Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 8, 1 August 2009 — E ʻIke Hou Iā Lānaʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

E ʻIke Hou Iā Lānaʻi

Cūlette Y. Machadū TrustEE, Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i

This month 's article is written by Mailha Evans, staunch supporter of educating Lāna'i's kei.ki. Serving as Lāna 'i. High and Elementary 's Vice Pri.nci.pal, she has been advocati.ng for Lāna'i's youth for decades. This montli she updates our readers about Papa Alaka 'i 2009. Papa Alaka'i 2009, "E 'Ike Hou Iā Lāna'i" (To Know Lāna'i Onee Again), was sponsored by Nā Pua No'eau and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. This summer our haumāna, through their character and actions, embraced and actively accepted responsibility for the 'āina through thoughts and actions. This unique NPN and OHA partnership with Lāna'i High and Elementary School and the Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center (LCHC) built on last year's experience by helping students and staff take an in-depth look at Nāna'i Ka 'Ulahea. Language, culture, hula and chant were integrated with science, mathematics, engineering and technology on a daily basis. Daily assignments included an eclectic mix of activities that found students wholly engaged in the task at hand. Research conducted in the classroom and at the LCHC prepared students for the numerous field experiences on Lāna'i and Hawai'i Island. Early in the program, haumāna attended the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees meeting on Lāna'i, where eaeh of them thanked the trustees and presented testimony on the importance of programs such as Nā Pua No'eau and the LCHC. Oli and hula taught by Unele Kepa Maly inunersed students in nā mea Hawai'i. Haumāna were challenged to practice their skills of observation and conjecture by participating in the artifacts accessioning process. This work eomplemented classroom and field studies as students read and researched several of our kūpuna's

oral histories. Armed with valuable background information and hand-held GPS units, students headed to Keomoku to rediscover the remains of a once-thriving shorehne community. They visited the old sugar mill and saw remnants of boats that crossed from Lāna'i to Lahaina, and the church built for their tūtū. They also participated in a geological field sinvey with professors and students of the Louisiana Universities Marine Options Program. Haumāna took core samples possibly dating back as far as 7,000 years. Their interest in this geomorphological shidy of runoff and sedimentation at Keomoku as a result of human and natural impacts garnered them an invitation to continue working with Dr. Alex Kolker and his colleagues throughout the year. A hike over Lāna'ihale allowed students to practice identification of our native plants. At the Ho'okio Ridge lookout, students chanted and danced Nāna'i. Ka 'Ulahea and Hanohano Lāna'i.. Unele Kepa shared the significance of Ho'okio. At other stops along the way, haumana were able to fully experience the wahi pana they read about in the oral histories. No program would be complete without a field trip to the island of Hawai'i, home of Tūtū Pele and base for Nā Pua No'eau operations. While there, students visited Halema'uma'u where they observed with awe the red glow that emanated in the early morning and late evening hours. Through the great kindness of Friends of the Future and Aunty Ka'iulani Pahio and her granddaughter, Kawena, haumāna joumeyed to and through Waipi'o Valley where they learned how the people of Waipi'o have taken on the active stewardship of their 'āina. It is hoped that their model of stewardship will serve as a guide for Lāna'i's efforts to reopen Maunalei for kalo cultivation. Before heading home, haumāna visited Mrs. Marie McDonald and her daughter Roen in Waimea to learn the process of kapa making. The time was short but all were totally immersed in the many steps necessary to produce the fine kapa of our ancestors. Too soon the time eame to an end, but students remain excited about the prospect of reviving this skill at home. Mahalo to OHA, NPN and the many partners and adult chaperones that helped make this program a reality. ■

LEO 'ELELE ■ TRUSTEE M ESSAG ES KAWAIOLA ĪHE LIVING WATER 0F OHA