Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 4, 1 April 2023 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

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

PĀ MAI KA MAKANI Makani (nvs. Wind, breeze, windy, to blow.)

"'Ope'ope Kohala i ka makani - Kohala is buffeted by the wind." Kohala is a district known for being windy and its famous winds - 'Āpa'apa'a, Apapa, Moa'e and 'Ōlauniu - are recalled in mele, oli and mo'olelo. So it follows that, as a child growing up in windy Kohala, a favorite pastime for us kids was making (and flying) our own kites. We fashioned the rib of our kites with split hamhoo and covered them with newspaper. For the kite tail we would raid the "boroboro" bag filled with rags that my mom kept in the house. Old pillowcases or sheets worked best. We'd cut strips to make our kite tail then fly our kites in the large open lot next to my grandfather s house. I loved the feeling of freedom as I ran across the grass and released my kite up into the air. As the wind caught my kite, I would unroll my string to allow my kite to fly as high as possible and watch in delight as it danced in the sky above me. Of course, if the wind was too strong, or if I did not hold tightly enough to my string, my kite would "buckaloose" (the unoflicial technical term) and end up in a guava tree, a coconut tree, or worse of all - in our neighbor s yard next to their hunting dogs. There is an olelo no'eau about kites and Kohala: "Lele o Kohala me he lupe lā. Kohala soars as a kite." It is an expression of admiration for the leadership demonstrated by the people of Kohala. Indeed, I've long seen kites as a metaphor for good leadership. As a leader, I give people as mueh "string" as they need to carry out their ku-

leana. The string represents their autonomy, and their management of the kite as they release it into the air is indicative of their mastery of the kuleana that they have been entrusted with. I have found that, when allowed to control their own kite string, most people will fly high and soar. I see other leadership imagery when thinking about the wind itself. In eaeh of our lives we will face metaphoric gale-force winds that ean wreck havoc on us personally, professionally, politically or in terms of our prosperity. When we are

buffeted by powerful winds it ean seem impossible to stay upright or

continue moving forward. That is not to say that wind is inherently bad. It is the wind that carries tiny spores and seeds across seemingly lifeless lava fields: seeds that find purchase in rocky crevices and estab- '

lish kīpuka that begin as small clusters of ferns clinging to life, and transform over time into verdant native forests. Whieh brings me back to our foundations. When we are firmly grounded in our 'ohana, mo'omeheu (culture) and aina, and our roots go deep, we are less likely to be uprooted when strong winds blow.

Pa mai ka makani a kupa'a kakou (the wind hlow and we remain steadfast). ■ Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D. Ka Pouhana | Chief Executive Officer