Relax and trust that your higher spirit(s) will guide you

For the last couple of days since I made my commitment to be writing 1500 words a day, I have been on a roll, extremely focused. I'd go to bed very late trying to get those last words in and not actually wanting to go to bed! And then when morning comes, I'd jump out of bed like a little kid on Christmas, ready to start my day. This personal mania continues for a several days in a row, but on this particular morning my brain feels heavy. I feel physically exhausted and a little grumpy, and I have to give a workshop on goal-setting this afternoon that I wish I had better prepared for.

I have been praying for clarity, guidance, and for the right words to come to me. When the words come easily and the editing process is much simpler, writing is so much fun, actually quite enjoyable. Other times I struggle to find precisely the right descriptor, or verb or adjective. Writing is a humbling experience. Especially in the beginning. You put yourself out there for criticism, do your best work and try to make tight deadlines...there are high self-expectations, a some self-doubt, and a bit of stress. You ask yourself, "Am I going to make it?" and decide to go for it anyway. You feel vulnerable, awkward and clumsy; the feeling reminds me of how I used to feel as a teenager, running with an armful of books trying to catch the school bus as it begins to pull away from the curb...you ask yourself, "Am I going to make it?" and decide to go for it anyway. Sooner or later you will arrive at your destination, but it may take longer than you expected, and it's likely you might trip at some point along the way.

There are good days and then not so good days. FLOW is what we strive for…and when it comes, it feels sooo darn good. The rewards are sweet – pages of lovely work that can be inserted seamlessly, perfectly fitting in the right spot of your essay. I have come to know that the best way for me to start a writing session is to meditate first, breathe in deeply and exhale…breathe in deeply a second time and exhale slowly, creating a warmth and relaxing each part of my body... paying special attention to the neck and shoulders, then moving down through arms and fingers, chest, belly, hips, legs, calves and toes… breathe in deeply a third time and exhale, breathing out any residual thoughts and clearing my mind. Now I am relaxed completely, an empty vessel, ready to receive whatever higher thoughts and messages that come from my ‘aumakua.

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.

1500 words a day to advance to candidacy...

I am back in writing mode and have been writing all day. It feels good, except that I haven’t exercised all day and am starting to feel a bit of social anxiety. I was supposed to go to a dinner tonight - sort of a reunion of colleagues, but finishing this paper is really #1 priority since advancing to candidacy in November is my top goal of 2010. This means that all my papers have to be turned in, edited, approved and have been assigned credit so that I become a doctoral candidate and begin dissertation work. Financially, it means that my tuition gets cut in half - from $5,500 per quarter to $2,250. Accomplishing this goal will save me a minimum of $5,500.

I thought of a way that I can reach my goal and get all seven papers done within the 6 1/2 week time frame...by writing 1500 words and posting them on my blog every day for the next 21 days starting today. Then I will post another 1500 words every day in November for the following 19 days until Dave and I go to Reno for Ikaika’s Bar Mitzvah. That’s a total of 40 days. If I need more time, I can take Nov 22, 23 & 24; I’ll take Thanksgiving off, and if I need additional days, I’ll write on the 26th , 27th , 28th , 29th and 30th …that’s an additional 8 days before December 1st. This means writing every day without fail. I know that if I blog daily and write the minimum of 1500 words, I can advance to candidacy in November. This is going to take severe discipline. It took me all day to write on my day off, and I barely got 1500 words in – that includes this journal and the two sections I did on Malama ‘Aina. Well, I can only become a better writer by writing more often. Tonight I am going to write a little while longer, and start my blog for tomorrow’s 1500 words.

Class system and Land Management in Ancient Hawai'i

In the ancient Hawaiian social system, there were several major classes of people: the ali’i who were the ruling class, chiefs and warriors, the kahuna, which included priests, sorcerers, healers, and navigators, the maka‘āinana or working people, and the kauwā, also known as outcasts or slaves (Handy & Puku’i, 1972; Kuykendall & Day, 1961; Dunford, 1980).

In terms of land management, an ali’i ‘ai moku was the head of the moku, a major part of an island, if not the leader of a whole island. It was believed that the gods had given him divine birth right and the power to rule. Not unlike today, the people preferred a ruler that was a great warrior and leader, one who prayed to his gods, and was kind, fair and just (Dunford, 1980). A konohiki was sort of a lesser chief, a supervisor who had the important job of taking care of the land for higher chiefs. He was in charge of managing labor resources that involved planting, growing and harvesting, as well as making sure taxes were paid and the fishing kapu (rules) were kept (Dunford, 1980; Handy & Puku’i 1972).

Most of the population were maka‘āinana, people who lived on and attended to the land; they worked as farmers, fishermen, and people who were skilled in the crafts (Dunford, 1980, p. 31). Through my language class, when I break apart the word maka‘āinana, I found it interesting that it translates literally as maka (eyes) and āina (land)…or maka (eyes) ‘āi (that eat) nana (a variety of taro).

The Hawaiians believed that all the land belonged to the gods, and the highest chiefs were direct descendants of the gods, and therefore had the right to rule (Aiwohi, 2010). After a death of a high chief(ess) or after a war, the ruling chiefs often changed with a new high chief, but the maka‘āinana remained and worked on the land. If they did not like their new chief, they were free to move. If they did not like where they lived, they could move. The maka‘āinana and the ‘ali’i had a reciprocal relationship: the maka‘āinana worked for the ‘ali’i and the ‘ali’i were responsible for taking care of and protecting their people (Dunford, 1980, p. 41).

The āina in ancient Hawaii was divided into sections. The island or large land divisions known as moku were divided into sections called ahupua’a, like slices of a pie that ran from makua – inland, the mountains, to makai – the sea. An ‘ohana (family) lived on a further sub-divisions called ‘ili; there were many ‘ili in every ahupua’a. In this manner the ahupua’a gave the people everything they needed: fishing near the shoreline, land for growing taro, sweet potatoes and bananas, and wood, flowers, fern and feathers from the birds could be gathered in the mountains.

Anyone could use whatever was in their ahupua’a, and waste was never an issue because the ancient Hawaiians understood the concept of malama 'aina - taking care of scarce and precious resources. If the people needed something that they could not get in their own area, people in another ahupua’a would share what they had.

The only thing that the people could not take freely was the wai (fresh water). There were many kapu (rules) around water, and for good reason (p.42). Water was important for drinking, bathing, and most importantly, the taro patches.

As was aforementioned in the story of Hāloa, kalo is central and deeply rooted to concept of mālama ‘āina in the ancient Hawaiian culture and was not just the staple of the Hawaiian diet; its significance in abundance meant healthy families – physically, mentally and spiritually – as well as strong island communities. (ILA - A, essay #1 pg 16 - 18).

Mālama ‘Āina – To care for the land.

Mālama ‘Āina – To care for the land.
He ali‘i ka ‘āina, he kauwā ke kanaka. The land is a chief; the man is its servant.
Ancient Hawaiian proverb

mā.lama
1. nvt. To take care of, tend, attend, care for, preserve, protect, beware, save, maintain; to keep or observe, as a taboo; to conduct, as a service; to serve, honor, as God; care, preservation, support, fidelity, loyalty; custodian, caretaker, keeper. Cf. makemake, mālama hale, mālama hele, mālama moku, mālama pū’olo, pālama 1. Mālama ‘ana, custody. Mālama pono ‘ia, well cared for. Mālama pono! Be careful! Watch out! Mālama makua, one who cares for parents. Mālama wahine, caring for one's wife. Mālama i kou makua kāne, honor your father. Mālama kauoha, obey orders. ( http://www.wehewehe.org )

The Kumulipo and the story of Hāloa illustrate the deeply rooted concept of mālama ‘āina in Hawaiian culture. In her (1998) thesis entitled Native Hawaiian Epistemology: Contemporary Narratives, Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer (Associate Professor of Education, University of Hawai'i at Hilo) describes seven themes that comprise Hawaiian epistemology, one of which is the concept of mālama ‘āina. She references our kūpuna (ancestors) and their intelligence, their indigenous wisdom, evident in their loving relationship to the land, which is very different from what we are taught: “We have become steeped in the western mindset which ascertains that exclusion, property, ownership and accumulation of goods comprise a higher state of being.” (Meyer, 1998). “Nothing could be further than the truth in relationship to indigeneity and what will sustain us over time.”

I thought about the words mālama ‘āina. I was able to learn words, common phrases and simple sentence structure in a third A’o Makua class, ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: “E Ola ka ‘Ohana” – The family lives. I can tell you that Mālama ‘āina translates literally, “To take care of, that which feeds”.

‘Āina. That which feeds. It is all about land. Our ability to sustain ourselves on land, with land, around land… is the point... We must stop talking about the land as property and real estate; that denotes a kind of relationship to that piece, to that land base, to that capacity for us to have a relationship with it. We have a relationship with our land. We value our relationship with our land – that’s an intelligence that our people understood. Papa was not a metaphor for mother. She IS our mother. We must nurture and revive her, and that’s one of the concepts of (Hawaiian) epistemology. We value land. We don’t teach this in our DOE schools or even our private schools. When we treat land as a commodity, as a thing to own, to change, to alter… we’re so very far from that basic epistemological truth as Hawaiians.
Manu Meyer (2005)

In a video mo’olelo (story) module to support Mālama ‘Āina, Uncle Tom Cummings, a kupuna (elder) and instructor with Kamehameha Schools stresses the importance of mālama ‘āina through stories and examples:

The land or ‘āina is a provider. It shelters us. It gives us a home to build on. Resources from the ‘āina clothe us. The land is where we get our recreation, our fun…our sports. ‘Āina is where we celebrate our accomplishments through mele (songs), ‘oli (chants, stories) and hula (dance). Above all, the ‘āina feeds all of us, and the sea is included when we talk about ‘āina.
Thomas Cummings (2009)

A’o Makua (Hawaiian Cultues classes) Curriculum Design

The knowledge imparted from the papa olelo (Hawaiiana classes) is fundamental to understanding Hawaiian truths and origin of knowledge. The mana’o (higher thought) of the program developers was that the wisdom of our ancestors would always be available to help us, to grow and nurture our knowledge in Hawaiian culture, language, and perspective, and with that knowledge inspire us - the participants - to share the wisdom with our ‘ohana and community.

The curriculum within each class of the A‘o Makua courses is divided into sections, each cleverly embodies the parts of an ‘ulu (breadfruit) tree: mole (root), kumu (trunk), lālā (branches), and hua (fruit). Ka Mole, the main root is also known as the ancestral root embodies the lesson, and includes ancestral knowledge within each papa (class). Ka mole (root) provides a firm foundation in the earth and allows the tree to grow toward the sky.

Kumu is a Hawaiian word that has many meanings: teacher, a source of knowledge, or an entire tree. However, in the A‘o Makua curriculum, ke kumu refers to the trunk of a tree which supports the branches and conducts water from the roots to the rest of the tree. Applicable, contemporary knowledge in this context is known as ke kumu. Lālā, the branches of the tree connect ke kumu (the trunk) to ka hua (the fruit). Like ke kumu, lālā represents even more contemporary knowledge taught in A‘o Makua.

Finally there is the hua (fruit). A strong foundation from ka mole (roots) and support from ke kumu (trunk) and lālā (branches) is needed to produce healthy hua (fruit); similarly, it takes a loving, supportive ‘ohana (family) to produce a healthy, successful keiki (children). In A‘o Makua, ka hua (the fruit) contains activities for students to share with their ‘ohana (family).

A’o makua is a student-centered distance learning program, and therefore the student, ke kumu is personified as the trunk, central to the tree (a’o makua). We are taught that knowledge of our kūpuna (ancestors) strengthens our mole (roots), our sense of self so that our hua (fruit), our keiki (children) can become successful in the world by first knowing who they are and where they came from.

As haumana (students) of the A‘o Makua program, we simultaneously become kumu (teachers) entrusted with a great responsibility to carry on the timeless wisdom of our kupuna (ancestors). This is truly the a‘o aku, a‘o mai concept of giving and receiving knowledge, central to the Hawaiian way of thinking, the mindful way of being, growing, and sharing. Together as a learning community, we learn to mālama (care for) our trees of cultural knowledge and ancestral wisdom, and we grow hua, fruits to share with our ‘ohana (families) and with our communities.

What's in a name?

The whole concept of name or inoa is sacred in Hawaiian culture. Our kupuna (ancestors) believed that inoa was a prized possession and that one’s inoa – once spoken – became a living reality. Much thought and consideration went into naming a child at birth and throughout life as well. Many ali’i (chiefs) were frequently given names to show honor and reverence, however sometimes names were given to signify important events in their lives. Simple names taken after common everyday objects appearing in nature – rock, tree, etc., which were devoid of any reference to aumakua, ali’i, or famous event – were taken by kauwā (the despised slave class).

Inoa ho’omanao is a name given to honor a person or an event. This makes perfect sense for an ancient culture of oral tradition. Respectfully, and without trying to sound judgmental, I found it quite peculiar that a child was named after the event of Dr. Gerrit Judd operated on the breast of Queen Kapi’olani, a child was named after the event – Ke-‘oki-waiū-o-kapi’olani – which translated as “the cutting of the breast of Kapi’olani”…one starts to wonder – did she have breast cancer? This causes me to want to do more research and find out the answers.
Once a person is given inoa pō, that special name belongs to that particular individual and becomes a personal possession. This means no one else is allowed to use it without permission of the bearer of the name, and to do so would cause illness or misfortune, because there are kapu (taboos) attached to the name.

Inoa kupuna is when a person hands his or her name down to a family descendant.

Inoa kuamuamu is a name given to perpetuate harm or insult, directed at an ali’i or family or community. This is a very interesting concept…for example, a child might be named Makapiapa, (sticky eyes), or kūkae (feces). Now honestly, who would name their child that??? But the ancient Hawaiians did – because sometimes a child was bothered or possessed by an evil spirit. By naming the child such a foul name, makua (parents) hoped to disgust the spirit so it would move on, and when it did, the child would be given a more appropriate name. What an interesting concept! What is even more interesting is that the child was not disturbed! Once able to understand, he or she was told of the reasoning and given assurance that a more appropriate name would be given at a later time once cured of the ailment. The old name would then be ‘oki’d (severed), and a new, more pleasant one gifted.

One thought that saddened me was that some inoa pō inoa or other mystically inspired neames were ‘oki’d (severed) because it was connected to residual belief in ‘aumakua, when Christianity had taken over and declared blasphemy on anyone using ‘aumākua inspired names.

Tutu Kawena commented that a great many people decided to name their children after her. In her heart, and knowing “both sides of the story”, Tutu often performed Pule Ho’onoa or “prayer to free” (the child). She prayed for the recipient that no harm shall come to the child.

How wonderful, as well as generous and responsible…and I find it fascinating that the name of an individual would become a living entity – the social construct of a word or set of words that identified a person could influence health, happiness, and lifespan!