This ʻāina restored us.
Now it is restoring others.
We believe restoration starts with pilina (relationship) — to ʻāina, to each other, and to the story we’re writing together. We’re here to grow people, restore culture, and to make aloha ʻāina a model for the future.
The Mission
To cultivate a culture of individual well-being and community waiwai through aloha ‘āina.
The Vision
To model backbone for communities around the world.
Our Story
“It wasn’t us who found this place; it was this place that found us. Waiting for a hundred years for someone to open it up and let it breathe again.”
In 2007, Uncle Dean and Aunty Michele began restoring a small, overgrown parcel of land in Maunawili, breathing life back into a space long neglected. Their vision was to create a gathering place centered around loʻi kalo (taro patch), where challenged youth and their families could find healing, build pilina, and reconnect with their ancestral roots.
But as the need grew, so did the dream.
Today, we are working to nourish our entire ahupuaʻa (watershed) with culturally-rooted food grown with aloha. At the same time, we are building a regenerative system grounded in ancestral wisdom, one we hope will uplift communities across Hawaiʻi and inspire transformation around the world.
Our Name is a Gift
In the early days, it was often just Uncle Earl and I clearing ʻāina little by little. For two years, Uncle would come faithfully every Saturday on top of most weekdays after work, to help build out loʻi and pass on his ʻike (knowledge) from farming kalo in Hālawa, Molokaʻi. On one of those days, I came to him with some names that Michele and I were thinking of for the nonprofit.
“Uncle whatchu think of this name?”
No response. This was not a good sign. We kept working. A few minutes went by and I built up the courage to ask about a different name.
“Uncle what about this one?”
Again, no response. Not wanting to strike out, I remained silent. After about five minutes, Uncle stuck his shovel in the lepo (soil), turned to me and said, “For me, I am kuaʻāina. But for you, and others in your generation and younger, you want to become kuaʻāina. So I suggest you name your organization Hoʻokuaʻāina.”
The word kua means back and ʻāina means land. The kuaʻāina were those who lived in the backlands. They were the farmers and the backbone of society. Kuaʻāina were ones who embraced and embodied all the values of what we term sustainability today. Our organization is on a journey of learning the values and ways of our ancestors, stewarding our natural resources for generations to come.
To this day, Uncle Earl continues to teach and mentor us in the values, mindset, and ancestral practices of our kūpuna (ancestors). Through his guidance, we strive every day to live into the meaning of our name—to be kuaʻāina in how we care for the land, our people, and our shared future.
– Uncle Dean
Our DNA
What we stand on. What we stand for.
Aloha
A love that welcomes and binds.
Pilina
Meaningful connection between ʻāina and each other.
Kūpa‘a
Unshakable roots, determined hearts.
Waiwai
Creating abundance story by story.
Lōkahi
Harmony in action.
Nani ke kalo
Reverence for our sacred ancestor.