Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 11, 1 November 2021 — Miloli'i Family Ties and Traditions of Care Run Deep and Wide [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Miloli'i Family Ties and Traditions of Care Run Deep and Wide

By U'ilani Naipo Miloli'i families have ties all along the South Kona coast of Hawai'i. Historically referred to as the Kapalilua area - the area of the two pali (cliffs) - and in some oral history accounts as the region all the way to South Point. The names of the ko'a (fishing grounds) and landmarks are not widely shared but passed down from generation to generation along with the practices to mālama. This speaks to the true intimate relationship we have with our aina and our legacy ko'a. Our genealogy ties us to these areas but also to our kuleana to mālama 'āina - to care for that whieh feeds. Today, we are able to exercise this kuleana through shared stewardship of the Miloli'i Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA). In August 2021, the lineal descendants of Miloli'i and the loeal nonprofit Kalanihale submitted a marine management plan proposal to DLNR's Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). The plan includes proposed rules and boundaries for the Miloli'i CBSFA, whieh was designated in 2005 but currently has no established rules. Since submitting its proposal to DAR, we have been connecting with fishers and oeean users to gather feedback and comments. The proposed rules and boundaries include a mixture of gear restrictions, bag limits and seasonal closures developed through consultation with 'ohana and fishers of Miloli'i and the surrounding areas. They integrate findings from both traditional and modern marine biological surveys, along with years of kilo - the traditional practice of observation - and are designed to protect 10 fish groups that have been depleted or were identified as vulnerable species important to the subsistence and livelihood of our community. Our kuleana to mālama 'āina has no borders In 1862 and 1865, my great-great-grandfather, Kaluaihalawa, wrote in Ka Nūpepa Kūoko'a under the name "Luna Mālama 'Āina" admonishing fishers of the area to mind the rights of the konohiki (traditional land manager). This is the earliest documentation and testimony to the practice of stewardship within our family for the areas within our proposed management zones. Known as one of the last traditional fishing villages, Miloli'i is storied for its opelu. It is one of the few Hawaiian fishing communities that still hānai i'a (feeds fish) at our ko'a opelu. As detailed in oral histories collected by Kepā and Onaona Maly, hanai opelu began by preparing the palu, grating kalo and pala'ai (squash), in the pre-dawn hours. When we go to sleep, just as our keiki sleep soundly in the next room, our ko'a sleep in the other room - along our coastline. The ko'a 'ōpelu, like our keiki, need rest. That's when kapu is placed on them. Our kuleana is to feed them during this rest period.

Kilo, or observotion, is an integral part of pono 'ōino and marine management. Here Loilo Kaupu practices traditionol kilo of the oeean off of Miloli'i. - Photos: Kaimi Kaupiko

Continuing the traditional practices of opelu fishing is I the legacy of our kūpuna. We honor them in the proposed rules for our tra- I ditional opelu management zone. From Nāpōhakuloloa to Kapu'a, we propose • seasonal closures for opelu ' from February to August, 1

while still permitting harvest by hook and line. We also support the existing state law prohibiting "ehop-ehop" - meat-based ehum - to minimize predators. The rules proposed in the four types of management zones are designed to protect traditional and customary practices while also sustaining healthy conditions in these areas to promote replenishable fish stocks. Our Pāku'iku'i Rest Area ffom Makahiki point to Honomalino seeks to preserve pāku'iku'i, a favored fish rarely seen today. Our kūpuna vividly recall stories of the depletion of pāku'iku'i from the nearshore areas. We also propose gear restrictions in several Pu'uhonua zones, whieh were strategically identified based on loeations of ko'a and the convergence of nutrient rich Kona and Ka u currents, as derived from kūpuna mo'olelo, traditional knowledge, and recent observations and studies. Our Puaai'a Miloli'i zone is our oeean classroom where keiki develop their kinship with the kai, learn about traditional practices and pono harvesting, and heeome like the pua i'a (baby fish) that we nurture in these ko'a. As the community progresses through preliminary scoping and eventually the Chapter 91 process, we are

being asked to propose precise markers for management zones. We understand that as one aspect of co-steward-ship with the State of Hawai'i, but ultimately, we know our kuleana to mālama aina has no borders. By implementing the proposed Miloli'i Marine Management Plan we seek to restore fish abundance, promote lawai'a pono (proper fishing practices) and be a model subsistence-based fishing community. Support for these types of sustainable measures for a healthy oeean, including CBSFA efforts in Kīpahulu, Maui and Mo'omomi, Moloka'i, ensure a better future for our keiki and for all of Hawai'i. ■ For more info on the Miloli'i CBSFA marine management plan, draft proposed rules and management areas, visit www.kalanihale.com/cbsfa. If you would like to provide comments and feedback on the proposed rules please visit this survey and feedbackform. Uilani Naipo is a lineal descendant ofMiloli'i working to maintain the family genealogy ofKānaka 'ohana and 'āina in the area.

An ice breaker before a 2020 community meeting in Miloli'i to share the CBSFA.