Aloha e na hoa,
​
Today at Ulupo we hosted Mele Kalama-Kingman and the 7th and 8th graders from Hawaii Mission Academy Kailua. We weeded a loi that has recently been reclaimed from the entanglement of hau, job's tears stands, and mats of vines. The hana loi that was done today is a continuation of the relationship that was first seeded last year between Ulupo and HMA, but is a new begining for the stewardship of that specific loi. The reclamation of that loi began with a team of adult volunteers over the last couple of weeks using chainsaws and weedwhackers, but the rest of the work pertaining to that loi including clearing, widening, planting, weeding, weeding, weeding, harvesting, and eating will be done by the students. In this way the kids are not only helping to aloha aina at one of the most significant wahi pana in our ahupuaa and moku, but are also developing an intimate relationship to the varieties of Haloa that they plant, and are taking a first step on their journey to food sovereignty.

It is amazing how quick the paradigm shift occurs in kids. At the beginning of the day, the kids don't want to go into the loi. To most of them, it is new, different, strange. They sheepishly step in one foot at a time and cries of "it's gross", "it‘s muddy", "its squishy", "there's a worm", etc are being heard. Soon after they are all in but are trying to stay clean. That quickly passes and before you know it they are lying in the loi covered in mud from head to toe. By the end, they are using the auwai and a bucket to wash off. One of the kids says with all honesty, "this bucket is luxury" as he is dumping muddy brown water on his hoa papa to help clean them off.
Needless to say, today was a good day.

Ke aloha,
Kaleo

Kimberly Tangaro, a 7th grade science teacher and science department head at Kailua Intermediate School, is partnering with DOFAW to develop a curriculum for "place-based learning, STE(A)M projects, and malama 'aina" (the newly added A, thank goodness, is for Arts). She asked if we could recommend a cultural specialist from Kailua to help teach about Kailua, and she hoped that this person would be able to join her at Hamakua Marsh and host a learning station for six teams of 130 students each, with each team scheduled to visit Hamakua on one of six Fridays --beginning on Aug. 26. It took us all of 2 seconds to come up with our recommendation: KALEO WONG.

Hereʻs a shot of the first 130 kids in their various learning stations along the wetlands. Weʻre not sure which station belonged to Kaleo, but we can be sure that his lessons included the following Info: the old name for this place is not Hamakua; this is Kawainui Stream and it runs through the lands of Paheehee and Kaelepulu, and right here, where we are now, was once planted entirely in kalo.
​
– Kihei de Silva
​

Three more lo‘i kalo have been reclaimed from the hau thickets, Job's tears, and buffalo grass at the foot of Ulupo as a result of our efforts on the most recent second-Saturday community work day. "Malama Ulupo," the official name of this monthly event, is hosted by Kaimi Scudder of ‘Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi and Kaleo Wong of Hika‘alani and the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club -- often with the assistance of Kamuela Bannister of KUPU and Ka‘olu Luning of AML. All four "K"s, though they wear many hats and belong to multiple organizations, are one in their allegiance to the land-man relationship expressed in the Hawaiian proverb, "He ali‘i ka ‘aina, he kauwa ke kanaka." The land is chief, and man is its servant. If you are interested in joining us in the kauwa stewardship of Ulupo, you can click on the Kokua, Resources, and Links page of the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club website for a full explanation of our jointly offered workday and service-learning opportunities.
​ -- Kihei de Silva

Aloha mai kakou,
Yesterday we had Kekaulike Mar, his ohana, and his work crew from Dawson come to Ulupo. It was Amazing 'cause they brought about 25 people and 10 weed whackers. We weeded the upper loi next to the heiau, cut all the grass at the bottom of the hill, and cleared and planted a loi below the watercress. This was followed by a lunch made partly from the food grown at Ulupo, prepared by Hale Kealoha and eaten over a long hai moolelo about the place we were in and what we are all about. Happenin! We looking forward to our second Saturday work day coming up next Saturday.
Ke aloha,
Kaleo