Quarter 4: WAIWAI

Each quarter we focus on one of our core Hawaiian values. A variety of lessons based on the theme have been developed as a resource for our teachers, schools, and mentoring program participants to supplement the hands-on learning that occurs on-site.

Na Ke Kanaka Mahiʻai Ka Imu Ō Nui

NA KE KANAKA MAHIʻAI KA IMU Ō NUI. #2239*

The well-filled imu belongs to the man who tills the soil.

What does it mean to be wealthy?

How do we quantify wealth?


One might argue that the way a society quantifies wealth speaks to what it truly values. In Hawaiian, the word for wealth and riches is waiwai. Here we see the word wai (freshwater) repeated twice, emphasizing its importance. [More info on wai: Uwē ka lani, ola ka honua]. Water brings life to both land and people. This partnership allows land to be cultivated, in turn producing food that nourishes body, mind, and spirit. 

This process requires time, commitment, vision, and a lot of hard work. It takes around a year for kalo (taro) to grow to maturity. Within that time, you may need to cultivate and fertilize the soil, build up the kuāuna (banks), pull weeds, cut grass, rebuild mounds, clear out and maintain the ʻauwai (irrigated ditches/waterways), pull some more weeds, and then, after months of tending, you are ready to huki ʻai (pull the kalo). 

In Hawaiʻi, as in many cultures around the world, food is enjoyed communally and is often a way we express our aloha for one another. Being able to not only sustain yourself but also present your loved ones with ʻai (food, taro) that you poured your own hard work and dedication into growing is seen as a mark of wealth.

This ʻōlelo noʻeau reminds us that celebrating abundance comes as a result of hard work.

It might take months, or perhaps years, of hana (work) to grow enough food to fill an imu (underground oven). However, that commitment to everyday tasks means that in the end, one is able to share and enjoy what was produced through seasons of labor. This is waiwai.

As we savor the things we are enjoying in this season, let us also reflect on and appreciate the times of challenge and perseverance it took us to get here. 

By that same token, let us also remember that if we are ʻono (craving) for poi today, we should have been thinking about it a year ago. What do we want to be able to enjoy in the future and are there ways we need to begin preparing today? 

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

VOCABULARY

ʻĀina Momona

ʻĀina Momona describes a land that is rich, abundant, plentiful, sweet and fat. It is a land that abounds in and produces much food. We see this in the word ʻāina itself. While often translated as “land”, in it we have the word ʻai, which also means to eat and is a way to refer to both food and kalo. Thus, in the Hawaiian worldview, ʻāina is not merely land, but land that is healthy and one that feeds and nourishes.

Would we consider our lands today to be ʻāina momona? 

Kailua was known as a land of abundance. Springs and freshwater streams flowed through the valley of Maunawili, pouring in and out of loʻi kalo, wetland taro fields, and emptying into Kawainui fishpond, which was teaming with life. Fast forward to 2007 when the land at Kapalai that Hoʻokuaʻāina currently stewards was completely overgrown with invasive weeds, California grass over 6 feet tall, and trees so thick that it was impossible to walk through. There were no loʻi, no kalo growing, and certain areas had even been used as a dumpsite. And yet, the ʻāina and spirit called out, and with the dedication of an ʻohana and the help of thousands of community members, Kapunawaiolaokapalai, the living and life-giving spring of Kapalai, has been restored to again being an ʻāina that grows food as well as people.


In 2019, we produced a little over 25-thousand pounds of raw kalo on just over three acres of land here at Kapalai. This is one small plot of land in one ʻili ʻāina (smaller land division) of one ahupuaʻa on the island of Oʻahu. Can you imagine what might happen if we began to restore the thousands of acres that are currently overgrown and unkept, even just on our small island? Think of the amount of food that could be produced and the number of kanaka (individuals) and families that might be restored in the process. 


When we consider the issues our communities face today, how might the restoration of ʻāina and the subsequent restoration of the kanaka who are called to be its stewards, address, or perhaps work to eliminate many of the challenges we face? In addition to growing more food, how might we make our island home more momona in ways that benefit the collective and not just the individual?


If we call Hawaiʻi our home, then we all have the kuleana (responsibility, privilege) to care for and to mālama this place. Let us catch a vision for what that might look like as we work together to cultivate and to steward abundance.

INQUIRY QUESTIONS


VOCABULARY

Hele nō ka ʻalā, hele nō ka lima

HELE NO KA ʻALĀ, HELE NO KA LIMA. #752*

The rock goes, the hand goes.

To make good poi, the freehand must work in unison with the poi pounder. Keep both hands going to do good work

Watching a skilled person kuʻi ʻai, or pound kalo into poi, is a sight to behold. From the careful tapping of the pōhaku’s (stone) edge during the nahā (cracked, broken) stage, to the gentle slapping (paʻipaʻi) heard as the broken pieces of kalo that have scattered across the board like islands in the ocean (mokumoku) are gathered back together (pili), there is a confidence, peace, and focus that exude as if in the ceremony. A graceful yet strong cadence marks each stroke as the freehand works in unison with the pōhaku kuʻi ʻai (poi pounder), pulling (huki), folding (pelu), and kneading the ʻai (taro) as the poi takes form.

Great care is given when we remember that the objective is not only to feed ourselves but to provide food and sustenance for others. As a result, when we sit down to kuʻi kalo, we do so with intention, bringing our best selves forward. 

This ʻōlelo noʻeau highlights the importance of developing skills that demonstrate excellence. Many things in life become art when people elevate a simple task into something of beauty. The process of learning to kuʻi kalo with the skill described above is exactly that – a process. For those unaccustomed, there will be moments of uncertainty and hesitation. However, when approached with humble determination as well as a desire to strive for excellence, the result is a confident grace that will not only bless the individual but will nourish their ʻohana and community as well.

No matter our age, let us ponder the areas we feel prompted to strive toward mastery. How might our pursuit of excellence not only benefit us personally but bring abundance to our families and community? 

INQUIRY

VOCABULARY

Extension Activities

Kilo (Observations)

Using as many senses as possible, what do you notice about the ʻāina (including fresh and saltwater resources) in your area? Record these items in our Kilo Journal or in a notebook and track them over time.

Māla ʻAi

 In addition to kalo, you could find ways to grow other types of food at home such as kale, lettuce, tomatoes, microgreens, etc. If you have a yard, create a māla (garden) by finding an area that will provide you adequate water and sunlight. If you do not have enough space on your ʻāina, you could mix your soil and compost and place it into buckets or large bins with adequate drainage.


Reflection Questions


Kuʻi Kalo


Copy of Stages-of-Kui-04-20-2020.pdf

 Kapalai Kitchen

 Try some of these other great recipes: Kapalai Kitchen

*Pukui, M. K., & Varez, D. (1983). ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs & poetical sayings. Honolulu, Hawai’i: Bishop Museum Press.

Content on this page was written and compiled by Danielle Espiritu, Education Specialist