Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 10, 1 October 2020 — huiMAU: Normalizing the Lifestyle of Aloha 'Āina [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

huiMAU: Normalizing the Lifestyle of Aloha 'Āina

By Ed Kalama "Mālama i ke kanaka nui, i ke kanaka iki, i ka 'elemakule, i ka luahine, i ke keiki, i ka 'ilihune, i ka mea ma'i. Care for the big person and the small person, for the elderly men and women, for the children, for those in destitution, and for the sick." - 'Umi-a-Līloa, 15th century ali'i nui (high chief) of Hawai'i Island |t's a little word with a lot of meaning. In 'ōlelo Hawai'i, ea translates to independence or sovereignty. It ean also mean life. Together, ea ean be interpreted as living an independent life, or living a balanced life with reciprocal arrangements with everything around you, such as coming together as a community where all live healthy lives together, Ke ea o ka 'āina, the life of the land, is the lesson from our kūpuna. Ea is a good thing. Founded in 20 1 1 , Hui Mālama i ke Ala 'Ūlili (huiMAU ) is a community-based nonprofit made up of 'ohana from East Hāmākua on Hawai'i Island. The hui is committed to cultivating kīpuka (safe, regenerative spaces) that foster and regenerate the growth of place-based ancestral knowledge, healthy food- and eeo- systems, and strong 'ohana with the capacity to live and thrive in Hāmākua for generations. Their mission is to re-establish the systems that sustain their community through place-based educational initiatives and 'āina-centered practices that cultivate abundance, regenerate responsibilities and promote collective health and wellbeing.

A recipient of an OHA Community Grant award to support responsible resource management, huiMAU's primary grant objective is to clear invasive species (guinea grass and ironwood trees) and restore coastal native ecosystems at Koholālele, an ahupua'a located in Hāmākua near Pa'auilo. The restoration work includes the reintroduction of native food crops, including kalo, mai'a, 'uala and 'ulu. When the COVID-19pan-

demic forced them to suspend most mālama 'āina activities, huiMAU shifted gears from hosting individuals and groups for community workdays to harvesting mea'ai from their native crops and providing food baskets to the kūpuna and 'ohana of the area. Rallying their community, they' ve held regular food distributions since March, and they even repurposed their annual Lā Ho'iho'i Ea (Sovereignty Restoration Day) celebration on July 31. "In late March, when COVID-19 was beginning to become a reality in Hawai'i, our first thoughts were for the safety

and wellbeing of the kūpuna and keiki in our community," said Dr. No'eau Peralto, huiMAU's executive director who holds a doctorate in Indigenous politics from the University of Hawai'i. "We knew that many in our community would be losing their employment, and that access to food would become a growing challenge for many. We acted immediately, guided by our kūpuna to hānai kānaka, as the mo'olelo of our famous ali'i, 'Umi-a-Līloa reminds us. "We began with sharing the abundance that we had grown and raised on our own 'āina, and it didn't take long before others began to share as well. Soon we had neighbors, farmers, and funders all donating and contributing to make sure our community was cared for and fed during this time of great change." Since 2016, huiMAU has been organizing a community celebration of Lā Ho'iho'i Ea, whieh has been described as Hawai'i's first nahonal holiday. These events have brought together up to 1,000 people from around the island to learn about and build relationships rooted in ea and aloha 'āina. "This year we decided to adapt our celebration to express our ea as a community through the act of hānai kānaka. Ea emerges out of our relationships with 'āina and eaeh other. By sharing our abundance and feeding eaeh other from the 'ai of our own 'āina, we strengthen our aloha for eaeh other and our 'āina. We breathe ea together," Peralto said. "The story that we've tried to share is that this time is showing us, more than ever, the ea that already exists in our communities. We're seeing that we have abundance and we have aloha to share with eaeh other, and to sustain eaeh other in challenging times. Feeding ourselves from our own 'āina is one manifestation of ea." Peralto said that with the support of OHA (through a funding stream separate from the community grant program), the

Consuelo Foundation and the Hawai'i Island United Way, huiMAU was able to begin purchasing locally grown produce to share with the community from mahi'ai in Hāmākua and across the north and east sides of Hawai'i Island. With additional produce provided by Lili'uokalani Trust, by mid-April huiMAU was distributing more than 5,000 pounds of fresh, locally grown produce and value added products like poi, honey, pua'a kalua, and frozen meat bi-weekly to kūpuna and 'ohana in their community. "Now, with the support of the County of Hawai'i Coronavirus Relief Fund, we plan to continue our Community Kitchen Food Distribution Program at least through the end of 2020," Peralto said. SEE huiMAU ON PAGE 14

No'eau Peralto ■ Photos: Anianikū Chong

(front, L to R) Anianikū Chong, Lauren Kapono, Uakoko Chong, Bronson Palupe, Lueon Route, Kayla Lindsey-Asing, Kalō Lindey-Asing, Kahalekulu Lindey-Asing, Kaluhea Lindey-Asing, Leimōmane Lindey-Asing, (back, L to R) Leilō Dudley, Kodie Solis-Kalani, Haley Kailiehu, No'eau Peralto, Valerie Perallo (Board Treasurer) are working together to hōnai kōnaka and exemplify aloha 'ōina in their communities.

Volunteers slip informational flyers ahoul Lō Ho'iho'i Ea inlo food bags before distributing Ihem to the community.

huīMAU

Continued from page13 "Ultimately though, we are committed to restoring the systems that sustain the long-term wellbeing of our 'āina and community. This involves more than short term relief, but lasting change. Healthy 'āina is the foundation of healthy kānaka." Spend any time with Peralto, 32, and one ean see that he - and his staff of eight - are the type of 'ōiwi leaders so needed in the Hawaiian eommunity today. Educated, passionate, and grounded in Hawaiian cultural values, they have the ability to move the lāhui forward. "No'eau is a true visionary," said OHA grants specialist ' Aikū'ē Kalima. "He is a Hawaiian leader who cares deeply about his culture, 'āina, and the community of Pa'auilo. It's rare to meet a young leader with the passion and dedication to uplift

Native Hawaiians through cultural education, restoration and by providing food to the community." "We have always considered our hui to be an 'ohana more so than an organization," Peralto said. "'Ohana is where aloha begins, for eaeh other and for the 'āina. Within the 'ohana unit is also where ea, resurgence and governance begin. "We believe that strong 'ohana, rooted in plaee for mukiple generations, are the foundation of strong communities. Strong communities are the foundation of a strong lāhui. We're working to normalize aloha 'āina as a lifestyle again in our 'ohana and community. "We're working to create the space for, and build the capacity of, 'ohana to be able to noho papa (live and thrive for generations) in this plaee. 'Programs' ean only last so long. Our real goal is to make aloha 'āina lifeways the norm again for all 'ohana in our community." ■

Bronson Palupe, 'Āina Restoration Coordinator, and Kalō Lindsey-Asing, Board President, help to distribute boxes of fresh produce. - Photo: Anianikū Chong