push me over. (ʻŌN #507)

As we sit and spend time with the above ʻōlelo noʻeau, the ʻaʻaliʻi might reveal herself to you as more than metaphor. Because ʻaʻaliʻi are known for withstanding the strong tradewinds of our islands, I have learned to acknowledge the strength of every ʻaʻaliʻi deeply rooted in the earth as their branches bend knowingly. Each pink-hued flower turned seed pod or reddened growth of new leaves is an opportunity to thank the ʻaʻaliʻi for being a steadfast companion and predecessor—especially when I find myself standing seemingly alone in great gusts of winds.

ʻAʻaliʻi are the embodiments of our ʻāina as ancestors and predecessors who offer us beauty, companionship, and frameworks of survivance (Lipe). We are never alone even among the windy peaks of islands in the ocean—our ʻaʻaliʻi ensure steadfast companionship in the most trying of times.

Anahulu Reflection:
The manu of Mānoa have been particularly active during these mahina piha—the kōlea are changing their feathers for summer, and baby manuokū perch in curved branches of kukui canopies. With the shifting seasons, how might we begin to notice seasonal changes in our environments that shift parallel to our own changing lives? What are some of the lessons that our (nonhuman or otherwise!) companions have to offer us in their generational knowledge?

I also invite us to register and attend the panel discussion on Maluhia, Mālama, and Safety, which will be facilitated by the Campus Climate Committee in their continued work to e hoʻomalu mai. The virtual event will take place next Monday, April 1 from 2:30-4:00pm via Zoom. In seeking these connections and intentional spaces, we might begin to build relationships with new companions standing in the same winds.

Bibliography:
Lipe, Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei. “Moʻolelo for Transformative Leadership: Lessons from Engaged Practice.” In Kanaka ʻŌiwi Methodologies: Moʻolelo and Metaphor, edited by Katrina-Ann R. Kapāʻanaokalāokeola Nākoa Oliveira and Erin Kahunawaikaʻala Wright, 53-71. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2016.

Hoʻonui 3.10-3.19.24

ʻAnoʻai kākou me ke aloha pumehana! 

My name is hope haaheoleionalani matsumoto, and I am from the ahupuaʻa of Honouliuli in ʻEwa, Oʻahu. Currently, I reside in Kānehili, near Puʻuokapolei, where I am fed by the Nāulu rains among the gentle slopes of Puʻukapuaʻi. Mahalo nō e Punihei, e kuʻu hoʻokele, no kēia home āu i kūkulu ai no mākou i Mānoa nei. 

So, a little bit more about anahulu! Anahulu are time periods guided by the moon phases, in which the lunar month is divided into 3 groupings of 10 days. This anahulu hoʻonui begins with Hilo (the first night after the new moon) then extends through Hoaka, four nights of Kū, and four nights of ʻOle as the moon grows in size. We will continue to explore what anahulu mean to us introspectively in the coming weeks and anahulu. 

As a graduate student working deeply in the archival spaces of moʻolelo and moʻolelo kaʻao, I’m excited for this opportunity to share some of these passages with you all as we continue to find (k)new ways of belonging and forming pilina with Mānoa. Each anahulu hoʻonui will feature a quote from a moʻolelo from ka wā ma mua (the past, or the time that comes first). 

Below is an excerpt of an article from He Moʻolelo Kaʻao No Laukaʻieʻie, written by Mose Manu and printed in Ka Leo o ka Lahui on ʻApelila 19, 1895:

Aia hoʻi ke keiki makani o ka noe o nā pali ʻo Waipiʻo ke kiʻei hālō iho la iā Kānewai a me Mauoki kekahi wahi kiʻowai i ʻano like me Kauwalua, aia kēia wahi kiʻowai ʻo Mauoki mauka aʻe o ke alanui aupuni ma Kapaʻakea aʻe nei, aia ma ka huli pono ʻana aku a Makanikeoe i nā mana ma loko o kēia wahi lua wai, ua loaʻa aku la kekahi mana e holo ana i Kānewai, a he loko wai nui kekahi ma lalo o ka honua e holo ana ke awa a me ka ʻanae. 

The above passage follows the travels of Makanikeoe as he peers towards Kānewai and Mauoki, just mauka of Kapaʻakea Street (now Dole Street) in Mānoa, and notices the movement of the water that flows within the earth, bringing fresh water and life to living beings such as the awa (milkfish) and the ʻanae (mullet) that move underground. The ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī is known for loko iʻa (fishponds) and loʻi kalo (terraced water systems that grow taro) that extend as far inland from the coast as our UH Mānoa campus, and the writer Mose Manu gestures to the importance of knowing the memory of this place. 

Anahulu Reflection: 

For this anahulu hoʻonui, I invite us to think more about how stories connect us more deeply to the places we inhabit. As my kumu, Tiana Kahakauwila, often encourages me to do, how might we connect vertically to this place—either by looking up to the rains and rainbows, by looking down to the fish that hold the memories of loko iʻa, or even by looking to different layers of time?

March 4th- 10th

Aloha nui kākou,

Ia‘u e huaka‘i ana ma ‘Amelika i kēlā pule aku nei a me kēia pule nō ho‘i, a e ha‘o maoli ana wau i ku‘u kulāiwi ‘oiai he mahalo piha ko‘u no kēia mau ‘āina nei, ua puka aku kahi ānuenue e pi‘o ana i ka lewa. Kū pāha‘oha‘o ihola au ‘oiai ‘a‘ole wau i ‘ike mua i kekahi ānuenue ma ia kaona nei a me he mea lā ‘a‘ohe lā i ka nui o ka ua a me nā ao ouli. Eia na‘e, aia lā ia ānuenue, ia hō‘ailona, ia ho‘omana‘o i ka nani o ke ao nei.

‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, kū pāha‘oha‘o wau i ka nani, i ke akamai, i ka ikaika, i ka no‘eau o ka ‘āina a me nā kānaka – o nā haumāna a me nā ‘ōpio ka ‘oi kelakela – i kēlā me kēia lā. Inā wau e maka‘ala ana, ‘a‘ole hala ho‘okahi lā o ia kū pāha‘oha‘o me ka mahalo no nā pōmaika‘i o ke ao nei.

Me ia mana‘o, he mahalo piha ko‘u no nā limahana o ke ke‘ena nei. A ‘o kekahi o ia limahana ‘o hope matsumoto, he haumāna laeo‘o, he haku mo‘olelo, he wahine kū i ka na‘auao.

Mai ia mua aku, na hope e makana aku ana i mana‘o i kēlā me kēia anahulu – ‘a‘ole i kēlā me kēia pule – i mea e hō‘ikaika i kā kākou pilina me ka mahina. Nāna nō e kono ana iā kākou e luana iki a e nalu nō ho‘i.

Mahalo nui wau iā ia i ka ‘auamo ‘ana i ia kuleana; i kona wiwo ‘ole e leka aku i mau kaukani kanaka. E mālama iā ia a e ho‘olono mai. ‘O hope kahi leo o ka lāhui, kahi leo o ka ‘āina, kahi leo o kēia mua iho a ia mua aku.

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha nui kākou,

As I’ve been traveling in America this week and last, and as I have been missing home while also being grateful for this ‘āina, a rainbow emerged. I stood in pure amazement as I have never seen a rainbow in this town and it seemed that there was no sun amongst all the rain and dark clouds. And yet, there was this rainbow, this sign, this reminder of all the beauty and possibility in the world.

And the honest truth is, I stand in wonder of the beauty, the intelligence, the strength, and the talent of ‘āina and people – students and young people are always the best – all the time. If I’m being aware and present, there really isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not amazed (but not surprised, as my good friend Dr. Vera Zambonelli always says) and grateful for the beauties of the world.

With this said, I have a huge amount of gratitude for the staff in my office. And one of those people is hope matsumoto, a graduate student, a writer, and a wahine wise beyond her years.

From now on, hope will gift us with a message each anahulu – not each week – to help strengthen our pilina with the moon. She will invite us to pause for a moment and to turn to wonder.

I am so grateful to her for taking this kuleana on; for being brave to write to thousands of people. So please, take care of her and pay attention. Hope is a voice of our lāhui, a voice of our ‘āina, and a voice of the now and of the future.

Her emails will come from nhpol@hawaii.edu but the subject heading will be the same as it has been with all of my messages.

I can’t wait until you meet her!!

Resources for this week:

• Here is more on pāhaʻohaʻo

Aloha nui,

punihei

February 16th-March 3rd

Aloha kākou,

Eia kākou i ka wā o nā mahina poepoe e pā mai ana i ka mālamalama i ke aumoe. He nani ho‘i kau! He wā ia no‘u e kū i ka ha‘oha‘o a me ke āiwaiwa o ke ao nei; o ka ‘āina, o nā kūpuna nō ho‘i.

Me ia mana‘o, he leo kono kēia e naue pū mai i ka papahana Aloha ‘Āina Fridays e ho‘omaka ana i kēia Pō‘alima, lā 1 o Malaki mai ka hola 3-4 o ka ‘auinalā. He wā kēia e huli ka lima i lalo a e mālama ‘āina a e hō‘ikaika i ka pilina me Mānoa nei. Ma hope iho, aia nō he mau papahana e a‘o i ke oli ‘o Welina Mānoa a e a‘o i nā ala like ‘ole e mālama kino.

E naue pū mai!

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha kākou,

Here we are in the time of the full moons that shine down their light during the midnight hours. Isn’t it so beautiful?! This is always a time that I stand in wonder and amazement of our world; of ‘āina and of our kūpuna.

With that in mind, we invite you to join us for our Aloha ‘Āina Fridays programming starting this Friday, March 1st from 3-4pm. This will be a time to turn your hands down to the soil and strengthen your connection with Mānoa. Following sessions will include opportunities to learn the oli Welina Mānoa and to also explore self-care from an Indigenous lens with Ka Malu a Wa‘ahila.

All are welcomed. Come join us!

Resource for this week:

• Here is more on āiwaiwa

Aloha nui,

punihei

February 12th-18th

Aloha kākou,

Ua hō‘ea mai nā mea like ‘ole: ka mahina ‘o Pepeluali e ho‘ohanohano ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a me nā mo‘olelo o nā kanaka Pā‘ele o ‘Amelika, ka malama hou, a me ka makahiki o ka Mo‘o Nui.

Ia‘u e nānā ana i ka mahina e pā mai ana a ia‘u e no‘ono‘o ana i ia mau mea hou, ua kupu mai ka ‘i‘ini e ‘auamo, e ‘eleu, a e holomua.

Pehea kēia wā nou? Āhea paha ka wā e nalu a e maka‘ala i nā mea e kupu a‘e nei mai loko mai? He paipai kēia e mālama i wā e ho‘olohe i ka na‘auao o loko, i nā ho‘i kūpuna e alaka‘i nei.

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha kākou,

So many things are upon us: The month of February that honors ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and Black History, the lunar new month, and the year of the Dragon.

As I was taking a walk and looking at the new moon as it shone down upon me and while I was thinking about all these new things that this time of year brings, I was filled with a desire to take on new things, get energetic about it, and move forward.

What does this season bring for you? When is the time for you to reflect and become aware of what is coming up from within you? This is a voice of encouragement to make time to listen to the wisdom within you, to the kupūna who are guiding you.

Resource for this week:

• Here is more on naʻauao

Aloha nui,

punihei

January 29th-February 4th

Aloha nui kākou,

He leo aloha kēia iā ‘oukou nā mea i naue pū mai i nā papahana o Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha 2024. Nui nā mea a mākou ma ke ke‘ena nei i a‘o, i ‘ike, a i lohe ai i ho‘oulu mai iā mākou. A no laila, mahalo nui.

I kēia hopenapule i hala aku nei ua kipa wau i ka ‘āina o ia mau kumu nui, ‘o ia ho‘i nā Redwoods. A ia‘u i kīpuni ‘ia e ia mau kupuna, lana aku ka mana‘o i ko lākou mau mo‘olelo, i ka pana ho‘i o ko lākou mau pu‘uwai. A no ‘oukou i hō‘ea aku i ke Kahua Hana Keaka ‘o Kennedy e ho‘olohe iā Kumu Kekuhi lāua ‘o Dr. Christopher, ke ho‘omana‘o paha nei ‘oe i kā Kumu Kekuhi mo‘olelo o ka ‘ili ho‘olohe pu‘uwai a me ke kumu lā‘au. Ua mino‘aka wau ia‘u e no‘ono‘o ana.

Mahalo nui wau i ia ki‘i: ‘O Kumu Kekuhi e ho‘olohe ana i ka pana a kā ke kumu lā‘au pu‘uwai no ka mea he mea e ho‘omana‘o mai i ke ola ma loko o nā mea a pau. A ma loko o ia ola, piha i nā mo‘olelo. A ma loko o ia mau mo‘olelo, aia nō he mau ha‘awina e kakali ana iā mākou e maka‘ala, e maliu mai.

A no laila, mahalo. Mahalo no nā mea a pau i kāko‘o i ka puka ‘ana o ia ha‘awina no ka mea he kōkua nui ia no‘u. Pehea nou?

Aloha nui,
punihei

English Summary:

Aloha nui kākou,

I am sending my aloha to all of you who joined us for our Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha 2024 Summit. There are so many things that we in the office learned, saw, heard, and witnessed that continue to inspire us. So mahalo nui.

This weekend I visited the ‘āina of the big trees pictured up top, those trees known as the Redwoods. And while I was enveloped by these beautiful kupuna, I began to wonder about their stories, about the beating of their hearts. And for those of you who came to Kennedy Theatre to listen to Kumu Kekuhi and Dr. Christopher, you might be recalling Kumu Kekuhi’s story about the stethoscope and the tree. I smiled as I recalled it.

I am so grateful for the image I have in my head: Kumu Kekuhi on the side of the road listening to the heartbeat of the tree with her stethoscope. I love this image so much because it reminds me that there is life in all things. And within each of those lives, there are countless stories. And within each of those stories, there are lessons awaiting our attention.

So, mahalo. Mahalo to all the things and all the people that supported the emergence of this lesson that I am paying attention to at this time because it is helping me in so many ways. How about for you?

Resource for this week:

• Here is more on pu‘uwai

Aloha nui,

punihei

January 8th-14th

Aloha nui kākou e nā u‘i o Mānoa,

It has been a minute since I wrote to all of you. I’m back!

Somehow time flew way too fast and here we are in 2024 and at the beginning of a new school semester!

And for our office, that means that our 2024 Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha Summit is right around the corner. We have been working non-stop to bring you three days of events that will help us to reflect on our past, present, and future in this place – Hawai‘i – that we call our beloved home.

Tuesday, Jan 16, 2024: Reflecting on our past
Come learn and connect with various communities who have called Hawai‘i home over time. What are their stories? How are we similar? How are we unique? Close the day at noon with a mele lāhui workshop with Kumu Jon Osorio, followed by lunch from Haili’s Hawaiian Food!

Wednesday, Jan 17, 2024: Practicing Presence
Go the march in the morning. Then come join us for ceremony at noon in honor of Queen Lili‘uokalani and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Then set off to connect with yourself, others, and ‘āina in a series of different workshops. Close the afternoon with Kumu Hula Kekuhi Kanaka‘oleohaililani in a one-of-a-kind ritual workshop. And then ice cream for dessert!

Thursday, Jan 18, 2024: Imagining our Future
Come join us in the evening for an oli workshop and reception followed by a keynote focusing on: What are the futures we hope for and envision for our children and grandchildren? Dr. Gail Christopher, award-winning change agent, and world-renowned Kumu Hula and cultural expert Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani, will for the first time come together in conversation on restoring racial, spiritual, and relational healing, to help us kindle our unique and collective abilities to (re)imagine our futures and take courageous steps forward. You won’t want to miss it!

Really important links:

• For all the info, click here
• To register, click here. (Pre-registering is INCREDIBLY helpful to us)
• To volunteer, click here (Need community service hours for scholarships or community engagement requirements?)

Come reflect, connect, and dream with me and our team!

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 27th – December 3rd

Aloha nō,

Eia kākou ma ka hopena o Nowemapa, i ka wā o Lonoikamakahiki. ‘Akahi a pau ka Lā Ho‘omaika‘i a i ka lā ‘āpōpō ko kākou Lā Kū‘oko‘a.

Nui nā mea e no‘ono‘o a e nalu iho ai. No‘u, kau aku ka mana‘o i ku‘u kulāiwi nei, i ku‘u home aloha ‘o Hawai‘i. E lana mau ana ka mana‘o i ka pono o ka lāhui, i nā ala e ho‘iho‘i mai i ka pono ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana.

A me ia mana‘o, ua ho‘okumu ke ke‘ena nei i ka papahana ‘o Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha. He kono kēia e naue mai: e a‘o, e alu, a e ‘auamo pū.

E kaomi i ka lou nei no ka ‘ikepili a e kāinoa.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha nō,

Here we are at the end of November and in the time of Lonoikamakahiki. We just finished what some call Thanksgiving and tomorrow is Lā Kū‘oko‘a.

There’s so much to think about and reflect on at this time of year. For me, my thoughts turn to my dear homeland, to my beloved Hawai‘i. I am constantly thinking about the pono of Hawai‘i, to the pathways that will lead to the restoration of pono for the generations yet to come.

With this in mind, our office established the Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha Summit. This is an invitation to each of you, your families, and anyone who you are connected to to come and join us. Let’s come together to teach and learn from one another, to connect in multiple ways, and to collectively take on the tasks ahead.

Click here for more information and to register.

Resource for this week:

• Here is more on kūʻokoʻa

Aloha nui,

punihei

November 13th – 19th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki mai ka Pō‘akahi!!

I ka hopenapule i hala aku nei, e puka mau ana ia mana‘o mai ko‘u waha mai, “I can do hard things.”

Ua puka mua ‘ia kēia mana‘o e kekahi o nā hoa hana ma ke ke‘ena nei iā ia e wehewehe ana i kekahi mo‘olelo me kāna keikikāne, he ‘elua ona makahiki. No ka nui o kā ka makuahine ‘ī aku ana i ia mana‘o, ua ho‘omaka ke keiki e ‘ōlelo hou a ha‘i aku i kona makuahine i kekahi mau wā pa‘akikī.💜

No ka nani o ia mo‘olelo, ua ho‘omaka mākou ma ke ke‘ena e ‘ōlelo hou iā mākou iho a i kekahi i kekahi: “YOU can do hard things! We can do hard things!”

A no ka ‘ōlelo mau ‘ana, ua ho‘omaka wau e ‘ōlelo ia‘u iho. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, he kōkua ka puka ‘ana i ia mana‘o. I ka ‘ōlelo NŌ ke ola!

Eia nō ho‘i: ua hiki nō iā kākou ke hana i nā mea pa‘akikī. A ‘oi aku ka ma‘alahi ke makana ‘ia mai ka paipai, ke kāko‘o, a me ke aloha.

He aha kāu i nā wā pa‘akikī? No kou holomua a me ka holomua o nā mea aloha?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Monday is here!!!

This weekend I found myself repeating over and over, “I can do hard things.”

I first heard this from one of our teammates in the office when she was telling a story about her two year old son. She explained that because she says it so much that he started repeating it and one day when she was having a tough time, he came up and said it to her. 💜

Of course we loved this beautiful story and started repeating it to ourselves and each other: “YOU can do hard things! We can do hard things!”

And because it was being said so much in the office, I started saying it, too! Honestly, it really does help saying it outloud. There really IS life in our ‘ōlelo.

Here’s the thing: we CAN do hard things. And it is definitely easier when we are gifted encouragement, support, and aloha.

What do you do when things get tough? So that you can succeed and so that your loved ones can succeed?

Resource for this week:

• Here is more on ‘ōlelo

Aloha nui,

punihei

November 6th – 12th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kēia pule me ka maluhia ma kekahi ‘ano ‘oiai nui nā mea nele i ka maluhia ‘ole i ia mau lā.

I kēia ahiahi kau aku ka mana‘o i ia mea: mahalo wau i nā pōmaika‘i mai loko mai o nā wā pa‘akikī.

I kekahi manawa, ‘a‘ole nō ia he mea ma‘alahi e huli a loa‘a i ka mahalo. Eia na‘e, mai ia mau wā pa‘akikī ua hiki ke ulu ke ahonui, ke kū makani, ka menemene, a me ke aloha. A he mea nani a pōmaika‘i maoli nō kēlā!

Pehea ‘oe e ulu a‘e nei i kou mau wā pa‘akikī?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you can start your week off with some sense of grounded peace in these times when that may be hard to come by in many spaces and places.

This evening something came to me: I am finding a sense of gratitude from the lessons found within challenging moments in my life.

Let’s be real. It is often not easy to find and hold onto that gratitude. But what I am realizing is that when I can live through those challenging moments and be present with the feelings and the lessons, I grow my ability to be patient, resilient, compassionate, and loving. And that is really such a beautiful blessing!

So, what do you notice about your own growth through challenging moments in your life?

Resource for this week:

• Here is more on menemene

Aloha nui,

punihei

October 23rd – 29th

Aloha Pō‘akahi iā kākou,

Eia nō wau ke ho‘ouna aku nei i ia leka uila i ke ahiahi o ka Pō‘akahi. Ua makemake nui wau e ho‘ouna i kēia kakahiaka, eia na‘e ua pa‘a ma nā hālāwai! ‘Auē ka nui o nā hālāwai.

‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, mahalo wau i ka hui pū ‘ana me nā kanaka e kama‘ilio, e kūkulu pilina, a e ho‘oholomua i nā ‘ano papahana like ‘ole. A, nui nā nā mea ‘ē a‘e e hana ai.

A no ka nui o nā ‘ano kuleana like ‘ole, i kēlā me kēia lā e hanu nui ana wau; e aho nui ana wau. ‘Aka‘aka nā lālā o ke ke‘ena i ka‘u hanu nui ‘ana ‘oiai leo nui wau i ia hana. Akā, ma hope o ia hanu, nā maila kēia.

Nui ke ahonui i pono ai i kēlā me kēia lā, a he ho‘omaka maika‘i ia ‘ano hanu nui nō.

He aha kāu hana helu ‘ekahi no ke ahonui?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Happy Monday!

Here I am writing to you in the late evening. I had really wanted to get this email sent this morning but I just got stuck in too many meetings.

The truth is, I love connecting with people to talk story, build pilina, and move work along. AND, there’s so much else to also do.

Because of all the types of kuleana I have, every day I take deep breaths. The team in the office laughs at me because my breaths are quite loud. But after I breathe, I feel so much better!

Patience is definitely required everyday and starting with deep breaths is so incredibly helpful.

What is your number one go-to for inviting patience?

October 16th – 22nd

Aloha mai kākou,

Hau‘oli Pō‘akahi iā kākou!

I ia mau pule i hala aku nei, hoihoi ka nui o nā wā i kupu mai ai ke kumuhana ‘o ka waiwai o ke Kula Nui ‘o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa.

No‘u, mo‘olelo mau wau no ko‘u aloha i ia kula nei. Wehewehe aku wau i ko‘u mahalo no nā kumu akamai a aloha piha i kā lākou po‘e haumāna, no nā limahana e hana nui nei i kēlā me kēia lā, a no nā ‘ano papahana kūikawā ma kēia kula nei. Hō‘ike pū aku wau i ko Mānoa nei no ko‘u aloha a me ko‘u mahalo no kā kākou po‘e ‘ōpio ma nā kula ki‘eki‘e o Hawai‘i: ko lākou akamai a me ko lākou mau kālena; nā alaka‘i e hiki mai ana.

I ka manawa like, ‘a‘ole nō hemolele ia kula nei. ‘A‘ohe paha kula hemolele. A ma loko o nā puka, nā wahi e hō‘ikaika ai, kūpa‘a wau a me ke ke‘ena nei e kōkua ma ke ‘ano i hiki. He mea nui kēlā iā mākou no ka mea ‘o ko mākou pahu hopu e lilo ‘o Mānoa i kula helu ‘ekahi no ka mea ‘o ia ka mea i pono ai ko Hawai‘i nei.

Me ia mau mana‘o, e naue pū mai kākou i kēia Pō‘aono iā Discover Mānoa e ‘ike maka i nā waiwai o Mānoa nei a i ‘ike pū ‘ia kou maka a me kou mau nani palena ‘ole.

A hui hou i kēia Pō‘aono,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy Monday to us all!

In these past few weeks it has been interesting how many times UH Mānoa’s value has come up in conversation.

For me, I always share stories about how much I love this school. I share about how much appreciation I have for the brilliant professors who love their students, for the hardworking staff, and for the incredibly unique programs we offer. I also always tell our own Mānoa folx about about how much I love and appreciate our Hawai‘i high school students: their gifts and talents and how they are truly our future leaders. I’m super passionate about this!

At the same time, I fully admit that our university is not perfect. I’m not sure there is a perfect school out there. And in the gaps and spaces that can be strengthened, my office and I are fully committed to doing what we can. This is really important to us because our goal is that UHM be the best version of ourselves because that’s what Hawai‘i deserves.

With that said, come join us this Saturday at Discover Mānoa and see for yourself the value of UH Mānoa. Also come so we can see you and all the beauty that you bring to us!

September 25th- October 1st

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua piha ka pule a me ka hopenapule i hala aku nei me ke aloha, ka lokomaika‘i, ke ahonui, a me ke ola kino maika‘i.

I kēia hopenapule ua noho ho‘okahi wau ma kai. Ua lana aku ko‘u mau mana‘o mai ‘ō a ‘ō a ua heluhelu pū wau i kekahi mau ‘ao‘ao o ka puke hou. ‘A‘ole ho‘i he mehameha, he nani maoli nō ka nohona ho‘okahi. He wā e nalu, e pule, a e ho‘opili aku me nā kūpuna.

He aha kāu hana ho‘okahi no kou ola, no kou hau‘oli?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope last week and weekend were filled with aloha, generosity, patience, and good health.

This past weekend, I sat by myself at a dock; something I have not done in a long time, maybe ever. My thoughts drifted to and fro and I even read a few pages of a new book. I wasn’t lonely, instead I relished in the time alone. It waa a moment to reflect, to pray, and to connect with my kūpuna.

What do you do alone for your health, for your joy?

September 11- 17th

Aloha mai kākou,

‘Auē ka wikiwiki o ka hō‘ea ʻana o ia Pō‘akahi nei!

I kekahi mau pule i hala aku nei, ua ho‘omaka ko mākou ke‘ena e oli iā Welina Mānoa i ka hola 10 o ke kakahiaka i kēlā me kēia Pō‘akahi. Kū pū mākou ma lalo o ka malu o nā kumu, huli i uka, hanu pū, a oli pū.

He aha ka waiwai o ia ‘ano wā e ho‘opili aku me nā kūpuna a me ka ‘āina nō ho‘i? Pehea e ho‘omākaukau iho ai? Pehea e maka‘ala i nā hō‘ailona o nā pane? Pehea e ho‘okumu iho i ka pule mai ia kahua o ke oli? Eia nō wau ke nalu nei i ia mau mea.

He aha kā ‘oukou hana e ho‘omaka i kēlā me kēia pule? He kono aloha kēia e naue mai a e oli pū me mākou.💚

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Oh my goodness Monday arrived way too quickly!

A few weeks ago our office began chanting Welina Mānoa on Mondays at 10 am. We stand together under the shade of the trees, we face i uka, breathe together, and then chant together.

What is the value of this kind of time set aside to connect with kūpuna and ‘āina? How do we properly prepare ourselves? How do we be aware of the signs of response? And how do we ground the rest of our week in the foundation of our oli? These are questions that I am pondering.

What do you do to set your intentions for the week? This is a loving invitation to come chant with us if you like. 💚

September 4th – 10th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kēia pule pōkole me ka ‘oli‘oli a me ke ola kino maika‘i.

No‘u, kau ana ka no‘ono‘o i nā mea like ‘ole. Eia na‘e ke nānā wau i waho o ko‘u puka aniani ma ke ke‘ena nei, ‘ike ‘ia ka Hale Kāko‘o Haumāna ‘o Lili‘uokalani e kāhiko ‘ia nei i ka ‘a‘ahu poni no ka ho‘ohanohano a ho‘omana‘o ‘ana i ka Mō‘īwahine Lili‘uokalani no kona lā hānau. A me ia ‘ikena, kau aku ka mana‘o i ke aloha; ke aloha no nā keiki, ke aloha no ka lāhui, a me ke aloha no ka ‘āina nō ho‘i no ka mea ‘o ia ke ‘ano aloha a ka Mō‘īwahine i hō‘ike aku ai i kēlā a me kēia lā.

A no laila, eia nō he mau mea e ho‘olaha a kono aku ai i pili i ke aloha:

1. 9/6/2023: E Lili‘u Ē
2. 9/8/2023: Nā Aloha ‘Āina Pō‘alima (ka ho‘omaka)
3. 9/11/2023: Welina Mānoa (10am i kēlā me kēia Pō‘akahi; ‘a‘ole no ke a‘o, no ka ho‘omaka pū ‘ana i ka pule)
4. Nā mana‘o aloha no Lāhainā e Nā‘ālehu Anthony (eia ka lou)

Pāku‘i ‘ia ka ‘ikepili ma kēia lou nei.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou e hō‘ike ana i ke aloha ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole i kēlā me kēia lā i ha‘aheo ko kākou mau kūpuna, i ha‘aheo ko kākou Mō‘īwahine nō ho‘i.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope this short week is starting off for you with lots of joy and good health.

For me, I am thinking about so many things. But as I look outside of my office window, I see the purple draping on the Queen Lili‘uokalani Student Services building to celebrate her birthday. And with that sight, my thoughts turn to aloha; aloha for children, aloha for our lāhui, and aloha for ‘āina because that is the kind of aloha the Queen showed everyday.

So with that, here are some events related to aloha to announce and invite you to:

1. 9/6/2023: E Lili‘u Ē
2. 9/8/2023: Aloha ‘Āina Fridays (starting and continuing for the rest of the semester)
   
3. 9/11/2023: Welina Mānoa (10am every Monday; not a workshop, just a time to chant and begin our week together)
   
4. Lāhainā Blogs by Nā‘ālehu Anthony (here is the link)

August 28th – September 3rd

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki koke mai ka Pō‘akahi, ‘eā?

Ia‘u e ho‘omākaukau ana no kēia pule, e no‘ono‘o ana wau i nā ha‘awina o ka hopenapule a me ka pule i hala aku nei, a mau nō ia mea ‘o ke kūkulu pilina e kupu mai ana. Kālele mau ‘ia ke ko‘iko‘i o ke kūkulu pilina ‘ana ma luna a‘e o ka ho‘opololei ‘ana.

I kekahi mau manawa, pa‘akikī loa ke kūkulu pilina ‘ana i ka wā e makemake nui ana e ho‘opololei. Ma kekahi ‘ana, pono e kāohi i nā ‘ano mea like ‘ole i ia ‘ano wā. ‘A‘ole ia he mea ma‘alahi!

Akā ‘o ka mea nui loa, pono e nīnau ia‘u iho: he aha ka pahuhopu? E lohe ‘ia ana wau inā nō ‘o ka ho‘opololei ka mea nui? A i ‘ole he wā kēia e kūkulu pilina i lohe ‘ia wau i ka wā e hiki mai ana?

A ma ka ‘ao‘ao ‘ē a‘e, hoihoi wau i kekahi e ho‘opololei wale mai ia‘u? A i ‘ole ‘o ka pilina ka mea ‘olu‘olu i ka na‘au?

Pehea ia mea no ‘oukou?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Monday has arrived so quickly, hasn’t it?

While preparing for this upcoming week, I have been reflecting on lessons from this weekend and the past week and what kept surfacing for me was the importance of building pilina. Most importantly, the point that has been returning is that connection is more important than correction.

But sometimes it is so hard to connect when all I want to do is correct someone. There’s so much restraint and discipline required in these kinds of moments. Not easy!!

But most importantly, I have to ask myself: what is the goal? Will I truly be heard if all I focus on is correction? Or is this a time for connection so that in the future that pilina will allow me to truly be heard?

And on the other hand, do I want people coming around to correct ME all day? Or does connection feel so much better?

How do you deal with this? What are your strategies?

Resource for this week: Here is more on kāohi

Aloha nui,

punihei

August 21 – 27th

Home…

 

He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauwā ke kanaka. The land is the chief and the people are its servants.

 

Home can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. The conversations today centered around the idea of home and what that means to the people who call Lāhainā home. Home is place. Home is water. Home is kuleana. Home is moʻo kūʻauhau. Home is also kūpaʻa in the face of challenge.  And home is the ability to come back and rebuild in the reflection of the values that has kept these communities whole for generations. For some of the residents here in Leialiʻi, it is also the firm commitment to stay here no matter the risk. Thats the balance point, and the crux of the paradox- that this community has a kuleana to this place and it to them as they have been in relationship for generations. Does this fire sever that connection? 

 

For many the answer to the question is nuanced as we think about all of the ways that we are connected land and to specific places that we recognize and give us comfort. To juxtapose this, many streets are here in Lāhainā are unrecognizable and cannot bring anyone comfort as they are forbidden from entering. I can’t imagine what thats like, to not be able to go home no matter the condition of it. This, however, is hallowed ground and so we need to tread carefully with our steps and decisions in these coming days as we look for answers in a sea of unanswerable questions. 

 

Today was set up for a number of discussions centered around the concept of place and how place might be engaged in this uncertain future. I can tell that Archie was focused on that very notion as we met to talk about the daily schedule and the importance of the meetings that were in front of us today as they are a start to all the discussions that will define this place in the future.  In a heartbeat, I found myself in the passenger seat of the ATV with Archie at the helm. Destinations unknown, but it was clear that we were in the bush above Lāhainā and that we were gaining altitude. The puʻu behind Leialiʻi was the kind of backdrop that movies are made of, and as we flew up the hill past countless burned out trees and shrubs, we could climb past the destruction and into an entirely different place and space. At the top of the puʻu a sight emerged that will be with me for the rest of my life. 

 

For the first time Archie could see the greater extent of burn that has ravaged his home. As far as we could see there were the black burn marks scarring the landscape. We were silent for a long time- neither of us with words to explain the sight which could not possibly the home that was vibrant and full of energy less than two weeks before. He broke the silence pointing out the places important to him and his ʻohana, the loʻi up the valley, grandfathers house that used to be next to the hotel and the place where grandmothers house was at the shoreline. As I reflect back to it now im realizing that none of the words were for me, rather, he was trying to find his bearing in an unrecognizable landscape. I could feel the resolve in Archie strengthen and it was time to go. 

Home can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. When we sail on board Hōkūleʻa- she is our home.  We can all feel it. We call her the mother and she embraces us. In 2017, after more than 40,000 miles of sailing around the planet, a small crew of us embarked on the last 2,400 hundred miles in search of our home, Hawaiʻi. These three and a half weeks would be filled with challenges and anticipation that would lead us to the last three days of searching for a distinct edge of land that would mean that we accomplished our task and closed a voyage unlike any other. And as we searched and searched we finally saw the majestic land sticking out of the sea. It was Maui all along- and no other landfall that I have experienced felt quite like what I felt that morning. We were home. 

I offer you a different vision of Maui then is being described today in the press. Maui, the beacon for voyagers for thousands of years, standing strong and tall so that we could make our way.  The majestic slopes piercing the the sky and clouds so that she can find us as we can find her. You see, she is always there, always home, sometimes it just means that the journey is long and we have to find the right navigator and captain to sail us there. 

 

Lahaina Strong-

 

Na’alehu Anthony

 

August 14th – 20th 

Anahulu Hoinana Oli: google folder to pule and oli for Maui

Aloha nui kākou,

Ua hala kekahi mau pule ma waena o ko‘u leka hope ‘ana iā ‘oukou a me kēia lā nei. Nui nā kumu like ‘ole no kēlā.

‘O ka mea nui, he kono aloha kēia e hui pū I KĒIA LĀ i ke awakea ma Mānoa nei ma ka pā mau‘u ma mua pono ‘o Hawai‘i Hall e pule a e mele pū no Maui.

Eia nā mele:

• E Hō Mai
• Nā ‘Aumākua
• E Kānehoalani Ē
• E Kāne Ē
• Lonokūlani
• (Ma hope mai, he wā e ho‘okupu aku i nā mele ‘ē a‘e e like me ka makemake o kēlā kanaka kēia kanaka)

Inā pa‘a nā mele a pau, maika‘i. Inā ‘a‘ole pa‘a, pāku‘i ‘ia he lou QR ma luna a‘e nei.

E lawe mai i nā mea ho‘okani pila a me nā pū ‘ohe kekahi.

E ho‘omau ana ia hui ‘ana no ia anahulu nei e like me ka makemake o ko Maui mau kumu hula.

Eia he palapala ‘āina o ke Kula Nui ‘o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

It has been some weeks since I last did a weekly email. There are a bunch of reasons for that.

Most importantly, this is an invitation of love to gather TODAY at noon here at Mānoa on the lawn fronting Hawai‘i Hall to pule for Maui.

These are the mele:

• E Hō Mai
• Nā ‘Aumākua
• E Kānehoalani Ē
• E Kāne Ē
• Lonokūlani
• (Afterwards, we can share mele as we deem fit)

If you know all the mele, great! If not, the QR code above has links to recordings and words.

Please feel free to also bring your instruments and pū ‘ohe.

This noon-time ceremony will continue for the remainder of this anahulu as requested by the Kumu Hula of Maui.

Here is a UH Mānoa campus map.

Resource for this week: Here is more on anahulu

Aloha nui,
punihei

July 17th-23rd

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ka ‘eleu a me ka mākaukau!

E like me ka‘u i kēlā puke aku nei, ua ho‘omaha iki wau e launa pū me ka ‘ohana. Ho‘okahi mea nui o ka pule aku nei ka lā hānau o ko‘u kaikunāne, ‘o Nā‘ālehu. ‘Oiai ‘o kona lā hānau ma ka mahina o Iulai, pōmaika‘i ka hiki ke pā‘ina ma kahakai. No‘u, aia ko‘u lā hānau i Pepeluali i ka wā ua, no laila ‘a‘ohe kipa ‘ana aku i kai.

Ia‘u e ha‘i ana no ko Nā‘ālehu lā hānau i kekahi hoa, nīnau maila ‘o ia ia‘u no ko māua pilina. Wehewehe akula wau i ko‘u mahalo no kona hānai a ho‘omalu mai ana ia‘u. ‘Oiai he ‘ewalu makahiki ‘o ia ma luna o‘u, he ‘ano kahu a kia‘i ho‘i ‘o ia no‘u.

I ko‘u wā ‘ōpio, ‘a‘ole wau mahalo nui i kona kia‘i mai ana ia‘u. He ‘ano ho‘onaukiuki ia. Eia na‘e, i kēia manawa, ‘ike wau i ka lokomaika‘i nui ma loko o kāna mau hana e aloha mai ia‘u.

‘Oiai ua makua maila, ‘ike wau i ka pa‘akikī ‘o ke kūpa‘a ‘ana ma kekahi mau koho ‘oiai ‘a‘ole paha e mahalo ‘ia ana ia mau mea a hiki i kekahi wā e hiki mai ana.

A no laila, he leo mahalo kēia iā Nā‘ālehu a me ‘oukou e ‘onipa‘a mau ana no ka pono o ka ‘ohana, nā hoa, a me ka lāhui pū kekahi. ‘A‘ole nō he ma‘alahi i nā manawa a pau akā he mea nui nō. Pehea kākou e maka‘ala a e ho‘omau i ia ‘ano ‘auamo kuleana?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your Monday is filled with energy and readiness!

Like I shared last week, I took some vacation to be with my ‘ohana. One of the big moments during my vacation was my brother Nā‘ālehu’s birthday. He is lucky that since his birthday is in July he can have a party at the beach. For me, my birthday is in February during the rainy season, so there’s definitely no beach visits for me.

While I was telling a friend about Nā‘ālehu’s birthday, he asked me about our pilina. I shared how grateful I am that Nā‘ālehu helped raise me. Since he is eight years older than me, he was a type of caretaker and guardian for me.

When I was young, I did not appreciate that he protected me. It was kind of irritating (especially as a teenager)! But now I can see the generous ways in which he loved me that has helped shape me into the person I am today.

As an adult now, I see how hard it can be to stand firm in something I know is right all the while knowing that the decision will likely not be appreciated until some time far into the future.

So this is a mahalo to my brother and to all of you who stand firm for the pono of ‘ohana, of friends, and of our lāhui. It isn’t always easy but it is so important. How do we cultivate the awareness that is necessary to continue this type of kuleana?

Resource for this week: Here is more on lokomaikaʻi

Aloha nui,
punihei

July 10th-16th

Aloha mai kākou,

Hau‘oli Pō‘akahi!

I kēlā pule aku nei ua ho‘omana‘o mai kekahi ia‘u i ka pa‘akikī ‘o ka ho‘omaha ‘ana; ka nui o nā kuleana e ‘auamo mau ai e la‘a me ka mālama keiki/‘ohana, ka uku ‘ana i nā pila, ka ho‘oholomua ‘ana i nā papahana ma ke ke‘ena, a pēlā wale aku. I ia au o ka “mālama iho” pehea lā e hana maoli ai?

No‘u, ho‘ā‘o nui wau e hana i kekahi mau mea li‘ili‘i i kēlā me kēia lā: inu wai, ho‘oikaika kino, ‘ai pono, a mahalo aku i nā pōmaika‘i o ke ola. A, no kekahi mau mea nui, pono nō wau e ho‘omaha mai kekahi mau kuleana e kau nui aku ka mana‘o i nā mea ‘ē a‘e. He pono ka ho‘onohonoho ‘ana i nā mea like ‘ole i hiki ia‘u ke mālama i ia mau kuleana a he pono nō ho‘i ke kāko‘o ‘ana mai o nā kanaka like ‘ole.

Mahalo wau i ia mau pōmaika‘i e ‘ae mai ana ia‘u e ho‘omaha ma kekahi ‘ano no ka wā pōkole. A, ‘ike wau ‘a‘ole ‘o kēia ka ma‘amau no nā kanaka a pau.

No laila, i ia wā o ko‘u ho‘omaha iki ‘ana mai ko‘u mau kuleana mai ke ke‘ena mai, he leo mahalo kēia i ke ahonui o nā kanaka like ‘ole a me ka hana nui o nā lālā o ko‘u ke‘ena e ‘auamo nei i nā kuleana.

No kākou a pau: pehea paha e mālama a e kāko‘o i kekahi i kekahi i hiki ke ho‘omaha i nā wā kūpono?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy Monday!

Last week I was reminded by someone about how hard it can really be to rest or take some type of vacation; the seemingly insurmountable kuleana to constantly tend to like taking care of children and ‘ohana, paying the bills, and making sure that the projects and work don’t fall behind. In this era of “self care” how can we really even do it?

For me, I try to do some of the little things everyday that give me health and moments of rejuvenation: drink water, exercise, eat well, and practice gratitude. And, for some of the big things, I need to take time off from some of my heavy kuleana to shift and focus on other important kuleana. This shift requires me to plan ahead of time and rely on others for support and coverage.

I am really really grateful for the blessings that allow me to take some time off. And I realize that this is not a reality for everyone.

So, in these next weeks as I’m taking time off from my office kuleana, I want to mahalo all those who are patient with me and to my awesome team who is covering for me.

For all of us: how do we perhaps care for and support one another so that when we each need some time off we feel like we can ask for it and take it?

Resource for this week: Here is more on hoʻomaha

Aloha nui,
punihei

June 26th – July 2nd

Aloha mai kākou,

Eia nō kākou ma ka ho‘omaka o kekahi pule hou. Nui paha nā mea e a‘o, e alu, a e ‘auamo pū ai. Ma loko o nā mea pa‘akikī, nā mea ma‘alahi, nā mea hau‘oli, a me nā mea kaumaha aia nō he mau ha‘awina a me nā pōmaika‘i e kakali ana iā kākou. He nani nō.

No nā lā 10 i hala aku nei e huaka‘i ana wau ma Moku Honu no nā ‘ano mea like ‘ole. Ia‘u e lele ana ‘elua lā aku nei, ‘ike ia nā ao ma lalo o‘u, ma lalo ho‘i o ka mokulele. ‘Oiai ua ‘ike ‘ia ia ‘ano ao he mau manawa, ua kupaianaha ka ‘ikena ma mua o‘u. Ia‘u e ki‘ei ana, kau mai ke kāhāhā i ia mea o ka moku e lele ana ma luna o nā ao. Kau aku ka mana‘o i ka wā ma mua o nā mokulele a i nā kanaka i moemoeā a ho‘okō i ke kūkulu ‘ana o ia ‘ano moku hou.

He ‘ano ho‘omana‘o ia mea ia‘u i ka hiki a me ke ko‘iko‘i o ka moemoeā ‘ana. ‘Oiai ‘a‘ole paha i hana mua ‘ia kekahi mea, ua hiki paha nō.

Pehea kākou e paipai aku i kekahi i kekahi e moemoeā a e ‘imi i nā ala i ma‘a ‘ole i ka hele ‘ia no ka pono o ka lāhui? He mea paha ia e no‘ono‘o ai.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Here we are at the beginning of another week. There are likely so many things to teach and learn, to connect on, and to do together. Within the things that are difficult, easy, happy, and sad there are so many lessons and blessings waiting for us. It’s really quite beautiful.

For the last 10 days I have been traveling on the US continent for a number of different things. As I was flying a couple of days ago, I saw a blanket of clouds below me, below the airplane. While I have seen clouds dozens if not hundreds of times on flights before, what layed before my eyes was particularly amazing this time. As I peered out, I was struck by the fact that that hear was this large vessel actually flying above the clouds. I couldn’t help but think about the time when planes did not yet exist and about the people who dreamed of and actually built these news kinds of vessels.

For me seeing these clouds below me was a reminder that dreaming is so important and that dreams really can come true. While something might not have been done before, the possibility does exist.

So, how do we encourage each other to dream and to seek out paths that are perhaps less traveled for the pono of our lāhui? It might be something to think about.

Resource for this week:Here is more on moemoeā

Aloha nui,
punihei

June 19th – 25th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ke aloha, ke ola kino maika‘i, a me ka hau‘oli.

‘Oiai ‘o kēia ka lā nui ‘o Juneteenth, kau ana ka no‘ono‘o i nā mo‘olelo o Hawai‘i, ‘Amelika, a o ke ao nei. Kau pū ana ka no‘ono‘o i ke ko‘iko‘i o ke a‘o, ke alu, a me ka ‘auamo pū ‘ana i nā kuleana e ho‘i hou i ka pono.

He maika‘i ka mālama ‘ana i lā nui ‘oiai he ala ia e a‘o aku a a‘o mai i nā mea i a‘o a maopopo mua ‘ole ‘ia. Eia na‘e, inā kākou e kū ma ke a‘o ‘ana, ‘a‘ohe paha holomua maoli.

A no laila, he kono kēia i ia lā a me nā lā e hiki mai ana: Ke a‘o ‘ia kekahi mea hou – he mea nui nō paha – he aha ka hana ma hope o kēlā? Pehea e alulike me nā kānaka ‘ē a‘e i hiki ke ‘auamo pū i nā ‘ano kuleana like ‘ole e ho‘oholomua a i ‘ole e ho‘oponopono i kekahi mea no ka pono o ka lāhui?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope this Monday is filled with aloha, health, and joy.

Since today is Juneteenth, my thoughts are with the intergenerational stories of Hawai‘i, America, and the world. I am also thinking about how important it is to not only learn but to also connect and work together to take on the kuleana to return things to a state of pono.

It is indeed important to create holidays because it is a way to draw attention to and also teach and learn about something that perhaps we did not know before. But if we stop there with the learning piece, we might not truly progress.

So this is an invitation on this day but really on all days: When we learn something new – something perhaps of particular significance – what do we do next? How do we connect with others so that we can together take on the various kuleana to move the issue forward and/or bring it to a state of pono for our lāhui?

Resource for this week: Here is more on pono

Aloha nui,
punihei

June 12th-18th

Aloha mai kākou,

Hau‘oli Pō‘alua!

‘Oiai ua hiki mai ke kauwela a no kekahi he wā ia no ka ho‘omaha, pa‘ahana wale ko‘u ke‘ena a pa‘ahana maoli wau ma nā ‘ao‘ao like ‘ole o ko‘u ola.

‘O ka ma‘amau, holomua wale wau me ka ‘ole o ka no‘ono‘o i ka ‘alo‘ahia. Ho‘oikaika kino wau i kēlā me kēia lā no laila he ala e ho‘oku‘u aku ai i ia ‘alo‘ahia ma loko o‘u.

Eia na‘e, inehinei, ua pi‘i a‘e ka panapana o ko‘u pu‘uwai a hiki loa aku i 235 pana o ka minuke. Ua ‘ākoakoa nā hoa a mālama mai ia‘u:

“Inu i ka wai anuanu,” i ‘ī mai kekahi.

“Noho i lalo,” i kuhikuhi mai kekahi ‘ē a‘e.

“E hanu,” i hō‘ike mai kekahi hou aku.

No laila ua noho wau, inu i ka wai anuanu, a hanu. I ia manawa like ua lomilomi mai kekahi mau hoa ia‘u.

Ma hope o 10 paha minuke, ua iho mai ka panapana ‘ana.

Mai ia mau hanana mai, ua ho‘omana‘o ‘ia wau:

• Inā nō he ‘alo‘ahia, pā maoli ‘ia ke kino.
• ‘O nā mea ma‘alahi loa e like me ka inu wai a me ka hanu ‘ana, he mea e ho‘opalekana maoli ai i ke ola.

E ‘olu‘olu, mai poina i nā mea ma‘alahi e mālama i kou ola kino!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy Tuesday everybody!

While summer has arrived and for some that means a time of rest and vacation, our office is extremely busy and I am super busy in all areas of my life. Eek!

Usually I just keep moving forward without thinking about or noticing any feelings of real stress. I workout daily so that is always a great pathway for me to release stress in a physical way.

But yesterday while working out and not doing anything that I don’t normally do, my heart rate rose to 235 beats per minute. That’s REALLY high. So my workout buddies gathered around to take care of me:

“Drink cold water,” one friend told me.

“Sit down,” another instructed.

“Breathe,” a friend demonstrated as she too took deep breaths and let out heavy sighs.

So, I sat, I drank cold water, and I breathed. At the same time a few dear friends took turns massaging me to help my body relax.

After about 10 minutes, my heart rate finally came down.

From these events, I was reminded:

• When there is stress going on in our lives, our bodies feel it even when we don’t think so.
• Some of the simplest and easiest things like drinking water and breathing deeply can literally save our lives. (I want to say here that I recognize that it is a privilege that many of us have easy access to water and that that is not a shared reality for ALL people)

Please, don’t forget about the easier things that can really take care of your health and well-being!

Resource for this week: Here is more on hanu and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

May 29th – June 4th

Aloha Pō‘alua iā kākou!

‘Auē! Nui wale nā mea i kupu mai i kēia hopenapule lō‘ihi a me kēia lā kekahi (‘o ia ke kumu no ka lohi o nei leka uila). He MAU mo‘olelo ka‘u e ha‘i paha aku ai.

Ma loko o ia mau hana like ‘ole nui nā mea e komo nei i ko‘u mau mana‘o, i ko‘u na‘au, a i ko‘u kino nō ho‘i. He aloha, he ‘eha, he hau‘oli, he hopohopo, a me nā ‘ano mea hou aku. ‘Auē ka nui o nā mea e puapua‘i mai nei!

A no laila i kekahi wā ka‘awale pōkole i kēia lā, ua puka wau i waho a hele wāwae a puni i ka pā mau‘u no ‘elima minuke. Pā mai ka lā ma ka ‘ili, ani mai ka makani i ka lauoho, ho‘omālō i ke kino, a hanu o loko a waho.

Mahalo nui wau i ia mau minuke pōkole i hiki ia‘u ke mālama ia‘u iho. He aha kāu i ia mau wā?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy Tuesday!

Oh my goodness! There are so many things that happened during this long weekend and even just today (which is why this email is later than I planned)! I have SO many stories that I could possibly share.

Within all that has happened many things have entered into my mind, my na‘au, and also my body. There’s aloha, pain, joy, concern, and so many other emotional and physical feelings. So many things are coming up for me right now!

So when I had a tiny bit of time to myself today, I went outside and took a five minute walk around the lawn. The sun shone down and kissed my skin, the wind blew through my hair, I stretched my body out, and I inhaled and exhaled.

I am so grateful for these tiny moments in which I can mālama myself and get present with all that’s going on inside of me. What do you do to mālama yourself in these moments?

Resources for this week:Here is more on puapuaʻi and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

May 22nd – 28th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki koke mai ka Pō‘akahi! ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, i ko‘u ala ‘ana i kēia kakahiaka nui, ua makemake wau e ho‘i wale i ka hiamoe. ‘A‘ole wau i mākaukau no kēia pule. Eia na‘e, ua ala nō, ua ho‘oikaika kino a inu wai, ‘ai i ka ‘aina kakahiaka a inu i ke kope, a i kēia manawa mākaukau nō!

‘O ia mau mea a‘u i hana ai i kēia kakahiaka, he mau mea nui no ko‘u ola kino; no ke ola o ke kino, nā mana‘o, a me ka ‘uhane kekahi.

Kau ka no‘ono‘o i ke ola kino ‘oiai ua ho‘omana‘o mai kekahi hoa ‘o ka mahina ‘o Mei ka mahina o ka Mental Health Awareness. He mea nui loa ka mālama ‘ana i ia māhele o ke ola kino a ‘a‘ole ia he mea ma‘alahi.

No‘u, pono wau e akahele i ka‘u mea e ‘ai ai, i ka nui o nā hola hiamoe, i ka nui o ka ho‘oikaika kino, i ka launa pū me nā hoa, i ka wā ka‘awale no ka pule, i ka wā no ka ho‘omaha, a i ka wā no ka ho‘oponopono ‘ana i nā mea o loko o‘u. He pono kēia mau mea i loko o nā ‘ano ho‘okae ma loko o nā ‘ōnaehana like ‘ole a me nā ‘ano ‘alo‘ahia ‘ē a‘e o ke ao nei.

‘Ike wau i nā hihia a me nā ālaina like ‘ole pili i ia māhele o ke ola kino. Eia na‘e, no ko kākou holomua ‘ana no ka pono o ka ‘ohana a me ka lāhui nō ho‘i, he ko‘iko‘i ka maka‘ala, ka mālama, a me ka ho‘oponopono ‘ana i nā mea o loko a me nā pilikia ma loko o nā ‘ōnaehana pū kekahi.

A ‘o ka mea nui loa i ku‘u wahi mana‘o, e waiho i ka hilahila ma ka hale. He mea nui loa kēia a he mea nui ka wala‘au a me ke kāko‘o ‘ana kekahi i kekahi.

No laila, i kēia mahina, e nīnau paha iā ‘oe iho: He aha nā mea i pono ai no ko‘u ola kūpono ‘ana? A laila e ‘auamo paha i kekahi mea hou e la‘a me ka hele wāwae ‘ana i ke kakahiaka nui, ka inu ‘ana i ka wai i kēlā me kēia hola o ka lā, ka mālama ‘ana he 5-10 minuke no ka pule a i ‘ole no ka wā hāmau, a e kāhea paha i kekahi kanaka akamai i ka ho‘oponopono.

He lālā waiwai maoli nō ‘oe no kou ‘ohana, no kou ‘oihana, no kou kaiāulu, a no ka lāhui nō ho‘i. No laila, e ‘olu‘olu, e mālama pono.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Oh my goodness Monday came so quickly! Truth be told, when I woke up early this morning, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I was not ready for this week to begin. But, I did get up, worked out and drank water, ate breakfast and drank coffee, and now I’m ready!

The things I did this morning are extremely important for my personal health and well-being; for my physical health, my mental health, and my spiritual health.

I’ve been thinking about health and well-being since a conversation I had with a friend last week in which she reminded me that May is Mental Health Awareness month. This is such an important part of our health and I know it is not always easy.

For me, I have to be really careful with many things when it comes to my mental health like what I eat (sugar is a major culprit for me!), how much sleep I get, how much I exercise, time I spend with loved ones, time I carve out for prayer, moments I take to rest, and especially the time I take for therapy. And let’s be real, taking these kinds of steps are so important especially given all the isms we have to deal with in our systems and the other kinds of stress we have to deal with all day everyday.

I know how complicated and challenging it can be to take care of our mental health. But for the health and well-being of our families and our lāhui, it is critical for us to be aware, to mālama, and to make pono what is going on inside of us and also within the systems that so greatly affect us.

And what is most important in my humble opinion is that we have to leave the shame out of this. It is so incredibly important to talk about our mental health and to support one another in this area of our well-being.

So, this month, perhaps ask yourself: What do I need for my health and well-being? And then maybe take one new step like going for walks in the morning, drinking more water every hour throughout the day, taking 5-10 minutes to pray or meditate, and maybe pick up the phone and call that therapist you’ve been considering for far too long.

You are truly an important member of your family, your organization, your community, and our lāhui. So please, take care of yourself.

Resources for this week: Here is more on ola and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

May 15th-21st

Aloha mai kākou,

‘Auē! Ua holo wale kēia hopenapule me ka wikiwiki loa! Eia na‘e, he nani nō kekahi o nā hanana o ia hopenapule, ‘eā?

No‘u, ma ka Pō‘aono, ua hele aku wau i ka lā hemo kula no Ke Kula Nui ‘o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa. A ma ka Lāpule ua mālama ‘ia nā ‘ano mea like ‘ole no ka Lā Makuahine.

‘O kēia pāpale o luna nei, he makana ia e ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana i ka hānau keiki a kekahi hoa. A i ia manawa nō, ‘o ka mana‘o o ka “Māmā” kekahi e hānau keiki ana. No‘u, ‘o ka hānau a hānai ‘ana i ka‘u mau keiki pono‘ī ka ‘oi kelakela o nā kuleana. ‘A‘ole o kana mai ka nui o ka hana, eia na‘e pau ‘ole ka ‘oli‘oli a me ke aloha e hū mai ana.

Eia na‘e, ‘ike ihola wau ‘a‘ole ‘o ka hānau keiki ke ala ho‘okahi i ke kuleana a me ke kūlana makuahine. Mahalo wau i nā pilina ma ko‘u ola e ‘ae mai ana ia‘u e hānai a aloha aku i nā keiki a me nā ‘ōpio like ‘ole. He pōmaika‘i maoli nō ia.

Mahalo ho‘i wau i ko‘u makuahine no ka hānau a hānai mai ana ia‘u. A, ‘oiai ‘o Māmā e hānai ana i kāna mau haumāna a me ka lāhui pū, mahalo wau i nā wahine ‘ē a‘e i mālama mai ia‘u a e mālama mau ana ia‘u!

A no laila, mahalo iā ‘oukou e nā makuahine: ‘oukou nā mea i hānau keiki a ‘oukou pū nā mea e hānai a e mālama ana i nā keiki, nā ‘ōpio, a me nā makua i pono ia ‘ano aloha o ka makua.

A, mahalo pū iā ‘oukou a pau nā mea e mālama ana i nā makuahine: e kāko‘o ana iā mākou, e paipai ana, e mahalo ana, e ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana, a e kono ana i kā mākou mau akamai a me ke ‘ano o kā mākou pūlama ‘ana e komo aku i nā hana a me nā kulena a pau.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Oh my goodness! This weekend just flew by! But some of the busy-ness of this weekend was beautiful, right?

For me, I went to the UH Mānoa graduation on Saturday. Then on Sunday I was involved in various Mother’s Day activities.

The hat pictured above was a gift from a baby shower and at that time the concept of “Māmā” was focused on those of us who have given birth. For me, giving birth and raising my children has been the most amazing kuleana ever. It is the hardest work I’ll ever do, but the joy and aloha that rises up inside of me is endless.

At the same time, I also know that giving birth is not the only pathway to the role and responsibility of motherhood. I am eternally grateful for the relationships in my life that allow me to nurture and love other children and young people. It is truly a blessing.

I of course am so grateful to my mom for birthing and raising me. And while Mom was also busy nourishing her students and the lāhui, I am thankful for all the women who took care of me and continue to care for me!

So this is a message of gratitude to all the mommies: those of you who have so beautifully birthed children out of your bodies and also to those of you who are raising and caring for children, youth, and even adults who are in need of that motherly love.

Finally, mahalo to all of you who take care of our mothers: for supporting, encouraging, thanking, and celebrating us, and especially for inviting us to bring our brilliance and the unique ways we love and cherish into all that we do.

Resources for this week: Here is more on makuahine and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

May 8th – 14th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki mai ka pule hope o ke kau kupulau! Pehea lā?!

‘Oiai e hiki koke mai ana ka hopena o ke kau, ua hō‘ea akula wau i ke kūpale lae‘ula a kekahi mau haumāna a me nā hō‘ike‘ike hope loa a kekahi mau haumāna ‘ē a‘e. Ma loko o ia mau hanana pākahi, ua kupu mai nā mana‘o pili i ke kū makani, i ka pio ‘ole i ke Kaua‘ula.

A no laila, e like me ka mau, ua lana aku ka mana‘o i ke ‘a‘ali‘i kū makani a me kona mau hi‘ohi‘ona i pūlama ‘ia e ko ke ke‘ena nei. A ia‘u e a‘o ana mai ia mau haumāna keu a ke akamai a e no‘ono‘o pū ana i ke kūpuna ‘o ke ‘a‘ali‘i, kupu mai ia mau mana‘o:

No kona mole: ‘O ke a‘a o ke ‘a‘ali‘i, he mole nō ia e huki wai ana mai lalo loa mai o ka ‘āina nei. ‘Ike akula wau i ka momona a me ka piha o nā haumāna ke hānai ‘ia lākou i nā ‘ono o Hawai‘i nei e la‘a me nā mo‘olelo a me nā pilina. Pehea e ho‘omau a e hō‘ikaika i ia ‘ano hānai ‘ana ma loko o kākou pākahi a ma loko ho‘i o nā keiki, nā ‘ōpio, a me nā haumāna?

No kona kū makani: ‘O ke kumu o ke ‘a‘ali‘i, kaulana ‘o ia no kona kū makani, no kona haki ‘ole i ka makani nui. ‘Ike ‘ia kēia kū makani ma loko o nā mo‘olelo o nā haumāna. Ma kekahi ‘ano, no ke aha lā i pono ai ko lākou, ko kākou kū makani mau ‘ana? A ma kekahi ‘ē a‘e, pehea e kāko‘o i ia ‘ano napenape a holuholu nō ho‘i i hiki ke ola a ho‘okumu i ka pono a me ke aloha ma loko o nā kaiāulu?

No kona kupu a mōhala: ‘O ka meakanu ‘a‘ali‘i, ua hiki i kona mau ‘āpana kino ke kāko‘o i nā mea like ‘ole no ke kaiāulu. ‘O nā lau he lapa‘au, ‘o nā pua he mea ho‘onaninani, o ka lā‘au he pou no ka hale a he mea kaua nō ho‘i. ‘O kēia mau haumāna, ‘o ko lākou hana a me ko lākou mau mea e kūkulu a e noi‘i pū nei, he lapa‘au, he mea nani, he kahua, a he mea pale/kaua nō ho‘i. Pehea kākou e mālama i ia mau haumāna i hiki ai iā lākou ke ho‘omau i ia ‘ano makana ‘ana aku i ka lāhui?

Mahalo nui e nā haumāna no ka ho‘oulu mau ‘ana iā kākou!

No nā haumāna e puka ana, ho‘omaika‘i aku iā ‘oukou!!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

We have already arrived at the last week of the UH spring semester. How is this even possible?!

Because the end of the semester is upon us, I had the opportunity to attend a couple of dissertation defenses and also a class in which students were giving final presentations. At all of these events, there were similar themes of wellness and resilience in the face of adversities.

And so of course my thoughts made their way to the ‘a‘ali‘i kū makani and its many qualities that are so loved by our office. And while I was learning from these brilliant students and thinking about our kūpuna the ‘a‘ali‘i, these reflections surfaced:

Its rootedness: The root of the ‘a‘ali‘i is a taproot that draws its water from deep down in Hawai‘i’s soils. I witnessed how rich and abundant students are when they are fed and nourished by the delicacies of Hawai‘i like mo‘olelo and pilina. How then do we continue and strengthen this kind of nourishment within each of us and within our children, youth, and students?

Its resilience: The trunk of the ‘a‘ali‘i is famous for its ability to withstand high winds and not break. I witnessed this resilience in the stories shared by our students. On the one hand, why is resilience so often necessary?! On the other hand, how do we cultivate this flexibility and resilience so that we can withstand and transform systems into ones that reflect pono and aloha?

Its responsiveness: When the ‘a‘ali‘i matures, its various parts can be used to respond to the needs of the community. The leaves can be used for medicine, its flowers and capsules for beautification as dye and lei, and its wood for house posts and even weapons. The work, creations, and research our students do are in so many ways the medicine, the beauty, the foundations, and the protection our communities need. How do we mālama these amazing students so that they can continue to respond and contribute to our lāhui?

Mahalo to our students who continue to inspire us!

And for those who are graduating, congratulations!!!!

Resources for this week: Here is more on holuholu and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

May 1st – 7th 

Aloha mai kākou,

Hau‘oli lā mua o Mei!

Nui nō ho‘i nā mea e ho‘olaule‘a a mahalo aku ai i kēia lā.

‘O kekahi, ‘o ia ho‘i ka lā lei ma Hawai‘i nei. He nani ia lā no ka ho‘opili ‘ana iā kānaka me ko Hawai‘i, e la‘a me ka hana lei, ka mālama ‘ana i ka ‘āina no ka ulu ‘ana o nā meakanu no nā lei, a me ke aloha ‘ana kekahi i kekahi. Inā hoihoi, e huli aku i kēia lou i kēia ahiahi.

No‘u, ‘akahi a ho‘i wau i Hawai‘i nei mai ko‘u huaka‘i i Wakinekona DC. A ‘oiai wau i mahalo nui i nā mea a‘u i a‘o ai a me nā hoa a‘u i launa pū ai, ua mahalo wau i ke kau ‘ana o ka mokulele ma ka ‘āina o Hawai‘i nei a ho‘i wau i ku‘u kulāiwi.

No laila, i kēia lā mua o Mei a kākou e ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole, ‘o ka mea nui ko kākou aloha iā Hawai‘i; ko kākou mālama ‘ana i nā loina a me nā mo‘omeheu e alaka‘i ana i ko kākou mālama ‘ana i kekahi i kekahi me ka ‘āina pū nō ho‘i.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e alaka‘i ‘ana iā kākou ma kēia ‘ano.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy May first!

We have so many things to celebrate and be grateful for today.

For one, today is lei day in Hawai‘i. It is a beautiful way for us to connect with Hawai‘i lifeways, like making lei, taking care of ‘āina so that the plants we need for lei can grow, and of course taking care of one another. If you’re interested to learn more and enjoy some great music tonight, click on this link for details.

For me, I just returned home to Hawai‘i from my trip to Washington DC. While I loved all that I learned and all those I met, I was so grateful when the plane finally landed back on the soils of my beloved home.

So on this first of May as we celebrate in all sorts of ways, at the center of all that is our aloha for Hawai‘i; the way we mālama our traditions and culture that will undoubtedly guide the way we mālama one another and this ‘āina.

Mahalo to all of you who guide us in these ways everyday.

Resources for this week: Here is more on loina and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

April 24th – 30th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki koke mai ka Pō‘akahi, ‘eā?!

No‘u, i kēia hopenapule, ua piha i nā kuleana like ‘ole. Ho‘okahi o nā kuleana ka ‘ohi ‘ana i nā pua kenikeni no laila hele akula wau me kekahi hoa i ka ‘ao‘ao Ko‘olau e ‘ohi pua ma ka pā hale.

No Honolulu mai ko‘u hoa i huaka‘i pū me ia‘u a i kona kipa ‘ana i ka ‘ao‘ao Ko‘olau, ua piha kona na‘au me ka ‘oli‘oli a me ka mahalo no nā pali hāuliuli a me ka ulu wehiwehi o nā Ko‘olau.

Ua mino‘aka nui wau i kona aloha i ka nani o ku‘u ‘āina no ka mea mahalo mau wau i ka nani o kēia ‘āina nei. Mahalo wau i nā ‘āina wehiwehi, akā mahalo pū wau i nā ‘āina i pilikia i ka nui o nā haleku‘i a me ke kimeki. Aloha nui wau i ku‘u kulāiwi, iā O‘ahu nei.

I kēia pule e huaka‘i ana wau i Wakinekona DC no kekahi hālāwai nui. ‘O ka ma‘amau, ‘a‘ohe o‘u hoihoi e ha‘alele iā O‘ahu. ‘Oiai wau e ha‘alele ana no kekahi mau lā pōkole wale nō, e ha‘o ana wau iā O‘ahu nei. E ha‘o ana wau i ka ua o nā Ko‘olau, i ka pa‘a o nā ka‘a ma ke alaloa, nā ānuenue o Mānoa, a me nā kanaka i hi‘ipoi ‘ia.

Ke koho nei au e huaka‘i no ka mea he wā ia e hō‘ikaika ia‘u iho i mea e mālama i nā kaiāulu o Hawai‘i nei. No laila, e ha‘alele ana wau no ka ho‘i wiki ana mai.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e mālama ana iā Hawai‘i nei no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Oh my goodness! Monday is here so quickly!

For me, this past weekend was filled with various kuleana. One of my kuleana was picking pua kenikeni. So off I went with a beloved to the Ko‘olau side of the island to pick flowers.

The young person who joined me on this adventure is from Honolulu and when he arrived on the Ko‘olau side he was filled with joy and gratitude and awe for the green and lush ‘āina before his eyes.

I smiled at his aloha for my beloved ‘āina because I too continue to feel so much mahalo for that place. I love the lush and verdant ‘āina, but I also love even the spaces where there are too many buildings and concrete jungles. The truth is, I just love my kulāiwi; I love O‘ahu.

This week I am going to Washington DC for some important gatherings. I usually don’t want to even leave O‘ahu. And while I am gone I know that I am going to miss my beloved island. I am going to miss the rains over the Ko‘olau, the terrible traffic on the freeways, the rainbows in Mānoa, and the people of O‘ahu whom I so cherish.

But I’m choosing to travel because it is an opportunity for me to grow in ways that I plan to bring home to better care for our communities here in Hawai‘i. So I am leaving but only to return home quickly.

Mahalo to all of you who mālama Hawai‘i everyday for our future generations.

Resources for this week: Here is more on kulāiwi and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

April 17th – 23rd

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he ho‘omaka maika‘i kēia no ‘oukou pākahi a pau ma hope o ka hopenapule piha i ke oli, ka hula, a me ke mele.

Ua pōmaika‘i wau i ka hiki ke lele aku i ka Moku o Keawe e kipa i kekahi mau wahi pana a e ‘ike maka i ka hula kahiko ma Hilo.

Ho‘okahi o nā ha‘awina a‘u i mahalo aku ai i kēia hopenapule ‘o ia ho‘i ke aloha o ka ‘āina ma loko o nā mele a pau. He ho‘omana‘o kēia no ka pilina pau‘ole o kānaka me ka ‘āina a he kumu nō ho‘i no ka hiki ke ola ma ia mau mokupuni li‘ili‘i ma waena o Moananuiākea no nā kaukani makahiki.

A ho‘i hou mai i ka makahiki 2023: I kēia manawa he pono ka hana nui e ho‘oponopono i nā hihia o ke “climate change” a he pono pū nā ‘ano lā nui e like me “Earth Day” e hiki koke mai ana e ho‘omana‘o i ka lehulehu e mālama ‘āina. No ke aha lā? No ka mea pilikia ka pilina ma waena o kākou kānaka me ka ‘āina a ua poina ‘ia nā kuleana aloha a mālama ‘āina nō ho‘i.

No laila, pehea e pili hou aku ai? Nui nā ‘ano ala no ka hō‘ikaika ‘ana i ka pilina me ka ‘āina. ‘O kekahi ‘o ia ho‘i ka launa ‘ana me ka ‘āina, ka ho‘okama‘āina ‘ana i kona mau inoa a me kona mau mo‘olelo nō ho‘i. A ‘o ke mele kekahi o nā ala e a‘o mai ai.

No laila, e naue pū mai i kēia Pō‘ahā, ka lā 20 o ‘Apelila ma ka hola 1:30 o ka ‘auinalā a e a‘o pū kākou i ke oli ‘o Welina Mānoa a e hō‘ikaika i ka pilina me ko Mānoa nei. Pāku‘i ‘ia ka ‘ikepili ma ka pepa ho‘olaha. Mai poina e kāinoa!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your week is starting off good after that great weekend of oli, hula, and mele.

I was blessed to fly to Hawai‘i Island and visit some special places and also watch the hula kahiko performances in person.

One of the lessons that I am so grateful for from this weekend is all the ways we can learn and feel aloha ‘āina in all the mele that were performed. It is a reminder of the everlasting pilina that kānaka had and continue to have with ‘āina and it is because of this pilina that kānaka could live and thrive on these tiny isolated islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for thousands of years.

Fast forward to 2023: We are struggling with climate change and we need to have events like Earth Day coming up this week to remind us to mālama ‘āina. How did we get here? When the pilina between us as humans and the earth are severed or severely damaged, we begin to forget our kuleana to aloha and mālama ‘āina.

So how do we rebuild our pilina with ‘āina? Really, there are so many ways. One of the many is to get to know the ‘āina you are on; get to know her many qualities and stories. And of course, mele is one of the amazing ways we can learn.

So, come join us this Thursday, April 20 at 1:30pm and let’s learn the oli Welina Mānoa and strengthen our pilina with Mānoa. All the details are attached in the flyer. Please don’t forget to RSVP!

Resources for this week: Here is more on mele and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

April 10th – 16th

Aloha mai kākou,

Eia nō kākou ma ka pule o Mele Manaka!!!

Mai kekahi kapa a kekahi kapa aku o ka pae ‘āina, ke ‘ākoakoa a ho‘omākaukau nei nā ‘ōlapa, nā kumu, nā ‘ohana, a me nā hoa no ia ho‘okūkū hula. ‘O ka ho‘okūkū, he ho‘okūkū nō. Eia na‘e he wā pū nō ia o ka pilina. ‘A‘ohe mea e hiki aku ana i Mele Manaka me ka ‘ole o ke kāko‘o o nā kanaka he nui hewahewa a me ka ho‘opili ‘ana me nā kūpuna, nā mo‘olelo, ka ‘āina, a me ke kaiāulu.

No ko‘u hālau, ‘a‘ole mākou ke ho‘okūkū nei. Eia na‘e, ua ‘ohi ‘ia ka ‘a‘ali‘i a kui ‘ia nā lei no ko mākou kumu ‘oiai ‘o ia e hula ana me kona hālau a e ‘auamo ana i ke kuleana waha ‘ōlelo. Ua ‘ohi pū ‘ia nā lā‘ī a me nā ‘ano mea ‘ē a‘e no nā hoa e hula ana i kēia pule. ‘O kēia ka hana ma‘amau.

‘O ka mea nani, nui ke kōkua aku a kōkua mai i holomua ka po‘e hula, i holomua aku ka lāhui.

A no laila, he ho‘omana‘o maika‘i kēia no ka pono o ka laulima. E like me ka ‘ōlelo o nā kūpuna, “‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia.”

Mahalo i ka lehulehu e kāko‘o ana i nā hālau i kēia pule (a me nā pule/mahina i hala aku nei) a mahalo ho‘i iā ‘oukou e kāko‘o ana i kekahi i kekahi i kēlā me kēia lā.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

It’s Merrie Monarch week!

Across Hawai‘i dancers, kumu, families, and friends are gathering and preparing for the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. And while it is indeed a competition, it is also a time for pilina. Nobody can get to Merrie Monarch without the support of countless people and connecting with kūpuna, mo‘olelo, ‘āina, and community.

My hālau is not competing. However, we gathered ‘a‘ali‘i and strung lei for our kumu because he will be dancing and also hosting the event on air. We also picked ti-leaves and other foliage for loved ones who are dancing this week. This is just what we do.

The beautiful thing is that there is an abundance of helping one another so that our hula people can thrive; really so that our lāhui can thrive.

All of this is really a great reminder to me of how important laulima is. As our kūpuna remind us, “‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia”: No task is too big when we all work together.

Our mahalo goes out to all those who are supporting hālau this week (and the weeks and months leading up to this point) and mahalo also to all of you who spend time supporting one another everyday.

Resources for this week: Here is more on laulima and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

April 3rd – 9th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki mai ka Pō‘akahi a ua hiki pū mai ka mahina ‘o ‘Apelila. Pehea lā?!

A me ka hiki ‘ana mai o ia mahina, ke hiki mai nei ka wā ‘o Mele Manaka.

Mahalo wau i ia ho‘okūkū hula ‘oiai he wā no ka ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana ma o ke mele a me ka hula. A, piha ia mau mele me nā mo‘olelo a me nā ha‘awina like ‘ole. Pehea paha kākou e ‘ike a a‘o mai ia mau ha‘awina mai?

Inehinei ua kipa mai ‘o Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō mai ka Moku o Keawe e ho‘omana‘o mai iā kākou i ka nui o nā ha‘awina ma loko o nā mele; nā ha‘awina e kono mai ana iā kākou e aloha, e ho‘ōla, e alaka‘i, e mihi, e ‘onipa‘a, e naue pū, e ho‘omaka hou, a me nā mea hou aku.

A no laila, he kono kēia e huli aku i nā mele i mea e kuhikuhi i ke ala kūpono; ke ala o loko iho a me ke ala e ke‘eke‘ehi aku ai.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou nā mea e mālama mau nei i nā mele i hiki iā kākou ke a‘o a ulu a‘e.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Monday has arrived and so has April. How is this possible?!

And with the arrival of April means that Merrie Monarch is coming soon.

I love this hula competition because we get to celebrate life through mele and hula. AND, these mele are filled with such profound stories and life lessons. How might we learn from these lessons?

Yesterday Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō visited us from Hawai‘i Island to remind us of all the countless lessons to be learned from mele; lessons inviting us to love, to heal, to lead, to apologize, to begin anew, and so much more.

With that said, this is an invitation to turn to mele as a means to guide us towards the right path; the path that lies within us and the path that we will eventually tread upon.

Mahalo to all of you who are taking care of our mele so that we may all be inspired.

Resource for this week: Here is more on ala and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

March 27th – April 2nd

The view from one of the performances this past weekend

Aloha mai kākou,

Aloha Pō‘alua iā kākou! Mahalo ke Akua no ka pule pōkole, ‘eā?

Mahalo wau i kēia hopenapule lō‘ihi i hala aku nei ‘oiai ua piha i nā pōmaika‘i like ‘ole. ‘O kekahi o ia mau pōmaika‘i ka nui o nā ‘ano hō‘ike‘ike like ‘ole e la‘a me ka ho‘okanipila, ke mele, ka ha‘i ‘ōlelo, ka hula, ke oli, a pēlā wale aku. A ma loko o nā wā pākahi a‘u i nānā a ho‘olohe aku ai i ia mau hō‘ike‘ike, ua piha ko‘u na‘au me ka ‘oli‘oli a ua ho‘omana‘o ‘ia wau i ka waiwai o ia mau mea.

Me ia mana‘o like, he wahi kono kēia iā ‘oukou e naue pū mai i kekahi papahana a Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō e a‘o ana i kēia Lāpule/Pō‘ahiku e hiki mai ana. He wā kēia e ho‘opili aku me kou leo oli a me kou kino hula. A inā ‘o kēia ka maka mua no ia mau mea, mai hopohopo, he ho‘omaka nō!

Pāku‘i ‘ia ka pepa ho‘olaha a eia pū ka lou no ke kāinoa.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy Tuesday to all of us! Thank goodness for the short week, right?

I am grateful for this long weekend that we just had because it was filled with so many blessings. One set of these blessings revolved around performances like playing music, singing, sharing speeches and poetry, hula, chanting, etc. And while I was watching and listening to all of these performances, my na‘au was filled with so much joy and I was reminded how incredibly important it all is.

In this same spirit, I would like to invite all of you to join me in a hula workshop being taught by Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō this coming Sunday on April 2, 2023. This will be a time to connect with your chanting voice and your hula dancing body. And don’t worry, if this is your first time connecting with those parts of yourself, then welcome this new opportunity!

The flyer is attached below and the link to sign up is here.

Resources for this week: Here is more on mele and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

March 20 – 26th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki koke mai ka Pō‘akahi a ua hiki pū mai Ke Alo-piko-o-Wākea.

Ua a‘o ‘ia mai au he wā kēia no ka pule a no ka ho‘omōakāka ‘ana i nā kuleana, nā pahuhopu nō ho‘i no nā kau e hiki mai ana. Ua ho‘omana‘o pū ‘ia wau e kekahi hoa he wā pū kēia no ka ho‘oku‘u ‘ana i nā mea e kāko‘o ‘ole ‘ana i nā kuleana, nā pahuhopu, a me ke ola pono.

Me ia mau mana‘o, i kēia Pō‘aono i hala aku nei, e kū ana wau ma kai ma Mā‘ili ‘oiai ka lā e nāpo‘o ana. A i ia wā nō lana aku ka mana‘o i nā mea e ho‘oku‘u aku ai a e ‘auamo iho ai.

No‘u, ke ho‘oku‘u aku nei au i ka makemake e mālama i nā mea ma waho aku o ko‘u kuleana, ma waho aku o ko‘u hiki ke mālama. Me ia ho‘oku‘u he hanu lipo nō ho‘i. A he pono ka pule.

I ia wā like, kia aku ka no‘ono‘o a me ka na‘au i ka mālama ‘ana i nā kuleana ma mua pono o‘u; nā mea ma loko o ko‘u pō‘ai aloha.

A no laila he leo noi kēia iā ‘oukou e kōkua a e kāko‘o mai ia‘u e holomua ma kēia ala i kēia kau. A he leo kono nō ho‘i kēia e ho‘opuka aku i nā mea āu e ho‘oku‘u a e ‘auamo pū ana i kēia kau a eia nō wau me ka mākaukau e kāko‘o aku.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Monday has come so quickly and with it comes Spring Equinox.

I’ve been taught that this is a time of year to clarify and articulate our goals and intentions for this next season. I was also reminded by a dear friend last week that this is also a time to release things that aren’t serving us, our intentions, and our well-being.

With all this in mind, this past Saturday, I was standing on the beach in Mā‘ili while the sun was setting. As I was doing so my thoughts turned to what I want to release and what I want to focus on in this next season.

For me, I want to release the feeling of needing to control things that are outside of my kuleana and outside of my reach. This definitely takes lots of very deep breathing and praying on my part.

Meanwhile, I want to focus my intentions on being present with the things in my life that are within my reach and that are within the circle of aloha that I have kuleana to mālama.

So this is a request to all of you to please help and support me to fully live into my intentions in this next season. This is also an invitation for you to reflect on and share your intentions during this Spring Equinox and to please know that I am here to support you.

Resources for this week: Here is more on noʻonoʻo and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

March 13th – 19th

Aloha mai kākou,

Me ka hiki ‘ana mai o ka Pō‘akahi, ua hiki pū mai ka wā ho‘omaha kupulau no nā ‘ōpio ma Hawai‘i nei. No laila, e mālama pū kākou i kā kākou mau keiki hiwahiwa. E akahele ma nā alanui, e ahonui paha ma nā kikowaena, a e launa pū ke hiki.

Me ia mana‘o, kau ana ka no‘ono‘o i ia mea ‘o ka makua. I ka wā ma mua ‘a‘ohe hua ‘ōlelo no ‘anakala me ‘anakē. ‘O ka hua ‘ōlelo ma‘amau ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o “makua.” A me ia hua ‘ōlelo ho‘okahi kupu mai ke kuleana like: ka mālama ‘ana i nā keiki, i nā ‘ōpio.

No kekahi o mākou, he mea ma‘amau ia ‘ano mālama ‘ana. Ke hele ke keiki i ka hale a ha‘i, mālama ‘ia ‘o ia me he keiki o ka hale lā. No kekahi ‘ē a‘e, he mana‘o hou paha kēia.

Pehea inā ua ‘auamo kākou a pau – nā kanaka o‘o – ma ke Kula Nui (a me nā wahi ‘ē a‘e) – i ke kuleana o ka mālama ‘ana i nā haumāna ma ke ‘ano he makua lā, ma ke ‘ano ‘o lākou ko kākou mau keiki pono‘ī? Pehea ia ‘ano aloha? Pehea ia ‘ano pilina? Pehea paha ana nā haumāna e holomua aku ai? Eia nō wau ke nalu nei.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou e mālama ana i nā keiki, i nā ‘ōpio nō ho‘i me ke aloha o ka makua. He mea nani a he mea nui nō.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

As this Monday arrives, so too does the start of spring break for many of Hawai‘i’s youth. So, let’s take care of our precious children. Let’s be a bit more careful on the roads, perhaps a little more patient in the malls, and let’s spend time with them as we are able to.

With this in mind, my thoughts have been turning to this idea of a makua. Traditionally, there was no word for uncle and aunty. The common term of address was “makua.” And with this one term meant the same kuleana for all those adults: taking care of children and youth.

For some of us, this type of care is typical. When a child goes to the house of another, they are treated as if they are a child of the family. For others, this idea might be new.

What if we – the adults of UHM (and other places, too) – took on the kuleana to take care of our students as if they were our own children? What would that aloha look like? What would those relationships look like? How might our students succeed? These are things I am reflecting on this week.

Mahalo to all of you who take care of our children and youth with the love of makua. It is so beautiful and so important.

Resources for this week: Here is more on makua and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

March 6th – 12th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki koke mai ka Pō‘akahi, ‘eā?!

No‘u ua ‘ano pa‘ahana kēia hopenapule me nā kuleana like ‘ole. Ho‘okahi o ia mau mea ka hele ‘ana i ka ho‘olewa no Kauka Emmett Aluli.

He me‘e ‘o ‘Anakala Emmett no nā mea like ‘ole e la‘a me ka mālama ‘ana i nā kanaka a me nā kaiāulu like ‘ole ma o kona ‘oihana kauka, ke aloha ‘āina a me kona hana wiwo‘ole no Kaho‘olawe, kona hana noi‘i no ke ola o ka lāhui, a no kona aloha pau‘ole i kona ‘ohana.

‘A‘ole wau i kama‘āina loa iā ia. Akā, ua huaka‘i pū wau me ia a me kekahi hui polopeka mai Mānoa mai ma kahi o ‘ehā makahiki aku nei. Iā mākou e holo ana ma ka wa‘a mai Maui a hiki aku i Kaho‘olawe, e po‘i ana nā nalu a e lele ana mākou ma ka wa‘a li‘ili‘i. Ua hele a ‘eha maoli nō nā ‘elemu!

I ia wā e nānā ana wau iā ‘Anakala Emmett: kēia kāne wiwo‘ole i ‘onipa‘a me nā me‘e aloha ‘āina ‘ē a‘e a i paio aku me ka pū‘ali koa o ‘Amelika a i lanakila nō ho‘i! Pehea lā?! Ho‘omaka ko‘u mana‘o e lana aku i ka wā a ‘Anakala Emmett mā i kau mua ma ka wa‘a a holo aku i Kaho‘olawe he mau makahiki aku nei. I ia wā ‘a‘ohe paha mana‘o‘i‘o ko ka lehulehu i ka lanakila e hiki mai ana. Eia na‘e, ua kūpa‘a ho‘i ‘o ‘Anakala Emmett me kāna mau hoa.

I ia wā a mākou e holo ana ma ke kai hohonu a e nānā ana ana wau i kēia me‘e ma mua o‘u, ua ulu a‘e ka ‘onipa‘a a me ka wiwo‘ole ma loko o‘u e ho‘omau; e ho‘omau i nā mea pa‘akikī loa e like me ka ho‘okahua ‘ana i ke Kula Nui o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa me ka ‘ike Hawai‘i a me ka ho‘opau ‘ana i ka ho‘okae ‘ili.

No laila, he leo mahalo kēia iā ‘oe e ‘Anakala Emmett – a me kou ‘ohana pū kekahi – no ko ‘oukou wiwo‘ole a me kou aloha nui ma nā mea a pau. He ho‘ohiki kēia e ho‘omau ‘ia ia hana nui no ka pono o ka lāhui, no ka pono o ka ‘āina nō ho‘i.

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

How has Monday arrived so quickly?!!

For me, it was a busy weekend with all sorts of kuleana. One of the things I did was attend the funeral service for Dr. Emmet Aluli.

If you didn’t know him, Uncle Emmett was a hero and a leader in so many areas including but not limited to his care for thousands across our communities and especially on Moloka‘i as a doctor, his historical work to care for and get back Kaho‘olawe, his pioneering work as a medical researcher, and his aloha for his ‘ohana.

I actually didn’t know him all that well. But about four years ago I traveled with him and a group of professors. As we were riding on the boat from Maui to Kaho‘olawe, the waves were crashing around us and we were popping up and down on our seats. Our bottoms were indeed sore!!

During this ride I just kept looking at Uncle Emmett: this brave and fearless man who, along with some other amazing aloha ‘āina, stood firm in their commitment and went head to head with the US military and actually won! How does that even happen?! Then I started to think about when Uncle Emmett folks made their first trip to Kaho‘olawe (this was my first trip) and what it must have been like all those years ago. I thought about how most people likely had no idea about the win that would eventually come our way. With or without that popular vote and backing, Uncle Emmett folks carried on and never wavered in their commitment to Kaho‘olawe. Being able to think about these things while looking this man in the face as we all traveled out to Kaho‘olawe is something I will never forget. I knew then and I know now that it was an honor to have this moment with him.

While we were traveling across the deep blue ocean and as I was looking at this hero in front of me who beat so many odds, my own commitment and courage grew within me to continue on; to continue working for things that are seemingly impossible like helping to make UHM into a NH place of learning and to even work to end racism.

So I send this message of mahalo out to you Uncle Emmett – and to your beautiful ‘ohana as well – for your fearlessness and aloha in all things. This is a promise that we will continue your legacy by working hard for the pono of the lāhui and for the pono of our beloved ‘āina.

Resources for this week: Here is more on kauka and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

February 27th – March 5th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ka ‘eleu a me ka ‘oli‘oli!

He ‘eleu, ‘oli‘oli, a mahalo ho‘i ko loko nei i ka nani o nā ha‘awina a me nā pōmaika‘i e a‘o a e alaka‘i mau ana ia‘u.

‘O kekahi o ia pōmaika‘i e a‘o mau ana ia‘u i nā ha‘awina waiwai ‘o ia ho‘i ko‘u launa ‘ana me kekahi mau kāne ‘ōpio i kēlā me kēia pule. ‘O ia mau ‘ōpio, nui nā ālaina ma ko lākou mau ola e la‘a me ka ‘ole o nā mākua/kūpuna/kua‘ana, ka nele i ke alaka‘i ‘ole, a me nā ‘ano ho‘okae like ‘ole ma loko o na ‘ōnaehana e pā ana iā lākou i kēlā a me kēia lā. A no ia mau ālaina, aia nō he mau koho hewa.

Ke hui wau me lākou, no‘ono‘o wau:

• Pehea paha i hiki ai ia‘u ke lawe aku a ho‘ohuli paha i kekahi o ia mau ālaina ma nā ‘ōnaehana like ‘ole?
• Pehea paha wau e hā‘awai aku i ke aloha a hānai a mālama aku iā lākou?

Nīnau aku kekahi mau kanaka ia‘u i ke kumu o ko‘u koho e ho‘omau i ka pilina me ia mau kāne ‘ōpio. Me he mea lā, no ka nui o ko lākou kolohe a koho hewa, he ho‘opau manawa ke kōkua ‘ana. Akā ho‘omana‘o wau i nā kanaka ma ko‘u ola i kāko‘o a kōkua ia‘u i nā wā pa‘akikī. ‘A‘ole lākou i hā‘awi pio. Me ka ‘ole o kēlā aloha, ‘a‘ole nō wau ma ‘ane‘i i kēia lā.

A no laila, i kēia Pō‘akahi, piha wau me ka ‘eleu, ka ‘oli‘oli, a me ka mahalo no ia mau kāne ‘ōpio a me ko lākou ho‘omana‘o mai ana ia‘u i ko‘u kuleana: mai hā‘awi pio. Noke a noke mau.

A no laila he leo mahalo kēia iā ‘oukou e noke mau ana no ka pono o ka lāhui. Mai nō a hā‘awi pio.

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your Monday is filled with energy and joy!

For me, I am filled with energy, joy, and gratitude because of the beautiful lessons and blessings that continue to teach and guide me.

One of these blessing that continues to teach me valuable lessons is time I spend with a group of young men every week. For these young people, they have so many challenges that they face like not having parents/grandparents/mentors, lacking positive and supportive leadership, and of course being constantly shaped by oppressive and unjust systems. As they face these challenges, they sometimes make bad decisions.

When I meet with them, I wonder to myself:

• What might I be able to do to remove challenges and transform the systems that shape them?
• How do I show them aloha and nourish and care for them?

Some folks ask me why I continue to stay connected with these young men. Since they can be mischievous and make some bad choices, some folks think it is a waste of time. But I remember the people in my life who helped and supported me when I was facing challenges and they didn’t give up on me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

So on this Monday, I am filled with energy, joy, and gratitude because of and for these young men and their reminder of my kuleana: to not give up. To keep on keeping on.

And so this is a voice of mahalo to all of you who keep trekking on for our lāhui. Please don’t give up.

Resources for this week:Here is more on noke and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

February 20th – 26th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kēia pule me ke ola kino maika‘i a me ka le‘ale‘a nō ho‘i.

No‘u, ke ho‘omaka nei wau i kēia pule me ka ‘ōma‘ima‘i iki. ‘Oiai ‘ano luhi a ‘ōma‘ima‘i ke kino, hele a luhi ko‘u lolo kekahi. Hele a pa‘akikī ka moemoeā ‘ana i nā mea hou a me nā mea maika‘i.

No laila, i ia mau wā, ‘ike wau he pono ko‘u kūpa‘a ‘ana ma nā hanana ‘ē a‘e i ho‘omau aku wau ma ke ala kūpono: ka ‘ai pono, ka ho‘oikaika kino, a me ka pule.

He aha kāu i ia mau manawa pa‘akikī e mālama a e holomua aku ai?

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you are all starting this 4-day week off with good health and some joy!

For me, I’m starting it off a little sick. And when my body gets sick and tired, so does my brain. I notice a huge difference in my ability to dream of new and exciting things. It’s actually one of the ways I know I am getting sick: things start to seem hard or impossible (which is definitely not my usual!).

So in these kinds of times, I have to double down on other things that allow me to keep going like eating healthy, exercising, and praying. I trust that those things will get me through and they always do!

What do you do to take care of yourself and keep going when things get tough in one way or another??

Resources for this week: Here is more on moemoeā and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

February 13th – 19th 

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua hiki aku kākou i ka pule e mālama ‘ia ana ka ka Lā o Lonoikeaweawealoha. No‘u, kupu mai nā mea like ‘ole pili i ke aloha, pili i ke ola kino maika‘i a me ka ke ola o ka pu‘uwai, a pili pū iā Kapena Kuke ‘oiai ua ho‘omake ‘ia ‘o ia ma ka lā 14 o Pepeluali i ka makahiki 1779.

I kēia wā ‘ānō e kau ana ka no‘ono‘o i ke aloha. Inehinei e kama‘ilio ana wau me kekahi kāne ‘ōpio i ho‘opa‘a mua ‘ia ma ka hale pa‘ahao. ‘Oiai ua hele māua a pili ma kekahi mau ‘ano, ua ho‘oholo wau e nīele aku i kona ala i hiki aku ai i ka hale pa‘ahao. A ua ho‘omaka ‘o ia e ha‘i mai ia‘u i kekahi mau mo‘olelo pilikino.

Me ia ‘ikepili hou, ua hele a mōakāka ke ‘ano kāko‘o, ke ‘ano aloha nō ho‘i hiki ai ia‘u ke hō‘ike aku iā ia. Me ka ‘ole o ia mau mo‘olelo, ‘a‘ole wau ‘ike i nā mea āna e pono ai. He ha‘awina waiwai kēia a mahalo wau i ka pōmaika‘i o ia ha‘awina e a‘o mau ana ia‘u i nā wā like ‘ole.

A no laila no‘u, i kēia pule o ka Lā o Lonoikeaweawealoha, ke ho‘omana‘o nei wau i ka waiwai o ke a‘o ‘ana i kā ha‘i mo‘olelo a me ka waiwai o ka ha‘i ‘ana i ka‘u mo‘olelo. He ala kēia i ke aloha ‘ana i kekahi i kekahi.

He aha ana kāu i kēia pule piha i ke aloha?

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

Oh my goodness, we’ve already reached Valentine’s Day week! For me, I’m full of thoughts about love, about taking care of our bodies and especially our hearts, and even about Captain Cook since he was killed on February 14, 1779.

At this very moment I’m thinking a lot about aloha. Yesterday I was speaking with a young man who has been incarcerated. Because we’ve spent the last couple of months becoming more connected, I felt like it was an appropriate time for me to ask him a bit about his pathway to incarceration. And via that invitation, he shared with me some personal stories.

With the new information I learned from his stories, the way I can love and support him became more clear. Without his stories, I would not know some of the things he really needs. This is always such an important lesson and I am grateful for the blessing of this lesson every time it shows up in my life.

So during this week of Valentine’s Day, I am remembering how important it is to receive someone’s mo‘olelo and equally how important it is to share my own. This really is a pathway to loving one another.

What will you be doing during this week of extra aloha?

Other resources for this week: Here is more on moʻolelo and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

February 6th – 12th

Aloha mai kākou,

Eia nō ka Pō‘akahi a ua ho‘i wau i ku‘u home aloha ‘o Hawai‘i nei.

I kēia pule i hala aku nei, ua ho‘omana‘o ‘ia wau i ke ko‘iko‘i ‘o ke aloha a me ke kāko‘o ‘ana i kekahi i kekahi. Ua ho‘omana‘o ‘ia wau i ka nani o ka huaka‘i pū ‘ana, ka ‘uwē pū ‘ana, ka ‘akaʻaka pū ‘ana, ka ‘ai pū ‘ana, a me ka nalu pū ‘ana. ‘O kēia alu pū ‘ana, he mea ia e ho‘ōla a e ho‘onā ho‘i ia‘u. He mea ia e holomua aku ai.

Wahi a kūpuna, “‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia.” A no laila, i kēlā me kēia lā ma loko o nā kuleana like ‘ole a kākou e ‘auamo nei, pehea ho‘i kākou e hō‘ikaika i nā pilina i mea e alu like maoli ai? Pehea kākou e aloha a mālama i kekahi i kekahi e ho‘oholomua i nā mea ko‘iko‘i no ka pono o ka lāhui?

I kēia mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, e alu like pū kākou a e kāko‘o i kekahi i kekahi i ka ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma loko o nā home, nā ke‘ena, a me nā kaiāulu. Inā ‘o ka hua ‘ōlelo ho‘okahi nō ia, he ho‘omaka maika‘i kēlā! E aho paha ka hua‘ōlelo o ka pule ma kēia lou a e paipai i nā ‘ohana a me nā hoa e ho‘ohana me ka le‘ale‘a a me ka hau‘oli. E ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i pū kākou a e waiho i ka hilahila ma ka hale!

Nā waiwai ‘ē a‘e o kēia pule: Nā waiwai ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

It is Monday and I am back in my beloved home of Hawai‘i.

Last week I was reminded how important loving and supporting one another really is. I was reminded how beautiful it is to travel together, to cry together, to laugh together, to eat together, and to reflect together. Acting in this collective manner literally saves and soothes me over and over again. It’s really the only way to improve, progress, and be successful.

Our kūpuna remind us, “There is no task too big when we all work together.” So everyday as we take on the various kuleana that are in front of us, how do we strengthen our pilina so that we can truly work together? How do we take care of one another to move the important work forward that is crucial for the wellbeing of our lāhui?

In this our Hawaiian Language Month, let’s work together and support one another to help revitalized ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i in our homes, our offices, and our communities. If you are just starting with one Hawaiian word, that’s a great place to start! Perhaps you can begin with the Hawaiian word of the week found at this link and encourage friends and family to use it throughout the week. Make it fun! Let’s ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i together and rid ourselves of shame!

Resources for this week:

• Other Hawaiian language resources
• Here is more on alu and the ‘ōlelo recording can be found below

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 30th-February 5th

Aloha mai kākou,

Aloha Pō‘akahi! Ke lana nei ka mana‘o palekana ‘oukou a pau i ka ua.

I kēia lā e huaka‘i ana wau me ko‘u kaikua‘ana i ka ‘āina ‘ē e kipa aku i ka ‘ohana. ‘O ka ma‘amau, huaka‘i ho‘okahi wau. Eia na‘e, i kēlā pule aku nei ‘oiai wau e ho‘omākaukau ana e kū‘ai i nā likiki mokulele, ua kāhea mai ko‘u kaikua‘ana ia‘u. A no laila, ua kono wau iā ia e huaka‘i pū me ia‘u. Pa‘ahana ‘o ia me ka mālama ‘ana i nā mo‘opuna. Eia na‘e, ua ‘ae maila ‘o ia! Piha wale ko‘u na‘au me ka hau‘oli.

Eia nō māua e noho nei ma ke kahua mokulele a ua mahalo mai ‘o ia ia‘u no ke kono ‘ana iā ia. He ho‘omana‘o maika‘i kēia i ka mana o ke kono. Nona, he hō‘ailona o ko‘u aloha a he wā nō ho‘i e mālama i kāna kaikaina. No‘u, he noi no ke kōkua a no ke kāko‘o. ‘O ke kono, he ala no ke aloha ‘ana i kekahi i kekahi.

Ma loko o nā mea a pau a kākou e hana nei, ‘a‘ole nō ho‘i he hiki ke hana me ka ‘ole o ke kōkua, me ka ‘ole o ke kāko‘o. A no laila, pehea paha kākou e ho‘omaka me ke kono a ke aloha? Hmmm….

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy Monday! I hope you all are staying safe in this rain.

Today I am traveling with my older sister to visit family. Usually, I travel alone. But while I was preparing to purchase my ticket last week, my sister called. So, I decided to invite her to come with me. She is usually busy taking care of her grandchildren, but to my surprise, she said yes! I was so so happy.

As we are sitting at the airport right now she leaned over to thank me for inviting her. This was such a beautiful reminder how powerful an invitation can be. For her it was a sign of my aloha for her and it was a way she could help to take care of her baby sister. For me, it was a request for help and support. As it turns out, an invitation can be a pathway to aloha one another.

In all that we do, we cannot do it alone and without help and support. So, how can we use the power of an invitation to begin that process of aloha? Hmmm…

Resource for this week: Here is more on kono

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 23rd-29th

Aloha nui,
Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your week started off with pono and peace.

For me, Monday was filled with meetings and catching up with all sorts of things that I had to put on the side for the last couple of weeks while we prepared for Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha.

On behalf of my team, we want to say mahalo to each of you who attended, supported us, and who shared the invitation with others. We had over 250 people join us throughout the day and folks shared that they were able to build pilina with themselves, with others, and with ‘āina. It was beautiful to witness and hear about!

If you weren’t able to make it, here is an article capturing some of the events of the day. And here is a link to a video as well.

So where do we go from here? Our office will continue to foster pilina building as a foundation for other kuleana we must fulfill together here at UH Mānoa. There are some clearly articulated goals in our UH Mānoa Strategic Plan that our office has kuleana to help move forward. So please be on the lookout for announcements from us about our next steps!

Resources for this week: Here is more on pilina and the recording of all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below.

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 16th – 22nd

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

As the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown 130 years ago today, we are in a critical time to correct and heal the wrongs of the past and those that continue on today. How do we make things pono? Let’s learn from one another, connect and cooperate, and take on the work together.

Come on down to our Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha events. Registration is closed but you can still come! If you can’t make it, we have resources on our event page for you to engage in. Click here to access the resources and all event information.

Everlasting aloha to our dear Queen Lili‘uokalani.

Resource for this week: Here is more on pono

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 9th – 15th

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I’m hoping that everything is going smoothly on this first day of school for the UH system. I always love the first day of the semester because of all the energy and excitement that is built up around it.

For us in our office we are excited as we finish preparations for the events we are hosting next Tuesday, January 17th focused around the theme Hawai‘i Ku‘u Home Aloha (Hawai‘i our beloved home).

For a short moment we thought we were going to have to cancel the entire day because of some unforeseen emergencies with where the events were going to be held. But all the members of our team decided that January 17th is too important of a day and that we needed to be steadfast in our commitment to bringing the events to life.

So with a few adjustments, I am happy to share that the day is still on and that we lovingly invite all of you to come to Mānoa for the day and to register here. We also encourage you to check out the other amazing events happening across Hawai‘i on that day so that we can learn, connect, and work together for the pono of the lāhui.

Resources for this week: Here is more on onipaʻa and the recording of the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is below

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 3rd – 8th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kēia makahiki 2023 me ka ‘oli‘oli a me ke ola kino maika‘i!

I kēlā mahina aku nei ua hō‘ike aku wau i kekahi o nā mea a‘u i ho‘oku‘u aku ai. A ua nalu nō ho‘i wau i nā mea a‘u e kono mai ana. Ho‘okahi o ia mau mea ‘o ia ho‘i ka wiwo‘ole ma nā ‘ano mea like ‘ole ma ko‘u ola. Wahi a ka Mō‘ī Wahine ‘o Lili‘uokalani, “Never cease to act because you fear you may fail.”

No laila ‘o kekahi o nā mea a mākou ma ke ke‘ena e hana nei me ka wiwo‘ole a me ke aloha nui ‘o ia ho‘i ka mālama ‘ana i kekahi mau papahana ma ka lā 17 o Ianuali, 2023. He lā nui kēia ‘oiai ‘o ia ka lā i ho‘okāhuli ‘ia ke aupuni Hawai‘i a ‘o ia pū ka National Day of Racial Healing.

Pehea ana kākou e mālama i kekahi i kekahi? E mālama i ka ‘āina? E ho‘oponopono i nā hewa o nehinei a me kēia au no ka pono o nā hanauna e hiki mai ana?

He kono aloha kēia e hui kākou a pau ma ia lā e hō‘ikaika i ko kākou pilina ma o ke a‘o pū ‘ana, ke alu ‘ana, a me ka ‘auamo pū ‘ana. E kāomi ma ‘ane‘i no ka ‘ike pili a no ke kā inoa ‘ana.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your 2023 is starting off with joy and good health!

Last month I shared some of the things that I was releasing. I also reflected on things that I wanted to invite in. One of the things I am inviting into all parts of my life is courage. As Queen Lili‘uokalani says, “Never cease to act because you fear you may fail.”

With that said, our office is courageously and lovingly working hard to put on a set events on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. It is an important day as it marks 130 years since the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and it is also National Day of Racial Healing.

How do we mālama one another? How do we mālama this ‘āina? How do we heal from and correct the wrongs of the past and of today for the pono of our future generations?

This is a loving invitation for us all to gather on January 17, 2023 to strengthen our relationships by teaching and learning together, by cooperating and collaborating, and by working together. Please click here for all the details and to register. We truly hope to see you there! Also feel free to share with your networks.

Resources for this week: Here is more on wiwoʻole and the recording of the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is below

Aloha nui,
punihei

December 19th – 25th

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

I hope you are all staying warm and safe in these strong winds. Lonoikamakahiki!

As I watch and listen to the blowing of the strong winds, it is as if the end of this year is being swept away as we descend into the deep beyond the winter solstice.

So for me, as the wind blows I am allowing things that need to be released to go with the wind and be gone. And I am also reflecting now on things that I want to invite into my life as the new season approaches.

What might you want to release out and also invite in? This might be a good time for this type of reflection.

And in the spirit of transitions, congratulations to all the students who are graduating this fall and particularly this week!

Resources for this week: Here is more on hoʻokuʻu and the recording of the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is below

Aloha nui,
punihei

December 12th – 18th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke nanea nei ‘oukou i kēia anilā ‘olu‘olu. Ma ko‘u hale ma He‘eia ke pā aheahe nei ka makani a ke noho kaumaha nei nā ao ouli.

He kūpono paha kēia ‘ano anilā ‘oiai ke hiki mai nei ka wā ho‘oilo. A he kūpono nō ho‘i ia anilā ‘oiai he wā lu‘ulu‘u kaumaha kēia i ka hala ‘ana o nā kūpuna makamae like ‘ole. He aha nā ha‘awina o ia hui kūpuna e ho‘i ana e moe aku me nā ‘aumakua?

No‘u, ke nalu nei wau:

• Pehea wau e mālama i nā kūpuna e ola nei?
• Pehea wau e a‘o mai ia mau kūpuna?
• Pehea wau e ho‘omau a hō‘ikaika i ka‘u hana e lilo aku i kūpuna waiwai no ka lāhui?
• Pehea wau e kāko‘o iā ha‘i ma kāna hana e lilo aku i kūpuna waiwai no ka lāhui?

‘Oiai nā kūpuna e hala aku nei, he aha paha nā mea āu e nalu ana?

He leo aloha kēia i nā ‘ohana a me ka lāhui nō ho‘i ‘oiai kākou e makena ana.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I am hoping that you are all enjoying this cooler weather. At my house in He‘eia, the wind is gently blowing and the dark clouds are sitting heavily.

This weather is probably appropriate given our move into the winter months. It might also be appropriate weather since this is such a sorrowful time as so many of our precious kūpuna are passing in a way that feels like a mass exodus.

At this time, I wonder: What are the lessons we can glean from this moment as these kūpuna return to be with our ‘aumakua?

For me, I am thinking about:

• How can I mālama the kūpuna whom I have access to who are still alive today?
• How can I learn from these kūpuna?
• How can I continue and strengthen my own hana to become a valuable kūpuna for the lāhui?
• How do I support others in their hana so that they can become valuable kūpuna for the lāhui?

During this time of kūpuna passing, what might you be wondering about?

Finally, let us share our aloha with all the ‘ohana who have been touched by these losses and also to the larger lāhui as we mourn in this time.

Resources for this week: Here is more on kūpuna

Aloha nui,
punihei

Mahalo Shelley Muneoka, for sharing the following:

ʻOiai e nānā mai ana nō nā maka. While the eyes still look around.
While a person is living, treat him kindly and learn what you can from him. (Pukui, 1983/1007, p. 260, #2381)

ʻOi kaʻakaʻa nā maka. While the eyes are still open.
Advice given to young people often contains these words which mean to learn all they can from old folks while they are alive (eyes open) for it will be too late when the eyes are closed (moe nā maka) by death. (Handy & Pukui, 1958/1998, p. 179)

Aloha nui,
Punihei

December 5th – 11th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ua heluhelu paha anei ‘oukou i kēia ‘atikala?

Ola i ka wai. He aha ia mea?

Ma ka papa ‘elua ua a‘o mai mākou i kekahi mau ha‘awina nui pili i ka wai ma o ke oli ‘o Ka Wai a Kāne (nā hua‘ōlelo, ka leo oli).

Ha‘awina ‘akahi: Aia ka wai i nā wahi a pau, mai uka a i kai, mai luna a i lalo. He ha‘awina nui kēia ‘oiai he ho‘omana‘o iā kākou e nihi ka hele a e maka‘ala ‘oiai me kēlā a me kēia ke‘eke‘ehi ‘ana, ua hiki iā kākou ke ho‘ololi i ke kahe, ka ma‘ema‘e, ke ala, a me ke ola nō ho‘i o ka wai.

Ha‘awina ‘alua: “He waipuna, he wai e inu, he wai e mana, he wai e ola. E ola nō, ea!” ‘O kēia mau mana‘o hope o ke oli, ke ho‘omana‘o mai nei nā kūpuna: ola kākou i ka wai.

No laila, inā ola kākou i ka wai a aia ka wai e lanalana, e iho, e kahe, a e puapua‘i nei mai kekahi kapa a kekahi kapa aku o ka pae ‘āina, ‘o ka mālama ‘ana i ka wai kekahi kuleana helu ‘ekahi e ‘auamo ai, ‘eā?

‘Oiai ua a‘o wau i ka waiwai o ka wai, ‘a‘ole paha wau ‘ike i nā hana a pau e mālama pono i ka wai. Ke a‘o nei wau a ma ke ‘ano i hiki, ke hana nei nō.

He aha paha ka hopena inā mālama kākou pākahi a pau i ka wai ma kekahi ‘ano me ko kākou ikaika a akamai kūikawā?

Mahalo palena‘ole i nā mahi‘ai, nā lawai‘a, nā loio, nā kumu, nā haku mele, nā mea no‘eau, a me nā ‘ano kanaka like ‘ole e alaka‘i nei i ke a‘o (hou) ‘ana i ka mālama wai ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole. E alu like mai kākou!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Did everyone read this article last week?

Water is life. What does this really mean?

In second grade we learned some important lessons about water via the oli Ka Wai a Kāne (words here, audio here)

Lesson #1: Water is everywhere, from the mountains to the ocean, from the heavens to below the earth. This is such an important lesson because it reminds us that we need to tread carefully and be vigilant because with each step we take we can literally change the flow, the quality, the path, and the life and health of the water.

Lesson #2: “A wellspring of water, to quaff, a water of magic power, the water of life. Life, give us life!” Our kūpuna teach us in these last lines of the oli that water is indeed life.

So if water is life and water is found floating, raining down, flowing, and springing forth throughout our archipelago, then taking care of our water must be one of the most important kuleana we can take on, right?

While I learned about the importance of water as a child, I don’t know all the ways to properly mālama wai. I’m learning and in the ways I know how, I’m doing so.

I wonder what the outcome might be if we each took care of water in one way or another with each of our unique gifts that we bring to the world.

Endless mahalo to the farmers, fisher people, lawyers, teachers, composers, artists, and all the other folks who are leading the teaching and learning of how to best mālama our wai in various ways. Let’s continue to work together!

Resources for this week: Here’s more on ola and the recording of all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below.

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 28th – December 4th

Aloha kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘alua kēia piha i ke aloha a me ke ola kino maika‘i.

‘Oiai ‘o Pele e puapua‘i mai nei mai Maunaloa mai a e holo ana i kai, he wā kūpono paha kēia e ho‘omaha iki a e nalu:

• He aha nā mea e puapua‘i mai nei ma loko o kākou pākahi a pau?
• He aha nā mea e ulu a‘e ana ma loko ou ma hope iho o ia ‘ano hulihia?
• He aha nā ‘ano mea e pono ana e ho‘oulu i ia mau mea hou?

Mahalo i nā kanaka a pau i hāpai i nā hanana o Lā Kū‘oko‘a. Ua ho‘omaka ia hū ‘ana o ka pele ma ia lā! Hmmm….

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha kākou,

I hope this Tuesday is one filled with aloha and health.

Since Pele is flowing from Maunaloa down to sea, perhaps this is a good time to pause and reflect:

• What is springing up within each of us right now?
• What new things will grow within you after this time of transformation?
• What things will you need to support the growth of those new things?

Mahalo for all those who uplifted and continue to uplift Lā Kū‘oko‘a. The volcano started erupting on this day! Hmmm…..

Resource for this week: Here’s more on puapua‘i

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 21st – 27th

Aloha kākou,

I hope you are all enjoying the slivers of moon over the next few days as the moon finishes one cycle and begins another.

Apologies for the tardiness of this email. While I had this message drafted, I didn’t finish it because I spent all of Monday with our office’s new Operations Coordinator, Paula MacCutcheon, who was joining me for her first day. Among many other things, she will be helping to manage me. Hooray! So if you need to connect with me, please email her at paulamm@hawaii.edu.
With that said, the mana‘o that I began drafting had to do with an experience I had on Sunday evening that gifted me an opportunity for deep listening. And as I reflected on it overnight, I made sense of some really valuable lessons from the experience.

Here’s what happened: A pair of missionaries arrived at the door of a friend’s house that I was visiting. They have a relationship with the church but I do not. This was my first experience sitting with missionaries in a home so I followed the cues of the family I was visiting. They invited the young men to sit down on the couch and all the children of the family came and sat down at the dining room table. The parent asked if they wanted water. I felt like that was a clear cue for me to be useful and make them some glasses of water. So I did.

The missionaries then began to share some passages and reflections and eventually prayed. I sat on the living room floor and took it all in.

The family of the house sat respectfully and listened attentively. They answered questions that the missionaries posed. Out of my aloha for the family, I felt the kuleana to give that same type of attention to the missionaries.

As I worked hard to listen deeply to what they were saying, I was surprised that while the story they were sharing was rooted in a different tradition than the one I am accustomed to, the essence of the message was very familiar. They were sharing a passage that spoke to the challenges in our lives as part of God’s plan and that those challenges help to make us stronger and more prepared for things that will eventually come our way. It resonated with me because it made me think of the lessons of the ‘a‘ali‘i: how the ‘a‘ali‘i is known to survive periods of drought and strong winds but that its ability to adapt and become flexible are what makes it so resilient. In its resiliency, it is able to grow strong and sturdy and become a plant that provides medicine, beauty, and protection.

I was surprised by the shared essence of those traditions. And then I giggled to myself because of course I could find similarities even across differences! I was listening deeply and that is the beginning of so much connection!

As I reflected on this experience, I also realized that a large part of what allowed me – perhaps even required me – to deeply listen was the family’s modeling and the environment they created. They themselves listened intently and treated the missionaries as the people they were: young humans working to spread what they know as love on this earth. In honoring their humanity, they listened, gave them water, and offered them food. For those of you who know the mo‘olelo of the family who hosts Kāne and Kanaloa on their journeys, that mo‘olelo also comes to mind right now. 😉

As loved ones gather this holiday season, I think it is a perfect time to practice deep listening and honoring the humanity in each person. Let’s be mindful of how we set up the environment to not only share but to also listen with the ultimate goal of building pilina even across differences. And as we do so in our homes, let’s think about how we can reproduce these types of environments within our teams and with our students at UH Mānoa and in other spaces where we gather.

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 14th – 20th

Aloha kakahiaka kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke hiki aku nei ‘oukou i ka hopena o kēia makahiki 2022 me ke ola kino maika‘i piha i ke aloha.

No‘u, ke hiki aku nei i ka hopena me ka mahalo nui no nā ha‘awina like ‘ole i makana ‘ia mai.

I kēia hopenapule ua hiki hou mai ka ha‘awina o ka waiwai o ka pilina. ‘O ka mea nui i ho‘omana‘o ‘ia mai ‘o ia ho‘i ke ko‘iko‘i o nā hana e hō‘ikaika ‘ia ai ka pilina. ‘A‘ole nō e pili wale ana kekahi me kekahi. Pono e ho‘opili aku a ho‘opili mai.

Eia kekahi mau hanana o ka hopenapule i hō‘ikaika i ko‘u pilina me kekahi mau kanaka a me kekahi mau ‘āina kiko‘ī:

No ka ‘āina:

• Ke kipa ‘ana he alo a he alo me nā kupna o ia ‘āina
• Ke kilo ‘ana me ko‘u mau maka, nā pepeiao, nā lima, a me ka na‘au nō ho‘i
• Ke a‘o ‘ana i nā mo‘olelo o ia ‘āina

No nā kānaka:

• Ka noho ‘ana he alo a he alo
• Ke kipa ‘ana iā ha‘i ma kona ‘āina pono‘ī
• Ka pū pa‘akai ‘ana
• Ka ho‘olohe pono ‘ana i kāna mau mo‘olelo
• Ke kama‘ilio pū ‘ana
• Ka hō‘ea ‘ana i nā wā ko‘iko‘i
• Ka mālama ‘ana me ke ahonui
• Ka nanea pū ‘ana

Mahalo wau i ka nani o ia mau hanana a no ke koina e hō‘ea piha me ka maka‘ala a me ke ahonui.

A no laila, ke nalu nei wau: Ma loko o ko kākou mau ke‘ena a ‘oihana paha, pehea lā kākou e ho‘oka‘awale i wā a i ‘ole e ho‘okumu hou i ka papahana o kēlā me kēia lā i ma‘amau kēia ‘ano kūkulu pilina? He mea nui maoli nō ia: ‘o ke kahua ia ‘o ke aloha a me ka mālama ‘ana kekahi i kekahi.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e alaka‘i ana i ia ‘ano ola.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha kakahiaka kākou,

I hope that all of you are nearing the end of 2022 with health and love.

For me, I’m reaching the end with so much gratitude for a year filled with tons of life lessons.

This weekend the value of pilina was reinforced for me again. In particular, I was reminded how important the actions that build pilina are in ensuring that our pilina with others remains and grows. I was reminded that pilina doesn’t just happen naturally. We have to put effort into becoming close and connected.

Here are some of the things I did this weekend that helped me strengthen my pilina with some specific kanaka and ‘āina:

With ‘āina:

• Meeting face to face with kūpuna of the ‘āina
• Observing with my eyes, my ears, my hands, and my na‘au
• Learning the mo‘olelo of that ‘āina

With kānaka:

• Spending time with them face to face
• Visiting with them on their ‘āina
• Sharing food together
• Listening deeply to their stories
• Talking story
• Showing up when it really matters
• Caring with patience
• Relaxing and enjoying time together
• I am grateful for these engagements and how they all require me to fully show up with awareness and also patience.

With this, I am reflecting and wondering: Within our offices and business and places of work, how do we carve out time or even re-ground our daily flow to prioritize and normalize the things that we know we must do to continue to strengthen our pilina with both kānaka and ‘āina? It really is so important and is the foundation of how we aloha and mālama one another.

Mahalo to each of you who lead your lives this way.

Resources for this week: Here is more on ahonui and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 7th – 13th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ke aloha.

Eia nō wau ke haku nei i ia leka uila i ke kakahiaka nui. ‘A‘ole nō i puka mai ‘o Kānehoalani. Mau nō ka pō ‘ele‘ele o waho. Lohe ‘ia ka pā aheahe a ka makani ma o ka naue ‘ana o nā lau niu. I kekahi mau mīnuke pōkole e puka ana wau i waho a kalaiwa aku i kahi hale ho‘oikaika kino. Ke pau ia hola ho‘oikaika kino, ke puka hou wau i waho, e mālamalama mai ana ka lā.

No ia mau minuke a‘u e noho nei a e nānā ana i waho i ka pō ‘ele‘ele, ke mahalo aku nei wau i ka pō no kona hohonu; no kona ‘ike pāpālua; no kona ho‘opili mai ana ia‘u me nā kūpuna. A ke puka hou aku wau i waho i kekahi hola me ka hapa, e mahalo ana wau i ka lā – iā Kānehoalani – no kona hiki a pi‘i hou ‘ana mai; no kona ho‘opōmaika‘i ‘ana iā kākou me ka mehana, me ka ‘ike hou, a me ka makana o ia wā e ‘auamo kuleana a e aloha i kekahi i kekahi.

Inehinei hele akula wau i kekahi ho‘olewa; ua hala kahi pua makamae. A ma loko o ke kaumaha, nui nā mana‘o o ke aloha a me ka mahalo. He ho‘omana‘o ia ho‘olewa ia‘u i ke ko‘iko‘i o ka noke a noke mau ‘ana i kēlā me kēia lā e hō‘ike aku i ke aloha, e mahalo i nā pōmaika‘i a pau, a e hana nui no ka pono o ka lāhui.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e alaka‘i ‘ana i ia ‘ano ola.

Ke kanikani mai nei nā moa a me nā manu, no laila ‘o ka hō‘ailona paha kēlā e ho‘opau i kēia leka uila a e hele aku.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your Monday is starting off with lots of love!!

I am writing this email in the early morning. The sun, Kānehoalani, has not yet emerged. It is still dark outside. I can hear the wind blowing through the coconut trees but I can’t see them yet. In a few minutes, I’ll jump in my car and drive down the road to workout with a few friends. After this workout hour, when I emerge out of the warehouse we train in, the sun will be shining and day will have arrived.

For these few minutes that I am sitting and looking out into the darkness, I am grateful to the night for its depth; for its powerful and deep knowledge; and for the way the night connects me to my kūpuna. When I emerge from the warehouse in about an hour and a half, I will share gratitude with the sun – with Kānehoalani – for his emergence and rising again; for blessing us with warmth, with new knowledge, and the gift of this day in which we have yet another opportunity to take on our kuleana and love one another.

Yesterday I went to a funeral; a beloved young man passed away. And within the immense sadness, there were also so many thoughts of love and gratitude. The funeral was a great reminder to me about how important it is to commit and be intentional every day about engaging in aloha, to be grateful for all the blessings, and to do good hard work for our lāhui.

Mahalo to all of you who lead your lives in this way.

The chickens and birds are starting to make noise so I think that is a signal to me to finish this up and get going.

Resources for this week: Here is more on mahalo and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,
punihei

October 31st-November 7th

Aloha kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kou Lā Heleuī me ka ‘oli‘oli.

Nui nā hanana e kupu mai ana ma ko‘u ola a ke ho‘ā‘o nei au e maka‘ala i ka ha‘awina kūpono e ka‘ana aku i kēia pule. No laila e no‘ono‘o ana au e pili ana i kēia leka uila no kekahi mau lā. A i kēia lā ‘oiai ka‘u kaikamahine e ho‘opau ana i kāna ha‘awina pilihome, ua noho wau e haku i ia leka uila.

A laila ua nānā wau i ka hakahaka ma kēia lolo uila a ma hope mai kekahi mau kā mua i ho‘opau ‘ole ‘ia. Auē ka hoka! A huli mai ka‘u keiki a nīele aku i ka‘u pilikia. Wehewehe akula wau. A ‘ōlelo maila ‘o ia, “Ke no‘ono‘o nui nei ‘oe. E mālie maila a ho‘olohe iā ‘oe iho.” Ua mino‘aka wau i ka nani kamaha‘o o ka‘u kaikamahine.

No laila ua ho‘oka‘awale wau i wā e noho no‘u iho a ho‘olohe wale nō. Auē! Pa‘akikī kēia no‘u! A laila ua lana aku ka mana‘o i kahi ‘ōlelo i lohe ‘ia i ka pō nei. Ua wehewehe mai ‘o Shadiin Garcia mai ka Metropolitan Group no ia mea o ka ho‘olohe ‘ana:

“Genuine listening requires that you willingly bear witness to what someone else needs to say while simultaneously sparing them of your own solution, defense, dismissal, alternative reality, rebuttal, counterpoint, comparable story or more extreme example.

This kind of listening is a very ‘active’ part to play in a conversation. You have to believe for those moments that none of the things you might say could possibly be as valuable as hearing someone out. You may need to employ every ounce of your strength of character to actually pay attention and not butt-in with your own bit. That kind of attention paid to another is powerful medicine.”

E kālele ana ‘o Shadiin i ke ko‘iko‘i o ia ho‘olohe pono ‘ana ke kama‘ilio me ha‘i. A he kono kēia iā kākou a pau e nalu i kona mea e ‘ōlelo mai nei.

Eia kekahi. No‘u, kūpono kā Shadiin mau mana‘o no ke ‘ano o ko‘u ho‘olohe ‘ana ia‘u iho. No‘u, ke ho‘ā‘o wau e ho‘olohe ia‘u iho, ‘o ka ma‘amau kipaku a hō‘ole wau ia‘u iho! He pono nō kekahi ‘ano ikaika ma loko o‘u e maliu mai.

A, ia‘u e nalu ana i ia wā ‘ānō, maopopo maila ia‘u ‘o nā kūpuna kēlā e hāwanawana mai ana a he pono ko‘u ho‘olohe pono ‘ana.

A no laila, pehea e ho‘omālie aku i ia mau kipaku a hō‘ole paha e kolokolo mai ana i loko iho i hiki ke ho‘olohe pono iā mākou iho, i nā kūpuna ho‘i, i mea e hō‘ikaika i ka hiki ke ho‘olohe iā ha‘i a me ka ‘āina pū kekahi? No ka mea he lā‘au lapa‘au nō ia no nā pilikia nui o ke ao nei.

No laila, mahalo iā ‘oukou nā mea e hō‘ike mai ana i ia ‘ano ho‘olohe pono ‘ana i kēlā me kēia lā. Mahalo no kou ho‘ōla ‘ana i ke ao nei.

Aloha nui,

punihei

English Summary:

Aloha kākou,

I hope your Halloween is starting off with some joy.

There’s been so much going on in my life and I’ve been trying to pay attention to which lesson is the right one to share this week. So I’ve been thinking about this post for several days now. Earlier today while my daughter was doing her homework I sat down to write it.

And then I stared at a blank computer screen and then at several half-baked paragraphs for longer than I was happy about. Finally, I threw my hands up in the air and said, “Ugh! This all sucks!” Then my daughter turned around and asked me what was wrong and I told her. She then replied, “I think you’re overthinking it. Just relax and listen to yourself.” Of course, I smiled, adoring the wisdom of my 15-year-old.

So I took some time to be with myself and to just listen. Ugh! So hard for me! And then my mind wandered back to a presentation I had watched the night before. In it, Shadiin Garcia from the Metropolitan Group had this to say about listening:

“Genuine listening requires that you willingly bear witness to what someone else needs to say while simultaneously sparing them of your own solution, defense, dismissal, alternative reality, rebuttal, counterpoint, comparable story or more extreme example.

This kind of listening is a very ‘active’ part to play in a conversation. You have to believe for those moments that none of the things you might say could possibly be as valuable as hearing someone out. You may need to employ every ounce of your strength of character to actually pay attention and not butt-in with your own bit. That kind of attention paid to another is powerful medicine.”

Shadiin was emphasizing how important this kind of genuine listening can be when in conversation with someone else. And I’d like us all to pause and lean into her words because they are powerful.

AND, for me, this also rang true for how I need to listen to myself. I don’t know about you, but in trying to be present and listen to myself, I often find ways to dismiss, rebut, and even find more extreme examples out there in the world to devalue what is inside of me. In order to truly hear myself, I DO need to employ every ounce of my strength to pay attention to my own story.

And as I reflect on that process, I also realize that those voices and stories inside of me are also those of my kūpuna whispering wise words.

So how do we quiet those dismissals and rebuttals within ourselves so that we can learn to practice genuine listening with ourselves and our kūpuna as steps towards practicing genuine listening with others and even ‘āina? Because this IS the medicine that is necessary for those challenges that seem insurmountable like addressing the climate crisis, jettisoning racism, and even becoming a NH place of learning.

So mahalo to all of you who model this type of listening with yourself and others. Thank you for helping to heal our world.

Resources for this week: Here is more on ho‘olohe and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,
punihei

October 17th – 23rd

Aloha kākou!

This week one of our office’s graduate research assistants, Makanalani Gomes, is in Rome for a United Nations Gathering. So to start our week off, I asked her to share what is alive for her right now. Here is her response:

“Good evening from Rome and the headquarters of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) at the World Food Forum. I am here as one of three co-chairs of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. Tomorrow we fulfill our kuleana here in Rome and launch our campaign of Indigenous food systems on the main stage event.

This evening I sit in an empty meeting room here at the forum to have a moment of reflection. And in this reflection, I am reminded of the importance of storytelling. Storytelling allows us to be the vessel for our ancestors, like earth mother, our mountains, our waters, and all the ancestral elements.

I’ve been in Rome just shy of 4 days and every day I am filled with the stories of our Indigenous and global family. And by filled I mean fed and nourished. Our foods are carriers of our stories, and lifeways in more ways than one. They are lifeways to our spirit self, to each other, and ultimately to earth mother. So, the relationship between stories and food is one in the same, reciprocal. The food holds the stories and provides the ceremony of partaking in a common action or behavior to hold space for the stories. And in turn, the stories become the nourishment of our spirit while our body is also physically fed.

I am constantly reflecting and praying to become the vessel for our ancestors so that they might speak through me. So the stories that need to be told are and in the way that they need to be. We become our precious and beloved food systems through our stories and live on through our stories.

I am grateful for all who have fed me throughout my life both physically and spiritually. May our stories live and may our Indigenous food systems thrive.“

I am so grateful for her and all the next-generation leaders she represents. Mahalo to all of you who are helping to grow and nourish them!

Aloha nui,
punihei

October 10th – 16th

Aloha mai kākou,

He lā hoihoi kēia ‘oiai kākou e ho‘ohanohano a ho‘olaule‘a nei i ke ola mau o nā kanaka ‘ōiwi o ‘Amelika a e kia pū ana e ho‘opau i ka ‘ino i hana ‘ia a e hana ‘ia nei i nā kaiāulu ‘ōiwi. ‘A‘ole ho‘i nā kanaka maoli o Hawai‘i no ka ‘āina o ‘Amelika, akā he pilina nō a ua ‘ike ‘ia ia pilina ma nā ‘ano hopena like ‘ole.

A no laila, ia‘u e nalu ana i ke ola mau o nā kānaka ‘ōiwi e nalu pū ana wau i nā hanana o ia pule aku nei. A ‘o kekahi mea nui i kupu mai ‘o ia ke ko‘iko‘i o ka hanu ‘ana. Ua ho‘omana‘o ‘ia wau ma loko o nā wā ko‘iko‘i a piha paha i ka ‘alo‘ahia, pono e hanu. Ma loko o nā wā piha i ke kaumaha a i ‘ole ka huhū, pono nō e hanu. Ma loko o nā wā ‘oli‘oli a pīhoihoi, pono pū e hanu. A ma loko o ia mau wā o ka hanu ‘ana, ua hiki i ka lolo, ke kino, a me ka na‘au ke mālie maila a koho aku i ke ala kūpono. I kekahi manawa, ‘a‘ole paha nui ka manawa no ka nalu a me ka hanu ‘ana, eia na‘e he pono nō. A no laila, pehea lā kākou ma loko o ia mau wā a ia mau manawa iki ke ho‘omana‘o i ke ko‘iko‘i o ka hanu ‘ana i hiki ke holomua pono? A pehea kākou e a‘o aku nei i kā kākou mau ‘ōpio i kēia hana kekahi?

Mahalo wau i nā kūpuna i ho‘omau i ka hanu ‘ana ma loko o nā wā pōpilikia i ola mau ka lāhui. A mahalo hoʻi i nā alakaʻi e a‘o mau nei iā kākou i kēia hana nui no ke ola pono.

Eia kekahi lou e hō‘ike ana i kekahi mau ala no ke kāko‘o ‘ana i nā kanaka ‘ōiwi.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

This is an interesting day since it is Indigeous Peoples Day where we celebrate our resilience and where we also focus on how we must end the violence and harm that continues to impact our people. While kanaka maoli are not part of the American continent, we are clearly connected to America in various ways evident in many of the outcomes we continue to experience.

So today as I reflect on how kanaka maoli and Indigenous peoples throughout America are surviving I am also reflecting on my past week. And one thing I was reminded of over and over again is how important it is to breathe. In stressful and urgent situations, we need to breathe. In times of sadness and anger, we definitely need to breathe. Even in times of joy and excitement, we still need to breathe. And when we breathe, our minds, bodies, and na‘au ke settle enough to make pono decisions. Sometimes we might not have a lot of time to reflect and breathe, but we still need to. So, how do we remember the importance of this especially in times when we only have tiny moments? And how do we make sure we are teaching this to our youth?

I mahalo all the kūpuna who came before us who figured out how to keep breathing even in the most difficult of times so that our lāhui can live today. And I mahalo all those who are leading and teaching us today for all of our pono.

Here is a link sharing ways to support Indigenous communities today and every day.

Resources for this week: Here is more on hanu and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha,

punihei

October 3rd – 9th 

Aloha Pō‘akahi iā kākou,

Mahalo iā ‘oukou i ke ahonui ‘oiai ua hala kekahi mau pule ma waena o ia mau leka uila o ka pule. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ua haku wau i mau mana‘o i kēlā a me kēia pule eia na‘e ‘a‘ole wau i ho‘ouna aku. Nui nā mea nani a kūikawā i kupu mai a ua makemake nui wau e hō‘ike aku iā ‘oukou akā i ko‘u mana‘o ua luhi maoli kēia a ‘a‘ole wau i hau‘oli me ka maiau o nā mo‘olelo i puka aku mai ia mau manamanalima mai.

Ma kekahi ‘ano, mau nō ka luhi. Eia na‘e, he ‘ano ola hou ko loko kekahi. Ua ola loko i ke aloha o ka ‘ohana, nā hoa, nā keiki, nā loina o nā kūpuna, ka nani o nā mele me ka hula, a me ka mōakāka o ke kuleana.

I kēia kakahiaka ua kelekiko mai kekahi hoa “He aha nā mea maika‘i?” A ua pane wau, “Nā mea like ‘ole. Ke kanikani nei nā manu, ke panapana nei ka pu‘uwai, a ua puka mai ‘o Kāneholani a makana aku iā kākou i kekahi lā hou e noke aku no ka pono o ka lāhui.”

Me ia mana‘o, mahalo nui wau i ka pōmaika‘i o ia lā nani. A, ‘ike wau he kuleana ko‘u e mālama i ko‘u ola kino i hiki ia‘u ke ‘auamo kuleana a ho‘okō i na mea i pono ai ka lāhui. No laila, eia ko‘u ho‘ohiki e kia i ka mālama ola me ka pule, ka ‘ai pono, ka ho‘oikaika kino, ka hula, ka hiamoe, a me ka le‘ale‘a.

E komo paha i kēia ho‘ohiki me ia‘u?

I lā maika‘i iā ‘oukou a pau.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha Pō‘akahi iā kākou,

Mahalo to all of you for your patience since several weeks have passed between my last weekly email and this one. To be honest, I actually composed a draft email every week that I never sent out. There have been so many beautiful and special blessings that I wanted to share with all of you but I was also really tired – I think my whole being was exhausted – and so I wasn’t satisfied with how the words and stories were flowing out of my fingers and onto the screen.

In some ways, I’m still tired. But I also feel rejuvenated. I am recharged and revitalized by the aloha of ‘ohana, friends, youth, the ways of our kūpuna, the beauty of mele and hula, and the clarity of kuleana.

This morning a friend of mine text me, “What’s good?” And I responded, “So much! Birds are singing, heart is pumping, and the sun rose with the gift of a new day to go out and jam for our lāhui.”

With this mana‘o, I am so grateful for the blessings of this beautiful day. AND, I recognize my kuleana to mālama my body and entire self so that I can take on this kuleana for the pono of our lāhui. So, this is my public commitment to focus on my well-being with prayer, healthy eating, exercise, hula, sleep, and joy.

Join me?

Resources for this week: Here is more on hoʻohiki and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha,

punihei

September 12th – 19th 

Aloha mai kākou,

Pehea lā i hiki mai ai ka Pō‘akahi?! Ua holo wale ka manawa i kēia hopenapule, ‘eā?

Eia na‘e, mahalo nui wau i nā hanana o ia hopenapule. No‘u, ua piha ia mau lā me ke aloha. ‘O kekahi mea nui, ua ho‘omana‘o ‘ia wau i ke ko‘iko‘i o ka nanea pū ‘ana, ke kama‘ilio ‘ana, ka ha‘i mo‘olelo ‘ana, a me ka ho‘olohe pono ‘ana i ia mau mo‘olelo. Mai laila mai ka maopopo pono a me ka pilina.

Inehinei ua pā‘ina pū kekahi mau hoa no ka ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana o ka hiki koke mai ‘ana o kahi pua makamae hou. ‘A‘ole mākou i pā‘ani i nā pā‘ani kaiapa a i ‘ole ho‘okūkū no ka nui o nā hua ‘ōlelo pēpē i maopopo ‘ia. Ua ‘ai pū, kama‘ilio pū, a launa pū. Mai ia nanea pū ‘ana ua ulu ka hoi, ua hō‘ikaika ‘ia ka pilina, a ua ‘ike le‘a nā makua hou i ka pō‘ai aloha e hi‘ipoi ana i ia kama hou.

No‘u, ‘ano pa‘akikī ia ‘ano nanea pū ‘ana. Ma‘a wau i ka pa‘ahana. Eia na‘e, inehinei ua ho‘omana‘o wau, ‘o ka nanea a me ka ho‘opili ‘ana, he hana nui a he hana ko‘iko‘i kēlā kekahi. ‘O ia ke kahua ‘o ka mālama a me ke aloha. Mahalo nui wau i ia ho‘omana‘o ‘ana mai.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

How is it already Monday and the end of Monday at that?! Time just flew by this weekend.

While it was fast, I am incredibly grateful for this weekend. For me, it was a time filled with aloha. I was reminded this weekend of how important it is to spend time together, to talk story, to share stories, and to listen to those stories. It is these kinds of experiences that lead to more understanding and more connection.

Yesterday a few friends got together to celebrate the anticipated arrival of a new baby. We didn’t play diaper games or compete for who knew the most baby terms. We just ate together, talked story together, and spent time together. From this beautiful time together we inspired each other, strengthened our bonds, and the new parents left knowing that there is a circle of love awaiting their beloved child.

For me, I have a hard time relaxing and hanging out. I’m used to working and staying busy. But yesterday I was reminded that hanging out and connecting with others is equally important work. It is the foundation of care and aloha. I am so grateful for this reminder.

Resources for this week: Here is more on hiʻipoi and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha,

punihei

August 29th – September 4th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ke aloha.

No‘u, he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ke aloha a me ka mahalo. I kēia hopenapule aku nei huaka‘i akula wau me ‘elua hoa i Moloka‘i. He wā ia no ka mālama ‘āina a me ka mālama kanaka. Nui nā mana‘o a me nā hali‘a aloha i puapua‘i a‘ela ma ia huaka‘i a ua ho‘omana‘o wau i ka ‘ōlelo a ku‘u Tūtū Kathryne, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Eia kekahi o nā mo‘olelo:

Ma ka lā mua o ka huaka‘i e nānā ana mākou i kai a ‘ike ‘ia ‘o Lāna‘i, Maui, a me Kaho‘olawe. I ia wā nō ho‘omana‘o ihola wau i ko‘u huaka‘i mua i Kaho‘olawe. Iā mākou e holo ana ma ka wa‘a, kau aku ka no‘ono‘o iā Walter Ritte, George Helm, Kimo Mitchell, Emmett Aluli, a me nā koa wiwo‘ole ‘ē a‘e i kau ma nā wa‘a a holo aku i Kaho‘olawe e mālama iā ia. A ma ia lā o ko‘u holo ‘ana ma ka wa‘a a ma ia lā mua o ko‘u huaka‘i i kēia hopenapule aku nei, kupu mai ka mahalo a me ke aloha no ia mau alaka‘i i kia aku a lanakila i ka mea i hiki ‘ole ke hana ‘ia no ka mea ua hilina‘i lākou i nā ha‘awina o nā kūpuna; ‘o ke aloha ‘āina nō ho‘i.

Ma ka lua o nā lā o ka huaka‘i ua kipa mākou iā Kealopiko. Iā mākou e kalaiwa ana i ka hale, ho‘omaka mākou e mo‘olelo aku nō nā hali‘a aloha o nā lā mua o Kealopiko. Kama‘ilio aku nei mākou no ka nani o ka ho‘omaka a ulu ana ‘o Kealopiko. Na wai lā i no‘ono‘o ai e e ulu a mohala ana kahi ‘oihana lole piha i ka ‘ike a me ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i? Me he mea lā ua hilina‘i nā wahine i ho‘okumu iā Kealopiko i ka mana o ka ‘ike kūpuna.

I nā ahiahi a pau o ka huaka‘i, noho pū mākou ‘ekolu a kama‘ilio no nā moemoeā like ‘ole. ‘O ka hapa nui o ia mau moemoeā, he mau mea hou i hana mua ‘ole ‘ia. A me ia mana‘o, ua hiki ke hā‘awi pio. Akā lohe wau iā Tūtū Kathryne e hāwanawana mai ana, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” A kupu pū mai ia hilina‘i paulele a Moloka‘i e a‘o mau ana iā kākou.

‘O kekahi o nā mea a kākou e hana pū nei e like me ka ho‘okumu hou ‘ana i ke Kula Nui ‘o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa i kula Hawai‘i a me ke kipaku ‘ana i nā mea e like me ka ho‘okae ‘ili, me me mea lā ‘a‘ole hiki ke hana ‘ia. Eia na‘e, i kēlā me kēia lā ua hiki ke ‘ike ‘ia nā ‘ano la‘ana like ‘ole o ka hiki a me ka lanakila ke ‘onipa‘a a hilina‘i ho‘i i nā ha‘awina i ho‘oili ‘ia mai nā kūpuna mai.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e ho‘oulu mau ana iā kākou!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your Monday is filled with aloha.

For me, this Monday is filled with aloha and mahalo. This past weekend I visited Moloka‘i with two friends. It was a time to mālama ‘āina and also to mālama each other. There were tons of thoughts, ideas, and loving memories that arose for me and it made me think of something my Grandma Kathryne used to say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Here are a few stories from this weekend that reminded me of her:

On the first day of our trip, we were looking out to sea and could see Lāna‘i, Maui, and Kaho‘olawe. As I looked out I was reminded of my first trip to Kaho‘olawe. I remember riding out on the boat and thinking about Walter Ritte, George Helm, Kimo Mitchell, Emmett Aluli, and other brave warriors who rode out on boats to Kaho‘olawe to ultimately save her. And on that day when I was riding out and also on the first day of my trip this weekend, so much mahalo and aloha welled up inside of me for these leaders who focused on and eventually succeeded in doing the impossible because they had hope and trust in the lessons of our kūpuna, namely aloha ‘āina.

On the second day of our trip, we visited Kealopiko. As we were driving out to the warehouse, we began to share stories of our beloved memories of Kealopiko’s beginning days. We talked about how beautiful it was to see them start and grow over the years. Who would have thought that a fashion line grounded in Hawaiian language and culture would blossom the way they have? It is as if the founders of Kealopiko completely trusted in the mana of our ‘ike kūpuna; they trusted how that mana would inspire and pull us all in.

Every night of our trip, we sat together and shared our dreams. Most of our dreams are things that have not been done before. And because of that, we could easily give up and deem it impossible. But then I would hear my Grandma Kathryne whispering to me, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And then I could also feel that incredible hope, trust, and confidence that Moloka‘i teaches all of us.

Some of the things we are doing like regrounding UH Mānoa to become a Native Hawaiian place of learning and working to end racism in our communities can seem and feel impossible to reach. But we actually see examples every day of things becoming possible and people achieving the impossible because they remain steadfast in their will to make it happen and in their hope and trust in our ancestral lessons.

Mahalo to each of you who continue to inspire all of us!

Resources for this week: Here is more on hilinaʻi and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha,

punihei

August 22nd – 28th

Aloha nui kākou,

Hau‘oli lā mua o ke kau kula no nā Kula Nui o Hawai‘i! Eia nō wau ma Mānoa i kēia lā a nani ka ‘ikena o nā haumāna e naue ana mai ‘ō a ‘ō.

I kēlā pule aku nei ua launa wau me nā haumāna, nā mākua, a me nā kumu hou e komo ana i ke Kula nui ‘o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa no ka manawa mua. Piha lākou me ka pīhoihoi, ka hau‘oli, ka ‘olu‘olu, a me ke aloha. Nani wale ka lohe ‘ana i ko lākou mau mana‘o no ka mālama ‘ana i kekahi i kekahi a me ka mālama pū ‘ana i ka ‘āina. Ua paipai wau iā lākou e lawe mai i nā loina, nā mo‘olelo, nā kuana‘ike, a me nā ‘ōlelo o ko lākou mau kulāiwi i hiki iā kākou a pau ke a‘o mai kekahi i kekahi pehea e mālama a e aloha. 

Nui ka hoihoi o nā haumāna mai nā ‘āina ‘ē e ke‘eke‘ehi me ka hō‘ihi a me ke aloha. No laila ua paipai aku wau iā lākou e hō‘ike aku i kēlā mana‘o, e ho‘olohe a e nānā pono, a e noi mua. Ua mahalo nui lākou i kēlā mau mana‘o. A no nā haumāna mai Hawai‘i nei, piha lākou me ka hau‘oli a me ka mākaukau e a‘o aku i nā hana kūpono o Hawai‘i nei. He nani ho‘i kau. 

A no laila, he leo mahalo kēia iā ‘oukou a pau e mālama ana i kā kākou po‘e haumāna; e paipai ana iā lākou, e a‘o ana iā lākou, a e kono ana iā lākou e komo i kēlā me kēia wahi me ke aloha. 

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha nui kākou!

Happy first day of school to the entire University of Hawai‘i system! I’m here on campus at Mānoa today and it is awesome to see students going to and from their classes.

Last week I got to spend time with new students, parents, and faculty who were all at UH Mānoa for the first time. They were filled with excitement, joy, kindness, and aloha. It was beautiful to listen to their intentions of mālama and aloha for each other and our island home. I encouraged all of them to bring their practices, stories, worldviews, and languages from their homes with them here to campus so that we can all learn from one another about the many ways to mālama and aloha.

Students who are arriving from elsewhere in the world shared how much they want to traverse carefully and respectfully. So I encouraged them to share those intentions with those they meet, to take time to observe, and to always ask permission first. They really appreciated the time to be in conversation about all of this. And for our local students, they shared their excitement to be leaders and teachers of the pono ways to engage here in Hawai‘i. It was stunning to hear from these young people.

So I want to share my mahalo with each of you who will be taking care of our students; who will be encouraging them, who will be teaching them, and who will be inviting them to enter into each space with aloha.

Resources for this week: Here is more on kulāiwi and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

Punihei

August 15th – 21st

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kēia Pō‘akahi me ka ‘oli‘oli a me ke aloha.

‘Akahi nō wau a ho‘i mai kekahi huaka‘i. Mahalo nui wau i nā huaka‘i ma ka mokulele no ka mea he wā ia no ka heluhelu ‘ana (a me ka nānā ana i nā ki‘i ‘oni‘oni i kekahi manawa 😉). Ia‘u e lele ana ma ka mokulele, ua ho‘omaka wau e heluhelu i ka puke What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing e Dr. Bruce Perry lāua ‘o Oprah. ‘O ka mana‘o nui o ia puke ‘o ia ho‘i ke kālele ‘ana i ka ‘oko‘a ma waena o ‘elua ‘ano nīnau:

He aha ka pilikia me ‘oe? vs. He aha ka mea i hana ‘ia iā ‘oe?

Inā kākou ho‘omaka me ka nīnau “He aha ka pilikia me ‘oe?” ‘o ke kahua ‘o ia ho‘i ka mana‘o pilikia ke kanaka a nona wale nō ke kuleana o ia mau pilikia. Eia na‘e, inā ho‘omaka me ka nīnau “He aha ka mea i hana ‘ia iā ‘oe?” ‘o ke kahua ka mana‘o he mau mo‘olelo a he mau mo‘okū‘auhau nō ho‘i ko kēlā me kēia kanaka a pili ia mau mea i kona ola. Mai kēia kahua ua hiki ke a‘o a ‘ike i ka pō‘aiapili.

A no laila, pehea inā i kēlā me kēia lā ua ho‘omaka kākou i ke kama‘ilio ‘ana me ha‘i me ka mana‘o: He aha kona mo‘olelo? Pehea kona mo‘olelo e ho‘ololi ana i kona mau mana‘o, kona na‘au, a me kona hana? Pehea wau e mālama iā ia me ia ‘ikepili?

Iā kākou e ho‘omaka ana i ke kau hou o ke kula a e ho‘omau ana me nā ‘ano kuleana like ‘ole o ko kākou mau ola, he leo kono kēia e ho‘ā‘o paha e ho‘olohe i kā ha‘i mo‘olelo i mea e mālama a holomua pū. A e like me ka ‘ōlelo a‘o a kekahi o ko‘u hoa, ke lohe ‘ia ka mo‘olelo, e ho‘olohe pono a e ho‘ā‘o e maopopo pono. He kahua paha kēia ‘o ke aloha.

A mahalo nui i nā ‘ānela i makana mai i ia puke.💜

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you are all starting this Monday from a place of joy and aloha.

I just returned from a trip and one of my favorite things about flying on an airplane is that I finally get to sit down and read (and sometimes watch a movie😉). While I was flying, I started the book What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah. The main point of this book is to consider the fundamental difference between two questions:

What is wrong with you? vs. What happened to you?

If we start with the question “What’s wrong with you?” then the foundation is that there is something wrong with the person and that the responsibility for their challenges is solely with them. But instead, if we start with “What happened to you?” then the foundation is that each person has multiple stories, experiences, environments, and genealogies that shape them. From this foundation, we can begin to learn and see someone as their whole self with all the context that has shaped them.

I wonder what it would be like if every day when we begin conversations and interactions with people we started with: What’s their story? How is their story shaping their thoughts, their feelings, and their behaviors? How can I help to mālama them with this information?

As we begin the new school semester and as many of us continue with all kinds of kuleana, I invite us to perhaps listen to the stories of those we come into contact with as a means to mālama them and move forward together. And like one of my dear beloveds reminded me recently, when someone shares a story with us, listen deeply and seek to understand. This is perhaps part of the foundation of aloha.

And finally, mahalo to the two angels who gifted me this new book.💜

Resources for this week: Here is more on kahua and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

Punihei

August 8th – 14th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua piha kou hopenapule me ka hau‘oli a me ke ola kino maika‘i.

‘O ka mua, mahalo i nā leka uila a me nā kelekiko a pau i ho‘ouna ‘ia mai ma hope o ko‘u hō‘ike ana iā ‘oukou i kēlā pule aku nei no ko‘u ‘ōma‘ima‘i me ka ma‘i kolona. Ua polapola nō! Mahalo nui no ko ‘oukou aloha.

I kēia hopenapule i hala aku nei ua mālama ‘ia ka heihei hoe wa‘a hope o ke kauwela. Ua ‘ākoakoa nā hui hoe wa‘a mai ‘ō a ‘ō o ka pae‘āina a hui ma Ke‘ehi. ‘A‘ole wau i hoe eia na‘e ua hele wau e paipai aku i nā hoa. Ia‘u e nānā ana i ka ‘oli‘oli o ka lehulehu ua komo mai ka mahalo i loko o‘u no nā ‘ano kanaka like ‘ole i hana nui a e hana nui nei e ho‘omau i ia ‘ano mo‘omeheu o ko kākou kūpuna.

Ho‘okahi o ia kanaka ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Dr. Carlos Andrade. I kēlā pule aku nei ua ho‘i ‘o ia e moe aku me nā kūpuna. Akā i kona wā e noho ana me kākou ma kēia ao nei, nui kona hana e ho‘ōla a ho‘oulu i nā ‘ano mo‘omeheu like ‘ole: ‘o ka holo wa‘a kaulua ‘oe, ‘o ka mālama ‘āina ‘oe, ‘o ka ho‘okani pila ‘oe, a me nā ‘ano mea hou aku.

Ua launa mua wau me ‘Anakala Carlos i ko‘u wā kamali‘i no ka mea ua hele kāna muli loa i ke kula kaiapuni me ia‘u. I ia mau lā mua o nā kula kaiapuni, pili loa nā ‘ohana a pau a no laila ua hele a pili ko māua mau ‘ohana. Ma hope iho, ua hana pū ‘o ‘Anakala Carlos me kāna wahine ‘o ‘Anakē Maile me ko‘u makuahine ma Kamakakūokalani. I kekahi kauwela, he ‘eiwa paha o‘u makahiki, ua huaka‘i ko‘u makuahine me ko‘u tūtū i ‘Eulopa a ua mālama ‘o ‘Anakala Carlos lāua ‘o ‘Anakē Maile ia‘u ma ko lākou hale me ko lākou mau keiki ‘ekolu. ‘Olu‘olu wale ka noho ‘ana me ka ‘ohana Andrade. ‘A‘ole ‘o ‘Anakala Carlos i kama‘ilio nui me ia‘u. Maka‘ala ‘o ia ia‘u. Hō‘ike ‘o ia ia‘u kahi o nā mea like ‘ole ma ka hale. A hilina‘i ‘o ia ia‘u e hana pono.

‘O kēlā kekahi o nā mea nui a ‘Anakala Carlos i hō‘ike mai: he ‘ano hilina‘i piha i ke aloha. Mahalo nui wau i ia ‘ano hilina‘i no ka mea komo mai ka hilina‘i ma loko o‘u no‘u iho ke makana ‘ia mai kēlā ‘ano aloha. A ua ‘ike wau iā ‘Anakala Carlos e makana ana i ia hilina‘i i nā haumāna, nā kumu, a me nā ‘ano kanaka like ‘ole. He nani maoli nō.

A no laila, aloha nui iā ‘oe, e ‘Anakala Carlos. ‘A‘ole loa mākou e poina ana iā ‘oe: kou maka ‘imo‘imo a me kou mau makana i hō‘ikaika a ho‘oulu ho‘i i ka lāhui.

He leo aloha pū kēia i ka ‘ohana Andrade a me nā mea aloha ‘ē a‘e i pili me ia.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your weekend was full of joy and health.

First, I want to say mahalo for all the emails and text messages that came in after I shared that I had contracted COVID. I’m feeling much better! Mahalo to all of you for your aloha.

This past weekend the final championship for paddling was held at Ke‘ehi Lagoon. Clubs from across the islands came together to race. I didn’t race but I went to cheer on some friends. While I was there I couldn’t help but notice the joy in everyone who was gathered and it made me feel grateful for all those who have and continue to work so hard to keep these traditions alive.

One of those people is Dr. Carlos Andrade. Last week he returned to be with our kūpuna. But while he was on this earthly plane with us, he did so much to contribute to the revival and growth of traditions like double-hulled canoe sailing, mālama ‘āina, and Hawaiian music just to name a few.

I first met Uncle Carlos when I was a little girl because his youngest son went to Hawaiian immersion school with me. In those days all the families in immersion were really close so our two families naturally got to know one another. Later on Uncle Carlos and his wife Aunty Maile became colleagues of my mom’s at Kamakakūokalani. And one summer, when I was about 9 years old, my mom and grandma went on a trip to Europe and it was Uncle Carlos and Aunty Maile who took care of me along with their own three children. Living with the Andrade family was so awesome. Uncle Carlos didn’t say much to me. But he watched out for me and kept an eye on me. He made sure I knew where everything was that I needed in the house. And most of all, he trusted me.

That’s one of the things that Uncle Carlos showed me: a type of trust deeply rooted in love. I truly value that kind of trust because it grew the trust I had in myself for myself. I also saw Uncle Carlos gift this type of trust to students, his colleagues, and so many other people he came into contact with. It was truly beautiful.

So, aloha to you, Uncle Carlos. We won’t forget you: that special twinkle in your eye and all your gifts that helped to strengthen and inspire our lāhui.

Aloha also to the entire ‘ohana Andrade and all those who loved him so much.

Resources for this week: Here is more on ʻimoʻimo and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

Punihei

August 1st – 7th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o maika‘i ke ola kino a ke holopono nei kēia Pō‘akahi!

No‘u, ‘o kēia ko‘u lā mua e ho‘i nei i nā leka uila a me nā kuleana kula nui. I kēlā pule aku nei ua ‘ōma‘ima‘i au me ka ma‘i kolona. OMG. ‘A‘ohe le‘ale‘a!!

Inā hoihoi, eia ke ka‘ina o nā hanana o kēlā pule aku nei no‘u:

• Ahiahi o ka Pō‘aono: piwa, ‘eha ke kino akā ‘a‘ole pā i ka ma‘i kolona
• Lāpule: piwa, ‘eha loa ke kino, luhi loa a ua pā i ka ma‘i kolona
• Pō‘akahi: piwa, ‘eha loa ke kino, luhi loa
• Pō‘alua: emi iki mai ka piwa, luhi
• Pō‘akolu: emi hou mai ka piwa, luhi, ho‘omaka mai ke kunu
• Pō‘aha-Pō‘akahi: ‘a‘ohe piwa, mau nō ke kunu li‘ili‘i, mau nō ka pā ‘ana

‘O kēlā mau lā mua o ka ‘ōma‘ima‘i, ua ‘eha loa ke kino! ‘A‘ole i hiki ia‘u ke ne‘e mai ko‘u pela moe. Pa‘akikī ka hele wāwae ‘ana. A ma hope o kēlā, luhi loa ke kino! ‘A‘ole wau i nānā iki i ka leka uila!! ‘A‘ole i hiki.

No laila, he leo paipai kēia iā ‘oukou: E ho‘omau i ke komo ‘ana i ka makaki‘i, e holoi lima, inā hele a ‘ōma‘ima‘i ma kekahi ‘ano e noho ma ka hale, inu wai, ‘ai pono, ho‘oikaika kino, a hiamoe pono kekahi. Ke ho‘ohiki nei au: ‘a‘ole loa le‘ale‘a kēia ma‘i kolona! No laila, e ‘olu‘olu, e mālama pono.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you all are in good health and this Monday is off to a good start for each of you!

For me, this is my first day back on email and back to my university kuleana. Last week COVID finally got me. OMG! It was absolutely NO fun!!

If you’re interested, here’s how the week went for me:

• Saturday evening: fever, body aches, but negative test
• Sunday: fever, terrible body aches, super tired and tested positive
• Monday: fever, terrible body aches, super tired
• Tuesday: fever came down a little bit, body aches gone, still super tired
• Wednesday: fever came down a bit more, super tired, a dry cough began
• Thursday-Monday: no fever, dry cough, more energy everyday, still testing positive

The body aches those first few days were SO bad!!! I could barely get out of bed. It was difficult to walk 10 feet to the bathroom. And after those initial days I was just so exhausted! I knew I was out of it because I literally could not muster up enough energy to even read emails. That’s how you know it’s bad!

So this is me encouraging you to keep wearing your mask, wash your hands and keep sanitizing your phone and other personal belongings, if you have any symptoms please stay home and test, hydrate, eat healthy, exercise, and sleep. I promise: you do NOT want COVID and COVID is NOT pau! So please take care.

Resources for this week: Here is more on luhi and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

Punihei

July 18th – 24th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o palekana ‘oukou a pau i nā nalu e po‘i mai ana.

I kēia hopenapule i hala aku nei nui ko‘u hau‘oli i ka helele‘i ana o ka ua, i ka pā‘ina ‘ana me ko‘u kaikua‘ana a me ko‘u mau kaikunāne, i ka hoe wa‘a ‘ana me ko‘u kime, a i ka nanea ‘ana me ko‘u mau hoa. Pōmaika‘i maoli nō kēia.

‘O kekahi o ko‘u kuleana ka mālama ‘ana i nā pō‘ai pilina. He papahana kēia e ho‘ākoakoa i nā kanaka no ka hō‘ikaika ‘ana i ko lākou pilina ma o ka ha‘i mo‘olelo a me ka ho‘olohe ‘ana i nā mo‘olelo. ‘O kekahi o nā kono: “E ha‘i mai i mo‘olelo no kekahi wā āu i mino‘aka a i ‘ole i ‘aka‘aka nui ai.” Mahalo nui wau i kēia kono e ho‘omana‘o i wā hau‘oli no ka mea ke kupu mai kekahi wā hau‘oli hou aku, ‘oi aku ko‘u mahalo a ‘oi aku ka ‘ono o ia manawa.

A no laila, ma loko o ka nui o nā wau hau‘oli – ka ‘aka‘aka ‘ana a me ka mino‘aka ‘ana – i ia hopenapule, nui wale ko‘u mahalo no ia mau pōmaika‘i. Pā ka na‘au.

Me ia mau mana‘o, he kono kēia iā ‘oukou pākahi e ha‘i aku i kekahi hoa i mo‘olelo o kekahi wā āu i mino‘aka a i ‘ole i ‘aka‘aka nui ai. A laila e maka‘ala no ia mau wā hau‘oli ma loko o kou ola. He lā‘au lapa‘au maoli nō ia!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha kākou,

I hope you are all being safe during these huge swells!

This past weekend I found so much joy in the rain keeping me cool, in gathering to share a meal with my sister and brothers, in paddling with my crew, and in spending beautiful time with dear friends. I am truly blessed.

One of my kuleana is being a Pilina Circle co-facilitator in which we bring folks together to build pilina by sharing stories and listening deeply to those stories. One of the prompts we use invites folks to share a story of a time when they laughed hard or smiled wide. I love this prompt because the more we use it and the more we share and listen to stories, the more aware and grateful I am of these precious moments and I am then able to savor them that much more.

Therefore, with all the moments of joy, smiles, and laughter this weekend, I am filled with so much gratitude for all these blessings.

With this in mind, I invite each of you to share a story with a friend about a time when you laughed hard or smiled wide. And then, as you go about your day, keep your eye out for more of these moments and savor them as they come. This is truly medicine!

Resources for this week: Here is more on pōmaika‘i and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

Punihei

July 11th – 17th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha a nanea ho‘i ‘oukou i ka nani o kēia hopenapule.

No‘u, ua nanea wau me ko‘u ‘ohana no ka ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana i ka lā hānau o ku‘u kaikunāne, ‘o Nā‘ālehu. Ua pā‘ina mākou ma kahakai, he piko ho‘i no kō mākou ‘ohana. Ma mua o ka ‘ai ‘ana inehinei, e like me ka mau, ua ho‘opōmaika‘i mākou i ka mea‘ai:

I ola no ke kino i ka mā‘ona o ka ‘ōpū

I mā‘ona nō ka ‘ōpū i ke aloha o ka makua

E pū pa‘akai kākou me ka mahalo

Ua loa‘a ho‘i iā kākou ka ‘ai a me ke aloha

‘Āmama, ua noa

Iā mākou e pule a pa‘a lima ana me nā lālā o ka ‘ohana – nā kūpuna, nā mākua, a me nā keiki – ua piha ko‘u na‘au me ka mahalo ‘oiai ua loa‘a maoli iā mākou ka ‘ai a me ke aloha. ‘Ike wau he pōmaika‘i kamaha‘o ia mau makana. A no laila, no kākou nā po‘e i pōmaika‘i me ia mau mea, e ho‘omau kākou i ka noke mau ‘ana ma ke ala pono a hiki aku i ka wā i pōmaika‘i ‘ia kēlā a me kēia kanaka ma Hawai‘i nei me ka ‘ai a me ke aloha.

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e hana nui nei no ka pono o ka lāhui.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you all got to relax and enjoy the beauty of this weekend.

For me, I was able to hang out with my ‘ohana to celebrate my dear brother Nā‘ālehu’s birthday. We celebrated at the beach, a piko for our family. Before eating, as is usual, we blessed the food:

I ola no ke kino i ka mā‘ona o ka ‘ōpū

I mā‘ona nō ka ‘ōpū i ke aloha o ka makua

E pū pa‘akai kākou me ka mahalo

Ua loa‘a ho‘i iā kākou ka ‘ai a me ke aloha

‘Āmama, ua noa

The body is nourished when the stomach is satisfied

The stomach is satisfied because of the love of our parents

Let us share this food with thanks

That we have food and aloha

It is said, it is free of kapu

As we said this prayer while we all held hands as family – grandparents, parents, and keiki – I was filled with mahalo because we actually have food and aloha. I know that these are amazing blessings. So, for those of us who are blessed with these things, let’s continue on the pono path that will guide us to a time when every single person in Hawai‘i has food and aloha.

Mahalo for all that you do for the pono of our lāhui.

Resources for this week: Here is more on mā‘ona and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

punihei

June 27th – July 3rd

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke holopono nei kā ‘oukou Pō‘akahi.

Ua ala wau i ke kakahiaka nui me ke kanikani o nā manu ma waho o ko‘u puka aniani. Ia‘u e ho‘olohe ana iā lākou, no‘ono‘o ihola wau e pili ana i kēia leka uila iā ‘oukou a pau. He aha ana ka‘u i kēia lā? ‘O ka ma‘amau, ho‘omālie wau ia‘u iho a nalu ihola: he aha nā mea nui a me nā mea ko‘iko‘i ma mua o‘u? Ma mua o kākou?

A i kēia kakahiaka, ua kau ka no‘ono‘o i ia mea ‘o ke aloha. Ke aloha no ka ‘ohana, no nā hoa, no nā kūpuna, no nā haumāna, no nā hoa hana, no ka ‘āina, a no ka lāhui nō ho‘i. Mai hea mai ia aloha? Pehea e hō‘ike aku me ka ‘olu‘olu a me ke ahonui a pehea ho‘i e mahalo i ke aloha i makana ‘ia mai?

I kēlā pule aku nei ka wā o ke ala polohiwa a Kāne; he wā no ka pule, no ka nalu ‘ana, a no ke kia ‘ana no ka pono. Ua noho wau ma kahakai ‘oiai ‘o Kānehoalani e puka mai ana mai loko mai o ke kai a e no‘ono‘o pono ana no ia mea ‘o ke aloha. Ua nonoi wau i nā kūpuna e hō‘ike mai i ke ala pono no ia mea ‘o ke aloha; ke aloha aku a me ke aloha mai.

He aha kāu mea e kia nei?

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope your Monday is already going really well.

I woke up very early this morning with the sound of birds chirping outside my window. And while I listened to all of them, I thought of this message to all of you. What would I share today? Usually, I try to calm myself and reflet: what is important and real in front of me? In front of us?

And this morning my thoughts turned to aloha: love of family, of beloveds, of kūpuna, of students, of colleagues, of ‘āina, and of our lāhui. Where does this aloha come from for each of us? What’s its foundations? How can we express it with kindness and patience and how do we also receive it with grace as it is gifted to us?

Last week was summer solstice; a time for prayer, for reflection, and for focusing on what is pono. I sat at the beach during sunrise and concentrated on aloha. I asked my kūpuna to show me the right pathway to giving and receiving aloha.
What are you focusing on right now?

Resources for this week: Here is more on pono and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

punihei

June 13th – 19th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ke ho‘omaka nei kā ‘oukou Pō‘akahi me ka hau‘oli, me ka mahalo, a me ke ola kino maika‘i.

E like me ka‘u i kēlā pule aku nei, ua ho‘i wau i ka hoe wa‘a ‘ana. I ka Lāpule ua mālama ‘ia ka heihei ma Kailua. Nui ka makani e pā mai ana a no laila nui ka maka‘ala o mākou a pau.

Ua pa‘i ki‘i ‘ia ke ki‘i o luna nei he 10 paha minuke ma mua o ko‘u heihei. Eia nō wau e kū ana me kekahi ‘ōpio i aloha nui ‘ia. E maka‘ala pū ana māua i ke kai.

E like me ko māua lole e hō‘ike aku nei, hoe wa‘a māua no ‘elua hui ‘oko‘a. Nui nā ‘ano mea ‘ē a‘e i ‘oko‘a ma ko māua mau ola. He ‘ōpio ‘o ia. ‘A‘ole paha wau he ‘ōpio i ia mau lā. He kāne ‘o ia a he wahine wau. Hānai ‘ia ‘o ia ma ka ‘ao‘ao Wai‘anae a hānai ‘ia wau ma ka ‘ao‘ao Ko‘olau. A pēlā wale aku.

Eia na‘e, pili māua kekahi a ua kūkulu ‘ia ia pilina ma loko o ia mau mahina ‘eono i hala aku nei ma o ko māua ho‘oikaika kino pū ‘ana, ke kama‘ilio ‘ana no nā ali‘i o Maui (he mau mo‘opuna māua a Pi‘ilani), ka pā‘ina pū ‘ana (‘ono loa māua i nā waffles), a me ko māua makemake e lanakila i nā heihei hoe wa‘a.

Ua pa‘i ki‘i ‘ia kēia ki‘i e kekahi o ko‘u hoa me ia nīnau ‘aka‘aka “I wonder what they’re talking about. Waikīkī v. Kailua.” ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ‘a‘ohe kū‘ē ma waena o māua. He pilina. A ma loko o ia pilina e nānā pū ana māua i nā heihei a me ka holo ‘ana o nā wa‘a ma ke kai hānupanupa. E kama‘ilio ana māua no ko māua mau heihei pono‘ī a e ho‘ā‘o ana e ‘ike i ia mau heihei a me ko māua mau kuleana kiko‘ī. He ho‘okele wau a he hoe wa‘a ‘o ia no laila e wehewehe ana māua i kekahi i kekahi i nā mea pili a me nā mea ‘oko‘a; nā kuleana o ko māua mau kulana ma loko o ka wa‘a ho‘okahi. Ma hope o ia kama‘ilio ‘ana ua hō‘ea mai ka wā o ko‘u heihei. Mea mai ‘o ia ia‘u, “Good luck, Aunty!” Ma hope o ka heihei, e kū ana ‘o ia ma kahakai e ho‘omaika‘i mai ia‘u. He nani maoli nō.

Ma loko o ia mo‘olelo aia nō he mau ha‘awina:

• Ma loko o ka ‘oko‘a ua hiki nō ke pili
• He nani ka ‘oko‘a ‘oiai mai laila mai nā akamai like ‘ole
• ‘A‘ole paha māua ‘oko‘a loa
• He aha hou aku paha nā ha‘awina āe e ‘ike nei?

Mahalo nui wau i nā ha‘awina o ke aloha a me ke kāko‘o a me ka mālama ma waena o nā kanaka a me nā hui like ‘ole. E ho‘omau kākou i ia ‘ano pilina i hiki ke ‘ike pū i ka lanakila o kākou a pau.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

I hope you are all starting your Monday with joy, gratitude, and health.

As I shared last week, I went back to paddling. This past Sunday the race was in Kailua. It was really windy so we were all paying extra attention to the conditions in the ocean.

This picture was taken about 10 minutes before my race. I was standing with a beloved young man and we were paying attention to the conditions together.

Like our shirts demonstrate, we paddle for two different clubs. There’s lots of other things that are different about us. He’s young. I’m not so young. LOL. He’s a male and I’m a female. He was raised on the Wai‘anae side and I was raised on the Ko‘olau side. And the list could really go on.

But we are actually quite connected and we have built a relationship over the past 6 months via working out together, talking about the ali‘i of Maui together (we are both descendants of Pi‘ilani), eating together (we both love waffles), and wanting to win paddling races together.

This photo was taken by a friend posing the question: “I wonder what they’re talking about. Waikīkī v. Kailua.” Truth be told, there’s no competition between us. Just pilina. And within this pilina we were both watching the races and the way the boats were moving in the choppy waters. We were discussing each of our races and trying to envision what our races would look and feel like in our distinct roles. I’m a steersperson and he’s a paddler so we were sharing our unique kuleana and perspectives in each of those roles and how those roles work together in a single canoe. After our conversation ended it was time for my race. As I grabbed my paddles he said to me, “Good luck, Aunty!” And after the race, he was standing on shore congratulating me. It was really beautiful.

In this story there are so many lessons:

• Even in difference there can still be pilina
• Difference is actually quite beautiful because that’s how we ensure diversity in intelligences
• Maybe we aren’t so different
• What other lessons do you see?

I am so grateful for all the lessons of aloha and support and care that I get to witness and learn from that occur between different people and groups. Let’s continue this kind of pilina so that we all win together.

Resources for this week: Here is more on lanakila and the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is below

Aloha nui,

punihei

June 6th – 12th 

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua puka ‘oukou i waho i kēia hopenapule ‘oiai ka lā a me ka makani ‘olu e pā mai nei.

I kēlā pule aku nei ua ho‘i wau i ka hoe wa‘a ‘ana ma hope o 20 makahiki! Ma ka Pō‘alima ua hālāwai ko mākou hui holo‘oko‘a a ua mo‘olelo mai ke alaka‘i, ‘o ‘Anakē Luana, no nā kanaka i ho‘okumu i ka hui, no nā waiwai o ka hui, no nā kūpuna i hala, no nā keiki o ka hui, a no kona mau mana‘olana no nā haunana e hiki mai ana. Ua wehewehe pū ‘o ia no ko mākou wa‘a koa. ‘O Tutu kona inoa. He tutu ‘o ia no mākou ‘oiai mai ke kumu koa mai ‘o ia. A me ia inoa, mōakāka ke kuleana e mālama iā ia.

‘Oiai wau e ho‘olohe ana iā ‘Anakē Luana, ua mino‘aka nui wau. Eia nō ‘o ‘Anakē Luana e hō‘ike mai ana i ka mo‘okū‘auhau o ko mākou hui hoe wa‘a a me ko mākou mau kuleana ma loko o ia ‘ohana. Ua pili loa kēia me kā kākou e hana nei ma ke kula nui nei:

• He aha nā mo‘okū‘auhau a me nā mo‘olelo?
• ‘O wai nā kaikua‘ana a me nā kaikaina ma loko o ia mau mo‘okū‘auhau?
• A pehea ana kākou e aloha aku i kekahi i kekahi?

Me ia mau mana‘o a me ia mau nīnau, ua ho‘omākaukau ko mākou ke‘ena i kekahi mau kāko‘o hou. ‘O kēia ka maka mua o ka ho‘ā‘o ‘ana i ia ‘ano kāko‘o ma o ka pūnaewele no laila mahalo nui i ke ahonui a me ke aloha. Inā he mau mana‘o hō‘ikaika, e leka uila wale mai: nhpol@hawaii.edu.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you all got some time outside this weekend while the sun was shining and the breeze was blowing.

Last week I went back to canoe paddling after 20 years of being away from the sport! And on Friday we had our club meeting and our club president, Aunty Luana, shared stories about the founders of the club, the values and goals of the club, the kūpuna of the club, the keiki of the club, and her hopes and dreams for the future generations of our club. She also shared about our koa canoe. Her name is Tutu. She is a tutu for us because she comes from a koa tree which is a kupuna for us. And of course with this name our kuleana to take care of her is clear.

While I was listening to Aunty Luana, I smiled so big. Here she was sharing with us the mo‘okū‘auhau of our canoe club and the kuleana we each have within this ‘ohana. This is exactly what we are striving to learn how to do and live into here at UH Mānoa:

• What are the genealogies and stories we each carry and that connect us?
• Who are the various roles we each carry within those genealogies?
• And how do we learn to aloha one another within those connections?

These are the guiding principles and questions that led us to create these new tools. This is the first time we have created these types of online resources so mahalo for your ahonui and aloha. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to email us: nhpol@hawaii.edu.

Resources for this week: Here is more on ahonui (and ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i recording below)

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 30th – June 5th 

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha ‘oukou i kēia hopenapule lō‘ihi aku nei. I ko‘u mana‘o, ma ke ‘ano i hiki, he wā ko‘iko‘i kēia no ka ho‘omaha a ho‘onā ‘ana i ka na‘au ‘oiai kākou e ‘ike nei i nā pilikia like ‘ole ma Hawai‘i, ma ‘Amelika, a a puni ho‘i o ka honua.

I kēlā pule aku nei ua kama‘ilio wau me nā makua. Lua ‘ole ka ‘eha a me ka hopohopo no ka palekana o kā kākou mau keiki hiwahiwa. Pehea kākou e ho‘omalu ana i nā keiki o Hawai‘i a me nā keiki o ke ao? 

‘A‘ole ‘o wau ho‘okahi e mālama ana i ka‘u mau keiki no ka mea ‘a‘ole lāua noho pa‘a me ia‘u a ao ka pō a pō ke ao. A e like me kākou a pau, ho‘ouna wau i ka‘u mau keiki i kēlā me kēia lā i ka malu o ke kaiāulu me ka hilina‘i e palekana ana lāua. Ma kekahi ‘ano, he hilina‘i kupaianaha kēlā. 

Hō‘ikaika ‘ia ia hilina‘i ‘ana ke pili wau me ia mau kaiāulu: ‘o ke kula ‘oe, ‘o ka hālau wa‘a ‘oe, ‘o ka hālau hula ‘oe, ‘o ke kime pōhili ‘oe, a pēlā wale aku. A ma loko o ia mau kaiāulu like ‘ole, he kuleana ko‘u e hō‘ikaika i ka pilina a e aloha aku iā lākou i hiki iā lākou ke mālama a aloha aku i ka‘u mau keiki. 

Eia na‘e, ‘ike wau, i kekahi manawa  – no nā kumu like ‘ole  – pa‘akikī ka hō‘ea ‘ana e kūkulu pilina. A ‘ike pū wau, ‘o ka pilina ma waena o nā ‘ohana a me nā kaiāulu kekahi o nā mea ko‘iko‘i loa no ke ola o ka lāhui. A no laila, pehea kākou e kāko‘o i kekahi i kekahi ma loko o nā ‘ohana, nā ‘oihana, nā kula, a me nā hui like ‘ole e hāpai i ka waiwai o ka pilina a e hō‘ikaika i ka pilina ma waena o kākou a pau ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole? No ka mea ‘o ka pilina ke kahua o ke aloha. 

Mahalo iā ‘oukou a pau e kūkulu nei i ka pilina i kēlā me kēia lā. E ho‘omau kākou!

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

I hope you all got some rest during this long weekend. I think, as it is possible, this is an important time to rest, rejuvenate, and tend to our na‘au as we are witnessing so much tragedy in Hawai‘i, in America, and across the world. 

Last week I spoke with so many parents. They all felt unimaginable pain and worry for the safety of all of our collective children. How are we going to protect the keiki of Hawai‘i and the world? This concern is heavy on our minds and hearts.

And the thing is, I can’t alone take care of my children (no single parent can) because they aren’t with me day and night. So like all other parents, I send them off into the world into different communities and hope and pray and trust that they will be safe. This trust is sort of amazing and magical and terrifying all at the same time. 

I know that this trust is strengthened when I am closely connected to the communities I send my children into, whether that be their school, their paddling teams, their hālau hula, their baseball teams, and other such spaces. I know that I have a kuleana to grow and strengthen the pilina and the aloha within those communities so that they have enough to draw from to mālama and aloha my keiki. 

But I know that sometimes – for all kinds of reasons – it’s hard to show up and build pilina. And I also know that the pilina in our families and our communities is one of the most important things for the health of our lāhui. So how do we support one another in our ‘ohana, our businesses, our schools, and all of our groups to elevate the importance of pilina and to strengthen pilina between all of us in all the ways we know how? Because pilina is really the foundation of aloha.

Mahalo to all of you who are building pilina each and every day. Let’s continue this important work!

Resources for this week: Here is more on hilina‘i

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 23rd – 29th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha ‘oukou i kēia hopenapule.

No‘u, ua ho‘omoana wau ma Malaekahana a he nani maoli nō. Ma mua o ko‘u ho‘omoana ‘ana, wehewehe mai kekahi hoa ia‘u no kona hele ‘ana i kai i kēlā me kēia kakahiaka e ‘ike maka i ka pi‘ina a ka lā. Noho ho‘okahi ‘o ia no 5-10 minuke ‘oiai ka lā e puka mai ana. Iā ia e wehewehe mai ana, ulu ka hoi i loko o‘u. Eia na‘e, no‘u, ke ho‘omākaukau nei wau i nā keiki no ke kula ‘oiai ka lā e puka mai ana.

Akā i kēia hopenapule ua ho‘omoana wau ma Malaekahana no laila ma‘alahi ka iho ana i kai e hui pū me Kānehoalani ‘oiai ‘o ia e puka ana mai loko mai o ke kai hohonu. Iā ia e pi‘i mai ana, piha a‘ela ko‘u na‘au me ka mahalo no ia makana ‘o ka lā hou; no ia makana ‘o ka hiki ke ala me ke ola kino maika‘i a me nā waiwai e ke‘eke‘ehi me ke aloha.

Inā paha pa‘akikī ka hiki ‘ana aku i kahi e ‘ike i ka pi‘ina a ka lā i ke kakahiaka, eia ma luna nei he ki‘i ‘o ka lā e puka mai ana ma Malaekahana. E mālama ‘oe a e ho‘i hou e nānā inā he kōkua ia ki‘i nei e ho‘omana‘o i nā pōmaika‘i o kēlā me kēia lā.

Mahalo wau iā ‘oukou no kā ‘oukou ho‘opōmaika‘i ‘ana i ka lāhui. 

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you all got some rest this weekend.

For me, I went camping in Malaekahana and it was just beautiful. Before I went camping, a friend of mine shared with me that every morning she goes to the beach to watch the sunrise. She takes 5-10 minutes to be alone and ground herself as the sun rises. I was so inspired by this story and practice of hers! But most mornings I am getting my children ready for school or some other activity and so I miss sunrise.

But this weekend I was camping at Malaekahana so it was easy to go down to the beach and meet Kānehoalani as he emerged out of the deep ocean. And as I watched him rise, I was filled with gratitude for the gift of that new day; for the gift of being able to wake up in good health and all that I need to walk in this life with aloha.

If it is difficult for you to get somewhere to see the sunrise, I wanted to share the photograph above of the sun rising at Malaekahana this past weekend. Keep this photograph and return to it when you need a reminder of the blessings that emerge with the dawning of each new day.

Speaking of gratitude, I am grateful for all the ways you bless our lāhui.

Resources for this week: Here is more on pi‘ina (and feel free to listen to all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i below)

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 16th-22nd

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua piha kā ‘oukou hopenapule me ka hau‘oli a me ke aloha. No‘u ua piha nō ho‘i me ka mahalo; ka mahalo no ia mea ‘o ka noke ‘ana. I ia wā o nā hō‘ike hope loa a me ka lā hemo kula, ua ‘ike a ‘ike hou wau i nā mo‘olelo o ka noke ‘ana a he nani nō.

I ka Pō‘ahā i hala aku nei ua makana ‘ia wau ‘elua la‘ana o ka noke ‘ana. I ke kakahiaka, ua hui wau me kekahi haumāna a wehewehe mai ‘o ia ia‘u i kona kaumaha no kona holomua ‘ole ‘ana ma kekahi papa ‘oiai ua pa‘akikī loa ka hō‘ike hope loa. Mahalo akula wau i kona kaumaha ‘oiai he mea maoli nō ia. A, ua ho‘omana‘o pū wau iā ia, ‘a‘ole ‘o kēia ka hopena o ke ola. Mahalo ke akua, ua puka hou mai ka lā ma ka hikina a ua makana ‘ia ‘o ia kēia manawa kūpono no ka ho‘ā‘o hou, no ka noke ‘ana. Ua mino‘aka ‘o ia.

A laila, i ke awakea, ua hui wau me kekahi wahine i holomua a ho‘opau i kāna hō‘ike GED. Ma hope o kekahi mau ālaina ma kona ola a ma hope o kekahi mau ho‘ā‘o ma ka hō‘ike GED, ua puka no ka mea ua noke a noke mau ‘o ia. Ua piha ‘o ia me ka hau‘oli a ua ha‘aheo maoli nā kumu, nā hoa papa, a me nā hoa paipai. Ua makana mai ‘o ia i ka ha‘awina ‘o ia ho‘i ‘oiai e pa‘akikī ana kekahi mau mea a ‘a‘ole paha holomua ma ka ho‘ā‘o mua, inā nō e noke a hō‘ikaika i kēlā me kēia ho‘ā‘o, ua hiki ke holomua nō. Nani!

A laila i kēia hopenapule hele akula wau i ka lā hemo kula no UH Mānoa. Piha ka hale ‘o Stan Sheriff me kekahi mau haneli haumāna i noke a noke mau a hiki i ka puka ‘ana. A ‘o kekahi o ia mau haumāna ko‘u hoapili. Ma hope o kona puka ‘ana mai ke kula ki‘eki‘e, ‘a‘ole ‘o ia i hele i ke kula nui. Ua hana ‘o ia a hānai i kona ‘ohana, he ‘ehiku mau keikikāne. A laila, ua ho‘oholo ‘o ia e ho‘i i ke kula no ke kēkelē laepua. Nui nā ālaina ma ia ala, eia na‘e ua ‘imi ‘o ia i ke ala pono a noke mau. A laila ua ho‘oholo ‘o ia e ho‘i hou i ke kula no ke kēkelē laeo‘o ‘oiai ‘o ia e mālama ana i kāna mau keiki, kāna mo‘opuna, kāna mau keiki hanauna, a me kona kupunawahine. A i ka Pō‘aono nei, ua puka ‘o ia: ka lālā mua o kona ‘ohana me ke kēkelē laepua a laeo‘o nō ho‘i. A no kona noke mau ‘ana mākaukau ‘o ia me nā pono e mālama i kona ‘ohana a me kona kaiāulu. Ha‘aheo maoli wau iā ia!

A no laila, he leo ho‘omaika‘i kēia i nā haumāna a pau e noke mau ‘ana no kā ‘oukou pono a no ka pono ho‘i o ka lāhui. A he leo mahalo kēia iā ‘oukou a pau e kāko‘o, e hānai, e ho‘omalu, a e mālama ana i ia mau haumāna, nā alaka‘i o Hawai‘i nei.

Aloha nui,

punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

I hope your weekend was filled with happiness and aloha. For me, mine was filled with gratitude and I am especially grateful for the practice of perseverance. In this time of final exams and graduations, I saw so many examples of perseverance and it was really beautiful.

Last Thursday I was gifted with two examples of perseverance. In the morning, I met with a student and she shared with me how upset and disappointed she was because she failed one of her exams and consequently wouldn’t be passing the class. I honored her disappointment and sadness because that was very real and alive for her. And I also reminded her that while failing an exam might feel like the end of the world, it actually isn’t. Mahalo ke akua, the sun still rose the next day in the east and she was given an opportunity to try again, to persevere. She smiled.

And then at noon I met a young lady who had just passed her GED. After several challenges along her personal journey and many attempts at the test, she passed because she persevered. She was so filled with happiness and her teachers, classmates, and cheerleaders were so very proud of her. She gifted all of us who were there with her the lesson that while things might get tough and we might not get all the way to the finish line on the first try if we persevere and strengthen our work each time, we can succeed. So beautiful!

And then this weekend I went to UH Mānoa’s commencement ceremony. Stan Sheriff Center was filled with hundreds of students who persevered and reached graduation. And among these graduates was my best friend and her beautiful story. After she graduated from high school she didn’t go to college. Instead, she went to work and raised seven sons. Eventually, she decided to go to school and earned her bachelor’s degree. There were tons of challenges and setbacks during that first journey in college, but she kept her eye on the prize and persevered. And then she decided to return for her master’s degree while she continued to take care of her children, her granddaughter, her nieces and nephews, and her grandma. And on Saturday, she graduated! She’s the first person in her immediate family to earn a college diploma. And because she persevered she now has more tools to care for her family and her community. I am so incredibly proud of her.

So congratulations to all the students who continue to persevere in all the ways you do for the betterment of yourselves and also for the betterment of our lāhui. And mahalo to all of you out there who support, nourish, protect, and care for these students, the leaders of Hawai‘i.

Finally, some links: Click here to learn more about noke and listen to the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 9th-15th

Aloha mai kākou,

E kala mai i ka lohi o nei leka uila. Ua ‘ōma‘ima‘i wau inehinei akā ua ola hou i kēia lā! Me kēlā mana‘o, e ‘olu‘olu e ho‘olohe a mālama i ko ‘oukou mau ola kino. I kēia pule o nā hō‘ike hope loa, e maka‘ala i ka hiamoe a me ka ‘ai pono. A i kēia hopenapule o ka lā hemo kula, e ‘olu‘olu e mālama a e akahele ma nā alanui a me nā wahi e ‘ākoakoa ana ka lehulehu. E aho paha ke komo ‘ana i ka makaki‘i. Ho‘omaika‘i i nā haumāna puka kula!!

Aloha nui,

punihei

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I’m sorry that this email message is coming out late. I was sick yesterday but totally better today! With that said, please listen to your bodies and take care of yourself. Especially this week during final exams, please be mindful of getting enough sleep and eating well. And during graduation this weekend, please be careful on the roads and take care in big crowds. It might be helpful to wear masks in those large crowds. And most of all, congratulations to all the graduates who have worked so hard!!

Check out akahele this week.

Aloha,

punihei

May 2nd – 8th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o he Pō‘akahi kēia piha i ke aloha a me ka hau‘oli.

No‘u, ua ala wau i kēia kakahiaka me nā maka pehu ‘oiai i ka pō nei ua komo wau i nā lei pua melia no ka ‘aha mele Lā Mei a ua loa‘a wau i ka pāheu i nā pua onaona. Auē kēia ‘ōlapa, ‘eā?!!

‘Oiai ua pehu nā maka, ua ala pū wau me ka pu‘uwai piha i ke aloha a me ka mahalo no ia ‘aha mele i ho‘omaka ‘ia e Kumu Robert Uluwehi Cazimero a ke ho‘omau ‘ia nei e Keauhou me Kāhuli Leo Le‘a. Ua nani wale nā mele a me nā hula o ka pō nei. A ‘o ka‘u mea punahele ka no‘ono‘o a me ka wehewehe pono ‘ana i ka pilina o nā mele me ke aloha ‘āina. Ma o nā mele e ho‘omana‘o a ho‘olaule‘a ‘ia ka pilina o ke kanaka me ka ‘āina a me ka pilina o ke kanaka me ke kanaka ‘ē a‘e ma ka ‘āina. A, he ala nā mele a me nā hula e kama‘ilio me ka ‘āina kekahi. ‘Oiai mākou i mele, oli, a hula no ka wai, ka makani, a me ka ‘āina, iho maila ka ua a pā maila ka makani. He makani uihā nō ho‘i ia a he nani ho‘i kau!

A no laila i kēia pule, ‘oiai e mālama ‘ia ana nā ‘aha mele Lā Mei ma nā kula a me nā kaiāulu, he leo mahalo kēia i nā limahana e ho‘omau ana i ia ho‘olaule‘a o nā mo‘olelo a me nā mele Hawai‘i. ‘A‘ole ia no ka hō‘ike‘ike wale nō. He ala kēia e ho‘opili aku me ka ‘āina, me nā kūpuna, a me Hawai‘i nō ho‘i. E ola!

No ka nānā ‘ana i ka ‘aha mele Lā Mei, e kaomi ma ‘ane‘i.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary

Aloha mai kākou,

My hope is that this Monday is filled with happiness and aloha for each of you.

Funny enough, I woke up this morning with slightly swollen eyes from wearing plumeria leis last night at the May Day Concert because I’m allergic to fragrant flowers. What a hula dancer, right?!

While my eyes were swollen, I also woke up extremely grateful for the May Day Concert tradition started by Kumu Uluwehi Cazimero and now being continued on by Keauhou and Kāhuli Leo Le‘a. The hula and the mele last night were just beautiful. And my favorite part was the intention and clarity in describing the connection between mele and aloha ‘āina. As so many mentioned last night, it is through mele that we remember and celebrate the pilina of people with ‘āina and also the pilina that people build with each other in particular ‘āina. Also, it is through mele and hula that we can be in conversation with ‘āina as well. And sure enough as we sang, chanted, and danced about water, wind, and ‘āina, the rain came down and the wind blew through. We described it as a uihā (celebratory, fun) wind and it was so beautiful!

So this week as schools and communities throughout Hawai‘i celebrate May Day in their own ways, I want to mahalo all those who make those events possible. As I was reminded last night, May Day isn’t just for show. It really can be a pathway to connect with ‘āina, with kūpuna, and with Hawai‘i.

Click here to watch the May Day Show.

Click here to learn about the word mele and feel free to listen to all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

April 25th – May 1st

Aloha mai kākou,

Inā ‘oe i nānā iā Mele Manaka a i ‘ole i hele kino i ka hana keaka ‘o Ho‘oilina, ua piha kou hopenapule me ke mele, ka hula, nā mo‘olelo a me nā ka‘ao, ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, nā wahi pana, ke aloha o ka ‘ohana a me ka lāhui, a me ke aloha ‘āina nō ho‘i. Pōmaika‘i maoli kākou!

Ma ka Pō‘alima nānā akula wau i ka ho‘okūkū Miss Aloha Hula. Nani wale ka nui o nā la‘ana o ke aloha a me ka pilina i ka ‘āina. ‘O kekahi o ia mau la‘ana nā hula a Miss Aloha Hula 2022 Pi‘ikea Lopes, he haumāna o Mānoa nei. ‘O kāna hula kahiko, he mahalo iā Puna, ka ‘āina o ko kona māmā ‘ohana. ‘O kāna hula ‘auana, he mahalo iā Kohala, ka ‘āina o ko kona pāpā ‘ohana. ‘O kekahi o nā ha‘awina āna e makana ana mai: mai poina i nā ‘āina e hānai a e ho‘omalu ana iā kākou i kēlā a me kēia hanauna. Ola kākou i ia mau ‘āina!

Ma ka Pō‘aono hele akula wau i ka hana keaka ‘o Ho‘oilina ma ka hale ‘o Kennedy. Ua ho‘omaka ka hana keaka me ka mahalo aku i ka ‘āina. Eia hou he la‘ana ikaika e a‘o ana i ka ha‘awina ko‘iko‘i: i kēlā me kēia kekona o ko kākou ola, ke hi‘ipoi nei ka ‘āina iā kākou. ‘O wai nā inoa o ia mau ‘āina? He aha ko lākou mau mo‘olelo? A pehea kēlā ‘ike e a‘o mai iā kākou i nā hana kūpono e mālama aku i ka ‘āina? A no laila, mahalo nui iā Ākea Kahikina no ka hana keaka helu ‘ekahi a me ia ha‘awina aloha ‘āina kekahi.

I ia pule hope o ‘Apelila, ka mahina mālama honua, ke ho‘onani aku nei wau i ke kupaianaha o ko kākou po‘e kūpuna a me nā alaka‘i o ia au – e like me nā kumu hula, nā ‘ōlapa, a me nā haku hana keaka – e a‘o ana iā kākou i ke ko‘iko‘i o ke aloha a me ka mālama ‘āina i kēlā me kēia lā, ‘a‘ole no ho‘okahi mahina wale nō.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou!

If you watched Merrie Monarch or went to the play Ho‘oilina, then your weekend was filled with song and poetry, hula, stories, ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, famous places, aloha for ‘ohana and lāhui, and aloha ‘āina. We are so blessed!

On Friday I watched the Miss Aloha Hula Competition. It was beautiful to see so many examples of aloha and pilina with ‘āina. Some of these stellar examples came from the hula presented by our new Miss Aloha Hula 2022, Pi‘ikea Lopes, who is a student here at UH Mānoa. Her hula kahiko was a tribute to Puna, where her mother’s family is from. Her ‘auna was a tribute to Kohala, where her father’s family is from. One of the lessons from her choice of mele: never forget the ‘āina that nourish and protect us throughout the generations. We live and thrive because of those various ‘āina!

On Saturday I went to Ho‘oilina at Kennedy Theatre. The play began with an awesome land acknowledgment. Here again is another strong example teaching us an important lesson: every moment of our lives, ‘āina is embracing us. What are the names of those ‘āina? What are their stories? And what can we learn from their names and stories that can teach us how to take care of that ‘āina? So mahalo nui to Ākea Kahikina, director of Ho‘oilina, for the masterpiece and also for this important lesson.

In this last week of April, also Earth Month, I am celebrating how amazing our kūpuna were/are and also our leaders of today – like the kumu hula, dancers, and hana keaka creators – who are constantly teaching us how important it is to aloha and mālama ‘āina everyday, not just during April’s Earth Month.

Check out ko‘iko‘i and feel free to listen to all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

April 18th-24th

Aloha mai kākou,

‘Oiai ua mālama ‘ia he lā nui i kēia hopenapule, ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ‘olu‘olu ka hui ‘ana me ka ‘ohana a me nā hoa. No‘u, mahalo nui wau i ia hui ‘ana. A, mahalo pū wau i ka iho mai a ka ua e ho‘okena ana i ka ‘āina.

Ia‘u e mahalo ana i ka ua a me ka wai, e no‘ono‘o ana wau iā Mānoa nei a me ka nui o ka wai mai nā kahawai, nā punawai, nā wailele, a me ka ua nō ho‘i. A ua kau ka no‘ono‘o iā Kānewai, ka ‘ili ‘āina ma ka hikina o ke Kula Nui ‘o Mānoa, kahi e kū nei ‘o Kamakakūokalani a me ka Papa Lo‘i ‘o Kānewai. Kaulana ‘o Kānewai no ka wai a Kāne lāua ‘o Kanaloa i ‘imi a loa‘a ma ia ‘āina nei. He ho‘ōla ia wai i ke kino. A i ia mau lā he ho‘ōla nā mea e a‘o ‘ia nei ma Kānewai no ka lāhui. No laila he leo mahalo kēia iā Kānewai a me nā kumu like ‘ole i a‘o a e a‘o nei ma ia ‘ili ‘āina hiwahiwa.

I kēia pule, e ‘imi paha i nā inoa pili i ka wai ma kou mau ‘āina pono‘ī. A e ‘imi pū paha i nā mea e ho‘ōla ana iā ‘oe, kou ‘ohana, a me ka lāhui. Pehea kākou e mālama aku i ia mau mea/kanaka/‘āina i hiki iā lākou ke ho‘omau i ko lākou ho‘ōla ‘ana mai?

E kaomi ma ‘ane‘i no ka palapala ‘ili ‘āina o Mānoa.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

Since there was a holiday this weekend I hope that meant you all got to spend some special time with family and friends. For me, I was really grateful for the small gatherings we had. I was also grateful for the beautiful rain that quenched the thirst of our ‘āina.

As I was appreciating the rain, I thought about the abundance of water in Mānoa coming from the streams, the springs, the waterfalls, and from the rain. And that all led me to think about Kānewai, the ‘ili ‘āina that sits at the eastern gate of UH Mānoa, where Kamakakūokalani and Ka Papa Lo‘i ‘o Kānewai are located. Kānewai is famous and named as such because that’s where Kāne and Kanaloa found fresh water and of course we celebrate how water is such a necessary life force. What I find beautiful is that today what is being taught in the ‘ili of Kānewai is also helping to restore health and healing to our lāhui. So this is a mahalo to Kānewai and to all the kumu who have taught and currently teach in this precious ‘ili ‘āina.

This week, let’s explore any possible wai names in the areas each of you are located. And perhaps you can also explore the ways that you, your ‘ohana, and the lāhui are being nourished by various elements of that place. Finally, how do we mālama all of those nourishing things/people/and ‘āina so that they can continue to give us life?

Click here for the ‘ili map of Mānoa.

Also, check out ho‘ōla this week and feel free to listen to all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

 April 11th-17th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha ‘oukou i ka nani o ka pā mai a ka makani i kēia hopenapule.

Mahalo wau i ‘elua hoa i kono mai ia‘u e nanea i ka ‘olu o ka makani. ‘O kekahi hoa, iā māua e hālāwai ana ma Kailua, ua kapa ‘o ia i ka makani he makani hali‘a aloha. ‘O kekahi hoa ‘ē a‘e, iā māua e hui ana ma Kāne‘ohe, mea mai ‘o ia, “He makani ‘ono kēia.” Ua mino‘aka wau. No‘u, mahalo nui wau i ia mau hoa ‘elua no ko lāua hui ‘ana he alo a he alo me ka makani a me ko lāua pilina a mahalo i nā hi‘ohi‘ona o nā makani o ko lāua mau ‘āina pono‘ī. No‘u, he aloha ‘āina kēlā.

Ma Mānoa, ‘o Kahaukani ka inoa o ka makani o ke awāwa nei. Noho ‘o ia i uka me kāna kōko‘olua, ka ua Tuahine, ma nā ‘ili ‘āina ‘o Haukulu me ‘Aihualama, kahi ‘o Lyon Arboretum. Huaka‘i pū lāua a puni i ke awāwa ‘o Mānoa a hiki aku i ke kula nei. Ke hui kākou me Kahaukani, e luana iki paha kākou a e mahalo i kona mau hi‘ohi‘ona like ‘ole. A inā ‘oe ma kekahi ‘āina ‘ē a‘e, e luana iki me ka makani o ia ‘āina.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope you all got some rest this weekend in the beauty of the blowing winds.

I really appreciate two friends who invited me to pause and enjoy the delightful winds over the past week. One of my friends, while we were meeting in Kailua, described the wind as nostalgic. Another friend, while we connected in Kāne‘ohe, said to me, “Isn’t’ this wind so ‘ono?!” I smiled wide. I so appreciate these two friends for their gift of presence with the wind and for their pilina and appreciation of the fine qualities that the wind embodies and brings to us in the ‘āina they are so connected with. To me, that’s a beautiful example of aloha ‘āina.

Kahaukani is the name of the wind in Mānoa Valley. Kahaukani lives i uka with their partner the Tuahine rain up in the ‘ili of Hakukulu and ‘Aihualama where Lyon Arboretum is located today. Together they travel throughout Mānoa and even come to visit us here on the main Mānoa campus. When we meet Kahaukani perhaps we can take a moment to get to know them and appreciate all of their qualities. And if you are in a different ‘āina, take a moment to enjoy that wind.

With all this said, I invite you to look into hi‘ohi‘ona and listen to all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i below.

Aloha,

punihei

April 4th-10th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke holo wale nei kēia makahiki 2022, ‘eā?!

Eia nō kākou ma ka mahina ‘o ‘Apelila, ‘o ia ho‘i ka mahina mālama honua. A no laila, i kēlā Pō‘alima aku nei ma ka lā mua ‘o ‘Apelila, ua ‘ākoakoa mai kekahi hui kanaka e a‘o i ke oli ‘o Welina Mānoa. Iā mākou e aloha ana iā Tuahine lāua ‘o Kahaukani, ua hō‘olu ‘ia mākou me ka iho mai o ka ua a me ka pā aheahe a ka makani. Nani maoli ia kama‘ilio ‘ana me ka ‘āina.

Iā mākou e a‘o ana i ia oli, e noho ana mākou ma ka poli o ka ‘ili ‘āina ‘o Pilipili, kekahi o nā ‘ili ‘āina e hānai a ho‘omalu ana i ke Kula Nui ‘o Mānoa nei. Kaulana ‘o Pilipili i ka pālolo, he lepo momona a ‘ono nō ho‘i i ‘ai ‘ia e nā kupa o nei ‘āina. A, ua ulu ka pilipili‘ula – he ‘ano mau‘u – ma Pilipili.

I kēia lā noho kekahi hapa o ke Kula Nui ma Pilipili: mai ke Alanui ‘o University, a puni iā Campus Center, a hiki loa aku i ka Hale Waihona Puke ‘o Hamilton, a ma uka aku ‘o ke Ala ‘o Maile. E nānā i ka palapala ‘āina ma kēia lou.

No laila i kēia mahina a kākou e kia ana no ka mālama honua, no ka mālama ‘āina nō ho‘i, e aho paha ko kākou hui ‘ana he alo a he alo me nā ‘āina e hi‘ipoi ana iā kākou. He aha ko lākou mau mo‘olelo? ‘O wai nā po‘e manu, po‘e ua, po‘e makani, a pēlā wale aku e noho ana ma laila? He ho‘omaka kūpono paha ia ‘ano pilina no ka mālama maika‘i ‘ana iā lākou.

I kēlā me kēia pule ma ka mahina ‘o ‘Apelila e ho‘olauna aku wau i kekahi o nā ‘ili ‘āina ma ke kula nei.

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English Summary:

Aloha kākou,

This 2022 year is flying by, isn’t it?!

Here we are in April already, which also happens to be Earth Month. So last week Friday on April 1st a group of folks gathered to learn the oli Welina Mānoa. As we were greeting Tuahine and Kahaukani we were cooled by the rain and the gentle wind. Several folks noted how beautiful it was to be in conversation and relationship with the very ‘āina we were chanting to.

As we were chanting we were sitting in the heart of Pilipili, one of the ‘ili ‘āina that nourishes and protects us here at UH Mānoa. Pilipili is famous for the pālolo, a sweet and edible mud that the people of this area would enjoy. Also, pilipili‘ula – a type of grass – used to grow in Pilipili.

Today the majority of the UH Mānoa campus is situated within Pilipili: from University Avenue, circling around Campus Center, all the way to Hamilton Library, and up around Maile Way. You can see the map at this link here.

During this month when we are focusing intentionally on taking care of grandmother earth let’s perhaps spend some face-to-face time with her. What are her stories? Who are the bird people and the rain people and the wind people of our places? Exploring these questions and connecting in these ways might be a good first step in learning how to take care of them.

Each week during the month of April I will introduce us to a different ‘ili on campus. Until then, feel free to take a walk outside and get to know this ‘āina (or any ‘āina you are on) a little better.

This week, check out pilipili‘ula, and also feel free to listen to the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i recording below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

March 28th-April 3rd

Aloha mai kākou,

Eia nō kākou ma ka hopena o ka mahina ‘o Malaki, ‘o ia ho‘i ka mahina ho‘ohanohano wahine. A eia pū kākou e ne‘e papa nei i ka mahina ‘o ‘Apelila, ka mahina Mālama Honua. A no laila, kau ka no‘ono‘o i nā wahine aloha ‘āina, mālama ‘āina nō ho‘i. Pōmaika‘i kākou ma Hawai‘i no ka mea ‘ike ‘ia nā mana wahine aloha ‘āina ma nā kula, ma nā kaiāulu, a ma nā mo‘olelo kekahi. Ke no‘ono‘o nei au i nā wahine e like me Loretta Ritte, Pualani Kanahele, Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua, Mehana Vaughan, Malia Akutagawa a pēlā wale aku. Lō‘ihi loa ka papa inoa!

A, ke no‘ono‘o pū nei au i nā wahine aloha ‘āina i kēlā me kēia lā eia na‘e ‘a‘ole paha kaulana ko lākou mau inoa. Kau ka no‘ono‘o i nā wahine e like me ko‘u makuhine kōlea, ‘o Aunty Grace. No Samoa mai ‘o ia akā ua ne‘e ‘o ia i Hawai‘i he 30 a ‘oi makahiki aku nei a noho ‘o ia ma Kahana. Mālama ‘o ia i kāna pā hale i kēlā me kēia lā. Ulu nā ‘ano meakanu like ‘ole ma kona ‘āina e like me nā lemi, ka ‘ohe, ka ‘ulu, ke kalo, ka pua kenikeni, ka avocado, ke kō, ka niu, ka ‘awapuhi, a me na mea ‘ē a‘e āna e ‘ono a e hoihoi nei. ‘O nā mea āna e ulu ana, ‘ai ‘o ia a hānai ‘o ia iā ha‘i. A inā he pua, kui ‘o ia i lei a ho‘onaninani ‘o ia i ka hale. Pili loa ‘o ia me nā meakanu a me ka ‘āina ma Kahana no ka mea hui ‘o ia he alo a he alo i kēlā me kēia lā. Aloha ‘o ia i ka ‘āina a aloha ka ‘āina iā ia. 

Mahalo wau iā Aunty Grace no ka mea a‘o ‘o ia ia‘u i ke ko‘iko‘i o ka hui ‘ana, he alo a he alo, me ka ‘āina i kēlā me kēia lā. Pēlā e hō‘ikaika ‘ia ka pilina i hiki i ka ‘āina ke hānai i ke kanaka a ke kanaka e mālama i ka ‘āina. 

A no laila, he leo mahalo kēia i nā makuahine, nā ‘anakē, nā kupunawahine, a me nā wahine ‘ē a‘e e ho‘omau ana i kēlā pilina me ka ‘āina i ola kākou a pau. 

Aloha nui,

Punihei

English summary:

Aloha kākou, 

Here we are at the ending of March, Women’s History Month, and entering into April which is Earth Month. So my thoughts are turning to wahine aloha ‘āina who care for our ‘āina everyday. We are so blessed in Hawai‘i because we have mana wahine aloha ‘āina in our schools, in our communities, and also in our mo‘olelo. I’m thinking of wahine like Loretta Ritte, Pualani Kanahele, Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua, Mehana Vaughan, Malia Akutagawa, and so many others. Oh my, the list is long!

I’m also thinking of wahine who aloha ‘āina everyday but whose names are not necessarily famous. I think of wahine like my step mom, Aunty Grace. She is from Samoa but moved to Hawai‘i over 30 years ago and she has made her home in Kahana Valley. She takes care of her yard every single day. So many kinds of plants thrive in her yard like lemons, bamboo, ‘ulu, kalo, pua kenikeni, avocado, sugarcane, coconuts, ginger, and all kinds of other yummy and beautiful things. She eats from her yard everyday and also feeds anyone who comes by. She also makes lei and beautifies everything with her flowers. She is so close and connected to her yard and to the ‘āina of Kahana because she is out in ‘āina face to face everyday. She loves that ‘āina and that ‘āina loves her. 

I have so much mahalo for people like Aunty Grace because she teaches me the importance of building a face to face relationship with ‘āina. That’s how our pilina gets strengthened so that ‘āina can nourish us and we can know how to best mālama her. 

So I want to mahalo all the mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and other women who continue that pilina with ‘āina everyday so that we can all thrive. 

This week, check out hō‘ikaika and listen to all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i in the recording. 

Aloha nui,

punihei

March 21st-27th

Aloha alo piko o Wākea!

Eia nō kākou ma ia wā kūikawā ‘o ka lā e kā‘alo ana i ke alo piko o Wākea; ka wā e kaulike ana ka pō a me ke ao; ka wā e ho‘omaka ana ke kau kupulau; ka wā e ho‘opili aku i nā kūpuna a e noi ha‘aha‘a no ke alaka‘i ‘ana mai. Eia kekahi wikiō me Dr. Kalei Nu‘uhiwa e wehewehe ana i ia wā.

A, eia hou, ‘o kēia ke kolu o nā pule o ka mahina ho‘ohanohano wahine. I kēlā pule aku nei ua hana wau me ka hui ‘o Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking. A no laila i ia wā e no‘ono‘o ana wau i nā wahine ha‘i mo‘olelo a me nā wahine hana nui e paipai a e kāko‘o mau ana i ka ha‘i mo‘olelo ‘ana. E no‘ono‘o ana wau i nā wahine e like me Merata Mita lāua ‘o Leanne Ferrer, ‘elua wahine i ho‘i aku e noho me nā kūpuna. E no‘ono‘o ana wau i nā wahine e like me Kumu Haili‘ōpua Baker lāua ‘o Vera Zambonelli e a‘o nei a e kāko‘o nei i ka hanauna e hiki mai ana. A e no‘ono‘o ana wau i nā kaikaimahine e like me ka‘u keiki ‘o Hā‘ena a me nā kaikamahine ‘ē a‘e i komo i ka papahana me Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking i kēlā pule aku nei. Piha lākou me nā mana‘o a me nā mo‘olelo like ‘ole a waiwai kākou a pau ke lohe a ‘ike ‘ia.

Eia hou. Ke no‘ono‘o nei au i nā kupunawahine a me nā makuahine like ‘ole o ke ao nei e mālama a e makana ana i nā mo‘olelo o nā ‘ohana, o nā kaiāulu, o ka ‘āina, a o ka lāhui nō ho‘i. A ke no‘ono‘o nei au i ko‘u kuleana e ho‘omau i ia mau mo‘olelo, e mālama i nā kānaka i hiki iā lākou ke ha‘i i ko lākou mau mo‘olelo, a e ho‘oulu i kā kākou mau keiki. I ia wā o ke alo piko o Wākea, e noi ana wau i nā kūpuna e alaka‘i ia‘u ma ia hana.

Mahalo ho‘i iā ‘oukou a pau, nā wahine e ho‘omau ana i ka ha‘i mo‘olelo ‘ana ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole. Ola ka lāhui i kā ‘oukou hana nui.

Aloha nui,

punihei

English Summary:

Happy spring equinox!

Here we are in this special time of year when in the northern hemisphere the sun crosses the equator heading north; when the length of day and night is nearly equal; when spring begins; and when we might pause to connect with our kūpuna and ask them for guidance. Here is a link for a video with Dr. Kalei Nu‘uhiwa as she discusses spring equinox from a Hawaiian perspective.

Also, this is the third week of Women’s History Month. Last week I spent time working with Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking. So I’ve been thinking about women storytellers and women who do so much to create space for storytelling to happen. I’m thinking of women like Merata Mita and Leanne Ferrer who are both with our kūpuna now. I’m thinking of women like Kumu Haili‘ōpua Baker and Vera Zambonelli who are teaching and supporting our next generation. And I’m also thinking of girls like my daughter Hā‘ena and the other girls who were part of the spring break program at Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking last week. They are so filled with amazing ideas and stories that when shared enrich all of us.

Here’s another thing. I’m also thinking about all the grandmothers and mothers throughout the world who are keepers and sharers of the stories of their families, their communities, of their ‘āina, and of their lāhui. And I’m thinking about my kuleana to ensure that certain stories live on, to take care of people so that they can share their stories, and to also create space for our next generation to be inspired and have the tools to share their own. In this time of spring equinox, I’m going to ask my kūpuna to guide me in this important work.

Mahalo to all of you women out there who are continuing the art of storytelling in so many amazing ways. Our lāhui thrives because of you!

Aloha nui,

punihei

March 14th-20th

Aloha mai kākou,

I kēia ka lua o nā pule o ka mahina hoʻohanohano wahine a ma hope o ka hoʻokūkū mele ma Kamehameha, e noʻonoʻo ana wau iā Pauahi. E noʻonoʻo ana wau i kona aloha, kona lokomaikaʻi, a me kona akamai. Nui koʻu mahalo iā ia no kona ʻike pāpālua i ka waiwai o ka ʻāina a me ka ʻimi naʻauao. Ua pōmaikaʻi maoli ka lehulehu, ka lāhui nō hoʻi.

Eia hou: I kēlā Pōʻalima aku nei ua kono a hōʻole ʻia nā haumāna e komo i ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha. No kekahi mau keiki, he lā piha i ka hauʻoli. Hoʻolauleʻa ʻia kēia mau keiki no ko lākou akamai a he nani maoli nō.

Eia na‘e, no nā keiki ʻē aʻe, he lā kaumaha paha inā ua hō‘ole ‘ia. No kekahi o lākou, he ‘ano kaumaha e noho ana me lākou no nā kau a kau ‘oiai pili ka ‘ae a hō‘ole ‘ia i ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha me ko lākou (a me ka ‘ohana paha) ha‘aheo i ke akamai o ke keiki. Akā ‘o ka ‘oia‘i‘o, akamai nā keiki a pau. He mau pua hiwahiwa lākou pākahi.

A no laila inā pili paha i kekahi i hō‘ole ‘ia i ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha, e mālama a e hi‘ipoi iā ia. E mahalo paha i kona hana nui, kona hana pono, a me kona mau makana. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ‘o lākou a pau kā Pauahi mau pua.

English summary:

Aloha mai kākou,

In this the second week of Women’s History Month and right after Kamehameha Schools’ Song Contest, I am thinking a lot about Pauahi. I’ve been thinking about her aloha, her generosity, and her brilliance. I’m so grateful for her vision and understanding of the importance of ‘āina and education. We are all really so very blessed by her.

Here’s another thing: Last week Friday students who applied to Kamehameha were either accepted or denied admissions. For some children, this day was filled with joy as they received their acceptance letters. These children were likely celebrated for their intelligence and it really is a beautiful thing. Many families likely cried tears of joy.

But for other children, it was likely a very sad day and weekend. For some of them, they will carry a sort of sadness with them always as being accepted or denied to Kamehameha shapes the way they (and sometimes their families) view themselves and their intelligence and worth. But the truth is, they are all brilliant. They are each precious children.

So if you know someone who was denied acceptance to Kamehameha last week, love them and cherish them. Celebrate and appreciate out loud how they work hard, how they do good in the world, and all the gifts that they bring to their families and communities. Because the honest truth is, they are all Pauahi’s children and they are all gifts to our lāhui. Let’s make sure they know that.

Check out hiwahiwa.

Aloha,

punihei

March 7th-13th

Aloha kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha a ho‘olaule‘a ‘oukou ma kekahi ‘ano i kēia hopena pule.

‘Oiai ‘o kēia ka mahina e ho‘ohanohano i nā wahine – nā wahine kaulana a me nā wahine i kaulana ‘ole paha – e no‘ono‘o ana wau i kekahi mau wahine kupaianaha a me ko lākou mau mo‘olelo i ha‘i a lohe kaka‘ikahi ‘ia.

Inehinei ko ko‘u makuakāne lā hānau. I kēlā me kēia makahiki hā‘awi ‘o ia iā makou – nā keiki a me nā mo‘opuna – i makana. I kēia makahiki ua hā‘awi ‘o ia ia‘u i ‘ekolu puke me ‘elua ki‘i. ‘O kekahi o nā ki‘i he ki‘i o ku‘u kupunawahine, ko ko‘u makuakāne makuahine, ma kona lā male. Kapa ‘ia ‘o ia ‘o Grannie Angie e mākou nā mo‘opuna. Ia‘u e nānā ana i kona ki‘i, e ho‘omana‘o ana wau iā ia a me kekahi o nā mo‘olelo o kona ola.

He wahine li‘ili‘i ‘o ia eia na‘e ikaika loa ‘o ia. Ua hānau ‘o ia he 12 keiki a ua hānai ‘o ia i nā keiki a me nā mo‘opuna hou ‘ē a‘e. He wahine hana nui ‘o ia. Hana nui e ‘imi i ka ‘ai no nā keiki; hana nui e mālama i ka hale li‘ili‘i e ho‘omalu ana i ka ‘ohana; hana nui e ho‘ouna aku i nā keiki i ke kula, a pēlā wale aku. ‘A‘ole paha ‘o ia i ho‘omaha iki a ‘a‘ole loa i ma‘alahi kona ola. Kama‘aina ‘oukou i ia ‘ano wahine?

‘O Grannie Angie, ‘a‘ole loa ‘o ia he wahine kaulana ma loko o nā puke a i ‘ole ma ka punaewele. Eia na‘e he makuahine a he kupunawahine nō ho‘i i hana nui no kona ‘ohana. A no kona hana nui, ua ola mākou kona mau pulapula. A i kēia lā ‘o kāna mau mo‘opuna he mau loio, kumu, kahu ma‘i, ha‘i mo‘olelo, hana no‘eau, mahi‘ai, a pēlā wale aku e kōkua ana i ko lākou mau kaiāulu.

No laila i kēia pule, ke ho‘ohanohano nei wau i nā wahine hana nui, nā wahine kūpa‘a i ka makani; nā wahine i ‘ike ‘ole ‘ia ma loko o nā puke mō‘aukala. E aho paha ko kākou ho‘omana‘o ‘ana i ia mau wahine. ‘O wai ko lākou inoa? He aha ko lākou mau mo‘olelo? A pehea ho‘i lākou i hānai a ho‘oulu paha iā ‘oe? E ha‘i paha i ko lākou mau mo‘olelo i kēia pule.

English summary:

Aloha kākou!

I hope you all got some rest and did something fun to celebrate life this weekend.

Since this is Women’s History Month in which we get to celebrate women – both the famous and perhaps less famous women – I’ve been thinking about some amazing women whose stories are rarely shared.

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. Every year he always gives us – his kids and grandkids – a gift on his birthday. This year I got three books and two photographs. One of the photos is of my grandmother, his mother, on her wedding day. She is known to all of us grandchildren as Grannie Angie and when I look at her picture I think of some of the stories of her life.

Grannie Angie was a small yet incredibly strong woman. She gave birth to 12 children and cared for countless other children and grandchildren. She was such a hard worker. She worked hard to find food for her children; she worked hard to take care of the tiny house that sheltered her large family; she worked hard to send her children to good schools. I doubt she ever rested and her life was surely not easy. Do you folks know women like this?

Grannie Angie was surely not famous in the ways we usually think of fame. But she was a mother and grandmother who worked extremely hard for her family. And because of that, we as her descendants live on and are serving our communities as lawyers, teachers, medics, storytellers, artists, farmers, and more.

So this week, I’m honoring and celebrating the hardworking women, the resilient women; the women who don’t necessarily make it into the history/herstory books. Let’s remember them together. What were their names? What were their stories? And how did they shape and inspire you? Perhaps share their stories this week.

Aloha nui,

punihei

February 28th-March 6th

Aloha kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha a ho‘oikaika kino ‘oukou i kēia hopena pule.

I kēia lā, ka lā 28 o Pepeluali, ke ho‘ohanohano ‘ia nei ‘o Alice Ball, he haumāna a he kanaka ‘epekema akamai loa. Eia kekahi ‘āpana li‘ili‘i o kona mo‘olelo. ‘A‘ole na‘e ‘o kēia kona mo‘olelo piha. A ‘oiai he wahine akamai loa ‘o ia i hele kula ma Mānoa, ‘a‘ole kama‘aina ka hapa nui o mākou iā ia a me kona mo‘olelo. No ke aha la? Pehea paha kākou e ho‘omana‘o i nā me‘e like ‘ole, a ‘o nā wahine pū kekahi?

No laila, ‘oiai kākou e ho‘omana‘o ana iā Alice Ball i kēia lā, makemake pū wau e ho‘ohanohano i ‘elua wahine hou aku a ho‘omana‘o i ko lāua mau mo‘olelo kekahi.

‘O ka mua ‘o Kēhaulani Makaila. No Waimānalo mai ‘o ia. Aloha nui ‘o ia i ka ‘ike a me ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a nui kona ‘i‘ini e a‘o aku i nā kamali‘i o Waimānalo. ‘O ke aloha ka mea nui loa iā ia; ke aloha no ka ‘ohana, no nā kamali‘i, no Hawai‘i, a no ka lāhui nō ho‘i. Inā ua kama‘aina paha ‘oe iā ia, e a‘o aku i kou mau hoa e pili ana iā ia. E aloha i kekahi i kekahi e like me kāna i hana ai. Pēlā e mau loa kona inoa, kona mo‘olelo, a me kona aloha.

‘O ka lua ‘o Kumu Lilinoe Ka‘ahanui. He kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘o ia a ‘o kēia lā kona lā hānau. ‘O Kumu Lilinoe ka‘u kumu papa ‘ekahi me papa ‘ehā ma ke Kula Kaiapuni o Waiau a laila ka‘u kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i makahiki ‘ekolu ma Kamehameha. He kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘o ia no kekahi mau haneli, kaukani paha haumāna no kēia mau makahiki he 30 i hala aku nei. Piha kona pu‘uwai me ke aloha, ke ahonui, a me ka ‘olu‘olu no kāna po‘e haumāna. Inā ‘oe kama‘aina iā ia, e ha‘i aku i kekahi hoa e pili ana kona aloha i kēia lā. E puka aku i kekahi hua ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i kēia lā. E mino‘aka i kekahi i kēia lā. A pēlā nō e ola ana kona inoa, kona mo‘olelo, a me kona aloha.

Pōmaika‘i loa kākou i ka nui o nā kanaka kupaianaha e hō‘ike ana i ke aloha ma nā ‘ano like ‘ole. Ko‘iko‘i ko kākou ho‘omana‘o ‘ana iā lākou i hiki i ko lākou mau makana ke ola a mau loa aku.

Mahalo ho‘i iā ‘oukou no kā ‘oukou aloha aku a aloha mai i kēlā me kēia lā. E ho‘omau kākou.

English Summary:

I hope you each got some rest and exercise this weekend.

Today, February 28th, Alice Ball is being honored. She was a brilliant student and scientist. Here is a tiny piece of her story. But this is definitely not her full story. And while she was an amazing woman who studied here at UH Mānoa, most of us don’t know her nor her full story. Why is that? How can we perhaps do better at remembering these heroes, and especially our female heroes?

So, since we are remembering Alice Ball today, I’m inspired to remember two other women and their stories.

The first is Kēhaulani Makaila. She was from Waimānalo. She loved Hawaiian language and studies and had a deep desire and commitment to teach the keiki of Waimānalo. Aloha was the most important thing to her; aloha for her ‘ohana, for children, for Hawai‘i, and for the lāhui. If you knew her, tell your friends about her. Love one another like she loved. That’s how her name, her mo‘olelo, and her aloha will live on.

The second person is Kumu Lilinoe Ka‘ahanui. She is a Hawaiian language teacher and today is her birthday. Kumu Lilinoe was both my first and fourth-grade teacher at Kula Kaiapuni o Waiau and then she was also my 3rd year ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i teacher at Kamehameha. She has been a Hawaiian language teacher for hundreds if not thousands of students over the past 30 years. She has always been filled with love, patience, and kindness for her students. If you know her, tell someone about her aloha today. Say something in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i today. And smile at someone today. That’s how we can honor and celebrate her and that’s how her name, her mo‘olelo, and her aloha will live on.

We are so blessed to have so many amazing people in our communities who show us aloha in so many ways. It’s important for us to remember them and tell their stories so that their gifts can live on.

And mahalo to each of you who give and receive aloha every day. Let’s ho‘omau!

Finally, check out kaiapuni and listen to our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i recording below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

February 21st-27th

Aloha nui kākou,

‘Oiai ‘o kēia ka pule hope o ka mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ua no‘ono‘o wau e mahalo aku i ke Kula Nui o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa. ‘O ia ho‘i nā kumu, nā limahana, a me nā haumāna e ho‘omau a ho‘ōla ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i kēlā me kēia lā no 100 makahiki (ua ho‘omaka nā papa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i mua i ka makahiki 1922). ‘A‘ole nō kēia he mea ma‘alahi ‘oiai mālama ‘ia ka hapa nui o nā papa, nā hālāwai, nā hale kū‘ai/hale ‘aina, a me nā mea ma‘amau ‘ē a‘e ma ka ‘ōlelo Haole. ‘O kēia ‘ano noke a kūpa‘a mau ‘ana no ka pono o ka ‘ōlelo ma loko o kēia wahi ‘ōlelo Haole, he mea kūpaianaha a nani nō ho‘i. A no laila, he leo mahalo kēia i nā kanaka pā kahi e ‘auamo ana i ia kuleana nui.

I kēia lā, makemake wau e ho‘ohanohano i kekahi haumāna i puka i kēlā kau hā‘ulelau aku nei. ‘O Kēhaulani Makaila kona inoa. Ua puka ‘o ia me nā kēkelē ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i me ‘Ike Hawai‘i. ‘Oiai ‘o ia e hele kula ana, he kumu kōkua ‘o ia ma ke Kula o Waimānalo. Ma laila ‘o ia i a‘o aku i nā kamali‘i, me ka paipai a kāko‘o ana iā lākou e a‘o i ka ‘ōlelo a me ka ‘ike Hawai‘i. Ma loko o ko Kēhau mo‘olelo ka pō‘aiapuni ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo ma Mānoa: mai ka lumi papa me nā kumu kamaha‘o a i ka haumāna ‘eleu piha i ke aloha a i ke kaiāulu i nā keiki a me nā ‘ohana. He nani maoli nō.

‘Akahi a nīnau kekahi hoa ia‘u: no ke aha ‘oe e hana nei ma ke Kula Nui? I mea aha kou hana nui ma laila? A ‘o ka pane pōkole paha: no ka mea hō‘ike mai nā haumāna e like me Kēhau ia‘u i ke ko‘iko‘i o ke Kula Nui. He kuleana ko ke Kula Nui o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa e hānai a e mālama aku i nā kaiāulu: nā keiki, nā ‘ohana, ka ‘āina, ‘o ka lāhui nō ho‘i ma o ko kākou mau haumāna. A no‘u, makemake wau e mālama i nā kumu a me nā limahana i hiki iā lākou ke mālama aku i nā haumāna – nā alaka‘i nō ho‘i – me ke aloha, ke kuleana, a me ka pilina iā Hawai‘i nei.

Inehinei ua ho‘i ‘o Kēhau e moe loa me nā kūpuna. He kūpuna ‘o ia no mākou i kēia manawa. A no‘u, e alaka‘i a ho‘oulu mau ana ‘o ia ia‘u e noke mau i ka hana nui o ka ho‘okahua ‘ana i ia kula nui nei ma ka ‘ōlelo a me ka ‘ike Hawai‘i i ola pono ko kākou lāhui.

Aloha nui iā ‘oe e Kēhaulani Makaila.

English Summary:

Aloha kākou,

Since this is the last week of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i month, I thought I would mahalo UH Mānoa and specifically the kumu, the staff, and the students who have been continuing and reviving ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i for the last 100 years (the first Hawaiian language classes began in 1922). This is not an easy task given that the majority of all classes, meetings, stores/eateries, and just everyday exchanges are in English. This type of commitment and continuation despite the English-majority environment is amazing and beautiful. So mahalo to each person who has been shouldering this kuleana.

Today I want to especially honor and celebrate a student who graduated last semester. Her name is Kēhaulani Makaila. She graduated with dual degrees in Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies. While she was in school she was a teacher’s aide at Waimānalo Elementary. She taught children there, with a specific focus and passion for teaching them ‘ōlelo and ‘ike Hawai‘i. Kēhau’s story is an example of the cycle of Hawaiian language revival at UH Mānoa: from the classroom with our amazing teachers to our energetic loving students and out to our communities to our children and families. It is so beautiful.

A friend recently asked me: why do you do what you do at UHM? Why do you work so hard there? And the short answer is this: because students like Kēhau remind me of how important UHM is. We have a kuleana at Mānoa to nourish and care for our communities: our children, our families, and our ‘āina; our lāhui via our students. And for me, I want to help to mālama our faculty and staff who ultimately shape our students – our future leaders – with aloha, kuleana, and pilina to Hawai‘i.

Yesterday Kēhau returned to rest with our kūpuna. She is a kūpuna to us now. And for me, she will continually guide and inspire me to continue to work hard to help re-ground UH Mānoa in ‘ōlelo and ‘ike Hawai‘i so that our lāhui can thrive once again.

All my aloha to you, Kēhaulani Makaila.

Aloha,

Punihei

Check out kupaianaha. Recording of ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i attached.

February 14th-20th

Aloha nui kākou, 

‘Oiai ‘o kēia ka Lā o Lono-i-ke-aweawe-aloha a ‘o kēia ka mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ua kupu mai ka mana‘o e haku i leka aloha i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i:

Aloha e ku‘u ‘ōlelo makuahine, ku‘u kilohana,

He leo mahalo kēia, he leo aloha nō ho‘i no kou mau makana a me kou mau pōmaka‘i lua ‘ole.

I ku‘u wā li‘ili‘i, ‘ekolu wale nō o‘u makahiki, ua lohe mua wau iā ‘oe e puka ana mai na waha o nā kamali‘i ma Pūnana Leo a ua kupu mai ka ‘i‘ini i loko o‘u e launa pū, e noho pū, e hele a kama‘āina, a e lilo kāua i hoapili.

Iā kāua i hele a pili, ua nā ko‘u na‘au. Ua ola loko i ke aloha. Ua piha ku‘u pu‘uwai me ka ‘oli‘oli.

Iā ‘oe e noho ana ma loko o nā mele hula, nā mele oli, a me nā mele ‘ē a‘e, he ‘ono a nani maoli nō! He ala ‘oe e ho‘opili ana ia‘u me ko‘u mau kūpuna kupaianaha, me ko‘u kulāiwi, a me ke aloha palena ‘ole no ku‘u lāhui.

I ku‘u wā hāpai a hānau keiki, he hāli‘i pumehana ‘oe no mākou. He waiū ‘oe e hānai ana mai ka poli o Hawai‘i nei i ka ‘uhane a me ka na‘au o ku‘u mau keiki aloha.

I kēia mau lā he hoa ‘oe e kūpa‘a mai ana ia‘u i ka makani nui. He lamakū ‘oe e alaka‘i mai ana ia‘u ma ke ala pono.

Aloha nui wau iā ‘oe e ku‘u ‘ōlelo makuahine.

Me ke mahalo palena ‘ole,
Punihei

English summary:

Aloha kākou!

Since today is Valentine’s Day and ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i month, I thought I’d write a love letter to ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i:

To my dearest mother tongue, the best and finest,

This is a message of gratitude and love for all your amazing gifts and blessings.

When I was little, just three years old, I heard you for the first time from the mouths of toddlers who were students at Pūnana Leo and a deep desire grew within me to connect with you, to sit with you, to become acquainted with you, and to become dear friends with you.

As we became close, my na‘au was comforted. I was alive because of the aloha I found within you. My heart was filled with joy.

As you live within hula, chants, and songs, it is simply delicious and beautiful! You are a pathway that connects me to my amazing kūpuna, with my beloved homeland, and my endless love for my lāhui.

When I was pregnant and when my children were born, you were a warm protective covering for us. You were also a mother’s milk nourishing the spirit and na‘au of my keiki from the bosom of Hawai‘i.

Today you are a dear companion helping me to stand firm during the high winds. You are a light guiding me on the right path.

Oh beloved ‘ōlelo makuahine, I love you dearly.

With endless mahalo,
Punihei

February 7th-13th

Aloha Pō‘akahi iā kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha iki ‘oukou i kēia hopena pule.

I kēlā pule aku nei ua ho‘omaka wau i ka mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i me kekahi mau hali‘a aloha o ko‘u ala ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. No laila i ia pule ‘elua o ia mahina kūikawā, e ho‘omau wau me kekahi mau mo‘olelo ‘ē a‘e.

I kēlā pule aku nei ua mahalo wau i kekahi o ko‘u mau kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i mua ma ka Pūnana Leo o Honolulu. Eia na‘e, ‘o ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ‘o ko‘u makuahine ko‘u kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i mua. ‘Oiai ‘a‘ole mākou i ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i wale nō ma ka hale, nāna nō i a‘o mai i kekahi mau hua ‘ōlelo a nāna nō i a‘o mai i nā mele, nā oli, a me nā hula a ma loko nō ho‘i o ia mau mea ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Nāna nō ho‘i i ha‘i mai ia‘u i nā mo‘olelo Hawai‘i e like me Kamapua‘a, Hi‘iakaikapoliopele, a me Papa me Wākea. Nāna nō i ho‘oulu i ko‘u ‘i‘ini e ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

‘O kekahi mea ‘ē a‘e: Nāna nō i kalaiwa ia‘u mai Ka‘a‘awa a hiki aku i Kalihi e hele i ka Pūnana Leo a ma hope o kēlā mai Ka‘a‘awa a me He‘eia a hiki aku i Waiau no ke kula kaiapuni. I kēlā mau makahiki mua o ka papahana ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ho‘okahi wale nō Pūnana Leo a ho‘okahi wale nō kula kaiapuni ma ka mokupuni ‘o O‘ahu. A ‘a‘ohe ka‘a ‘ōhua kula! I kēlā me kēia lā ua kōkua aku a kōkua mai nā ‘ohana i kekahi i kekahi. ‘O nā ‘ohana ma Ko‘olauloa: kalaiwa pū mākou. ‘O nā ‘ohana ma Kona: kalaiwa pū lākou. A pēlā wale aku. A pēlā i ikaika ai ka pilina o mākou ke kaiāulu kaiapuni. He nani nō!

No laila, iā kākou e ho‘ohanohano a ho‘olaule‘a ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a me nā mea i ho‘okō ‘ia, e ho‘omana‘o a mahalo kākou i nā ‘ohana i ‘auamo i nā kuleana o ka ho‘okō ‘ana i ia papahana ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo. No kēlā me kēia keiki e a‘o ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma loko o nā Pūnana Leo a me nā kula kaiapuni, aia nō he mau mākua/kūpuna/‘ohana e kāko‘o ana i ia keiki a me ko kākou ‘ōlelo makuahine. Kupaianaha ka nui o ka hana a me ke aloha! E ho‘omau kākou!

‘Elua ho‘olaha nui!

• Ua ho‘omaka ke Kula Nui o Hawai‘i i ka Hua ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i o ka Pule. Eia ka lou.
• Eia ka lou no nā ‘ano papahana ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i kēia mahina.

English summary:

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all got at least a little bit of rest this weekend.

Last week I started ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i month with some fond memories of my own Hawaiian language journey. I will continue to do so here in our second week.

Last week I shared about some of my first kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i at Pūnana Leo o Honolulu. But the truth is my mom was my first kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. While we didn’t speak Hawaiian at home all the time, she was the one who taught me my first Hawaiian words and she’s the one who taught me mele, oli, and hula and from within those texts I began to learn Hawaiian. She also would tell me bedtime stories about Kamapua‘a, Hi‘iakaikapoliopele, and Papa and Wākea. She’s really the one who planted a seed of desire in me to learn ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

But here’s another thing: My mom also drove me from Ka‘a‘awa to Kalihi every single day so I could go to Pūnana Leo and then later from Ka‘a‘awa and He‘eia all the way to Waiau so I could go to Hawaiian immersion elementary school. And in those days, there was only one Pūnana Leo and one Hawaiian immersion school on the whole island. And there were no buses! So every day families would help each other. All the families from Ko‘olauloa would carpool. All the families from Kona would carpool, etc. And that’s how we built this amazing immersion community. It was really beautiful!

So, as we honor and celebrate ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and all the things we have accomplished (while recognizing there’s so much more to continue to do), let’s remember all the ‘ohana who have and continue to shoulder so much of the kuleana to revive ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. For each child in the immersion programs, there are parents/grandparents/‘ohana supporting them and also supporting our dearest mother tongue. The amount of work and aloha is amazing! Let’s please ho‘omau!

Two important announcements:

• UH has started an ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i word of the week initiative. Here’s the link.
• Here is the link for ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i month events.

Finally, check out the word ho‘omau and listen to the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i recording below.

Aloha nui,

punihei

January 31st-February 6th

Aloha mai kākou,

Eia nō kākou ma ka hopena o Ianuali a me ka ho‘omaka ‘ana o Pepeluali. Ke holo wale nei ka manawa!

‘Oiai kākou e ne‘epapa nei i ka mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i e ho‘omaka ana i ka lā ‘āpōpō, e kau mai ana nā hali‘a aloha o ku‘u mau kumu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i mua. Ho‘omana‘o wau i ko‘u mau lā mua ma ka Pūnana Leo o Honolulu i ka makahiki 1987. ‘A‘ole wau i ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, eia na‘e ua maopopo ia‘u i kekahi mau hua ‘ōlelo. ‘O ‘Anakē Lolena, Kumu ‘Ulu, a me Kumu Ipo kekahi o ko‘u mau kumu mua ma laila. ‘Ōlelo mai lākou i kekahi mea ia‘u a pane wale wau me ka “‘ae” a i ‘ole “‘a‘ole.” ‘A‘ole wau ‘ike iki i kā lākou mea e ‘ōlelo mai ana. ‘Aka‘aka wau ‘oiai wau e ho‘omana‘o ana i kēlā mau lā mua. Nui ko lākou ahonui me mākou nā keiki. ‘A‘ole wau ‘ike i kā lākou mea i no‘ono‘o ai, ‘oiai he mānaleo lākou a eia mai mākou he mau keiki namu Haole. Mahalo ke akua no ko lākou aloha, ko lākou ‘ae ‘olu‘olu e ho‘ā‘o i ia mea hou ‘o ka Pūnana Leo, a me ko lākou kūpa‘a i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. A mahalo ho‘i i ka ‘Aha Pūnana Leo no ko lākou wiwo‘ole e ho‘ōla i ko kākou ‘ōlelo makuahine, ke kilohana ho‘i o ka lāhui.

I kēia makahiki 2022, e ho‘omau kākou ma ke ala ho‘ōla a ho‘okuluma nō ho‘i. E kipa i kēia lou no nā papahana like ‘ole no ka mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. A e kipa pū ho‘i i kēia lou no kekahi mau waiwai ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘ē a‘e. E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i!

English Summary:
Aloha kākou!

Here we are at the end of January and the beginning of February. Time is flying!

Since we are moving into Hawaiian language month beginning tomorrow, I’ve been thinking about some of my fond memories of my first Hawaiian language teachers. I remember my first days at Pūnana Leo o Honolulu in 1987. I couldn’t speak Hawaiian but I knew a few words. ‘Anakē Lolena, Kumu ‘Ulu, and Kumu Ipo were some of my first kumu there. They would talk to me in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and I would just answer with either “‘ae” or “‘a‘ole.” But I honestly had no idea what they were saying! I’m laughing now thinking about those first days. But they were so patient with us. I don’t know what they must have felt and thought, but there they were as mānaleo and here we were kids who had been raised predominantly in English. Mahalo ke akua for their aloha, their willingness to try this new thing called Pūnana Leo, and their commitment to ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. And mahalo also to the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo for their courage to step into this journey to revive our mother tongue, the dear and precious foundation of our lāhui.

In 2022, let’s continue to revive and renormalize ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Please click here to access a list of events happening during Hawaiian language month. And also click here to access ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i resources on our office’s webpage. Let ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i live on in perpetuity!

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 24th-30th

Aloha Pō‘alua iā kākou!

E kala mai i ka lohi o nei leka uila. ‘O ka ma‘amau, ho‘ouna ‘ia ma ka Pō‘akahi. ‘Auē! Ua hiki mai ka Pō‘alua.

‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ua ‘eha a ‘ōma‘ima‘i ka ‘uhane inehinei a no laila ua noho wau ma ka hale e mālama. Ma kekahi ‘ano, ua pa‘akikī loa kēlā no‘u ‘oiai nui ka hana e hana ai. Ma kekahi ‘ao‘ao ‘ē a‘e, ua ma‘alahi ‘oiai, pehea ana wau e holomua a ho‘okō pono i nā kuleana ‘ē a‘e inā pilikia o loko? Mai hopohopo, maika‘i wau. ‘A‘ole loa kēia he noi no kekahi e hopohopo no‘u. Mali‘a paha he noi kēia e mālama kākou iā kākou iho i hiki ke mālama i ka ‘ohana, i nā haumāna, i nā ‘ōpio, i nā kūpuna, i ke kaiāulu, i ka ‘āina; i ka lāhui nō ho‘i.

English summary:

Happy Tuesday!

I apologize that this email is coming late. As you all know, this message usually comes on Monday. But oh my gosh somehow it is already Tuesday!

The honest truth is my spirit was unwell yesterday so I took the day off to tend to it. On one hand it was really difficult to take a day because “there’s so much work to do!” On the other hand, it was actually really easy to make that decision because how am I going to take care of any of my kuleana if I’m not well inside? Don’t worry, please. I’m okay. And this is in no way a request for anyone to be worried. I think what this is is a request for each of us to mālama ourselves, to tend to our spirit, so that we can mālama our ‘ohana, our students, our youth, our kūpuna, our communities, our ‘āina; really our lāhui. Imagine the vibration of mālama that will emanate!

This week check out ho‘okō and listen to the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i above.

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 17th-23rd

“E noho oukou me ke aloha a me ka oluolu, e nana aku a nana mai, a na kekahi ka olelo malaila e hoolohe aku ai, a e nana i na kupuna akua o kakou oiai oukou a pau loa ke noho nei ma keia mau aina.” – Keaomelemele (Kupua Hawai‘i)

“Remain here in aloha and ‘olu‘olu, watching out for each other. When one speaks, let the other heed, and mind our kupuna akua, for you are all dwelling on these islands.” (Borrowing elements of the translation from Mary Kawena Pukui)

Aloha kākou!

Mahalo to some of my TRHT team members for helping me to craft the mana‘o for this week.

As some of the co-designers of UH Mānoa’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center, it is our kuleana to recognize this 6th Annual National Day of Racial Healing. Indeed this week holds significant dates for both Hawai‘i and the United States.

Yesterday, January 17th, 2022 marks the 129th year since the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. This event was motivated by racism, settler colonialism, and other forms of oppression that continue to shape each of us living in Hawai‘i today. There is still much healing that is necessary on individual, family, communal, and systemic levels.

This year, commemoration of the overthrow coincides with the day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his work to build the beloved community. As described in a 1956 speech:

“…the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”

The challenges of racism in Hawai‘i and across the United States are great. But there is also great hope, as seen in the wise words of our kupua like Keaomelemele to the visionary work of Dr. King to the innovative steps being taken by so many of our young people today.

It is with this hope that we find courage in putting forth our UH Mānoa TRHT Campus Center vision:

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa TRHT Campus Center envisions a Hawai‘i in which each individual, family, and community can recognize and live into their collective and interdependent kuleana – irrespective of race – to aloha one another and the ‘āina throughout Hawai‘i.

In order to reach this envisioned future, healing is absolutely necessary and it is for this reason that we want to recognize this day.

National Day of Racial Healing

Dr. Gail Christopher, one of the leaders of racial healing in America, describes the National Day of Racial Healing:

“It’s a day that we set aside to stand up for the belief that our country can actually eliminate and overcome the harms of racism. Yes, we believe that we can. And in fact, we must eliminate racism. That is what the National Day of Racial Healing is all about. It’s a time for communities to come together and embrace and honor the humanity of all people.”

You can watch and listen to her longer statement here and you can access the National Day of Racial Healing Website (with resources) here.

So what do we do today? 

The answer is, there are many things each of us can do and we want to honor that there is so much being done already! And we want to recognize that truth telling and receiving, racial healing, relationship building, and creating transformative change is all hard work, and we are feeling the toll in real ways right now.

As so many of us have turned inward over the past two years, becoming more aware of our individual and collective health and healing, it is valuable to consider the ways that we can use those same strategies and tools to work towards racial healing. Racism exists in the body as well as the mind, so racial healing also requires physical healing.

Therefore, on this particular day we invite you to pause and pay attention to your kino; the kino that has inherited so much – both trauma and resilience – from generations past, the kino that is surviving through unprecedented times of global pandemic and social isolation, and the kino that has so much potential to create healing for the generations yet to come.

Kūpuna and healer Nana Veary describes the kino:

“This body is a temple, and sitting here right in the center of my being is that spiritual part of me which is pure, which is never imperfect and which nothing can disturb. It is there holy, pure, and beautiful. This body is a shrine encasing this little, beautiful light that is within you. From this light comes love and faith” (pp. 76-77).

Resmaa Manakem, healer and trauma specialist, further discusses our kino as it relates to healing:

“The body, not the thinking brain, is where we experience most of our pain, pleasure, joy, and where we process most of what happens to us. It is also where we do most of our healing, including our emotional and psychological healing” (p. 12).

“We need to metabolize this trauma; work through it with our bodies (not just our thinking brains); and grow up out of it. Only in this way will we at last mend our bodies, our families, and the collective body of our nation…” (p. 10).

We lean into these words today because in this larger work of racial healing, we want to honor you; your kino that holds so much for the current and future ola of both people and ‘āina, our lāhui.

Mālama Kino for Healing 

Drawing on the two healers named above, we offer some practices to mālama your kino today and in the many days to come.

From Nana Veary:

“…I recommend meditating twice a day as your own kind of ho‘oponopono: once in the morning to give thanks to the source, once in the evening to ask for forgiveness. This cleanses your life daily and nurtures a reverence for life” (p. 36).

From Resmaa Menakem:

“Your body has internal checkpoints – physical sensations that activate when something feels unfair, frightening, dangerous, or otherwise not right. They are signals from your soul nerve. They might alert you to something real, something perceived, something possible, or something imagined. (To your body, these are all identical).

These signals might include a tingle at the back of your neck, a sinking feeling in your belly, a tightness in your shoulders, or some other unpleasant sensation. You’ll know these sensations when you experience them. These checkpoints are your body’s early warning signals. They alert you when you are headed for a fight, flee, or freeze response.

If you’re paying attention, when one of these signals goes off, you can stop what you’re doing and take steps to settle your body. This helps you avoid a flight, flee, or freeze response. It also gives you a chance to change the dynamic of the situation by leaving it, stepping back, or saying something like, “You know what? I’d like to do this differently.”

Whenever one of your body’s checkpoints signals you, investigate it. What do you experience? Where do you experience it? What emotions, thoughts, or images are rising with it?

Then ask yourself, “What is this sensation telling me? What is it urging me to do? What movements do I need to make? What action needs to be completed? How do I respond from my deepest integrity – the best part of myself?” The answer to this last question will point a way forward.

With practice, you’ll get more familiar with your body’s checkpoints. Over time, you’ll learn to recognize each signal as as soon as it activates, and you’ll know what it’s telling you” (pp. 173-174).

Invitation to Aʻo, Alu, ʻAuamo

In addition to paying attention to your kino, we know that many of you yearn for other concrete actions to take with yourselves, within your families and communities, in your classrooms, and within your organizations. Below is a list of just a few suggestions to get you started or to support your ongoing journey. By no means is this an exhaustive list.

A‘o (To learn, teach, and council)
If you love to read books, here are a few at the top of our list right now (and sending you to local and Black-owned stores):

• Hawai‘i’s Story by Hawai‘i’s Queen by Lili‘uokalani
• Change We Must: My Spiritual Journey by Nana Veary
• Remembering Our Intimacies: Mo‘olelo, Aloha ‘Āina, and Ea by Heolimeleikalani Osorio
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer
• My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem.
  • Available online at Hamilton Library (UHM login required)
• The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
• What Happened to You? by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

If podcasts are your thing here are a few of our favorites right now:

• https://nativestories.org/podcasts/
• https://speakingofracism.com
• https://spkerboxmedia.podbean.com
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/root-cause-remedies/id1527465913

And if you want to browse sites, here are a few that we suggest:

• Learn about UH Mānoa as a TRHT Campus Center
• Learn about Mānoa Valley, Connect with ‘ike and ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i

Alu (To connect, collaborate, and work together)
One of the many ways we can connect is through Pilina Circles. Pilina can be described in English as “association, relationship, and connection.” In some of our work we have leaned into an additional English description for pilina: deep relationship, connection, and interdependence with one another and ‘āina. Over the last several years we’ve been reminded how much life really is a pilina circle, whether we like it or not. What we breathe out someone else will breathe in; how we treat the earth will shape how the earth can nourish us. And the circles just continue. We believe that all of our ancestors at one point understood pilina in profound ways, and we as their mo‘opuna are so fortunate to inherit that wisdom if we choose to take the time and effort to uncover it.

Pilina Circles are borne from the genealogy of Racial Healing Circles in which folks of various backgrounds are brought together to find our common humanity; to begin to heal from the ways that racism and other oppressive structures have divided and disconnected us from ourselves, from one another, and from ‘āina or our natural environments.

So Pilina Circles are spaces where we can focus on re-building pilina by sharing personal mo‘olelo, listening deeply to those mo‘olelo, and thus re-discovering our connections – our pilina – through that process. We find that pilina circles are an important first-step in our TRHT work and excited to share space with you.

If you are interested in participating in a future Pilina Circle, please sign up here to receive our weekly announcements.

Connect with other organizations doing great work:

• Awaiaulu
• Hawaiian Islands Land Trust
• Institute for Climate and Peace
• The Pōpolo Project
• Ceeds of Peace

‘Auamo (to engage and carry kuleana)

• Work on your own land acknowledgment

Engage what you’ve learned to give back to your immediate and broader community. Here are some suggestions of ʻāina-based organizations that inspire us:

• Paepae o Heʻeia
• Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi
• Mālama Loko Ea
• Mālama Puʻuloa
• Mālama Maunalua

Final Thoughts
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

Indeed, it is our sincere hope that you take a moment to check in with your kino today and to make it a daily habit. And to be clear, in alignment with Dr. King’s words above, we encourage this not only for your personal benefit, but also because to mālama ourselves is an important step to mālama the ola of our ‘ohana, kaiāulu, ‘āina, and lāhui. E ola!

Aloha nui,

Members of the UH Mānoa Lead Team:

• Siobhán Ní Dhonacha
• Makanalani Gomes
• Kawehionālani Goto
• Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Lipe
• Creighton Litton
• Charmaine Mangram
• Eileen Nalley
• Katey Peck
• Pua Souza
• Monica Stitt-Bergh
• Sonya Zabala

January 10th-16th

Aloha kākou,

Eia nō kākou e “ho‘i ana i ke kula” i kēia pule ‘oiai ma kekahi ‘ano ‘a‘ole he ho‘i maoli ‘oiai e ho‘omaka ana nā papa ma o ka zoom a me nā ‘ano mea pūnaewele ‘ē a‘e. Eia na‘e, no‘u, mahalo nui wau i ia koho no ka mea he koho e mālama ana i ko kākou ola kino. I ko‘u mana‘o, he koho piha i ke aloha a me ka mālama. ‘A‘ole na‘e he koho ma‘alahi, ‘oiai ‘ike ‘ia ka waiwai o ka hui ‘ana he alo a he alo no ko kākou hau‘oli a no kekahi ‘ano ola ‘ē a‘e ma loko o kākou pākahi a pau. Eia na‘e, makemake wau e ho‘i i ia mea ‘o ka mālama.

I kēlā pule aku nei ua hō‘ike aku wau i kekahi mo‘olelo mai ka nūpepa mai e kāhea ana i nā makuahine a me nā makuakāne e mālama pono i ka lāhui ma o ke a‘o pono ‘ana i kā kākou po‘e keiki i ke aloha palena ‘ole no Hawai‘i (Eia ka mo‘olelo piha: KA PONO NO HAWAII. Helu 2.)

No laila, eia nō wau ke nalu nei: Pehea paha kākou e kāko‘o i kekahi i kekahi ma loko o ia kuleana ko‘iko‘i? Pehea kākou nā mākua a me nā kūpuna e hō‘ikaika i ko kākou aloha no Hawai‘i i hiki ke a‘o aku i nā ‘ōpio? Iā kākou e ho‘i ana i ke kula i kēia pule, e aho paha ka mālama ‘ana i ia kāhea i loko o ka pū‘olo iā kākou e a‘o ana, e a‘oa‘o ana, e hana ana, a e alaka‘i ana. E holomua pū kākou!

English summary:

Aloha kākou!

Here we are “returning to school” this week although perhaps it could be considered not a true “return” since we will be on zoom and other online mediums to begin the semester. I’m grateful, though, for this choice that prioritizes our health in these health-challenging times. I think it really is a choice rooted in aloha and mālama. At the same time, I recognize that it is not an easy choice since we also know and feel the value and importance of meeting face to face for the joy and comfort it brings to so many of us. But I want to return to this idea of mālama for a moment.

Last week I shared an article from a Hawaiian language newspaper calling on mothers and fathers to mālama our lāhui by teaching our keiki endless love for Hawai‘i (Hereʻs the article in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i: KA PONO NO HAWAII. Helu 2.) Last week I shared a summary. This week I want to share a translation done for us by a dear friend and colleague, Ha‘alilio Williams-Solomon:

“We should all agree that the most significant advantage the Hawaiian nation could receive lies within the next generation. If that generation becomes one that acts in mischief or ignorance, then there’s no telling how mischievous and ignorant they will be when they reach adult age, which is how people become useless, and useless lots end up disappearing and fading out, with nothing to save them. If the next generation is one of propriety, and if their intellectual growth matches their physical growth, then this nation shall be an intelligent one, since “knowledge is power,” as it is welfare.
Fathers and mothers of this land, it is true that those who will one day administer this nation in the years to come are in your hands and under your instruction. They will either support the en masse revival of this nation, or they will aid in the expiration of the natives of the land, bringing Hawaiʻi’s name to an end.
In the instruction of children lies prosperity, and without that, the nation expires. Have you considered this, o parent, o teacher? The importance of this idea is extraordinary! It is true. Neither you nor anyone else can refute the truth of such a claim, in the instruction of children lies prosperity, without it, the nation shall perish. And so, o parent, within your own hands lies Hawaiʻi’s greatest virtue, which is your child, and if you love them, and if you love your own land and nation, and if you wish for your child to become a great blessing to this land, one who is renowned and loved by all those of the land, then guard that child with perpetual vigilance. And when their faulty lips fail trying to produce their first words, then begin teaching them so they absorb the love for their nation and for their homeland like they took of their mother’s milk. Teach your child, o parent, that there is no land like this land; there is no nation like this nation. Turn your home into a place of comfort, a safe haven for your family so they can go about in your shelter, spared from the burdens, troubles, and evils of this world.
And when it’s the right time, gather your young family, and tell them the story of this precious land; tell them of all of its virtues, its splendor, its bounty, its prosperity, and its value, and tell them that it is a land left for Hawaiʻi’s children, for them personally. And then, tell them the story of our ancestors, Hawaiʻi’s own very first children, and of their strength, and their esteem, and the important things they achieved. Tell them the famous names of their ancestors, and of the aloha they have for the children of this land. Tell them about the arrival of some foreigners here who brought the beacon of enlightenment to help this nation by showing them the path of life; tell them also about the arrival of the enemies of this nation, and of their desires, having sown the seeds of despair upon the far reaches of this wonderful place, and of the gradual decline of our population from that time until now. Tell all of these things, o parent, to your children with the voice of care like a parent who has aloha. And when the desires of their young hearts rise, and their tears flow, and their aloha wells up like springs for the ancestors, and for our homeland, then, tell them that this land, here and now, is for them and that the life of the nation is in their hands, as is the endurance of Hawaiʻi’s name. Teach them to recoil from the visitors coming here to incite the demise of this people. Teach them to fear God as the reason for living. Teach them to commit all of their efforts and their life in support of this difficult task, which is to reinvigorate Hawaiʻi. The great benefit of this land is remarkable when all children are instructed properly.”

With this said, I’m left wondering: How do we support one another in this important kuleana? How do we as mākua and kumu strengthen our own aloha for Hawai‘i so we can pass that on to our youth? As we return to school this week, perhaps we can mālama this call from the 1860s and hold it close as we go back to teaching, advising, working, and leading in our various ways. Let’s do this together!

Also, we will be sending out our e-newsletter this month which will be a special edition highlighting our collective accomplishments in 2021. Please be on the lookout for that.

And finally, check out ‘ōpio this week and feel free to listen to the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Aloha nui,
punihei

January 3rd-9th

Aloha makahiki hou iā kākou!

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua mālie a palekana ‘oukou a pau i ia mau pule i hala aku nei. ‘O wau, nui ka nalu ‘ana a me ka heluhelu ‘ana. I kekahi ahiahi, e huli ana wau i nā nūpepa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i no kekahi mau mana‘o pili i ia mea ‘o ka pu‘uhonua. A ia‘u e huli ana, ua puka mai kekahi mana‘o i kākau ‘ia ma ka nūpepa ‘o Ka Hae Hawai‘i i ho‘opuka ‘ia i ka makahiki 1860. Nani loa nā mana‘o o loko a ua no‘ono‘o wau he kūpono ka ho‘omaka ‘ana me nā mana‘o o nā kūpuna e alaka‘i mai iā mākou i ka ho‘omaka ‘ana o ia makahiki 2022:

…E na makuakane a me na makuahine o keia aina, he oiaio ke waiho nei iloko o ko oukou mau lima, a malalo o ko oukou ao ana ka poe nana e hooponopono i keia Aupuni i na makahiki e hiki mai ana. E kokua ana lakou e hoola nui i keia lahui, a i ole ia, e kokua ana lakou e kahili aku i na kupa o ka aina, a e hoopio i ka inoa Hawaii.
Ma ke ao ia ana o na keiki, malaila ke ola, ai ole ia, ka make o ka lahui. Ua noonoo anei oe i keia, e ka makua a me ke kumu? Manomano ka nui o keia manao ! He oiaio. Aole loa hiki ia oe, aole hoi hiki i ka mea e, ke hookahuli ae i ka oiaio o keia, ma ke aoia ana o na keiki, malaila ke ola, a i ole ia ka make o ka lahui Hawaii. Nolaila, e ka makua, ke waiho nei iloko o kou lima ka pono nui no Hawaii nei, oia kou keiki, a ina he aloha kou ia ia, a i kou aina ponoi a me kou lahui, a ina makemake oe e lilo kou keiki i mea hoopomaikai nui i keia aina, i mea kaulana, a aloha nui ia e keia aina a pau, alaila e kiai oe i kela keiki au me ka makaala mau. A i ka wa i loaa ole ai i kona mau lehelehe hemahema ka hua olelo mua, e hoomaka no oe i ke ao ana ia ia, i omo pu oia me ka waiu o kona makuahine i ke aloha i kona lahui, a i kona aina hanau. E ao oe, e ka makua i kau keiki, aole he aina ma ka honua nei e like me keia aina, aole he lahui e like me keia lahui. E hoolilo oe i kou home i wahi oluolu, i puuhonua no kou ohana, i hiki ia lakou ke holo iloko o kou malu, a pakele i na luhi, na kaumaha, a me na ino o ke ao nei.
A i ka wa kupono e hoakoakoa oe i kou ohana opiopio, a e hai aku ia lakou i ka mooolelo o keia aina makamae; e hai aku ia lakou i na pono a pau o ka aina, kona nani, kona momona, kona ola, a me kona waiwai, a e hai aku oe he aina e waiho mai nei no ko Hawaii poe keiki, no lakou ponoi. Alaila, e hai aku oe ia lakou i ka mooolelo o ko kakou poe kupuna, ko Hawaii nei poe keiki ponoi mua, ko lakou ikaika, ko lakou kaulana, a me na hana nui a lakou i hana ai. E hai oe ia lakou i na inoa kaulana o ko lakou poe kupuna, a me ko lakou aloha i na keiki o ka aina…
(Eia ka mo‘olelo piha: KA PONO NO HAWAII. Helu 2.)

I ko‘u heluhelu ‘ana i kēia, mōakāka a nani ke kuleana a me ka hana: e a‘o kākou i ke aloha palena ‘ole no Hawai‘i i kā kākou po‘e keiki. Pēlā e holomua ai!

An English summary:

Happy new year to us all!

I hope you had a safe and calm couple of weeks in what is an in-between time for many of us. For me, I spent some time wondering and pondering and reading. One evening I was looking into the Hawaiian language newspapers as I was doing a search on pu‘uhonua. And while I was doing that search I came upon an article in Ka Hae Hawai‘i published in 1860. The mana‘o in this particular article was so beautiful I thought that it would be a nice way to start off our 2022 by turning to the wise mana‘o of our kūpuna to guide us.

I have asked a dear friend and professional translator to provide a translation of ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i for next week. For this week, I give a brief summary:

The author calls on all mākua to be intentional and careful about raising their keiki because their keiki are the hope of the future of Hawai‘i. The author directs mākua to teach their keiki to love Hawai‘i with all their hearts and souls by teaching them the mo‘olelo of this place and the mo‘olelo of their kūpuna and all their amazing deeds. The author also directs mākua to make their homes pu‘uhonua for their children where they can be protected and safe from the trials of the world.
(For the full article: Look for the title “KA PONO NO HAWAII. Helu 2.“)

As I read these words, our kuleana and work seems so clear and beautiful: teach our keiki to love Hawai‘i completely and totally.

This week, check out mākua and I invite you to wonder how you see yourself in this kuleana, whether you have biologically created children or not.

Mahalo for all that each of you do!

Aloha nui,
punihei

December 20-26th

Aloha nui kākou,

Eia nō ka wā ‘o ke Ala Polohiwa a Kanaloa. Mahalo wau i ko‘u makuahine no ke a‘o ‘ana mai ia‘u i ke ko‘iko‘i o ia manawa a mahalo pū wau i kāna mau kumu e like me Dr. Kalei Nu‘uhiwa me Dr. Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele.

Mea mai ‘o Māmā, he wā kēia no ka ho‘oku‘u; no ka ho‘oku‘u ‘ana i nā hewa, i nā mea ‘ino, i nā pilikia, a me nā mea aloha i hala i kēia makahiki i hiki iā lākou ke ho‘i aku i ka lewalani me nā hōkū. Ua hō‘ike pū mai ‘o ia he wā kēia no ka nalu ‘ana a no ka noi ‘ana i nā kūpuna e alaka‘i mai i ke ala kūpono. A no laila, i ka lā ‘āpōpō, ‘oiai ka lā e napo‘o ana, e aloha ana mākou iā Kanaloa me ke oli a e inu pū ana i ka wai no ka huikala a me ka ho‘oma‘ema‘e, a e hō‘ā ana i nā lā‘au no ke ahi e ho‘oku‘u i nā mea ‘ino a me nā mea hewa. E maka‘ala pū ana wau nō nā hō‘ailona mai nā kūpuna mai.

Mahalo nui wau i kēia mau hana e alaka‘i mai iā mākou ma ke ala pono a mahalo nui wau i nā kumu e mālama a e a‘o nei i ia mau loina. Aloha nui iā ‘oukou pā kahi a pau! E ‘olu‘olu e mālama pono.

English Summary:
We’ve entered the time of Winter Solstice, a time in Hawai‘i when we turn to Kanaloa. I’m so grateful to my mom who teaches our family about this important time and I also mahalo her teachers like Drs Kalei Nu‘uhiwa and Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele.

My mom teaches our ‘ohana that this is a time of release; a time to let go of negative feelings and things that didn’t work, and also to honor those who have passed away this year so that their spirits can go to the heavens and live among the stars. My mom also shared with me that this is a time of deep reflection and to ask our kūpuna to guide us. So tomorrow as the sun sets we will give our aloha to Kanaloa via oli, we will drink a cup of water for cleansing, and we will burn wood chips to release negative thoughts and feelings. I will also be paying attention to signs from our kūpuna to guide my next steps.

I am so grateful for these ceremonies and these intentional moments of reflection to help guide us and channel our energy and I mahalo those who are keeping these traditions alive and teaching them to others. Aloha to all of you and please take care of yourselves and each other!

Check out nalu this week (make sure to check out the second definition) and listen to recording of all the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Aloha nui,
punihei

December 13th-19th

Aloha mai kākou,

Kau mai ana ka no‘ono‘o iā ‘oukou pākahi, i kā kākou mau mo‘opuna, a i ko kākou ‘āina a me ka wai pū nō ho‘i. He aha ia mea ‘o ka wai ola? ‘O wai ‘o Kāneikawaiola? Inā ua poina paha kākou, e huli ho‘i i ka ‘ōlelo hiwahiwa o nā kūpuna. Aia ka wai a Kāne e holo ana, e puna ana, a e iho mai ana mai kekahi kapa a kekahi kapa aku o ka pae ‘āina. A ua ‘ike paha ‘ia, ‘o ka wai ka mea e ola ai kākou a pau. No laila, eia nō wau e nūnē nei:

E ka lāhui ē! Pehea ana kākou e mālama i ko kākou wai?

• E nā pua e puka kula ana i kēia pule: Pehea ana ‘oukou e lawe i ke a‘o a mālama i ka wai? Inā paha ‘oe he ha‘i mo‘olelo, he loio, he kumu, he kaha ki‘i, he mahi‘ai, he koa, a pēlā wale aku?
• E kākou nā kumu a me na mākua: Pehea kākou e a‘o aku nei i ka waiwai o ka wai? E ho‘olako nei i ka lāhui me nā pono no ka mālama ‘ana i ka wai? Pehea ho‘i kākou e huli ana i nā kūpuna e alaka‘i i ko kākou ala?

Eia nō nā mea a‘u e nūnē nei i kēia kakahiaka. Mahalo piha iā ‘oukou e nā kia‘i wai e alaka‘i mai ana i kēia kuleana nui.

English summary:
I woke up this morning thinking about each of you, each of our mo‘opuna, and of our ‘āina and wai. What really is this thing we refer to as our life-giving waters? Who is Kāneikawaiola? I was reminded of this beloved mele and teaching from our kūpuna that tells us that wai is flowing, springing forth, and raining down from one side to the other of this pae ‘āina. Water is everywhere and water is life. So that leaves me wondering:

E ka lāhui ē! How will we mālama our wai?

• For those who are graduating this week: How will you take what you have learned in school and use it to mālama wai? Whether you are a storyteller, a lawyer, a teacher, an artist, a farmer, a soldier, or anything else, how can you use your skills and talents to engage in this most important kuleana?
• For those of us who are kumu and mākua: How are we teaching our keiki about the importance of water? How are we equipping the lāhui with the tools they need to mālama wai? And how are we looking to our kūpuna to guide us?
  These are some of the things I am wondering about this morning. My deepest mahalo to those of you who are leading us in this ultimate kuleana.

Check out wai and listen to the recording below.

Aloha nui,
punihei

December 6th-12th

Aloha kakahiaka kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omalu ‘ia ‘oukou pā kahi a pau i ka ua loku a me ka makani nui.

I ka pō nei ua haku mua wau i kekahi mana‘o pōkole:
Eia nō wau ke noho nei ma kahi o ko‘u puka aniani e ho‘olohe ana i ka ua e helele‘i mai ana. Ua pau ka ua loku – no kekahi wā – a he ua li‘ili‘i wale nō i koe. No‘u, he kani ‘olu‘olu ka ua e helele‘i mai ana. Eia na‘e, ‘akahi a ho‘omaka ka oeoe o ke ka‘a lawe ma‘i, a he ho‘omana‘o nō ia ‘o ka hana nui a nā kanaka kinai ahi, nā kahu ma‘i, a me nā maka‘i i ia mau lā/pō o nā ua nui, nā kai nui, a me nā ‘ano ‘ino ‘ē a‘e. No laila, he leo mahalo kēia iā ‘oukou nā mea mālama ola e mālama mau ana iā mākou.

A ma hope o ka haku ‘ana i ia mau mana‘o ua ho‘i wau i ka hiamoe. A ma kahi o ke aumoe ua ala wau i ka hao mai a ka makani a me ka ua e loku iho mai ana. Ua huli ko‘u maka i waho o ia puka aniani like a ‘ike ‘ia ke kumu ‘ulu a me nā kumu niu e naue mai ana. Ma kekahi ‘ano he nani ke ‘ike aku. Eia na‘e, ua kupu mai ka mana‘o: he nani paha ‘oiai ho‘omalu ‘ia wau ma lalo o ke kaupoku pa‘a a ma loko ho‘i o nā puka aniani. Pehea ho‘i ko kākou po‘e e noho ana ma kahakai? Ma kahi o ke alanui? Me ka ‘ole o ka malu o ka hale ikaika? Ua kau mai ka ka hopohopo a me ke kaumaha.

E ka lāhui ē! Pehea kākou e mālama nei i ko kākou po‘e aloha i ho‘omalu ‘ia kākou pā kahi a pau? ‘Ike wau he hana nui kēia. Eia na‘e, inā kākou a pau e no‘ono‘o a e kūlia ana no ke ola a me ka palekana o kānaka, ma loko o nā mea nui a me nā mea li‘ili‘i a kākou e hana nei, he ho‘omaka maika‘i paha kēlā. A no laila, he leo mahalo kēia iā ‘oukou e alaka‘i mai ana ma ia ala.

E ‘olu‘olu, e mālama pono i kekahi i kekahi i ka ua a me ka makani nui! Aloha!

English summary:
I hope this message finds each of you safe and dry in all this wind and rain.

Last night I first wrote a short message to all of you that went something like this:
I am sitting near my window listening to the rainfall. The heavy rains have stopped here – at least momentarily – and it is just drizzling now. For me, I love the sound of the rain. But, just as I write this, I now hear the siren of an ambulance driving past, and I’m reminded of the firefighters, EMTs, and police who all work so hard during these times of heavy rain and big tides and other types of storms. So, I’m sending a great big mahalo out to all of the people who commit to taking care of us during these times.

Shortly after writing that I went to sleep. But then at about midnight, I woke up to the sound of heavy wind and rain. I looked back out that same window and saw my ‘ulu and coconut trees dancing in the wind. While a little scary, it was mostly beautiful to me. But of course, it was beautiful to me! I’m safe under my secure roof and within my strong windows. And then only half awake it dawned on me: What about folks living on the beaches? On the side of the roads? What about all the people who do not have secure homes tonight? I laid there sleepless in concern.

Beloved people! How are we taking care of our most vulnerable so that each of us is truly protected? I know that this is hard work. But I wonder: if each of us strives for the health, wellness, and safety of our communities, within the systemic and direct ways we might have an impact, that might be a really good start. So a great big mahalo to all of you who are leading us on this important mission.

Please please stay safe and take care of one another in this weather!

Check out palekana and find the recording attached.

Aloha,
punihei 

November 29th-December 10th

Aloha Lā Kū‘okoa iā kākou,

‘Oiai ‘o nehinei ka Lā Kū‘oko‘a, e no‘ono‘o ana wau i ia mea ‘o ke kū‘oko‘a. He aha ia mea ‘o ke kū‘oko‘a o ka lāhui? O ke kino? O ka no‘ono‘o? O ka ‘ōlelo? O ka mālama keiki? O ka mālama ‘āina? A pehea i pili pū ai ke kū‘oko‘a o ka lāhui me ia mau mea ‘ē a‘e? Eia nō wau e nūnē ana no ka pono o ka lāhui; no ka pono o kā kākou mau keiki; a no ka pono ho‘i o ka ‘āina. ‘Oiai mālama ‘ia ka Lā Kū‘oko‘a ma ho‘okahi lā, ka lā 28 o Nowemapa, e aho paha ko kākou ho‘omana‘o ‘ana i ia lā nui i kēlā me kēia lā. A e ho‘omau paha kākou i ka nūnē aku a nūnē mai no ka pili o nā kū‘oko‘a ‘ē a‘e me ke kū‘oko‘a o ka lāhui. Mahalo ho‘i iā ‘oukou nā lamakū e alaka‘i mau ana iā kākou ma ia ala!

English summary:
Since yesterday was Lā Kū‘oko‘a, I’ve been thinking about this idea of kū‘oko‘a. What does it really mean when it comes to our lāhui? What does it feel like in its many forms? And what about the kū‘oko‘a of our bodies? Of our thoughts? Of our ‘ōlelo? Of the way we care for our children? Of the way we care for ‘āina? And how is the kū‘oko‘a of our lāhui connected with these other pieces? These are some of my wonderings as I think about the pono of our lāhui; the pono of our keiki; and the pono of our ‘āina now and in the future. While Lā Kū‘oko‘a is only held on November 28, let’s perhaps keep the importance and significance of this day in our mind always. And maybe we can wonder together about how our various personal kū‘oko‘a are connected with the kū‘oko‘a of the lāhui. Mahalo to all those who are lighting the pathway in this area!

For ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, there are lots of words to choose from above! Also, a recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is attached.

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 22nd-28th

Aloha nui kākou,

Uihā! He pule pōkole kēia! Ma kekahi ‘ano, he maika‘i. A, ‘o ia mau nō ka pilika ‘o ka ho‘oholomua ‘ana i ka mo‘olelo o “Thanksgiving” (Lā Ho‘omaika‘i) me he mea lā he mea maika‘i nō ia. Eia na‘e, ke nui mai nei nā kanaka i ‘ike i ka hewa o ia mo‘olelo a ke loli iki nei. Eia kekahi la‘ana. No laila, ke holomua paha nei nō kākou ma kekahi ‘ano, ‘eā?

‘O nā mo‘olelo, he mea nui nō ia. He mana ko ka mo‘olelo. A e like me ka mo‘olelo o ka Lā Ho‘omaika‘i, inā hewa ka mo‘olelo he pilikia nui ‘oiai hele a ma‘a kākou i ka mo‘olelo hewa a me he mea lā ua pololei nā mana‘o o loko. A no laila, mahalo nui wau i nā kanaka a me nā hui like ‘ole e noke mau ana ma ke ala e a‘o aku i nā mo‘olelo maoli; nā mo‘olelo ‘oia‘i‘o o Hawai‘i a me ke ao nei. He hana nui nō ia.

I kēlā pule aku nei, ‘oiai e poepoe mai ana ka mahina, ua ‘ākoakoa kekahi hui ma Zoom a ua lu‘u piha mākou i loko o ia mea he haku a he ha‘i mo‘olelo. No‘u, ua pū‘iwa wau i ka nui o nā mo‘olelo ‘oia‘i‘o ‘ole a mākou e ha‘i mau ana iā mākou iho; nā mo‘olelo ‘oia‘i‘o ‘ole i a‘o ‘ia mai ai mai nā ‘ano wahi/kanana like ‘ole. A, ma kekahi ‘ano, he pū‘iwa pū ka ho‘omaopopo ‘ana i ka mana ma loko o kākou e ho‘ololi i ia mau mo‘olelo no kākou iho a no kā kākou mau keiki pū kekahi. A no laila, he makana a he pōmaika‘i ia hui ‘ana o mākou ‘oiai ua ho‘omana‘o wau i ka mana o nā mo‘olelo i haku ‘ia e ha‘i a me ko kākou mana e haku hou, a e ho‘i hou paha i nā mo‘olelo o ka ‘āina, nā mo‘olelo o nā kūpuna, a me nā mo‘olelo o nā mo‘opuna o ka wā e hiki mai ana. Hū! He mahalo piha ko laila!

An English summary:
Oh my gosh thank goodness it is a short week! On the one hand that is of course a great thing but on the other hand, the whole Thanksgiving narrative and fallacy continues to be problematic. Although, I will say there seems to be more and more consciousness-raising around the issue. Here’s a good article if you need to share one as we all work together to help get some truth out there. 🙂

I am continually reminded about how important stories and narratives are and how those narratives can become “truths” over time, just like the false narrative surrounding Thanksgiving. I want to say mahalo and give a shout out to the individuals and groups who tirelessly add to what I might call a ʻtruth project’; the work of sharing truth in the midst of so much that is still false that is taught and spread every day and eventually causes harm in so many ways.

Last week as the moon got bright and full, a group of us gathered on zoom for 6 consecutive nights to engage in what we called a ʻNarrative Design Workshop’ where we worked to strengthen our skills to discover and share our own narratives and stories. I was particularly moved by how many false narratives we discovered that we tell ourselves over time, undoubtedly shaped by so many factors in the environments we are consciously and unconsciously immersed in every day. At the same time, I was also moved in remembering that we have the power to shape our own narratives; to re-story our stories (as Miguel and Francisco Guajardo taught me). And I don’t mean to change the facts of our stories, but to see our stories in a new light and with different lenses. The workshops of last week were really a gift for me as I remembered the narratives that were created by others, in many instances to erase and do harm, and also our power to create and tell k(new) narratives guided and grounded in ‘āina, our kūpuna, and the generations yet to come. What a gift! This is what I’ll be giving thanks for this weekend.

Check out mo‘opuna this week and see attached for a recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 15th-21st

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaka kā ‘oukou Pō‘akahi me ka mālie a me ka maka‘ala nō hoʻi. No‘u, ua ala wau i kēia kakahiaka nui me ka māluhiluhi ‘oiai i ka pō nei ua ‘ā ko‘u lumi i ka pā kōnane a ka mahina. He nani wale eia na‘e he he ho‘āla kekahi. No‘ono‘o iho au i ke ki‘i ‘oni‘oni ‘o Moonstruck i ka wā a nā me‘e e kāhea aku ana i ka mahina, “La luna! La luna!” Ua ‘aka‘aka wau ia‘u iho. (:

I kēia pule e nanea kākou i ka nani kamaha‘o o ka mahina a me kāna mau mana like ‘ole. ‘Oiai e poepoe ana ka mahina, e kilo kākou: Pehea nā meakanu ma waho o kou hale? Pehea nā manu? Pehea nā ao? Pehea ‘oe? Kou kino? Kou na‘au? He mea nui ka pilina ma waena o kākou a me nā mea like ‘ole ma ka honua nei. ‘O ke kilo ‘ana, he ho‘omaka paha nō.

English summary:
I hope you all have started off your Monday calm but also alert and ready to go. I personally woke up a bit tired today because last night the moonlight was so bright shining in my window that it woke me up and kept me up for quite a while. I had a good laugh as I thought about the movie Moonstruck when the couple calls out to the moon: “La luna! La luna!” That’s one of my favorite parts of the movie!

Since the moon is getting rounder this week, let’s enjoy her and pay attention to her mana. Let’s kilo together: How are our plants doing? What do the birds do? What do the clouds look like? How are you? What’s going on in your body? What’s going on in your na‘au? While I’m still learning about all the ways we are connected with the rest of the natural world, I know those connections are important. And I think beginning by witnessing and observing what’s going on inside of us and also all around us might be a good start.

Check out na‘au this week (recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i attached).

Aloha nui,
punihei

November 8th-14th

Aloha mai kākou,

Ke lana nei ka mana‘o ua ho‘omaha ‘oukou ma kekahi ‘ano i kēia hopenapule a ua ho‘i i ka hana/ke ke‘ena me ka maka‘ala a me ka ‘eleu i kēia kakahiaka.

No‘u, ua hiamoe iki wau inehinei eia na‘e ua ho‘omaha wau ma kekahi ‘ano ‘ē a‘e kekahi. I ka ‘auinalā o nehinei hele akula wau i kekahi papahana ma lalo o HIFF e ho‘olaule‘a ana i nā wahine e alaka‘i ana i nā ki‘i ‘oni‘oni mai Hawai‘i nei. ‘O ia ho‘i, nā wahine ha‘i mo‘olelo; nā wahine haku mo‘olelo ma o nā ki‘i ‘oni‘oni. Kapa ‘ia kēia papahana ‘o Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Season 3. Nui nā mea a‘u i no‘ono‘o ai a i a‘o pū ai ia‘u e nānā ana i ia mo‘olelo o Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i. Ho‘okahi o ia mau mea ‘o ia ho‘i ke ko‘iko‘i o ka ha‘i mo‘olelo ‘ana. Ko‘iko‘i nā mo‘olelo nui e like me ka luku ‘ana o nā hale ma Sand Island a ko‘iko‘i ho‘i nā mo‘olelo o kahi tūtū iā ia e hele wāwae ana kēlā me kēia lā. ‘O ka mea nui: ko‘iko‘i nā mo‘olelo. No‘u, he mea nui nā mo‘olelo o kēlā me kēia kanaka, o kēlā me kēia ‘āina no ka mea ke a‘o ‘ia, ke lohe ‘ia ka mo‘olelo o ha‘i, pēlā e kūkulu a hō‘ikaika ‘ia ka pilina a me ke aloha. A inā he pilina a he aloha paha, ma‘alahi ka mālama ‘ana; hele a ma‘amau ka mālama ‘ana. A no laila, he pōmaka‘i kēia mau mana‘o ia‘u e noho ‘ana ma ka hale ki‘i ‘oni‘oni ‘o Kahala inehinei. He ‘ano ho‘omaha a ho‘ōla ia papahana no‘u. A no laila, he leo mahalo.

An English summary:
I hope everyone got some rest yesterday and was able to start your Monday off energetically.

As for me, I was able to sneak in a tiny tiny nap yesterday. But I was also able to rest in some other ways. I was gifted a ticket to a HIFF event that celebrated female filmmakers from Hawai‘i called Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Season 3. Watching this collection of stories helped me to reflect on so much. One of the many things it helped me to remember is how important storytelling is. I really loved the women that were celebrated because it celebrated the variety of stories that they tell from the big events like Sand Island Eviction to the stories of grandmas who take long walks with their granddaughters each day. But the biggest thing I walked away with yesterday was a reminder of how incredibly important all of that storytelling is; the stories of people and the stories of places. And for me in particular, I think I am called to the power of storytelling and story-receiving because I think it helps us to grow our pilina and thus our aloha for one another. And if there is pilina and aloha between two entities, then I think being able to mālama that entity because almost natural. Gosh, I’m so grateful for Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i and what it gifted me yesterday; a different type of rest and revival that I sorely needed.

Check out mo‘olelo this week and listen to the recording of the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i attached.

Aloha,
Punihei

November 1st-7th

Aloha kākou,

I kēia hopenapule i hala aku nei ua hui au me kekahi hoa. He hoa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘o ia; hānai ‘o ia i kāna mau keiki a me kāna mau mo‘opuna ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Kūpa‘a ‘o ia ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. A iā māua i hui pōkole ai ma ka hale kū‘ai, ua kama‘ilio māua ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Ma hope o kēia hui ‘ana, ua ho‘omana‘o wau i ko‘u ‘ono i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a ua no‘ono‘o wau ia‘u iho: pehea paha wau e ho‘i i ko‘u ‘ōlelo makuahine? ‘O ka hapa nui o ko‘u lā, aia nō ma ka ‘ōlelo Haole. He mau kumu like ‘ole no kēlā. Eia na‘e, ua hiki nō ia‘u ke koho i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i kekahi. No laila, eia nō wau ke koho nei i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma‘ane‘i.

Nani wale ka mana‘o a Native Hawaiian Student Services i hāpai mai nei i kēia kakahiaka no ka Mahina Kū‘oko‘a a ua ulu ka hoi i loko o‘u e ho‘opili aku me ko Hawai‘i kū‘oko‘a ma o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. I ‘ike le‘a kākou a pau, ‘a‘ole loa hemolele ko‘u ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. He ho‘ā‘o wale nō kēia. A he leo mahalo pū ho‘i kēia i nā lamakū o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i e noke mau ana i ka ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo i poina‘ole ‘ia ka ‘ono o kā kākou ‘ōlelo kilohana.

This is NOT a direct translation of what is above:
This past weekend I bumped into a dear friend. She’s a Hawaiian-speaking friend who has impressively raised her children and now grandchildren in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. For me, she has really been a living example of an unwavering commitment to ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. And while we chatted for a few minutes, we also spoke Hawaiian. In fact, I don’t think there has ever been a time when she has spoken English to me. That’s one of my favorite things about her. After our short time connecting, I walked away but our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i stayed with me. Those few moments speaking Hawaiian with her reminded me of how ‘ono ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is to me; how speaking Hawaiian awakens a part of me that makes me feel more alive, more me. This all led me to ask myself: how can I return to ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i during my day? Right now most of my day is spent in English and there’s a ton of reasons for that. But I can also choose ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i in more of my day than I currently do. So I’ve decided to choose these weekly blogs as one of those times when I do. Don’t worry, I’ll always include an English piece below as I’m doing here.

Serendipitously, Native Hawaiian Student Services came out this morning with their monthly newsletter celebrating Mahina Kū‘oko‘a or a month-long celebration and recognition of Lā Kū‘oko‘a which happens later this month on November 28th. Between my experience this weekend with my friend and NHSS’s call out for Mahina Kū‘oko‘a, I was inspired to think of how I can personally connect and live into Hawai‘i’s Independence, and choosing ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i feels like a good way to do so. To be very clear, my ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i is not at all perfect (and I think that is one of the reasons I shy away from writing because once it is in print, the critiques can come flying in). But I’m going to approach this as a good faith attempt; as an act of love and kū‘oko‘a.

Check out kilohana this week (recording of this word and the above ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i attached).

Aloha nui,
Punihei

Aloha kākou,

I want to first apologize for incorrectly listing the date of an event last week in the body of my weekly email. I’m the type of person who double and triple checks everything and somehow that still snuck through. I think it was a sign of a bit of overwhelm and exhaustion.

I don’t know about all of you but the last couple of weeks have felt really heavy. Some might say it is October and thus a very busy time of the semester. Others might say it is because of the planetary conjunctions at the moment. And of course, ah yes, there’s still this crazy pandemic that is somehow not yet done with us even though we would very much like to be done with it!

All this to say, I’ve noticed in myself a need to take a break for my own physical, mental, and emotional health. So this week as my children are on fall break I’m taking some time off to hang out with them and also have a moment to myself. I’m also momentarily stepping away from email and from meetings to get some work projects done.

Whatever taking a break looks like to you, I hope you do it as you realize you need it. The heavy work of making UHM an NH place of learning and healing our spaces from the oppressive structures we are entangled in is definitely hard work. Perhaps today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we might take an extra moment to reflect on the generational work that continues.

For ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i this week, check out ‘ōiwi (recording attached).

Aloha nui,

punihei

October 4th-10th

Aloha kākou,

Whew! Where did the weekend go? I want to start off by saying mahalo for the outpouring of aloha shared last week about Cami’s passing. We are still mourning her loss and while I don’t speak for the family at all, I can imagine that they have a long road ahead. So please continue to send your aloha their way.

Last week I mentioned this notion of “returning to normal” and suggested that maybe that’s not the best way forward. I’m not the first to say this and I doubt I’m the last. While there is a push by some to return to the way things were, I think many of us yearn for a (k)new way forward; a path that is reflective of the wisdom of our ancestors and the intelligence of ‘āina. More than yearning, I want to celebrate all of the people who are doing the hard work of leading us to a (k)new future and I also want to celebrate all those who take the time to listen, to consider, and to trust in this important work. The list of resources that we share each week is meant to lift up that kind of work and to help all of us to a‘o, alu, and ‘auamo together.

Our office has a few events happening this week and in the next several weeks that we want to invite you to in the name of collectively creating those (k)new futures where each person knows what their kuleana is and has equitable opportunities to experience as well as to contribute to communal well-being. We hope to see you at some of these events and please share with your teams:

• Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, from 1-2:15 pm: UH Mānoa Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Presentation
• Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, from 12-1:30 pm: Aloha ‘Āina Friday speaker presentation with Kauila Kanaka‘ole & Ku‘ulei Perreira-Keawekane
• Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, from 1-3 pm: Pilina Circle

To learn more about TRHT Tuesdays, click here. And to learn more about Aloha ‘Āina Fridays, click here.

Finally, a great big shout out to Kaipu Baker and his hana keaka crew putting on “He Leo Aloha” this week. Buy your tickets here!

For ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i this week, check out leo (recording attached).

Aloha,

punihei

September 27 – October 3 

Aloha kākou,

I’ve been thinking about all of you and about writing this email for several days. On the one hand, I don’t feel like I have a lot to say this week. And on the other hand, I feel like there’s more than I can put into words.

I don’t know about all of you, but I had a REALLY rough week. I started out by setting my intentions during Alo Piko o Wākea as I shared. And maybe one way to look at it was that my intentions were tested: Do I really want to a‘o, alu, and ‘auamo? I felt like the world was challenging me to see if I was up to my commitments.

Among other challenging moments, someone I knew passed away. Someone many people knew and loved and was inspired by, passed away. Her passing was unexpected and sudden and tragic. I sobbed in a way I hadn’t in a long time. I sobbed for her, for her husband, for her keiki, for her mākua, and for the countless people who loved her. And when I was done crying, I took a breath and went for a walk and did a small pule for her and her ‘ohana. In the moments and days following, I kissed my children a little longer, held my husband a little tighter, and connected with my parents a little more. I know many others did as well. So now what? Do we “go back to normal” or do we pause and consider how our dear tita’s passing might leave some lessons about how we a‘o, alu, and ‘auamo just a little bit more, just a little bit deeper, and just a little bit better together?

I lift up our dear Cami Kameaaloha Kanoa-Wong as just one of the many who have left us to be in the realm of our kūpuna and ‘aumākua. But of course, there are so so many others who are now there with her. I cannot help but wonder what each of their lives as well as their passings can teach us about the work we have the privilege of carrying out every day to leave this place better than we found it.

Aloha nui,

punihei

September 20 – 26

Aloha Alo Piko o Wākea iā kākou!

Did you all see the Akua moon rise tonight (Sunday) as we enter into this time of Alo Piko o Wākea (fall equinox)? My mom came into our living room this morning to remind us of this auspicious time and to invite us to pause and set our intentions for this next season. For me, I’m wanting to focus on the things that really matter.

On our office’s homepage we say that we believe our work starts with at least three pathways:

1. A‘o: To teach and learn with one another
2. Alu: To connect and cooperate
3. ‘Auamo: to take on the work, and particularly to do so collectively

I want to set my intentions are doing these things really well. I want to keep learning truths that help to strengthen my foundation so that I may be a more rooted teacher. I want to connect with others in meaningful ways so that we can create strong relationships that allow us to create spaces of healing and transformation. And I want to engage in the heavy yet necessary work with those I’m in relationship with so that we can make UH Mānoa a NH place of learning and thus be the stellar university that our communities and keiki deserve.

With that said, I’m grateful to all of you who are contributing to the ways I a‘o, alu, and ‘auamo every day. While we cannot provide a perfect list, we include everything that we know is going on with the goal of connecting you to more learning, more networks, and more opportunities to engage. I want to give a shoutout to just a few:

• Aloha ‘Āina Fridays Series: I want to mahalo all those who helped us kick off our series last week Friday with a dialogue circle. We were so honored to have you all present and willing to connect and share in real ways. We can’t wait for future sessions with Nōweo Kai as well as Kauila Kanaka‘ole and Ku‘ulei Perreira-Keawekane.
• Hawai‘i Papa o ke Ao Leadership Series: I can’t wait to feature Nalani Balutski and all her work/research/re-birth of King Kalākaua’s Hawaiian Youths Abroad Program.
• The Bravethrough Series with Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng: I’m really excited to get to connect and learn from Maya, Kamuela Enos, Grande Lum, & Sam Chaltain.

So as we enter into this week, I hope we each have time to pause, reflect, and set our intentions. Maybe even do it under the light of the full moon!

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i word this week, check out ‘auamo (recording attached).

Aloha nui,
punihei

September 13 – 19

Aloha kākou,

I don’t know about all of you, but after a three-day weekend, this two-day weekend felt waaayyyy too short! I vote for four-day workweeks and three-day weekends. Can we get that started, please?

Part of why I personally need three-day weekends is that there is just so much family kuleana to get done on the weekends that I don’t have the time to get done during the week. At the same time, I want to honor all the extra work parents are doing during the week as well. I was speaking with a colleague the other day and she was sharing the challenges of parenting during the pandemic. The following is a list of some but not all of the extra things parents are dealing with right now:

• Constant concern regarding keiki health and well-being
• Sad keiki who want to get together with friends but are not allowed to because of COVID concerns
• No after-school care: So that means parents have to organize to have their children picked up long before the “normal” workday is over either around 3 pm or even as early as 12-1 pm on Wednesdays at some schools. This means parents have to leave work early, pick up kids, take them home, and then work from home some more. 
• Long drop-off and pick-up lines at school: Because of COVID there are various forms of daily checks that parents have to go through before their child can step onto campus. That usually includes waiting in some long car line at school and hoping that all the check-in technology works so that their child can actually get out of the car and that they don’t have to drive around the block again. At the end of the day, parents are not allowed to get out of their cars so again they have to wait in long lines in their cars to pick up their children.
• Stay-at-home days when there’s a COVID case in school: As soon as there’s a COVID case, keiki have to stay home for over a week. That means parents have to juggle care for their keiki in an environment where babysitters aren’t a very safe option. This usually means parents have to work from home and do all their work kuleana while also taking care of their keiki and helping them transition to zoom school.
• Unpredictable sports and extracurricular activities schedules: Parents and keiki are yearning for sports and other activities to return to normal. Kids miss their activities and parents are hoping their keiki get to move around and socialize more after school. But again, with COVID cases, practices and games can quickly get canceled leaving sad keiki and scrambling parents. 

Of course, there’s more but I’ll stop here. This isn’t to say that folks who are not parents aren’t also carrying a lot right now. Everyone is working so hard and juggling so much. Parents happen to be holding a heavy and unique load as well. So next time you connect with someone who is in a parent role, maybe take a little extra time to ask “Hey how’s it going?” and maybe just give them a little extra care and aloha.

Of course, one way we can all help parents and keiki right now is doing our part to get the numbers down. Let’s definitely wear our masks, keep our distance and not gather in large crowds, and if it makes sense for you and your ‘ohana consider getting vaccinated. We can do this, folks! And let’s especially do it for our keiki. After all, whether they are our own keiki or not, if we are of parent age, from a NH perspective, we are all their makua.💜

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i word this week, check out makua (recording attached) and also look it up in the ‘Ōlelo No‘eau Book.

Stay safe everyone!

Aloha,

punihei

Septemer 6 – 12

Aloha kākou, 

I hope you all had a safe weekend with your ‘ohana and got some rest and also did something fun. In our house, we mostly kept to ourselves even though we had some friends and family who had a few gatherings and one group even went camping. My kids were so bummed because of course they wanted to go, too. Ugh, so hard right now!

It was really lovely to see all the celebrations and tributes to Queen Lili‘uokalani last week and one in particular that celebrated how she worked so hard during the 1881 smallpox outbreak and the difficult decisions she had to make to contain the disease. I donʻt know enough about the history of that time period to fully know how the people of Hawai‘i reacted to the then-Princess’ version of lockdowns and quarantines, but what I have learned from some of the readings is that she was able to prevent the outbreak from reaching the outer islands and kept it contained on O‘ahu. That was seen as a success. I wonder what we can learn from the stories of that time period: how Princess Lili‘uokalani stood firm in her decisions to shut things down; how the guards kept their posts to ensure people stayed in their homes; how communities were set up to continue to feed themselves; how various experts came together and organized. And of course, how this all happened before any of the communication technologies that we have today is pretty amazing. So that has me wondering about the aloha – the respect, trust, and care – that had to exist within communities across Hawai‘i and with their ali‘i that allowed these feats to occur. 

It further makes me wonder how we rebuild that kind of aloha today; with one other and between us and those in leadership positions. Things have definitely changed. Our communities are different, our leadership is different. But I can’t help but think about what it would take for us to get back to some sort of space in which our leadership has so much aloha and concern for us and we have so much aloha and respect for them that we worked together to overcome these huge challenges to make a healthier future for our keiki and mo‘opuna. I am trying to imagine what that future looks like and how we might take steps now to get there. I see glimmers of light throughout our communities doing this work and I mahalo all of you who help to make that happen. 

This week, check out the word ali‘i (recording attached). If you have the ‘Ōlelo No‘eau book, maybe look at the proverbs associated with ali‘i.

Aloha nui,

punihei

August 30 – September 5

Aloha kākou,

I hope you all had a safe weekend. My prayers and positive intentions have been sent to many this weekend, including those in Louisiana who are dealing with Hurricane/Storm Ida. For those who have ‘ohana there, please let us know how we can be helpful. 

As I look forward to this week, my heart has been with our Queen. Short story:

Last week I took a short break between my zoom meetings and did a walk around the building. In doing so I saw the Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student Services Building draped in purple in honor of Queen Lili‘uokalani’s birthday happening this week on September 2nd (she was born in 1838). A few days later a friend shared with me a poster card of the Queen with some awesome facts about her life. It seemed that these reminders of her were an invitation to reflect on what I know about her (and also what I don’t know). 

To be clear, I am not an expert on her and I know some of you are. So first, mahalo to those of you who continue to do great research about her so that we can all learn from and be inspired by her remarkable life. While I don’t know all the details of her life, what I know is that she had an unwavering love for her country, her people, and each of the communities throughout the pae ‘āina; she loved Hawai‘i. I also know that she lived through not one but several incredibly challenging periods throughout her life, including but not limited to waves of disease that killed members of her own ‘ohana as well as the larger community and of course the horrific experience of being overthrown. Then, as my kumu Manu Boyd always reminds us, she went on to live for 24 more years after the overthrow in an unimaginable situation within her own homeland. But she never stopped leading with a profound aloha for Hawai‘i and always keeping the most vulnerable and underserved prioritized. Further, even when she was stripped of her thrown, she was steadfast in her commitment to restore pono to Hawai‘i. 

In all the work we are doing to help UH Mānoa become a NH place of learning, to heal from the many forms of oppression that have caused so much harm and disconnect here in Hawai‘i and across the world, and to survive this pandemic, what better a leader to look up to than Queen Lili‘uokalani? What a gift the many lessons of her life can be to us!

If you haven’t read Hawai‘i’s Story by Hawai‘i’s Queen, please click here for a free online version of her book. 

Also, let’s use this week to learn how to say her name (see recording).

Finally, please click here to see our Calendar of Upcoming Events.

Aloha nui,

punihei

August 23 – 29

Aloha kākou,

I’m writing this on Sunday night and thinking about the rain and wind we might get over night and hoping that you will all be safe, dry, and warm. 

I don’t know about you, but this past week felt like a storm of its own kind. In our ‘ohana we continue to juggle the moving parts of COVID, which is definitely enough if that was all that was going on. But of course, there are other things that are swirling around in the air and one of them last week was my children going back to school. That meant I had to wake up waaaaayyyy earlier (😭) and we had to get back into a much more busy and rigid routine. 

My partner and I are the kinds of parents whom the teachers and principal can’t quite figure out if they love or hate; if they should be excited that we are calling or if they should be hesitating on answering. We will do anything to help out AND we expect excellent levels of care, teaching, and decision making. So of course we were asked and we said yes to doing a workshop on what they called “DEI work” and what we called “kuleana.” We each shared a little bit of how we have found and continue to find and live into our kuleana; me as a Native Hawaiian (NH) woman born and raised here and my partner as a non-Hawaiian who moved to Hawai‘i to marry me.❤ Long story short, we wanted to stress how important we believe it is for every keiki who grows up in Hawai‘i (NH or not) to learn and live into their kuleana to mālama one other and most importantly to mālama ‘āina. And of course, we stressed that we believe it is a kuleana of the school to help foster that. I think our honesty and recognition that this is hard but necessary work was welcomed and appreciated. I think we built a little bit of pilina with the school staff and faculty that day. And gosh was I happy about that for the part that comes next.

The second day into school our 10-year-old son went to the office complaining of a tummy ache. HIGHLY unusual for him. When we got the call to pick him up, of course, the first thing I thought of was COVID. Hello! Talk about scared and nervous mommy! When I spoke to him on the phone and asked if he could explain what was wrong with his tummy, he just said it really hurt. Did he have to go the bathroom? Nope. Was it a sharp pain? Nope. Did he have a fever? Nope. But he REALLY wanted me to pick him up. So off I went. When I got to the school I scooped him up, put him in the car, looked his tummy over, and asked what he thought might be causing his sore belly. 

“Mom,” he said. “They raised the American flag above the Hawaiian flag today.” 

Ohhhhh, deep deep breath. 

“Is that why your belly is sore, my love?” 

“Yes, Mommy. I told them not to. I told them that it was wrong and that we are still our own country; that America is here illegally. But they rose it anyway.” 

I held his hand. More deep breaths and a few tears down my cheeks. What followed was a discussion about how flag-raising was part of his 5th-grade class’ responsibilities and that that day the teacher was showing them how to do it. Then he shared how two of his best friends argued with him and told him that he had no idea what he was talking about. He said he almost got into a physical fight with them. He then brightened up a little bit when he shared that another friend whose parents immigrated here from Poland stood up for my son and said he believed him; that he knew about the Hawaiian Kingdom from his parents. After all of that, I told him, “Well it makes sense that your belly got so sore. That’s your na‘au. Always listen to your na‘au.” He smiled. 

Later that day I went back to his school to pick up his older sister. Of course, instead of just driving through the pick-up line I parked and went to the fence where I could connect with the teachers, principal, and emotional support specialist who were all conveniently (for me at least) helping with pick-up. Since we had just had such a lovely DEI/Kuleana professional development day the prior week, they greeted me with smiles.😎 And then I told them the story. Among other things that were discussed, I shared why in Hawai‘i we can fly two flags. The principal answered, “Well we are school and that means we learn. We learned something new today. So let’s get another flag pole.” 

The flag issue is real but there are other important points, most of which I will not point out here. But I will point out what might be the most obvious for me: I hate that my son had to experience that kind of tension in his belly; that his truth-telling was largely met by disbelief/erasure/deaf ears. AND that will not be the last time he will have that conversation and many others like it. So let’s continue the work, right? And let’s rev it up like never before. 

The pain I feel – the tension in my tummy when I think about his experience and the heartache I feel when I see him again and again in my mind sitting outside the school office carrying all that weight in his na‘au – lights my fire. And his bravery, his commitment, and also his Polish friend’s courage to speak up and stand next to him all inspire me and remind me how important our work as a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center really is. 

Mahalo for the ways that you folks speak truths, receive and learn from truths, and encourage that in the next generation. Mahalo also to those of you who do the healing work that is required within ourselves, with one another, and with ‘āina so that we can build foundations for transformed, healthier, and more just futures for our keiki and mo‘opuna. 

Stay safe everyone! And check out pono this week. 

Aloha nui,

punihei

August 17 – 22

Aloha nui kākou,

As I sit down to write this I’m just starting out with a deep breath as I think about all of you and I think about all the things that are whirling around in the air around the world right now. And as I think about all of that, my mind wanders to a book and author that one of my dear mentors, Dr. Miguel Guajardo, introduced me to: Turning to one another in conversation: Simple conversations to restore hope to the future by Margaret Wheatley. I might have mentioned her before. I’m sure there are many other amazing people who write about turning to one another in conversation. I just know her work the best. She simply says, “I believe we can change the world if we start talking to one another again.” She also says “Remember, you don’t fear people whose story you know.” 

These sentiments are on my mind and heart this weekend after thinking about, hearing of, and witnessing some of the extremely polarizing situations we find ourselves in both locally and globally. Never mind all the situations that have created deep divides in the last several years here in Hawai‘i. But wow! This pandemic has become fertile ground too. Can we be surprised when for far too long we have stopped being in real conversation; when we have stopped truly sharing and listening and realizing how connected we are? Iʻm not at all saying that turning to one another in conversation will fix things overnight. I completely recognize that many of our challenges are deeply rooted in systemic forms of oppression. AND turning to one another – whether it be 40-year friends who suddenly find themselves on different sides of political and pandemic points of view or a parent and child who are struggling to find their way or a leader and their constituents who are seeking clarity and connection – to be in conversation just might be a good starting point. But conversations are hard and we don’t always learn the art very well. So in case they are helpful, here are a few tools that I’ve learned along the way. They are borrowed from the Center for Courage and Renewal and are applied to conversations in circle spaces where these tools are emphasized and practiced. By no way are they end-all and be-all strategies. These are just some that have helped me on my ongoing journey of becoming a better conversation partner; a better partner in connecting and building pilina. 

• Listen deeply. Listen intently to what is said; listen to the feelings beneath the words. “To ‘listen’ another’s soul into life, into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another” (Douglas Steere). Listen to yourself also. Strive to achieve a balance between listening and reflecting, speaking and acting.
• Suspend judgment. Set aside your judgments. By creating a space between judgments and reactions, we can listen to the other, and to ourselves, more fully, and thus our perspectives, decisions, and actions are more informed. 
• Identify assumptions. Our assumptions are usually invisible to us, yet they under-gird our worldview and thus our decisions and our actions. By identifying our assumptions, we can then set them aside and open our viewpoints to greater possibilities. 
• Speak your truth. Say what is in your heart, trusting that your voice will be heard and your contribution respected. Your truth may be different from, even the opposite of, what another has said. Speaking your truth is not debating with, or correcting, or interpreting what another has said. Own your truth by speaking only for yourself, using “I” statements.
• Respect silence. Silence is a rare gift in our busy world. After you or another has spoken, take time to reflect & fully listen, without immediately filling the space with words. 

When things get difficult, turn to wonder. If you find yourself disagreeing with another, becoming judgmental, shutting down in defense, try turning to wonder: “I wonder what brought her to this place?” “I wonder what my reaction teaches me?” “I wonder what he’s feeling right now?” 

I hope these might be helpful to you in these challenging times. 

Also, check out the word kama‘ilio.

Aloha nui,

punihei

August 9 – 16

 

Aloha kākou,

I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve been having mixed feelings of concern for the health and safety of not only my ‘ohana but of all ‘ohana throughout Hawai‘i while also feeling frustrated and even guilty about not doing more to help keep the numbers down. With that feeling of wanting to do something while also seeking to recognize my kuleana within the context of the pandemic, I thought that maybe even sharing strategies that have been helpful to me might also be helpful to others. It can’t hurt, right? So here it goes. 

My focus has shifted over time as information has also shifted. At the beginning of this pandemic, the major concern and focus was on my mom and my step-dad since they are the oldest in our house. Simultaneously, I also had a major focus on my dad and my step-mom who live about 20 minutes down the road and are no spring chickens themselves. That seems like such a simple strategy from so long ago. Clearly, things have changed and become a bit more complex.

We’ve really honed in on our keiki and especially on our not-able-to-be-vaccinated 10-year-old son. The question we ask before we do something is: Will this be safe for our son? What are the ramifications of our decision on him?  As I share this, I want to make clear that I’m not saying other folks are not also vulnerable for other reasons. But in a house of vaccinated and fairly healthy folks, our focus has pivoted towards making the best decisions we can to protect our 10-year-old boy. By doing so, we also know we are taking measures that are actually protecting the rest of the ‘ohana too. 

But what does that look like in practice? Here’s where it gets a bit trickier to actually live that out. These are some of our strategies and stories:

• All those eligible have gotten vaccinated. Again, I’m not saying that this is what’s appropriate or even desired by anyone else. This is just what our ‘ohana chose. And it wasn’t totally an easy decision. My parents got vaccinated as soon as they could. My husband and I…we were a little hesitant. In fact, I’m a bit vaccination weary most of the time. But when it was offered to UH employees, I had to make a pretty quick decision, and based on my own health history, it seemed like the best thing to do. At the time, I didn’t get the vaccine with the idea of protecting my son. It was really to protect me so that I could continue to take care of him. But that was back in March and the conversation and my own clarity have really grown since then. The hardest decision we had to make was whether or not to vaccinate our 14-year-old daughter. Ugh, talk about a stressful situation! On the one hand, we had some doctors telling us to do it. On the other hand, we had some doctors telling us to wait because she’s healthy and can fight if she gets COVID. One of our doctors said that she’s worried about some unknowns with the vaccine for young people in the long run. Let me be clear: I share this here not to scare people away from the vaccine but to be real and recognize that those concerns are out there. We share those concerns, too! At the end of the day, we decided to vaccinate her because it is a layer of protection for her AND if she does get exposed and contracts the virus, it minimizes the possibility of her passing it on to her younger brother. 
• Masks, masks, and masks. I consider our ‘ohana to be a pretty hard-core mask family. We wore masks to visit my dad even when everyone at his house looked at us like we were crazy. We make our kids wear masks to play sports even if none of the other kids are wearing them. We have conversations with our kids constantly about wearing masks where ever they go. I even made them wear two masks for a little while at the end of this past school year. But I’ll be honest, we got a little tired. The constant stares and the “Stop being so nervous, you can take off your mask with us!” comments wore us down. I stopped wearing a mask at my dad’s house and while I would be nervous when someone got close to me without a mask, I wouldn’t say anything. But with the unprecedented rise in numbers lately, we realized we had to re-focus, not only but especially for our unvaccinated son. So we sat everyone down in our house and we said, “We don’t care who it is. If you are around someone outside of our household, you WILL WEAR A MASK.” That includes when you go see Tutu or Grandpa or any of your uncles or aunties. At the same time, I had to reach out to my mom, my dad, and the few families that we spend time with and tell them, “Please don’t take this personally, but we are going to wear masks every time we see you and we would appreciate it if you do the same. Please know this has nothing to do with us trusting you or you trusting us. We just don’t know if we are carrying any germs and don’t want to make you sick and we still have an unvaccinated child in our house, so we really need to protect him. None of us vaccinated people want to take the risk of getting sick either.” Those initial conversations were a little uncomfortable. But the more consistent we’ve been, the easier it has gotten for everyone involved. And honestly, everyone benefits. 
• Keeping our distance. Let’s be clear: I’m a hugger. I have a REALLY hard time not hugging someone when I first see them. The other day I saw my uncle – like my best friend’s dad who helped raise me – and I was so excited that I ran up and hugged him. I had my mask on and so did he. But after he left, my husband said, “Hello! You can’t just run up and hug people. You know Uncle has some health conditions. You should have asked if he was okay with a hug first.” And while I hate to admit that my husband is ever right, he totally was. 😭  The distance thing became extra real for us a couple of weeks ago when someone who sat next to my daughter without a mask on for over 15 minutes tested positive a few days later. We are so happy that she had her mask on, but it was a real scare: Rush to get testing. Canceled her small birthday gathering. It was a scary day! That experience reminded us how important distance is, especially if someone isn’t masked. And with this delta variant, we know that it can get through even vaccinated folks. So again, for our family, we are keeping our distance because what if we are too close to someone for too long of a time and we pass the virus on to our son? We donʻt want to take that risk.
• Conversations. The last thing I’ll say is that conversations matter. That has been a thread through all of this. My husband and I have had to steal moments (all of you with kids know how few moments there are to actually have a convo with your partner) to pause and consider and strategize. We’ve had to have serious and even uncomfortable conversations with my mom and dad: “Please don’t take this personally, but you have to put a mask on when you see your grandchildren.” And we’ve also had to have a lot of conversations with our kids. We’ve even had to practice with them so they know what to do/say when we aren’t there: “Kids, if someone comes up to you without a mask on, what can you do or say?” And even at work I’ve had tons of conversations with my team and even in leadership meetings. I want them to know my realities and I want to hear about theirs. That way we can figure out together the best strategies to keep everyone healthy, especially all our keiki. 

I hope this sharing of stories is helpful for at least one of you. That will make me happy. Finally, again, in no way am I trying to say that my way is the only way. I just think that if perhaps more of us can share stories and strategies, the more we can work together to do what we can to get these numbers down and keep our keiki safe. 

If you aren’t familiar with the word keiki, check it out this week! 

Aloha nui,

punihei 

Aloha kākou,

Wow, what a week and weekend! Do any of you feel that way?

There are so many stories I could share but I think they can all be summed up in the idea of self-care. I was reminded this past week that self-care looks different depending on so much including but not limited to the people involved as well as the context and environment. The young people at Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking in their Mental Wellness Reel Camp for Girls last week reminded me that self-care is about standing up for yourself and saying “real friends don’t mistreat and bully people.” They also reminded me that self-care is about dancing when the music moves you, laughing loud and often, and taking breaks when necessary. So true, right?!

I was also reminded in different situations last week that self-care is also about saying “Please put your mask on and give me some space” and in another situation “Don’t erase me.” 

I guess self-care has a lot to do with setting boundaries. But it seems that to set boundaries we need to be in tune with what we need and love ourselves enough to courageously care for ourselves in systems and environments that often don’t support that. And maybe – just maybe – when more of us fearlessly practice and model self-care, we can transform those systems.

Mahalo to all those who practice and teach us self-care in both unique and similar ways.

For our hua‘ōlelo ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i this week check out mālama.

And lastly, please keep your masks on and stay safe!

Aloha nui,

punihei 

May 31 – June 6

Aloha kākou,

I apologize that this is coming out on the second day of the workweek instead of the first.

I spent yesterday helping to shoot a commercial about UHM that will air during Merrie Monarch and I just couldnʻt finish this email in the few spare moments I had. But that was also a blessing in disguise because it helped me to clarify what short thought I might be able to share this week.

The picture above is a centerpiece on a table at a small in-person baby shower I helped organize this weekend for a dear friend. I’m the party person who helps to organize logistics, but not the person who makes things beautiful. There were other ladies who led that part and did such an exquisite job. You know, the kind of people who can take an empty yard and turn it into a magical space of celebration. Yeah, that’s not me. But I have SUCH an appreciation for it! And so I was going to write to you all about how impactful and special and memorable spaces and experiences are when we take the time to make them beautiful (and I donʻt mean expensive beautiful, but just intentionally well put together in ways that invite love and happiness).

But after yesterday’s shot spent with wonderful people who love Hawai‘i and reflect Hawai‘i in some unique yet similar ways, I want to take a moment here to celebrate some of the beautiful things about this place that I think have deep roots in long-held values:

• Never come empty-handed. I gave a colleague a ride and though it was not necessary at all, she packed me a small bag of snacks to say “thank you.”
• Work hard and help out. We were a small team yesterday with quite a number of moving parts. We all helped out, nobody complained, and we all cheered each other on.
• Relationships matter. Each of the people who showed up yesterday to be talent in the commercial made time in their busy schedules because we have pilina. I don’t take that lightly. That means a lot to me and I know it is my kuleana to answer their calls as well. Sometimes this type of pilina gets mistaken for a one-to-one exchange or even some type of political investment. But it’s not. Instead, it is what I’ve heard my mom refer to as “hā’awi wale me ke aloha” (to give freely out of aloha), confident that it will come back in reciprocity but also not having to make some sort of contract about it. The pilina is instead what binds us.

These are just some of the things I witnessed over the past couple of days that reminded me of the beauty of this place. Of course, the ‘āina itself is also gorgeous: the Ko‘olau mountains, Kāne‘ohe Bay where I spent some time this weekend, Kānewai Lo‘i that is cared for so well, and even so many spaces throughout our campus that are like no other. I’m grateful that I get to work with all of you to uplift these pieces of Hawai‘i as we seek to find ways to take better care of one another and our island home.

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 24 – May 30

Aloha kākou,

Whew! What a weekend! I think there was a lot of energy in the air for a number of reasons, including graduation and other exciting events. A huge congratulations to all those who graduated and all those who supported folks towards graduation!  

I had a ton of things going on this weekend; some expected and some not expected. One of the many lessons I was reminded of is how important teams are. The following situations helped me remember that: 

• When things fell apart and the show needed to go on, life was made so much easier having a team to fall back on.
• When I needed perspective, it was sooo good to have a team to bring diverse hearts and minds.
• When things got scary for others, I was so happy that I could reach out my hand.
• When it was time to celebrate, it felt good to do it with others.

These are just a few instances this weekend that reminded me of the power of teams, partners, and friends. In this work we are doing to create a NH place of learning, end racism and other forms of oppression, bring healing and transformation to our spaces, and speak our truths, it is indeed important that we do not do it alone. In fact, it is impossible to do it alone. So today I celebrate the amazing teams out there who work together, support one another and bring honest and loving perspectives to all that they do. Let’s at some point pause this week and say mahalo to those peeps who link arms with us in all the good work we are doing. And of course, mahalo to all the teams that make all the events and opportunities possible this week!

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson, let’s learn the word hui. 

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 17 – May 23

Aloha mai kākou,

Happy graduation to all the graduates and all those who supported students on their journey to graduation!

My neighbor is among those who earned BA degrees from UH Mānoa this weekend. She had a drive-by event with aunties and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, friends, and neighbors coming by to celebrate her achievement. She comes from a humble home. Her parents did backflips to send her to both high school and college, always sacrificing so much for her education. They were both beaming with pride this weekend and it was just really beautiful to see.

As I thought about my neighbor and all the other students who graduated, I thought back to my own educational journey and some of my reflections that guide my work today. Several years ago I was invited to give a talk about “student success.” As I reflected, on the one hand, I was a very “successful” student. I earned nearly straight As from BA through Ph.D. I was also a Native Hawaiian female with a Ph.D. All good and impressive things. While I am proud of my accomplishments, I started to reflect on what those degrees meant in different situations. For example, could I feed my children from the earth rather than from the grocery store? Did I know how to do my part in slowing down carbon dioxide emissions? Do I know how to support love and kindness in communities? Do I have the skills to utilize ‘ike Hawai‘i to guide my kuleana? As I thought about the ideal future I want to help create for my children and grandchildren, I realized the ways my formal educational experiences have prepared me and not prepared me in different areas.

While these reflections help me recognize some of the gaps in formal education, they also allow me to see bright spots in what currently exists and help me to imagine what could exist in the future. This is why I care so deeply about how UH Mānoa can embrace, re-ground, and head towards truth, racial healing, and transformation as well as mālama and aloha ‘āina: because I have hope that one day (sooner than later) those values and principles can shape each of our students so that they graduate knowing how to feed and take care of one another and the earth in much more sustainable, abundant, caring, and just ways rooted in ‘ike kūpuna. I know we have tons of work to get there and that’s why my commitment is unwavering. My mahalo to each of you who do this work every day and are leading lights for all of us!

In thinking about the future and those who will be graduating before we know it, for our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson: ‘O _______ ka‘u kaikamahine (_______ is my daughter).

Aloha nui,

punihei

May 10 – May 16

Aloha kākou,

I hope you all had some time to celebrate the mothers and mother figures in your lives this weekend. Every time I pause to reflect on my mom and grandma and other influential women in my life, I’m always amazed by something new I discover about their strength, love, and resilience. Indeed, that reflection is so necessary as I strive to embody those qualities for my own children and communities.

I had another gift of focused reflection time last week in our Aloha ‘Āina Fridays programming with Nōweo Kai. She took us to a small garden in St John’s Building in the ‘ili of Kauwala‘a. There Nōweo invited us to pick a plant and spend some kilo time with that plant. She asked us to consider: What does it feel like? Smell like? Sound like in the wind? Why might it look the way it looks? As we reflected on these and other questions and even sketch the plant from our chosen perspective, I had the time to reflect on the practice of kilo itself. I was reminded how we need to slow down and pay attention in order to kilo. I realized that as I sat with my plant, I had the ability to notice finer (and important) details that I would have missed had I just been passing by. I notice now that I remember more about the plant because I took just a little extra time to get to know her. I think these are such gifts.

As we finish up the semester and transition to summer – whatever that might mean for each of us – I hope we take some time to slow down and kilo. Whether we take the time to pay attention to ourselves and our bodies, to each other, and/or to ‘āina, I think there are many gifts to be found in those times of paying attention and reflecting on what we discover. Importantly, I think that this time to slow down will help us be even stronger agents of strength, love, and resilience; those qualities taught to us by our mothers and mother figures in our lives.

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson for the week, I share: ‘O ________ ko‘u kupunawahine (_____________ is my grandmother).

Aloha,

Punihei

May 3 – May 9

Aloha mai kākou,

I don’t know about all of you but I just needed some extra rest this weekend. I was crawling to Friday afternoon and worried that I wouldn’t make it to the finish line.

As I start this week, I could frame it in a couple of different ways. On the one hand, I could say that it is off to a rough start with multiple challenges in various spheres of my life. On the other hand, I could say that my week is starting with multiple opportunities for reflection, slowing down, prioritizing, and deep breathing. The ducks in the photo above are a great example of this duality. The photo was taken last week as I picked my children up from school. We were rushing off to get my son to baseball practice on time and lo and behold a team of ducks walked out in front of our car and ever so slowly waddled across the street. Woosaa!

Of course, my children thought it was hilarious. I could have looked at the situation with irritation (which I sometimes do), but instead, I just laughed, put the car in park, and got out to take a photo. I often refer to these entities as ‘angels of patience: ducks or people or whatever else that provide me the opportunity to slow down and take a breath. These angels are actually everywhere.

In the work of healing from racism and other forms of oppression, helping UHM to become a NH place of learning, and working hard on a ton of other things each day, there are so many opportunities to become overwhelmed. I’ve been working hard, though, on looking for the invitation and opportunity to see those difficult moments as gifts; as moments to glean beautiful lessons about life. I’m not perfect at it by any means. But if this strategy sounds helpful to you, join me! I can always use the company. (:

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson this week, I share: “‘O ______ ke kai” (_______ is the sea).

Mahalo for all the wonderful people who make the events and opportunities listed here come to fruition.

Aloha nui,
punihei

April 26 – May 2

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope all of you got outside during yesterday’s beautiful weather. As soon as I woke up in the morning I looked at my husband and said, “Let’s go to the beach!” We only really go to one beach, which is Ka‘a‘awa Beach where I grew up. When I was a girl, the beach was lined with coconut trees and kamani trees. Kamani were my favorite to climb and take naps under. Most of those trees are dead now, as the one in the picture above. Much of the road is also collapsing as higher and higher tides come in with more regularity.

As I was sitting on the beach next to that coconut tree watching my children swim and enjoy their childhood, I was reminded of the work of Dr. Chip Fletcher (and many others) warning us of how much we need to do very quickly in order that the next generation will have any beach left. 

While I was thinking of Chip, I was also thinking of all the people who once lived in Ka‘a‘awa four, five, six, and more generations ago and I was trying to imagine all their intelligence in the ways they took care of each other and that ‘āina. I was wondering what we can learn from them even though they are no longer with us to guide us to take better care of our island home. At the heart of that care is definitely mālama ‘āina and aloha ‘āina, philosophies and practices that are so hard to translate into English. Ultimately, though, they are intimate relationships of love and reciprocity and commitment between kanaka and ‘āina and they are ways of living that I yearn to return to for the health and well-being of our human and non-human relatives. I am convinced that mālama ‘āina and aloha ‘āina are the most important things that we can focus on as individuals and collectives and I mahalo all of you who help me to learn more about how to do this well every day.

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson this week I share: ‘O ______ ka moku (_________ is the moku). Moku refers to the larger land divisions that ahupua‘a sit in. Visit this siteto learn more about what moku you live or work in. Knowing our ahupua‘a and moku is a first step to building a relationship with that ‘āina. I invite you to do so. 

Aloha nui,

punihei

Here’s an audio sample of this week’s ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi lesson, “ ʻO Kona ka moku”

April 19 – April 25

Aloha mai kākou,

I hope all of you got outside during yesterday’s beautiful weather. As soon as I woke up in the morning I looked at my husband and said, “Let’s go to the beach!” We only really go to one beach, which is Ka‘a‘awa Beach where I grew up. When I was a girl, the beach was lined with coconut trees and kamani trees. Kamani were my favorite to climb and take naps under. Most of those trees are dead now, as the one in the picture above. Much of the road is also collapsing as higher and higher tides come in with more regularity.

As I was sitting on the beach next to that coconut tree watching my children swim and enjoy their childhood, I was reminded of the work of Dr. Chip Fletcher (and many others) warning us of how much we need to do very quickly in order that the next generation will have any beach left. 

While I was thinking of Chip, I was also thinking of all the people who once lived in Ka‘a‘awa four, five, six, and more generations ago and I was trying to imagine all their intelligence in the ways they took care of each other and that ‘āina. I was wondering what we can learn from them even though they are no longer with us to guide us to take better care of our island home. At the heart of that care is definitely mālama ‘āina and aloha ‘āina, philosophies and practices that are so hard to translate into English. Ultimately, though, they are intimate relationships of love and reciprocity and commitment between kanaka and ‘āina and they are ways of living that I yearn to return to for the health and well-being of our human and non-human relatives. I am convinced that mālama ‘āina and aloha ‘āina are the most important things that we can focus on as individuals and collectives and I mahalo all of you who help me to learn more about how to do this well every day.

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson this week I share: ‘O ______ ka moku (_________ is the moku). Moku refers to the larger land divisions that ahupua‘a sit in. Visit this siteto learn more about what moku you live or work in. Knowing our ahupua‘a and moku is a first step to building a relationship with that ‘āina. I invite you to do so. 

Aloha nui,

punihei

Here’s an audio sample of this week’s ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi lesson, “ʻO Kona ka moku”.

April 12 – April 18

Aloha mai kākou,

So, going from 3-day weekends back to a 2-day weekend was a little rough for me. How about you???

I did get a lovely surprise yesterday in that one of my friends announced that he is walking 40 miles with his wahine to celebrate his 40th birthday. So when they got close to my house, I walked the last 2 miles until they reached the house they would be sleeping in before starting again this morning. While I walk a lot near where I live, I don’t walk in the direction they were headed so it was lovely to get to know that ‘āina on foot. We chatted and caught up and took photos along the way. Taking time to be on this little stretch along Kamehameha Highway was such a nice way to slow down (albeit a little scary with the narrow pathway) and appreciate things that I usually quickly drive by. One of those things was this gorgeous view of Kāne‘ohe Bay and Mōkapu in the distance during the time called ahiahi.

All of this also made me think about the interest in land acknowledgments and introducing ourselves to ‘āina while also taking the time to let ‘āina introduce herself to us. I have TONS more to learn about He‘eia, the ‘āina where I live, and yesterdayʻs walk reminded me that that means taking the intentional time to get to know her (because when I usually walk I’m walking for speed/exercise rather than to build a relationship…eek!).

While I’m not suggesting anyone do a 4-day 40-mile walk, let’s continue to support one another in the ways we connect with ‘āina both in our personal lives and also in our professional work. And mahalo piha for all the opportunities and events listed this week that help us do that!

Finally, for our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson this week: ‘O ______ ke ahupua‘a (______ is the ahupua‘a). This is a way to introduce the ahupua‘a being recognized. Have fun and donʻt forget to practice 100 times! (:

aloha nui,

punihei

Here’s an audio sample of this week’s ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi lesson, ” ʻO Waikīkī ke ahupuaʻa”.

April 5 – April 11

Aloha kākou,

Oh three day weekends, please don’t end! Every morning this weekend was cold and rainy and total stay-in-bed weather. It was also great cleaning house weather. My children were less appreciative of that one, though. (: In any case, I hope you all got some well-deserved rest.

Last week for our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson I shared “Pehea ‘oe?” which gets translated as “How are you?” and this week I promised to share how to answer it. Simply, the answer is “Maika‘i au” (I am good). The underlined part can be replaced with any adjective you find appropriate. Two great online resources include: 

Wehewehe

Wehewehe Wikiwiki

While on the one hand, this is such a simple question, it’s so much more, isn’t it? I don’t know about all of you, but I find it easy enough to say “Maika‘i au” or “I’m good” without really checking in with my heart or body. In the work we do, whether it is moving UHM towards becoming a NH place of learning, striving to aloha ‘āina amidst systems that make it difficult to do so, healing folks from oppression, finishing a term paper, or anything else in between that often requires resilience and love and strength, the honest truth of how we are doing is almost always much more than just “fine.” This makes me think about the time and space we might want to create when we ask “Pehea ‘oe?” so that the respondent might be able to give an honest answer. In all this hard work we do, the time we take to take care of one another by asking intentionally, responding honestly, and listening deeply might be part of the solution we are working so hard for. 

Mahalo for all that goes into the events & opportunities listed for this week and in the upcoming weeks! Oh, and yes, we purposefully added an image up top. We’ve been yearning for something visual that connects us to ‘āina, to Mānoa, and to each other. Hope you like it.

Aloha nui,

punihei

Here’s an audio sample of this week’s ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi lesson, “Maikaʻi au”.

March 29 – April 4

Aloha kākou,

Raise your hand if you agree that three-day weekends are the best. It just feels more balanced, right?! I DO hope that you snuck in a little something extra like extra naps or walks or snuggles with your loved ones.

I did a bunch of snuggling with my daughter as she rides the teenage rollercoaster. As I was laying with her one night I was reminding her that some of how we feel is highly dependent on how we take care of our bodies: what we eat, how much sleep we get, and how much we exercise. I reminded her that if we do all those things, we are better prepared to face the external challenges that come our way. As I said these words out loud, it was also a good reminder for me. You see, starting in January our family cut out all refined sugar and gluten. I also work hard to get in some yoga, a short workout, and a walk every day. But between spring break and two birthdays in one week in our house, we fell off track a little bit. And boy did I feel it! I was more tired, more easily agitated, and just felt more junk in general. And as I described to my dad, “I felt junk about feeling junk.” My daughter agreed that feeling junk is so junk!

All of us are carrying a lot and meeting tons of challenges every day. Whether we are working to make UHM a NH place of learning, healing from racism and other isms, supporting folks through COVID, or even just trying to make it through the semester, how we meet those challenges has so much to do with how we are taking care of our bodies. So this is just a little encouragement to take the time to do what you need to do to take care of yourself so you can continue to do your amazing work. And of course, a special shout out to all the awesome opportunities and events below that help us to take care of ourselves, each other, and ‘āina. 

Two last notes:

We created a calendar on our officeʻs website where you can connect events listed in this email to your calendar. Check out the calendar here (you need to scroll down just a bit).

For our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson for the week, I introduce the question: Pehea ‘oe? (How are you?) Next week Iʻll show you how to answer. This week, just practice asking the question 100 times. 🙂

Aloha,

punihei

March 22 – March 28 

Aloha Alo-Piko-o-Wākea iā kākou,

I hope you all got some form of rest last week. I snuck one nap in on Sunday but I think my body is needing more!

As we were wrapping up our spring break on Saturday, my mom popped her head into our living room and excitedly said “Aloha Alo-Piko-o-Wākea!” to mark the beginning of spring equinox. For our family, we embrace this moment because it marks the birth of our son; one of his names honors his entrance into the world during this special time. But in addition to this being my son’s birthday, my mom reminded us that this is a time to be intentional, to focus our thoughts on our goals, and to plan how we are going to get there.

Throughout spring break one of the things I had the privilege of doing is co-teaching and facilitating in a Racial Justice Film Camp with Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking. In relation to this idea of setting our intentions, one of the exercises we did with the participants was to ask them to close their eyes and imagine their world without racism. Some of them ended up making 60 second short films about their visions. Needless to say, their films were AMAZING! So I thought I’d share that exercise with all of you during this time of goal setting and intentionality:

I invite you to take a few moments, perhaps close your eyes, and imagine your community when all the forms of oppression are gone. Another way to think about this, as Dr. Gail Christopher reminds us, is to imagine the future you want for your children and grandchildren. It might be helpful to envision your family or the grocery store or your school or going out to a restaurant or maybe even a walk through your neighborhood. What does it look, sound, feel, and maybe even taste and smell like? After you’ve envisioned it for a few moments, I invite you to jot some notes down or maybe even draw what you saw (or make a film if you are so bold!). Be specific if you can. And then share your vision and find others who feel connected to it. And then work towards it every day. That work is the gift of this time.

Of course, so much of what is listed below can also help us have bold visions and give us tools to make those visions a reality. Mahalo for all these gifts!

Finally, for our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i lesson of the week, we learn to ask: “‘O wai kou makuakāne?” (Who is your father?).

Aloha nui,
punihei

March 15 – March 21

Aloha mai kākou,

I know for many of you it is spring break and so I hope you are getting some time to rest, exercise, and take care of yourselves. And even for those of us who are working through spring break, let’s make sure we are mindful about our health as well.

Part of my spring break work includes doing some guest teaching/facilitating in a Racial Justice film camp with Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking. It was such a gift for me to be with intelligent, articulate, compassionate, and honest young people. On the one hand, being with them reminded me of why I do what I do – in partnership with so many of you – at UH Mānoa: to shape a campus that will embrace, celebrate, and foster the brilliance of these young people. I’m going to be honest, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the obstacles that stand in our way to get to that ideal, loving, Hawaiian-grounded campus of truth, healing, and transformation. Sometimes the institutional racism, sexism, and ageism (among other forms of oppression) in certain spaces just feels like too much. For example, this weekend I had to explain why mansplaining is a thing and why it is inappropriate.

Woosah…deep breaths.

On the other hand, being with these young people today reminded me of some advice a mentor of mine shared about fostering someone’s brilliance. He said, “The best thing we can do is get out of their way and let them do their thing.” The young people also inspired me to think about how we can get out of their way and let them do THEIR thing. In reflection, we need to do both. We need to create nourishing environments so that they can do their brilliant things with support and encouragement. As you can tell, they were the boost of energy I needed! And of course, mahalo for all that you do for young people and mahalo to all who make the events below a reality!

And finally, for our ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i moment for the week, to introduce your father: ‘O _______ ko‘u makuakāne (My father is ________). The attached recording says “‘O James Anthony ko‘u makuakāne” (My father is James Anthony). Don’t forget to practice 100 times!

Aloha nui,
Punihei