Before going to Waihe'e Water Tunnel, I remember being so excited. Partly because it'd be my first learning-trip in my entire high school career and because i'm so in love with the east side since it's where i'm from. It's not often people get to actually see inside of a water tunnel so it was exciting to have that opportunity open for us. I've always seen the doors whenever I went to the ice ponds but this would be the first time actually going inside.
0 Comments
My protocol for taking Tommy home:
Taking the plant home and keeping it at my grandmaʻs house (2 houses down from mine) where both will grow in her side garden. Iʻll leave the plants in the pot so that it doesnʻt interfere with my grandmaʻs plants. Both will get the same amount of partial sun since the side garden is on the side of the house. One will be watered with clean, filtered water and one with laundry water. I think by watering one with laundry water, it will cause the leaves and the tomato itself to change in color by making it less rich and cause the leaves the grow faster. Iʻll measure the success of the plants by how fast the they flourish and how rich they are in color. Once in a while I pay a visit to a cafe called ʻAi love Nalo about 5 min away from my house. I like it because it satisfies my picky taste buds and I can promise you mine are the pickiest. ʻAi Love Nalo does a good job of producing quality vegan food while being locally sourced.
For one of our assignments we were told to go out and find a 100% locally sourced meal and I immediately thought of ʻAi Love Nalo. However it was hard to find a real meal that was completely locally sourced so I chose the Poi Perfect Parfait which is basically layers of their fresh fruit, local poi, and house-made granola. I feel like locally sourced food isnʻt too hard to find now days because itʻs become popular to support local. Thereʻs many markets in my area that allow me to see how I myself can support local too. For example the farmerʻs market every Thursday in Kailua Town Center, which is more for plate lunches/dinner or the farmerʻs market every Wednesday and Sunday in Windward Mall, which is more plants, vegetables, and smaller food portions. On October 19th all Mālama Honua classes went on a field-trip to my hometown, Waimānalo, at the college of tropical agriculture and human resources where they got to learn a little more about our theme for second quarter, that is food sovereignty. I unfortunately did not get to go on this field-trip because one teacher would not allow me to miss class that day. (Yearbook... Itʻs complicated)
However, my classmates all got the chance to learn a lot new things you would not be able to learn locked up in a classroom. They learned about all the different varieties of lāʻau grown across the 128 acres of land and helped to clean up around it. This particular place in Waimānalo is very significant to us Hawaiians in a way where agriculture is such a big part of our culture. I think itʻs awesome that UH Mānoa allows students to come here as an extension so that we never forget the importance of food sovereignty. This quarter in Mālama Honua, we learned quite a lot. From learning how to read the weather in preparation for hurricanes and storms to working outside in the mala. I learned that what separates this class from others is how hands on we are, which makes this class one I enjoy a lot. It was interesting watching Kumu Blake show us all of the tropical storms that were coming our way. And it was fun to work outside in mala, pulling weeds and watching our own plants grow. We even did a campus tour where we learned about the buildingsʻ names and positioning from Keōpūlani down to Kekūanaōʻa.
Aside from working outside though, I learned a lot about the ahupuaʻa of Kapālama. I first gained insight when Kumu Kehau came in and talked us through her power point. We learned a lot about what was supposed to be our field trip to Mokauea and all of the other parts of Kapālama that we donʻt really recognize. Then came our Kuʻu ʻĀina Aloha project where I chose to research Kapālama. Through this project I was able to strengthen the ahupuaʻa that has given me so much. As Hawaiian Scientists, it's our role to find our connection between us and the culture. In class today, we had a discussion about walking the land to be Hawaiian. Not everyone is made for the ecological side of the culture. I think it's important to find your specific passion within our culture to really make that difference. Whether you're a farmer or fisherman, politician or teacher, you have to love it to shape your role in the Hawaiian community.
As Hawaiians, itʻs important to know more than just the surface of things. Itʻs all about knowing your history and keeping that ʻike so it doesnʻt become lost.
Today was eye opening. A campus that I considered home yet didnʻt even know the severity of the ahupuaʻa it sits on! Thanks to Kumu Kehau though, we learned a little more about the beautiful ahupuaʻa of Kapālama. For instance, little did I know that Kapālama stretches as far as Sand Island and that the word itself translates "The lama word enclosure" or the name of a high chiefess. Or at least what I knew those islands to be as. But then we learned about the importance of using traditional names to recognize that placeʻs significance and learned that Sand Island is actually called Mauliola. Though these are just a few of the many things Kumu Kehau taught us, everything helped us to be māukaukau for when we go on our field-trip to Mokauea. So iʻm thankful that Kumu Kehau came when she did. When I think of Hawaiian scientists, I think of the Hawaiians who know their ʻāina. And not just knowing the ahupuaʻa, the moku, winds and rains, etc. Like really knowing their land, how it functions, when to do this, and how to do that. Take a loʻi for example. When we go on field trips to the loʻi and help the uncles and aunties clean their mala, what weʻre helping with is only half of it. Behind the scenes is a whole nother world of water levels and wildlife that we donʻt know about. Hawaiians who can teach the behind the scenes are my definition of hawaiian scientists.
Relating this to being a student at Kamehameha, I feel like our school lacks Hawaiian scientists as keiki. Not because we donʻt have the resources, but because we havenʻt really found a comfortable approach to be even further culturally grounded while being academically competent. But is that the schoolʻs fault or the students?
|
Details
AuthorHarley Keikilani Kiko-Wolfe Archives
January 2019
Categories |