HILT Steward Found His Calling in Maunawila ʻŌpio Summer Program

Mamo Leota and Makani Walker, Maunawila Steward Educators with BYU-H students participating in a community volunteer day.

Spending time at Maunawila Heiau was woven into Makani Walker’s childhood. He grew up in Hauʻula on Oʻahu’s windward side, where the site is located. Makani helped remove invasive plants and accompanied his mother, an anthropologist, when she brought student work groups from nearby Brigham Young University. 

He vividly remembers being “blown away,” upon the discovery of new artifacts, like coral slabs.

“It was a very obvious significant influence that the Hawaiian people had on this space,” he said. “Boom! There’s a coral slab that was brought up the mountain to sanctify this sacred space hundreds of years ago.”

Makani, who is now the Educator and Steward of Maunawila Heiau for Hawaiʻi Land Trust, was raised in the Hawaiian language immersion programs of Koʻolauloa, where he learned to promote Hawaiian cultural values in all aspects of his life. His deep affinity for Maunawila made him a natural fit for participation in the Maunawila ʻŌpio summer program after he graduated from high school in 2022. 

“Having this space in my hometown with such tangible significance to ancient Hawaiians and our cultural values felt like an easy choice to commit time and energy to,” Makani said. 

During that summer, he and other participants helped build the Wahiopua hale, gathering wood from the site and learning to use cordage to lash the logs together. 

“I remember shuttling the invasive tree logs down from the top of the property, carrying it with the cohort I led – 6 to 8 kids – all with these massive logs that would soon be the corner posts of the house and the joy and relief of working together to bring them down the hillside,” Makani said. 

Makani describes his experience in the ʻŌpio program as pivotal to both his career goals and life’s purpose. He learned more about the archaeologists’ responsibilities and about the stewards’ roles, such as working with large community groups and encouraging open-mindedness and conscientiousness when working in a culturally sensitive space. Most significantly, the ʻŌpio program is where he found his life’s work. 

“As a native Hawaiian, I’ve found my calling and my place here in the culture-rich mountains of Oʻahu where I grew up, and I hope that everyone finds their place in their ʻaina, in their own culturally and spiritually relevant spaces,” Makani said.