The relationship between mahina, mahi'ai, and lawai'a

A’o Makua: Mālama ‘Āina

The Mālama ‘Āina classes offered through the A‘o Makua series serve to increase awareness as well as to educate students on the intelligent ways of the people of old – our kupuna (ancestors). The learning is fundamental to both understanding Hawaiian epistemology and to the applicability of mālama ‘āina in our own lives. The papa (class) was divided into three areas of study that exemplified the caring relationship between kanaka (people) and ‘āina (land), and the interconnectedness between Mahina (moon), Mahi’ai (native planting and farming) and Lawai’a (fishing).

Kamali'i 'ike 'ole i ka helu po, Muku nei, Mulu ka malama, Hilo nei, kau ke Hoaka.
Children who do not know the moon phases: Muku is here, Muku the moon; Hilo comes next then Hoaka.

This is the first part of the chant for children to learn the phases of the moon; also said of one who does not know the answer to a question, or is ignorant. He is compared to a small child who has not learned the moon phases.
Puku’i, 1471

Through A’o Makua: Mālama ‘Āina we learn that the Ancient Hawaiians were so attune with nature and the concept of sustainability and reciprocity between kanaka and ‘āina. The Kanaka Maoli made thoughtful, intelligent decisions based upon ancient wisdom – secrets of indigenous culture that were passed on from generation to generation, from kupuna to keiki. These secrets were almost lost forever when pineapple and sugar cane were introduced to the islands as “cash crops”, and the kingdom of Hawai‘i was tragically taken over by a foreign government in the late 1800s.

For thousands of years prior to that period in Hawaiian history, each person existed within the collective mindset of aloha ‘āina; they shared the responsibility for taking care of the ‘āina and passing the knowledge to their keiki (children) at an early age. In this way the people were not only able to sustain themselves with food water, clothing and shelter – they were able to prosper, and for most of the time, live in peace and abundance in paradise. Imagine that?!

The moon cycle was especially important in ancient culture. In fact, by observing the moon in the sky, each person knew exactly what kind of work they would be doing on their ‘ahupua’a, on that particular day. The waxing moon (increasing light between new and full moon) dictated planting plants that produce the edible part above ground, and the waning moon (decreasing light - full moon to new moon) dictated planting plants that produce the edible parts below ground (Aiwohi, 2009). In A’o Makua: Mālama ‘Āina, our instructor Lory Aiwohi introduced us to the moon calendar by sending daily messages based upon the moon calendar:

On this day, May 14, 2010, the phase of the moon is at Kū kahi Ka'aona. If you are a fisherman, or lawai‘a, good fishing. In addition if you’re a farmer or mahi‘ai, plant 'uala, kalo and mai'a (sweet potato, taro and banana).

The Big Island of Hawai’i is a sacred place; most of the land is typically much more rural than on ‘Oahu, and local people commonly engage in practices of old. Here is an excerpt from Big Island Weekly, where phases of the moon were blogged in both English and Hawaiian:


fifth night 9/24/09 - It is easy to remember the four nights of Kū because they are shaped like the horns of a cow.
Lawai’a (fishing): In the summer the fish are plentiful. Fish with a fishing pole or from a vessel near the reef in the morning. Gather wana (sea urchin) limu (sea weed) and papa'i (crab). The wind will blow until the evening of 'Ole Kū Kahi.(one of the phases of the moon). The ocean is inactive or dead.
Mahi’ai (Farming): It is not recommended to plant 'uala, mai'a (banana) and 'ipu (gourds)

It was customary for children to learn about the phases of the moon by reciting a mahina 'oli (moon chant) before the age of six (Handy & Puku’i, 1972). Tūtū Mary Kawena Puku’i wrote a chant about the moon to teach little children the phases of the moon called Po Mahina. The words are below: Check out the video of some kids chanting Po Mahina: http://www.bigislandweekly.com/articles/2009/09/23/read/news/news05.txt

Kamali'i 'ike 'ole i na helu po,
All you children, who do not know the phases of the moon

Muku nei, Muku ka malama,
Here is Muku, Muku the moon

Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka,
Here is Hilo, Hoaka appears

'Eha Ku, 'Eha 'Ole,
There are four Ku, four 'Ole

Huna, Mohalu, Hua, Akua
Then Huna, Mohalu, Hua, Akua

Hoku, Mahealni, Kulu
Then Hoku, Mahealani, Kulu

'Ekolu La'au, 'Ekolu 'Ole
There are three La'au, three 'Ole

'Ekolu Kaloa
There are three Kaloa

Kane, Lono, Mauli, Muku.
Then Kane, Lono, Mauli, and Muku.

The A’o Makua classes teach us that Mālama ‘āina is much more than an indigenous, green way of living. It is up to each of us to live consciously, to take responsibility for our actions, and to aloha ‘āina with every breath that we take.

We can do this by:
1. Appreciating the beauty and bounty of our ‘āina.
2. Giving thanks for what the earth generously gifts to us: the sunshine and rain, clean air and fresh water, plants and trees that provide us with delicious, nutritious food, shelter and clothing, and the ocean, which is an open source of food, fun and recreation.
3. Creating an intimate, loving and caring relationship with the ‘āina that takes care of us, and teaching our children to do the same.
4. Increasing our awareness by continually learning about the natural order of the earth and universe, which includes learning the phases of the moon and the proper times to plant, harvest and fish, putting our knowledge to practical use, and teaching our ‘ohana what we have learned.
5. Taking action to live consciously and act responsibly by caring for her resources, which may include being energy efficient at all costs, growing our own food and/or buying organic fruits and vegetables locally, eliminating unnecessary waste, and working to restore the delicate ecosystems of nature within which we exist.