Oct 14, 2024
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 | Aloha Hui Members! As we transition into a new season, we're filled with gratitude for the incredible moments we've experienced this past month. Kepakemapa has been marked by wonderful events, including the Eahou Fest, the Makai Watch Training, and a memorable Huaka'i to Maui for our education programs. These opportunities have allowed us to learn, grow, and connect with our community in meaningful ways. We also want to take this moment to shed light on the great work our dedicated team continues to do behind the scenes. In that spirit, we're excited to announce our upcoming Mo'olelo Workshop, where stories and knowledge will be shared to enrich our cultural connection. In addition, we're expanding our team and currently hiring for a new position to continue supporting our mission. Mahalo nui loa for being a part of our Hui and for your continued support and involvement! |
Interested in visiting the Hui? REACH OUT TO US! If you’re interested in volunteering with the Hui either individually or as part of a workday, a community group, or a school group you can fill out this link! Click Here For The Volunteer Form Link! |  |
Eahou Fest
12-14 Kepakemapa 2024
Mahalo to Purple Maiʻa for inviting us to Eahou Fest! Words cannot describe how amazing it was to connect, learn, and engage with amazing like-minded people at this event. Eahou Fest embodied its name with brilliant individuals speaking and engaging on diverse topics, ranging from education to ʻāina back to food sovereignty to innovation, and overall the uplifting of Hawaiʻi communities with progressive action rooted in the Hawaiian Culture.
Two of our Hui Staff, our Assistant Director Billy Kinney and our Executive Support Specialist Sophia Harder-Pua ʻoi, were invited as panelist speakers for this wonderful event. Billy spoke on the panel "#Ainaback: Ahupua’a Restoration with Hāʻena, PKO & NOH," where he shared the history of the Hui, Hāʻena, and the work of our kupuna and current staff that have been working to restore and steward Hāʻena State Park. Sophia spoke on the panel "Digital Creators: Storytelling as our Kāhua for Marketing & Design," where she dove into her experience in the Purple Maiʻa Digital Creators course and how she utilizes storytelling in the social media and creative side of work for the Hui.
Walking away from this event we acknowledge there is still more work to be done, but we are excited to get back into progressing our work in Hāʻena and can’t wait to hear all the wonderful things everyone else will be doing at the next event!
Take a look at this video to see more about the Eahou Fest:
Makai Watch Training
21 Kepakemapa 2024
During our Makai Watch Training, Makai Watch Coordinator Kirk joined us to educate our community and staff on the fishing rules of the Hāʻena CBSFA (Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area), how to identify and report illegal activity and incidents, as well as the importance of these rules. We were joined by so many great people who made this event a day of appreciating and learning more about our oceans and what we can do to protect them.
We were also joined by Kawika Winters and one of his students Aʻaliʻi who spoke to us about his imu research in Hāʻena and their findings on fish abundance in this habitat.
We look forward to growing this program and are grateful for all of the community members who are helping to make it happen.
Take a look at these videos from this training:
Kepakemapa Education
21 Kepakemapa 2024
The school year has started, and we are happy to welcome school groups for field trips in Hāʻena! This month we had visits from Hawaiʻi Tech Academy, Kawaikini Public Charter School, Kauaʻi Waldorf and Island School.
Hāʻena Education School Visits
As we kick-off the school year, we are prioritizing field trips with a select few school groups that will be visiting Hāʻena monthly to contribute to ʻāina-based projects with our organization.
One of these groups consist of, Kawaikini Papa Malaʻo with Kumu Kaʻohu. The adorable Kindergarteners of Kawaikini will be focusing on the Kaheka (tidepool/ intertidal zone) ecosystem for their Hāʻena project this school year. This month we looked at the kaheka of Kēʻē and paid a visit to one of our Hāʻena kiaʻi, Kilioe. In the classroom, the students have been learning Nā Waihoʻolulu (colors) and Nā Kinonoa (shapes), so for their Hāʻena huakaʻi we explored the different kaheka species through the perspective of shapes and colors.
Puʻu Kukui Watershed huakaʻi
Some of our Limahuli Gardens, Hui Makaʻāinana o Makana, and Na Maka Onaona staff got to travel to Maui as participants in the Hoʻākea Mauka to Maka event in Lahaina from16-20 Kepakemapa. On our first day in Maui, we got to take a special visit to Puʻu Kukui led by conservation manager, Kainoa Pestana. We learned about the organization’s kuleana of the West Maui mountains. It was an exciting trip to visit their Wao Akua and see one of the most pristine, undisturbed ecosystems, and hear about the way they manage an entire moku from mauka to makai.
Hoʻākea Festival in Lahaina, Maui
We held an education booth with various activities for students to engage in from Kindergarten to High School. We did an ahupuaʻa mural identification activity where students had to label parts of the ahupuaʻa. Students also were given the opportunity to learn about the chant, Aia i hea ka Wai a Kāne and match up the parts of the water cycle, as well as learn how to make ahuʻawa cordage, and how to build rock wall.
On one of our last days in Maui, we got to visit Honokohau Valley and help harvest kalo at a family loʻi. This was a loʻi that some of our Hāʻena families and staff got to open up back in 2019 at the E Alu Pū gathering in Maui. It was an incredible 5 days in Maui getting to interact with the West Maui communities, support Lahaina, and be a part of the education outreach efforts for Hoʻākea Mauka to Makai event!
Take a look at this video to see more of what has been going on with our education programs:
Kepakemapa Spotlight
 | A Special Mahalo To those who joined us for workday Mahalo to our volunteers who joined us for our community workday on 7 Kepakemapa. As they say, many hands make light work, and this workday exemplified this as our volunteers helped us to clear the weeds in the stream where it leaves our site and enters the ocean. Doing this ensures that our water is able to flow smoothly and we're maintaining the connection from mauka to makai. |
Mark Your Calendar
Stay up to date with the Hui and Check out our Website Calendar
The Hui is excited to announce that we have a workshop coming up!
Interested in learning more about moʻolelo? On 19 ʻOkakopa 2024 our Hui ohana and staff will be diving into the famous stories and place names of Hāʻena and how we utilize and perpetuate them today.
For more information and to register for the Lā ʻOhana: Moʻolelo Workshop click on the link below:
https://app.nrds.io/public/kilo/take-survey/?id=139c5b7076534ac0be84c5ea7a1f4957
Community Workday 2 Nowemapa 2024 @ Hui Loi 9:00am to 2:00pm Join us for a Community Workday! The Hui hosts Community Workdays on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month. If you're interested in joining us you can let us know by emailing info@huimakaainanaomakana.org |  |
The Hui is Hiring!
Join our team as part-time Education Programs Coordinator as a support position for the Education Specialist and Community Liaison. Applications close on October 30, 2024.
For more information or to apply click on the following link:
app.nrds.io/public/kilo/take-survey/?id=cfa2d32338864312be03c70d22bc1ff3