Hula, the heart beat of the Hawaiian people . . .

Aloha Pō'alima iā kākou! Happy Aloha Friday. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a fabulous weekend. Today’s Hawaiian word is hula, which literally translates as the art of hula, to dance hula or to dance. As hula people, we know that hula is more than just dancing. It is a deeply spiritual experience that requires discipline, perseverance and commitment. Hula is a way of life. As hula dancers we eat, sleep and breathe hula. When we hear mele (song or dance) our hands automatically begin to choreograph motions of interpretation and our feet naturally begin to move to and fro. If it’s a mele we are familiar with, without hesitation we start to dance and sing it. Hula is not merely a performance, but instead it is an interpretation of a culture. Within the hula we find protocol, customs, traditions, legends, philosophy, spirituality, language all wrapped up into this art form. Kalākaua once said, “the hula is the language of the heart and therefore the heart beat of the Hawaiian people”. How grateful we are that this ali'i saw the value of the hula and brought it back to the forefront of our culture during his reign. Tonight and tomorrow night, we’ll get our fill of hula as the 2009 Keiki Hula Competition is televised on KITV 4. Join me as we watch our keiki continue to perpetuate the art of hula. Kuhi nō ka lima, hele nō ka maka. Where the hands go, the eyes follow. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Mana'o Podcast.

E ho'i i ke kula, return to school!

Aloha kakahiaka e ka lehulehu. Mākaukau e ho'i i ke kula? Are the keiki ready to go back to school? Today’s morning mana'o is just for you. All our Maui keiki who will ho'i i ke kula today need to learn this word – noke. Noke means to persevere, persist, continue. Noke i ka hana, continue to do your work. The opposite of noke would be hā'awi pio, to give up or surrender. We have choices in our lives. When times get tough and we are faced with challenges, we can noke i ka hana or hā'awi pio, persevere or give up. When we think of our ancestors we know that they never gave up. They chose to persist and continue until the task was completed. Now, as Hawaiian today, as keiki o ka 'āina, children of this land, we can apply their examples into our own lives. Our culture is a vibrant, living culture and we live the values of our küpuna. No laila e nā haumāna, nā keiki, nā po'e a pau, e noke mau i ka hana kūpono, continue to do good unceasingly. Study hard, do your homework, listen to your teachers and be bring the vision of Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli to life as he strived to establish He Aupuni Ho'ona'auao, an enlightened kingdom. I lā mua o ke kula maika'i, have a great first day back. Aloha nō, a hui hou! CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Mana'o Podcast.

Ku Ha'aheo

Welina me ke aloha iā kākou a pau! In Hawaiian we say, ”Kū ha'aheo” which means to stand tall or stand proud. Now sometimes we get a little hung up on the word ha'aheo or proud. We are taught not to be prideful and that pride is even a sin, but I think that there needs to be balance between ha'aheo and ha'aha'a. We can Kū ha'aheo, stand tall and be proud of our accomplishments without being haughty or puffed up. It is important for us to reflect on the good things we have done and continue to do in our lives. The goals we have met and the achievements we have worked hard to reach should be celebrated. We can Kū ha'aheo as a people when we learn about the feats of our kūpuna, our ancestors, their intelligence and ingenuity. We Kū ha'aheo when know and are familiar with our ancestors who came before us and we understand that we still have a kuleana to honor them and their names. Yes, ha'aha'a, humility is extremely important, but ha'aha'a and ha'aheo work together to create balance in each of us. No laila, e Kū ha'haeo kākou, may we all take time to celebrate and acknowledge our accomplishments and the accomplishments of others. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Mana'o Podcast.

Mauna Kahalawai

Aloha mai e nā hoa pepeiao! Today’s Morning Mana'o takes us to a wahi pana, a storied place here on Maui. We travel ma uka to the mountain range known traditionally as Mauna Kahālāwai, The West Maui Mountains. The older of Maui’s two volcanoes, Mauna Kahālāwai is the backdrop of the district known as Nā Wai 'Ehā, the four famous waters of Maui. It is a composition of dark basalts formed from pähoehoe lava eruptions and it stretches 18 miles long and 15 miles wide. Kahālāwai dates back some 1.3 million years. Literally, Kahālāwai translates as “the meeting of the waters”. There are many peaks and ridges within Kahālāwai, but, its highest peak, Pu'u Kukui stands 5,788 ft. and is located in the upper regions of the mountain on the Western end. It literally means, hill of light or enlightenment and is used in poetry as a metaphor symbolizing a beacon of light illuminating Kahālāwai. As we know, Pu'u Kukui is the second wettest spot in the world, second only to Mount Wai'ale'ale on the island of Kaua'i. From Kahālāwai comes Ka Wai Ola, the life giving waters of Kāne, the source of water that supports Central, South and West Maui. Mauna Kahālāwai is a glorious and beautiful mountain range with diverse topography ranging from lush, green landscapes to drier, red toned terrain, but it is not only esthetically pleasing, it is kūpuna, considered to be an ancestor of our race. Stop for a moment and take some time today to enjoy the splendor of Mauna Kahālāwai. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to download and listen to the Morning Mana'o Podcast.

Wailuku, i ka malu he kuawa. Wailuku, in the shelter of the valley.

Aloha mai e nā hoa aloha o ka polokolamu ʻo Morning Manaʻo. Good morning friends of Morning Manaʻo. This morningʻs ʻōlelo noʻeau takes us to the ahupuaʻa of Wailuku in the region of Nā Wai ʻEhā. Wailuku i ka malu he kuawa. Wailuku in the shelter of the valley. Wailuku, Maui reposes in the shelter of the clouds and valley. If you are kamaʻāina, familiar with Wailuku, you will agree that ʻĪao is a central component of this place. The valley of ʻĪao shelters the vast lands of Wailuku and is known for the many clouds that gather on the peaks of the valley ridges and converge, bringing with it the Ka wai a Kāne, the life giving waters of Kāne. In the morning, if you are up early enough, you can catch a glimpse of the valley fully exposed, ahuwale, glittering in the morning sunlight, but by the afternoon the uhiwai, the misty clouds begin to cover its precipices, sheltering the sacred valley walls and the broad expanse of Wailuku. Take some time this weekend to gaze at the immeasurable beauty of Wailuku and the valley of ʻĪao. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Manaʻo Podcast.

Perseverance

Welina me ke aloha e nā hoa pepeiao! He momi kēia. Nā keiki uneune māmane o Kula. The lads of Kula, Maui who tug and pull the māmane up by the roots. This ʻōlelo noʻeau is an expression of admiration for the people of Kula who accomplished whatever they set out to do. Imagine pulling up a māmane tree, digging down into the earth to the deep roots and then tugging and pulling until the entire tree was uprooted. This takes effort, even greater effort than just cutting the tree down. It required perseverance and commitment to finishing the task, no matter how hard it got. When we think of the people of Kula we think of kua ʻāina, the term used for those who worked the land, those who worked hard in the hot sun and at times the pouring rain. Kua means back and ʻāina means land, so literally this term means back to the land and paints a picture of makaʻāinana bending over at the back and working tirelessly. The people of Kula were this way. Hard workers, diligent in their efforts and focused on accomplishing the tasks set before them. It is a great reminder to us today that we, too, must be firm and steadfast and learn to persevere. We must tug, pull and press forward with our eye on the prize, whatever that prize may be. So many times in today`s world we seem to give up too easily. May we all be like Nā keiki uneune māmane o Kula, the lads of Kula who exemplified the qualities of perseverance and longsuffering, for the reward that lies ahead is great. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Manaʻo Podcast.

ʻAʻohe puʻu kiʻekiʻe ʻaʻole hiki ke piʻi . . .

Aloha mai e nā hoa makamaka o ke kakahiaka! He momi kēia. Todayʻs morning manaʻo is an ʻōlelo noʻeau – ʻAʻohe puʻu kiʻekiʻe ke hoʻāʻo e piʻi, no cliff is too high to be scaled. There is no challenge to big to overcome. When I asked my son, Kamaehu to share with me his manaʻo about this ʻōlelo noʻeau he said, “Mom, itʻs like thereʻs nothing that you canʻt accomplish.” Pololei nō ʻoe e Kamaehu. You are absolutely right! The word puʻu is used, which means hill or mound. Piʻi means to climb or ascend. It is interesting to note that mauna, mountain is not used, but instead puʻu is used. In this context the puʻu represent the obstacles and challenges we face in life, perhaps even on a daily basis. The metaphor of a mountain may be a little too strong here. Instead, we are reminded that we will have smaller hills and mounds, challenges battles and obstacles in life, but none are too great, too high to overcome. All things are possible and yes, like Kamaehu said, we can accomplish anything. Keep persevering, keep pushing forward, maybe even upwards at times until you have climbed that puʻu and reached the other side. Indeed, ʻAʻohe puʻu kiʻekiʻe ke hoÿāʻo e piʻi. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Manaʻo Podcast.