Reflecting back on when I created this blog almost three years ago, I originally created this as a space for me to share, in hopes of creating dialogue, on topics related to health and environmental justice. Fundamental to these topics is my perspective as a kanaka maoli, a mother, and one who was born and raised in Hawaiʻi. I think I also wanted to solidify and sharpen my ability to articulate my values on the importance of aloha ʻāina.
So with that, I wanted to congratulate and mahalo those who contributed to the success of Hōkūle’a’s World-Wide Voyage (“WWV”). Mahalo for all of the time and effort that you put into making the WWV a success! Your success makes me so proud to be a Hawaiian.
Hōkūleʻa docked at Magic Island to celebrate its homecoming.
Part of the mission of this WWV was to spread the message of mālama hōnua, “to care for our Earth,” and that the “natural world is a gift with limits and that we must carefully steward this gift if we are to survive together.” Seeing the Hōkūleʻa accomplish this WWV ignited many different emotions and manaʻo related to mālama hōnua. Nainoa Thompson’s speech at the homecoming still resonates and continues to impact me as I reflect back on his speech. One manaʻo re-affirms how ʻakamai our kūpuna were. It never ceases to amaze me the magnitude and limitless brilliance of our kūpuna. Further, the method in which Hōkūleʻa accomplished this WWV, using nothing but the stars, demonstrates yet another example of why we should always carry and return to ʻike kūpuna.
Building off of the WWV, and now that the Hōkūleʻa has returned home, what’s next? How will this impact our daily lives? I’m not talking about those intimately involved in Hōkūleʻa’s accomplishments. I’m talking about the broader lāhui, Hawaiʻi, and the world as a whole. Specifically for the lāhui and Hawaiʻi, I hope that we will practice mālama hōnua in our daily lives–from recycling, using reusable bags, growing our own food, to even how we care for our most sacred spaces like Maunakea.
For me and my ʻohana, we recycle, use cloth diapers on our babies, and try to live a lifestyle that aligns with mālama hōnua. Although we live in town and do not have any land, we often attend community workdays with various local organizations and support local farmers. But, I know we can do more.
What do you do to mālama hōnua? Share ways that you mālama hōnua so that I may learn ways that we can do these things for me and my ʻohana to ensure our Hawaiʻi, our hōnua, is resourceful for our keiki and seven generations into the future.