Reconnecting to Our Shared Kupuna: Aina
My first three months at Hawaiian Islands Land Trust has been like waking up after a deep sleep. Rise slowly, wipe the maka piapia from the eyes, take in the new day, and GO! Each experience has unfolded into new discoveries and filled me with awe and humility. The commitment, dedication, love and hard work manifested at HILT is immeasurable. Much easier to quantify is the 21,000 acres of protected land (nearly the size of Kaho’olawe) that HILT has protected through conservation purchases and easements. HILT has served as the catalyst to the loving transformation of land to aina. Through time on the land, removing rubbish and invasive species, planting natives, welcoming community, and observing the natural elements and seasons, land is transformed to aina. In that transformation, the people caring for the aina are also transformed and nourished by the aina. Some shining examples are Maunawila Heiau as it nourishes the Hauula community and provides sanctuary to the moolelo, makani, manu, and mea kanu of this wahi pana, and Waihee Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge, where native plants like Loulu, Hala, Pohinahina, and Kaunaoa now thrive. These are just a couple of examples of the inspiring places within HILT’s sanctuary, and the kanaka who malama them!
In addition to the awe of the new day after a long sleep, I also find my na’au filled with hope for Hawaii as we strengthen our connections to aina. Through our work, HILT is cultivating community relationships with aina, providing meaningful opportunities to (re)connect to aina, and promoting ways of living in balance and harmony with our environment. As the descendants of our shared kupuna, the aina, we thrive when our aina thrives. Similarly, when our aina ancestors are protected, nourished and loved, we are protected, nourished and loved. Our aina, the honorable kupuna that we all have in common, will lead the way, and we are merely the descendants that must listen and respond to their direction, guidance and aloha. Aina is, after all, the longest living kupuna of us all and will continue to exist many generations beyond us, protecting, nourishing, and loving all the generations to come.
As we quickly approach the season of Lonoikamakahiki, a time of harvest, rest, and peace, it is serendipitous that we may take this as an opportunity to reflect on our collective kuleana and tune in to the aina. This interdependent kuleana is both a privilege and a right: to responsibly care for the natural resources of our common kupuna, Aina.
— Makana Reilly