Nana i ke kumu . ..

Aloha kakahiaka! He momi kēia. Nānā i ke kumu. Look to the source. Nānā meaning look and kumu meaning source. This 'ōlelo no'eau can be interpreted in many ways. It reminds us to look to the resources around us for answers, guidance and direction. When I think of this 'ōlelo no'eau the source for me is our beloved kūpuna, our elders. They are full of wisdom gained through the many life experiences they have had. When we need answers to our questions, we can look to our kūpuna to provide answers. Now, if we closer at this proverb we find that nānā can also mean to observe and kumu can mean teacher. We could interpret this wise saying as look to the teachers. There are many teachers surrounding us in life. Whatever it is that we are experiencing in our life, there is a "teacher" we can look to who has already been through it and can be a shining example to us. These teachers are our parents, 'ohana, good friends. They can be older than us and even younger. Even our children teach us many lessons and can be great examples to us of forgiveness, kindness, love unconditional. At times, we are the kumu, we are the teachers who teach others through our example. Now, when we observe these teachers we do more than just look at them. The word observe means that we look, study, carefully watch these kumu around us. So, as we experience life and as we face decisions, nānā i ke kumu, look to source, observe the teachers around us. Aloha nō, a hui hou.

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