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Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

Moʻolelo: Mai Hoopalaleha I Ke Kanu Kalo

BishopMuseumArchives-MAI-HOOPALALEHA-I-KE-KANU-KALO
Rice fields, Maunawili. Tai Sing Loo. 1925. Bishop Museum Archives Photo Collection.
**By the time this photo was taken in 1925, rice had replaced the kalo that was formerly cultivated in this area.

Mai Hoopalaleha I Ke Kanu Kalo
Do Not Neglect Planting Taro

Kuokoa Home Rule, Buke IX, Helu 33, 18 August 1911

Summary

This article was published in the Hawaiian language newspaper, Kuokoa Home Rule, on August 8, 1911. In it, the author speaks to the transition of land use in Honolulu, as many of the loʻi kalo were beginning to dry out. The author, unnamed, warns that nearly three hundred acres of Honolulu’s kalo lands, at the time in cultivation, will soon no longer be planted. In the end, the reader is called to action:

“Nolaila, e na Hawaii mai paupauaho oukou no ke kanu kalo, a mai hoopalaleha ia hana mikiala o ka aina.”

“Therefore, to the people of Hawai’i, do not lose enthusiasm for planting kalo, and do not neglect this lively industry of the land.”

Translated by Kahanuola Tabor, Reviewed by Puakea Nogelmeier

Sources

Inquiry Questions

  1. What is the author urging readers to do? What is the underlying fear?
  2. Where was this taking place? What was that area like at the time this article was written?
  3. What is this area like today? Are there hundreds of acres of loʻi kalo there today? Currently, do we see many people working this ʻāina? Is it producing food? Why and how do you think this transition took place?
  4. How do you think this author would react to seeing this ʻāina today? What might he or she do about it? 
  5. What can we do to steward this ʻāina differently?
  6. What life lessons might we learn from this moʻolelo? How might it connect with our ʻōlelo noʻeau?

Vocabulary

  • Mai: Do not
  • Hoopalaleha: Neglect; to be indifferent, idle, careless, neglectful of duty
  • Kalo: Taro
  • Loʻi / Loʻi Kalo: Wetland taro fields

Haʻawina (Life Lessons)

E mālama Hāloa, e mālama ʻāina (Care for kalo, care for ʻāina)

  • As is reflected in its title, this article is a reminder not to be negligent of our responsibility as kānaka to both care for kalo as well as ʻāina.
Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

Hoʻokuaʻāina is located in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua at Kapalai in Maunawili on the island of Oʻahu. Get Directions.

For more information about our programs or how you can get involved please contact us.

916E Auloa Rd.

Kailua, HI 96734

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P.O. Box 342146

Kailua, HI 96734

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Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

Hoʻokuaʻāina is located in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua at Kapalai in Maunawili on the island of Oʻahu.

For more information about our programs or how you can get involved please contact us.

visit us

916E Auloa Rd.

Kailua, HI 96734

mail us

P.O. Box 342146

Kailua, HI 96734

email us

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© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site By Created By Kaui

Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization

© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site By Created By Kaui

Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization

© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy

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