After a stormy, labor-intensive weekend at the end of January, our first cohort of "stone eaters" went home with papa and pōhaku kuʻi 'ai -- and lots of elbow-grease homework. Kaleomanuʻiwa Wong, who leads the project and also doubles as photographer, took so many good pictures of that first work session that we decided to present it in two parts; this is the second. The stone-eater reference above, for those unfamiliar with "Kaulana nā Pua," the most famous of our mele ʻai pōhaku, reminds us that we would rather eat the stones of our land than lose it to hills of dollars. Pili Mai is helping to restore a relationship with ʻāina that demonstrates the kamaha'o nature of our pōhaku: they are wondrous, astonishing, and awe-inspiring in their ability to sustain us. (Mahalo to Duffy Chang and Keahi Thomas for their stone and board expertise. Photos: Kaleo Wong. Kīhōʻalu: David Kaʻio.)
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