Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 6, 1 Iune 2021 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

J 'OLELO A KA POUHANA V ^ MESSAGE FROM THE CEO *

MOLOKA'I N Ō KA HEKE Kia'i (nvt. Guard, watchman, caretaker.)

The first time I visited Moloka'i was in a professional eapaeity. It was the mid-1980s. I had reeently graduated from college and was working as an auditor - part of a team with kuleana to audit the state's network of government-funded community hospitals. We were there to audit Moloka'i General Hospital, whieh actually heeame part of the Queens Heahh System a eouple years later. The firm I worked for was based in Honolulu and had booked our team to stay at the (then) Sheraton Kaluako'i Resort in Maunaloa - some distance ffom the hospital in Kaunakakai. The morning we arrived on Moloka'i we went straight to the hospital to work. With limited options for dining out, our plan was to purchase food and prepare our own dinner and breakfast at the hotel. We left the hospital a bit early to make it to the grocery store whieh closed at 5:00 pm. We divided up the shopping - the guys would piek up their beer and get steaks and potatoes to eook for our dinner, and I would get ffuit and pastries for breakfast. We made our purchases and drove to the hotel. It wasn't until we arrived there that we discovered to our dismay that the guys had left the bag with the steak and potatoes on the grocery counter - although they remembered their beer. My first night on Moloka'i I had a very memorable dinner of pastries and fruit! Since then I have visited Moloka'i many times in various professional capacities, and one of the things that has continually impressed me about the Kānaka Maoli of Moloka'i is how fiercely they guard and protect their 'ohana, mo'omeheu (culture) and aina ffom outsiders who seek to profit from, or impose unwanted changes to, their way of life.

On Moloka'i, with many residents living a more sustainable lifestyle, 'ike kūpuna is not just remembered and practiced, but adapted for contemporary application. Living close to the natural rhythms of the land and sea, kilo (observation) and maka'ala (vigilanee) are valued skills, and the 'ohana there are kia'i (guardians) of their land, lifestyle and people - a model of community advocacy and resilience. In this issue of Ka Wai Ola, we learn about the work of Ahupua'a o Moloka'i's Hānai Ā Ulu Native Crops Project and their efforts to build sustainability and food security for Moloka'i homesteaders. In addition to helping homesteaders start gardens, they have established a limu nursery with an educational component on Moloka'i's south shore.

Also in this issue, four 'Oiwi ffom Moloka'i share their mana'o about the challenges facing their island, a respected Moloka'i

park ranger and storyteller talks about why she and her 'ohan decided to get vaccinated against COVID-19, while OHA eul-

tural specialist Kalani Akana shares famous sayings about Moloka'i. We also present in greater detail the second strategic direction of OHA's new Mana i Mauli Ola strategic plan - Quality Housing. "Me Moloka'i Nui a Hina, 'āina i ka wehiwehi, e ho'i nō au e hili " ■

Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D. Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive 0fficer