Kahalawai

Aloha mai e nā hoa pepeiao. Kahālāwai is the name of the West Maui Mountain Range. For our 'ohana it is our backdrop, the view we enjoy each and every day. In the mornings we all look to see what Kahālāwai looks like as we drive to school and work. Some mornings it is bright and beautiful, glistening in the morning sun without a single cloud to hide its verdant mountains. Days like this remind us of the sacredness of this wahi pana as reaches toward the heavens. On other mornings it is misty and mystical, adorned by the uhiwai, the heavy fog and misty rains. On days like these we are reminded that Kahālāwai is indeed where the life giving waters of Kāne meet and provide sustenance. Kahālāwai is more than just a mountain range, it is home to our forests, our native plants, the unique environment that makes Hawai'i so special. It is our kūpuna, our ancestor whom we love, admire and respect. This is why our youngest child, Kamahiwa is named after this mountain, Kaleiwehionālanikċikala'iākeaokahālāwai, the adorning lei of the heavens that rises in the peacefulness of Kahālāwai. His name forever connects him to this place. So, today, on his 9th birthday we celebrate the beauty of Kahālāwai and we celebrate how Hiwa will perpetuate the history of this wahi pana through his name and through his life. Hau'oli lā hānau e Kamahiwa Kaleiwehionālanikċikala'iākeaokahālāwai Kawa'a. E ola ka hāloa o ka 'ohana Kawa'a. Aloha nō, a hui hou!