1) To provide meaningful ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and ʻike Hawaiʻi learning opportunities through ʻāina and wahi pana ecosystem based programming for haumāna and ohana in East Hawaiʻi.

2) To provide opportunities for haumāna engagement and launa in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through Hawaiian culture based communities of practice.

 

In the spring of 2023, Hui Hoʻoleimaluō offered five distinct ʻāina based programs at three different wahi pana in Hilo. Papa Loko Iʻa, Mālama Hāloa, and Papa Imu were held at Kaumaui in Keaukaha; Hana Noʻeau was taught at Laehala in Keaukaha; and Papa Holokai was taught at Hilo One.

Each papa created opportunities for keiki to engage in practices associated with that specific place and with the resources that are availble in that specific wahi pana.

For example, Papa Loko Iʻa engaged keiki in the removal of sediment and invasive plants out of the loko wai of Kaumaui, creating a less turbid environment and allowing for greater visibility in the loko wai.

Mālama Hāloa harvested kalo grown at Kaumaui and learned about preparation of kalo through kuʻi kalo twice during the one week long session. The students also engaged in the identification of the Hawaiian varieties of kalo through a huli art activity which was then showcased at the Wailoa Art Center for Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeoʻs art exhibit led by Kumu Iliahi Anthony.

Hilo One provided the Papa Holokai with opportunities to learn the rich history of the Hilo paliku area by engaging the practices of hoe waʻa, the uses of the abundant drift wood in that area, and methods of lashing.

Papa Imu was able to make two imu in just one week. This physically and mentally rigorous program offered our keiki who are entering into young adulthood what it means to be sustainably responsible for the ways in which we prepare and handle food at Kaumaui.

Hana Noʻeau was taught by one of Keaukaha's kaula practitioners, Kawehi Kahanaoi who has been dedicated to teaching our keiki about careful use of plant fibers and the caring of these plants as part of the foundational steps to Hana Noʻeau.

 

Additionally, the videos provided in this report form were documented and prepared by Keaukaha Homestead resident Cody-Fay Alameda who mentored three students from Ka Umeke Kaeo and Nawahiokalaniopuu. Moreover, organic kalo purchased from local farmers was provided for snack everyday.

 

This Papahana provided programs to keiki that are at various levels of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. This was both challenging and productive at the same time for Kumu. The kumu feedback explained that having to teach a specific skill in the practice at the specific site made it easier to teach ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in comparison to inside the classroom because the interpretation of the language became much more transparent when the student had to practice what the language spoke to.

It is often recognized that becuase these practices are traditions of the past on which the language was built that this is where the language becomes most effective in being sustainable. In this sense, we find that not only are students speaking the language or using specific terms but they are living that language and engaging in the sustainable practices of the ʻāina to the extent that was passed down by the original descendants of the wahi pana.