Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 4, 1 April 2022 — Proclamation acknowledges the critical role of seaweed in Hawai'i's culture and environment [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Proclamation acknowledges the critical role of seaweed in Hawai'i's culture and environment

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By Kim Kamalu'okeakua Moa "Ah, an ipJfcāt&A <# hecdlky eeM^ēm^, (v bx mcaiy hpeem^, eaiā a , omnāeh&i bēVweeri ma , uho, o/i tho upianeh, anāmnkai, thoeoean, lirmihaA,tho prMhtial tn teaxh hn mneh ahaūt tho heallh of tho plaeeA, w& iivo" - MALIA HEIMULI Heimuli is the Limu Hui Coordinator at Kua'āina Ulu 'Auamo (KUA), a loeal nonprofit coordinating the "Year of the Limu" initiative, a statewide effort created by the Limu Hui network to raise awareness about the importance of limu to Hawai'i's cultural identity and the heahh of our nearshore marine environment. Limu is Life "Throughout the world, especially near coastal regions, algae are fundamental," said Ryan Okano, program manager with the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). "As a food source, it seems that mainstream American culture is discovering something that Indigenous coastal communities have known for centuries." In Hawai'i, limu is both food and medicine. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, limu was onee the third most important component of the Hawaiian diet along with fish and poi. In addition to its uses in religious ceremony, limu is also used by lapa'au (healing) practitioners to treat a wide range of ailments from small cuts and scrapes to respiratory and alimentary problems. The base of the marine food ehain and an important habitat for marine creatures, limu also plays a critical role in marine habitats, one summed up by the phrase "no limu, no fish." Unfortunately, the loss of native limu runs hand-in-hand with the loss of Hawaiian cultural practice, generational ancestral knowledge and spiritual identity. While traditional limu knowledge and practice endures - held primarily by kūpuna in rural communities - the ability to maintain these practices and pass on this 'ike is hampered by the decreasing abundance of this onee plentiful resource. Urban development, improper harvesting, climate change and other pressures affect limu abundance. The work to reverse this co-extinction process and restore the ancestral abundance of limu knowledge and practice throughout the paeaina is part of a growing loeal movement. The Limu Hui was created in 2014 at the request of kūpuna who gather and care for native Hawaiian limu around the islands. Hosted by 'Ewa Limu Project, the focus of that initiative was to "gather the gatherers" and identify loea limu (limu experts) in our communities who still retain knowledge of, and practice, the many traditional Hawaiian uses of limu.

uYear of the Limu" "Ihe goal of the 'Year of the Limu' is to recapture, retain, share and preserve traditional 'ike about limu for the benefit of the people of Hawai'i and all those who love our island home," said Heimuli. In a resolution proposed by members of the Limu Hui network during the 2021 state legislative session, legislators were called on to designate 2022 as the "Year of the Limu." Although the resolution stalled, community members and limu advocates, with the help of KUA and DAR, petitioned Gov. David Ige to make the designation through executive order. Signed by Ige on January 28, the "Year of the Limu" proclamation acknowledges the work of late loea limu such as Henry Chang Wo, Jr. of 'Ewa Limu Project and the "First Lady of Limu," Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott, and organizations such as KUA, the Limu Hui, and others who have worked to preserve limu traditions and knowledge. "This proclamation afhrms that the State of Hawai'i recognizes the importance of our work as limu advocates and limu educators in passing on traditional ecological limu knowledge to make our home a better plaee for future generations," said Wally Ito, who along with "Unele Henry" was one of the founders of the Limu Hui in 2014 and eontinues to carry on the work of 'Ewa Limu Project today.

KUA and the Limu Hui will be working with DAR and other community and organizational partners across the pae aina to plan and promote a variety of monthly Community Limu Events throughout the year where folks ean connect with limu practitioners, and share limu stories, memories and living limu traditions. "We are excited to celebrate and showcase the collective efforts of limu practitioners, community stewards and limu advocates across Hawai'i," said Heimuli. The year-long designation will bring together partners, families, friends, residents, and visitors around mālama aina (environmental stewardship) workdays, invasive limu

clean-ups, limu plantings, educational shoreline walks, "show-and-tell" events, and workshops on limu pressing and cooking that seek to raise interest in limu as an important facet of our environment and communities. Limu Hui members have also submitted another resolution this legislative session calling for the designation of limu kala as the State Limu. Known colloquially as "the forgiveness limu" because of its use in the conflict resolution process of ho'oponopono and in the protection of oeean voyagers, limu kala is seasonally abundant and commonly found in many intertidal and subtidal habitats, including tidepools and reef flats in areas with moderate to high wave action. Heimuli notes that it is just one example of the significant role limu plays in Hawai'i lifeways. "Through this effort, we hope to teach folks not just about the use and importance of limu, but how to harvest properly and how mueh we should be taking for consumption." In addition to the activities planned for 2022, KUA has also partnered with the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program (UH Sea Grant) to republish Ihe Limu Eater by Heather J. Fortner. First published in 1978 and scheduled for re-release in July 2022, this classic puhlieation includes oral histories, recipes, and information on cultural uses of limu in Hawai'i. "We have been so fortunate to collaborate with people for over 50 years whose passion and commitment center on the intimate connections between land, oeean, and people - including our friends and partners at KUA," said Dr. Darren Lerner, director of UH Sea Grant. "Reprinting The Limu Eater in partnership with KUA is particularly meaningful this year, as it marks both the 'Year of the Limu' and Hawai'i Sea Grant's 50th anniversary. We are thrilled to share the mo'olelo and importance of limu, as well as delicious recipes, in this unique publication." Heimuli also sees the "Year of the Limu" as an opportunity to continue the work of "Gathering the Gatherers." During the coming year, KUA plans to safely connect Limu Hui members to eaeh other through small interisland exchanges and virtual programs that nurture productive spaces for growth and pilina (connection) and promote deeper knowledge sharing of limu practices, stories, and lessons learned. Ito, who retired as Limu Hui Coordinator at the end of 2021 and organized annual gatherings of the Limu Hui prior to the pandemic agrees that these types of gatherings are important in creating the safe spaces needed to preserve 'ike and raise the next generation of limu practitioners. Since their first gathering, Ito noted that the network has grown to include over 50 cultural practitioners, educators, researchers and community members from across Hawai'i who are committed to the protection, perpetuation, preservation and restoration of limu knowledge, practice and ancestral abundance of limu throughout our islands. ■ For more updates or info about the Limu Hui or "Year ofthe Limu" activities, follow KUA on lnstagram or Facebook or visit www.kuahawaii.org. Kim Kamalu okeakua Moa is an 0'ahu-based documentary photographer and photojournalist with a passion for social justice and visual storytelling through an lndigenous lens. She has been the communications coordinator at Kuaāina Ulu 'Auamo since 2015.

Wūlly lto (standing) of 'Ewo Limu Project corries on the work of Unele Henry Chong Wo, Jr. (his picture is in the foreground) through limu outreoch ond educotionol "show-ond-tell" events.

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