Waiola

Aloha kakahiaka e nā hoa aloha o ka lekiō! Hau'oli Pō'alima Aloha! Happy Aloha Friday! Today I will be heading to Maui Komohana, West Maui to the land known as Ka malu 'ulu o Lele, the shaded breadfruit trees of Lele to the Moku of Waine'e and the area known as Waiola. Waiola translates as the living or life giving waters. Quite an appropriate name for this place. Although we may not see water there today, we know that ka wai ola once maintained the traditional fishpond of Mokuhinia and that fresh water springs lined the shore. We can see evidence of the fresh water that once flowed in abundance ma kai where bubbling springs can still make their way from below the surface to the lihikai, the shoreline. We know that our ali'i lived at and frequented this area. Right in the heart of this place is historic Waiola Church where Keōpūolani, the sacred wife of Kamehameha chose to be buried and many of our high ranking ali'i followed in her footsteps. We can visit Waiola today and still see the names of these ali'i marking their final resting places. Today, I will be there with some of our students, working, cleaning and honoring this sacred wahi pana. When was the last time that you visited this place? Just think, when visit these sites and more importantly when we add our mana by taking care of these place, we reinstate the ola, the life force that once existed. E ola mau nō ka mana o Waiola! Aloha ō, a hui hou!

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