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
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
