ʻO Chloe Kaʻiulani Kimiko Akiona-Bannan koʻu inoa piha. No Kailua mai au. Noho au ma Kailua. Chloe Kaʻiulani Kimiko Akiona-Bannan is my full name. Iʻm from Kailua which is where I currently reside. My moku/district is Koʻolaupoko. The wind (s) include Malanai – of Kailua and Kui lua – the windward wind that churns up the sea. The rain (s) include Ua Kani Koʻi – that accompanies the Koʻolau wind, meaning cane-tapping rain as well as Ua ʻĀpuakea being the name of a rain famous at Koʻolaupoko, said to be named for a beautiful woman, ʻĀpuakea, who was changed to rain by goddess Hiʻiaka. The mauna (s) of Kailua could include Olomana, Pakuʻi, and Ahiki. Many might say the mountain of Kailua is merely Koʻolaupoko, although I chose specific mountain peaks closer to where my home resides. These peaks mentioned are between Kailua and Maunawili. Meanwhile the wai (s) of Kailua could include Wai Nui or Kawainui. This was somewhat difficult to find although I thought of this due to the fact that the marsh is right by my house and I used to go walking along it very often as a child. It is a place of history, silence, kauna (hidden meaning), etc. This name Kawai referring to water and nui meaning abundant references to the 830 acres of wetland, the largest wetlands in the Hawaiian Islands.
Kamehameha Schools has had a big affect in my life which has helped to shape my mindset of mālama honua. Going to an all-Hawaiian school that is focused on preserving and perpetuating the Hawaian culture has definitely influenced the actions Iʻve taken in order to care for the land. Due to my experience at Kamehameha Schools, I have been more determined to connect with my ancestors than I have ever been before. Learning to speak Hawaiian, learning their routines of everyday life, learning their processes, morals, lifestyles, etc. has taught me not only to focus on the modern ways of life, but to use their ways in modern times. Time has evolved so much and many people think it’s almost impossible to live the way our ancestors lived, although as I learn more about their methods and techniques, I am more committed to trying to live a lifestyle like theirs. Events such as the voyage of the Hōkūleʻa has also shaped my mindset of mālama honua. Even though many of the Hawaiian traditions have been replaced with modern technology and techniques; I find it very comforting and reassuring that people are willing and are still able to use traditional Hawaiian techniques, such as navigating using the stars and voyaging on ships built with bare hands using the techniques of ancient Hawaiians. Other small events such as cleaning the loʻi, cleaning fishponds, rebuilding walls, beach clean-ups have helped me shape my mindset of taking care of the land. I find it not only fun and satisfying to do the things our ancestors did but I also find it very reassuring that people haven’t forgotten the way of our ancestors. As a student of mālama honua, I aspire to learn more about the land and how to survive off of it. Many times I would walk by the aquaponics and I would see students working on it, I aspire to learn more about that type of lifestyle, which I’ve heard is very healthy. I also aspire to change people’s mind about what they think mālama honua is. I want to influence and teach as many people as I can as many things as I can. I feel as though it is a part of my responsibility being a student of Kamehameha and even more now being a student of papa mālama honua. I also aspire to learn more moʻolelo about the land and in addition to that I want to learn more about the ahupuaʻa of our island. I hope to learn the expectations of Hawaiians in the modern times of today and ways I can help to perpetuate our culture. Laslty, I want to learn difference techniques of caring for the land, including fish pond, taro patches, cooking, etc. Just as mālama honua has a literal meaning, aloha ʻāina has a literal meaning as well. Aloha meaning love, affection, compassion; ‘āina meaning land/earth; aloha ʻāina meaning to love the land/earth. Aloha ʻāina could mean the same thing as mālama honua to some people, but to me it means to love the earth and everything it provides for us. Our ancestors used to live off the land, and even though we have become more modernized, we still live off the land today. We eat fruits and vegetables that sprout from the earth, and the animals we eat also feed from the grass and plants that the earth has grown. The sun, the rain, the clouds, everything has effect on the earth which has affect on us. Loving the land to me doesn’t only mean taking care of the land like picking up trash, it means thanking the land for everything it does for us, just as we thank our parents for the things they do for us. Loving the land may sound weird but I see it more as connecting with the land on a spiritual level. The more we appreciate what the land does for us, the more I believe it will continue to provide for us. Loving the land could also help us to connect with our ancestors. Even when they think they have all vanished, they are always with us in ways we may not realize. Aloha ʻāina and mālama honua have very similar literal meanings, but depending on each person, it could have completely different meanings. Loving and caring for the land could ultimately include doing the same events, which is how I think they relate to each other. I feel as though their differences would include taking care of the land as physically tending to the physical needs of the land, while loving the land is on more on a spiritual level. Taking care of the land would be watering it, pulling out the weeds, picking up trash, etc. Loving the land could include praying for good harvest, thanking the land for the things it provides, connecting with our ancestors through the land, etc. |