Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 2021 — Fulfilling our Kuleana [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Fulfilling our Kuleana

j HELEOHOU v > A NEW VOICE f~

By La'i Bertelmann, Grade 12, Kanu o ka 'Āina New Century Public School Being raised in Hawai'i and being of Hawaiian ancestry you are given a kuleana. It is to do all you ean for our lāhui, to mālama the plaee that provides for us, and to perpetuate our language, culture and traditions. It's hard to understand the depth of that kuleana as a young child, but as I got older, I realized how great a kuleana it is, and how important it is for me to fulfil it. Throughout my childhood I was taught from two different viewpoints: through a paniolo/ ranching lens, as well as a Hawaiian perspective. I eome from generations of paniolo as well as Kānaka on various ali'i lines, predominantly the Keakealani and Keawe lines. I have a deep connection to both my paniolo heritage and my Hawaiian culture. Being a senior

and trying to figure out how to make an impact in my eommunity while balancing what I am passionate about is very difficult. Like most who are raised in Hawai'i it is very hard for me to consider leaving home and pursuing higher education on the mainland; to consider leaving my family. And yet I realize that such a move will not be permanent, and so that is the very reason 1 have decided to leave home and give it a try for a few years. There are many different outlooks when it comes to pursuing a higher education. Some feel it is better to stay home and go to eollege, while others believe leaving is the only way to succeed. Personally I believe that 'a'ole 'ike i ka hālau ho'okahi - not all knowledge is learned in one plaee. I plan to go to the mainland for two years, learn all I ean, pursue my dreams of doing college rodeo, and eome home to fulfill my kuleana onee the two years are finished. I feel that we have a kuleana to our 'āina and our kūpuna, but we also have one to ourselves: to live, make memories and make the best you ean with the life you are given. This is my way of fulfilling both kuleana to myself and to my kūpuna. ■