The Kū makani commitment
The Kū Makani Commitment
He ‘a‘ali‘i kū makani mai au; ‘a‘ohe makani nāna e kula‘i.
The ‘A‘ali‘i: Our Kumu
He ‘a‘ali‘i kū makani mai au; ‘a‘ohe makani nāna e kūla‘i.
I am a wind-withstanding ‘a‘ali‘i; no wind can topple me over.
The ‘ōlelo no‘eau above describes the ‘a‘ali‘i shrub, a plant revered for its ability to withstand high winds and periods of drought. The ‘a‘ali‘i has long been a model teaching us the value of being rooted, resilient, and responsive.
Our Kū Makani Commitment
Our office is committed to fostering a rooted, resilient, and responsive community that advances UH Mānoa as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning – grounded in aloha ‘āina – so that the sustainable practices deeply rooted in Hawai‘i can live on for the many generations yet to come.
- Rooted. The ‘a‘ali‘i has a taproot that grows deep into Hawai‘i’s soils. Our office creates and connects our UHM communities to opportunities to share and deepen their roots in Native Hawaiian language, knowledges, and values so that they have the tools to contribute to UH Mānoa as a Native Hawaiian place of learning grounded in aloha ‘āina.
- Resilient. The ‘a‘ali‘i utilizes both its challenging and its nourishing environments to grow strong yet flexible. Our office cultivates and celebrates the resilience within our communities so that they are able to contribute to aloha ‘āina and UH Mānoa as a Native Hawaiian place of learning, even in the face of challenge.
- Responsive. Various parts of the ‘a‘ali‘i shrub can be transformed to respond to various community needs: leaves for medicine, wood for weapons and house posts, seeds for dye, and capsules for lei. Our office seeks to inspire and invite our communities to be the beauty, the healing, and the strength needed to advance UH Mānoa as a Native Hawaiian place of learning.