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Aloha, We are KUA! Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) is a backbone organization that supports grassroots growing through shared responsibilityREAD LATEST NEWS
Lawaiʻa Pono Managing place-based fishing practices in ways that honor the values and traditions of our ancestors...LEARN MORE
Who are the Kuaʻāina? Get the first chapter of Davianna McGregor's moving work "Nā Kuaʻāina." Available for download now.DOWNLOAD
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Latest From Our Blog

KUA’s COVID-19 Response and Update

Aloha hoa aloha and ʻohana,
Life is changing quicky… As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues its reach across the world, we find ourselves in new territory. Like many of you, we are adapting to the current environment and making necessary adjustments to protect our staff, networks and community members…

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E Alu Pū

E ALU PŪ is a network linking more than 32 communities from around Hawai`i to increase their effectiveness in managing local biocultural heritage.

The E ALU PŪ Network from Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo on Vimeo.

Hui Mālama Loko I’a

Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa is a growing network of fishpond practitioners and organizations from across Hawaiʻi. The Hui was formed as an opportunity for practitioners to empower each other and leverage their skills, knowledge and resources related to restoration and management of loko iʻa (traditional Hawaiian fishponds).

LIMU HUI

The Limu Hui is a network of elders, educators, and community members from across Hawaiʻi who gather, care for and work to restore native Hawaiian limu (seaweed) around the islands.   In 2014, at the request of elders with traditional limu practitioners, KUA partnered with the ʻEwa Limu Project in an initiative to “gather the gatherers.”

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HŌʻIKE HONUA • Kaʻala | with ʻAnakala Eric E HŌʻIKE HONUA • Kaʻala | with ʻAnakala Eric Enos mā. We started with a beautiful mele, “Nani ʻia ʻo Waiʻanae,” performed by two haumāna, Kamalei lāua ʻo Kaʻula Krug. ʻAnakala Eric and ʻAnakala Butch reflected on the early days of Kaʻala Farms and the challenges they faced to return fresh water to four acres of ancient loʻi terraces. By following in the footsteps of their kūpuna, they saw to the restoration of kalo to this ʻāina, also known as the “poi bowl,” and sparked a resurgence of their own ea. We honored the memory of ʻAnakala Eddie Kaʻanāʻanā who was a big part of making Kaʻala Farms what it is today. • Through the magic of Zumalani*, lots of preparation, & Mangoʻs mad storytelling skills, we got to experience the most comprehensive yet riveting kapa-making demonstration at breakneck speed: we watched him harvest & prepare the wauke, listened to the melodic beats from the ʻie kuku, & marveled at the mixing & application of natural dyes (Hawaiian chemistry!) and the intricate watermarks noticeable in the sunlight. • Mahalo to the Kaʻala Farms ʻohana for inspiring us to follow in your footsteps: to serve as kīpuka for others as we reactivate the ʻāina, wai, moʻolelo and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi from our own spaces. And for as long as we mālama our wai, our most precious water source, we will endure the summer fires and through times of social dysfunction & distancing. e holomua kākou! *Zumalani is a huaʻōlelo coined by the one and only @KaukaBaker, mahalo Kumu Kaliko! #kuahawaii #ainamomona #mauiakama #mauiakama2020
@key_project the community center that graciously @key_project the community center that graciously allows leases KUA office space is heroically distributing food to the Kahalu'u community. Pleaae.pass this on! "Aloha! We have 200 CSA boxes of fresh vegetables and fruit for our community. Please call us to reserve your box at 239-5777. We are closed TODAY but will re-open TOMORROW if you have any questions. Distribution will be on Wednesday, May 27th. @hamproduceseafood @key_project "
So far, this week has been a busy one for us with So far, this week has been a busy one for us with the debut of a virtual huakaʻi series that blends both ʻohana KUA & ʻohana Rozet! Big mahalo to Niegel for seeing the opportunity & creating a special experience for us all. • Join us today in sending ALOHA to this birthday fella, a most excellent team member, zoom-master, & bridge-builder, who brings a thoughtful, innovative, & courageous spirit to everything that you do. • We also want to extend our appreciation to the rest of the Rozet ʻohana: Ali, Aukahi, & Elena, for this special & everlasting partnership & for raising the next generation of limu eaters who show up 💯 in our staff zooms. We love watching you grow - hauʻoli lā hānau, Niegel! 📸 @kimmymoa
HŌʻIKE HONUA • HOʻOKENA | On Tuesday, a new HŌʻIKE HONUA • HOʻOKENA | On Tuesday, a new virtual workshop series launched from the shores of Hoʻokena! Through the eyes & narration of our host, ʻanakala Damien Kenison, we got to hear moʻolelo from Kupa Landing to Palianihi, wahi kaulana i ka lawaiʻa ʻopelu, & experience Kauhako Bay during a very unique time. Some participants that had visited this special place in the past remarked on the peaceful stillness for the lack of crowds. We are so proud of ʻanakala Damien for being a champ kupuna zumalani, utilizing new technology to take us on this virtual tour, and engaging all of our senses - letting us “feel” the Kona heat as he carefully crossed the beach barefoot. • This huakaʻi was made possible through a partnership with UH system ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi classes @hawaiinuiakea. Every summer, Mauiakama takes 3rd and 4th year ʻōlelo Hawaii students to immerse in the language and huli ka lima i lalo with kupa o ka ʻāina. This year, as COVID-19 has written itself into our moʻolelo, and affects our ability to be physically with each other, students and community will hoʻolauna virtually to hoʻokamaʻāina with wahi pana, develop pilina and more importantly develop ways to hoʻihoʻi some aloha to our places even as we #stayhome #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona #mauiakama #mauiakama2020 • These photos, courtesy of ʻanakala Damien, capture the memories this kupuna has of Hoʻokena, one of the last remaining historical fishing villages on Hawaiʻi Island, and the enduring practice of hānai koʻa.
Here is a #limustories post and reflection by Limu Here is a #limustories post and reflection by Limu Hui member and grad student - Billy Kinney. Billy talks about what was uncovered as he attempted to explore his own limu genealogy via his father "Uncle Blue.” Offering a glimpse at an ongoing narrative about how limu continues to conjure up connections between the lived experiences of our ancestors and the tasks or opportunities that we are given today. Joining the Limu Hui at a previous Hāna Limu Festival, Billy was able to reconnect with his ancestral places, ʻohana, and limu. Please consider participating in the #limustories movement, and posting what you are comfortable with sharing publicly. The cairn of stories, that exists in circulation or disuse, provides valuable lessons and is a cultural resource in itself. — ORIGINAL POST @billayylmaoo — #LIMUSTORIES I grew up knowing my dad was a very natural and enthusiastic storyteller [in the original post vid, he's talking about when his father in-law, my grampa Ah-Meng, and Uncle Ricardo Garma surrounded a huge pile of Koshibi nearshore with ʻoʻopu nets]. But, "Blue" was not raised by Hanalei like I was and lived a full life. He surfed all of Hawaiʻi and the continent before there were recognizable surf communities. He was a black coral diver and commercial fisherman. Paddled with my Hanalei uncles and dominated, and even paddled a six-man in New York. Worked on my papa's ranch and has the best paniolo tales he willingly shares. I often overlooked where he came from and did not ask enough about his upbringing in Hāna or if he remembers the limu there. Yesterday I asked him to go further. He shared about his childhood and "playing" in Waikaloa (Waikoloa). My two tutuwahine, Sarah Kahomealoha and Makaole Kepoo Kaleo, going to gather ʻopihi and limu. Different variations of kohu, ʻopihi limu, līpoa. Sometimes going as far as Kipahulu. How they wore their muʻumuʻu in a particular way to pocket their limu. He and my Aunty Ululani would go to the house of the Noa ʻohana and watch the Manini from their steps. (continued in comments)
A lei of limu on this May Day • join us in weavi A lei of limu on this May Day • join us in weaving together our collective stories of limu! • “Limu Stories” challenges you to reach out and talk with your mākua and kūpuna about LIMU 🌱 Ask them if they are willing to talk story, pose a simple question about limu, and be prepared as it may open deeper dialogue. Once you’ve done that, please do the following 1)Take what you’ve learned and make a create a post that shows your love of limu! 2)Tag @kuaainauluauamo 3)Use a combination of the hashtags  #limustories  #limuhui and #limulove 4)Challenge others to participate by tagging them. Post a photo, write a poem, make a limu press, or try out a limu-inspired recipe. We can’t wait to see what you have to share. 📷 @holladayphoto Aunty Pam Fujii & Billy Kinney together at the 2016 Global E Alu Pū gathering
Repost @billayylmaoo • Aloha ʻohana, The Limu H Repost @billayylmaoo • Aloha ʻohana, The Limu Hui wishes you safety, health, and comfort as we adjust to our new realities. As we are encouraged to practice social distancing and #StayHome, many of us are connecting and checking in on each other virtually. Some of us are fortunate to be with our ʻohana, keiki, mākua and kūpuna. We continue to learn, feed and heal with our loved ones. We are working through this together. The Limu Hui would like to use this time of familial closeness to foster the revival and uncovering of moʻolelo within the ʻohana and home. Our Hui has committed to perpetuate and preserve limu knowledge, practice, & abundance. Bringing together limu experts and gatherers to talk story nurtures trust, accelerates sharing, and grows collaboration as we work to restore, sustain, and protect ancestral abundance. Limu and limu knowledge is largely foundational to how we as kānaka interact with ʻāina. Moʻolelo is our ancestral medicine that reinforces pilina beyond time and space. • "Limu Stories” challenges you to reach out and talk with your mākua and kūpuna about limu. Ask them if they are willing to talk story, pose a simple question about limu, and be prepared as it may open deeper dialogue. • Once you’ve done that, please do the following 1)Take what you’ve learned and make a post that shows your love of limu! 2)Tag the Limu Hui and @kuaainauluauamo in your photo/stories 3)Use a combination of the hashtags  #limustories #limuhui and #limulove 4)Challenge others to participate by tagging them. Post a photo, write a poem, make a limu press, or try out a limu-inspired recipe. We can’t wait to see what you have to share. Ola! • [Photos: Billy Kinney]
Fishing for kūpuna ʻike • Today we hosted a wo Fishing for kūpuna ʻike • Today we hosted a workshop by Kēhaulani Kupihea about collecting stories from our ʻohana. Through her extensive background in archaeology, marine science, research and Hawaiian cultural education, Kēhau has conducted hundreds of oral history interviews with kūpuna and has become a rich source of moʻolelo for Keʻehi, Honolulu, and the broader communities of ʻEwa, Oʻahu. At times, she saw how her training in the western style of interviewing didn’t work in connecting with kūpuna and improvised her own technique. She says, “we as ʻinterviewersʻ and members of our ʻohana and communities collecting moʻolelo are fishing for our kupuna knowledge. In gathering these stories, we need to have all our gear, tools, bait ready before we go holoholo.” • While our communities are encouraged to #stayathome we can’t help but think about the opportunity that lies in this fertile time. That moʻolelo and ancestral abundance exists right here and now - easily accessible at all times! We will be posting about our love for limu, their allure and ‘ono, & the limu gatherers who taught us how to mālama! If you want to JOIN US, tag us and drop these hashtags so we can find you! #limuhui #limustories • Photo: Kēhaulani and Aunty Napua Barrows on a limu walk during the E Alu Pū gathering (Kauaʻi, 2017) 📷: @kimmymoa
A BIT OF EARTH | Yesterday, we had an opportunity A BIT OF EARTH | Yesterday, we had an opportunity to share some helpful approaches that our co-director, Miwa, has cultivated from her experience in grantwriting. Some of these “principles,” each one named after the mentor or friend who inspired them, demonstrates a mindset that is grounded in purpose, builds reciprocity and trust in our relationships with funders, and champions a discipline of pule, preparation & persistence. At times, the grantwriting process can seem overwhelmingly strict & calculated in a way that’s antithesis to our nature as humble beings in a shifting landscape. We are reminded to apply our humanity, creativity, & philosophy in our approaches to cultivate these kinds of resources just as we would in the reciprocal relationships to ʻāina and our communities. And in the end, we were inspired to hear folks proposing to come together to support one another and share the load. Mahalo to our ‘Ewa folks, Nalani Kealaiki and Ileana Ruelas for collaborating with us on this journey and their determination and dedication to make it happen • Photos of an ʻEwa community that participated in this workshop. The caretakers at Paʻaiau Fishpond recently gathered on-site to offer pule & hoʻokupu while practicing social distancing. “Raising resources“ in many forms, keiki included! Happy Earth Day folks! #kuahawaii #ainamomona
WHATʻS YOUR KOʻA? | This photo was taken in 2016 WHATʻS YOUR KOʻA? | This photo was taken in 2016 in the midst of planning a week-long cultural exchange @iucn_congress hosted by E Alu Pū and attended by grassroots leaders from around the world. The office quickly filled with camping gear, supplies, makana, & merchandise from our community networks. Back then, we gathered around our trusty whiteboard, the lifeline that led us through the organized chaos • Back to now, 2020. Over the past few weeks, our KUA ʻohana has adjusted to working from home and exploring the virtual resources available to us. However, when youʻre not sharing the same space as in an office, you lose those occasions when ideas, information, & solutions emerge from unplanned conversations. We implemented a daily KOʻA CALL for our staff to “gather around the koʻa,” chum ideas, drink coffee, & allow the ideas from these smaller conversations to grow. 🐟
Uncle Wally | still looking sharp as ever and stil Uncle Wally | still looking sharp as ever and still our main man. The first picture is from the first Limu Hui gathering in 2014 at Punaluʻu and the other two from Dec 2019 along the ʻEwa shoreline. Looking good! We’ve got countless photos of Uncle Wally taking folks on limu walks, standing on the reef watching the waves, or hunched over scoping the crevices, or a closeup of his hands showing a piece of limu. And we’re sure that you do, too! Photos that may be in your very own hand right now. 🤳🏽 So if you’ve got a pic you wanna share, tag us! Today’s his birthday and we’d love to show him how much he’s loved! #kuahawaii
Working from home has its gifts and challenges. We Working from home has its gifts and challenges. We’re sharing these principles floating around the internet and made a little graphic to look at daily. What are the things that we need to keep us going, breathing, moving, & thriving another day, another week, another month?! Please leave us a comment below - we’re curious to hear from you. #kuahawaii #ainamomona
Double the celebrations for these two BIRTHDAY UNK Double the celebrations for these two BIRTHDAY UNKS, Uncle Solomon Kahoʻohalahala of Lānaʻi & Uncle Presley Wann of Kauaʻi! Wishing these handsome fellas an inbox full of birthday wishes. They are true pillars in our community and make the world a better place to be. #kuahawaii
Oʻahu folks | The Ulu A‘e Learning Center wants Oʻahu folks | The Ulu A‘e Learning Center wants to share its program resources with you during this time of home isolation. Delivery is available to homes in the 96706 and 96707 areas. Contact the info below to schedule delivery of a No‘eau Box. It’s a crate of activities and resources on loan to you for 4-5 days (each box will have a different combination of the games and activities) There is no charge for this service thanks to our generous sponsors: @oha_hawaii and @kamehamehaschools • For more information, email miki@uluae.org or call 722-3036 for more information.
This is us, a bunch of faces from our own spaces w This is us, a bunch of faces from our own spaces wishing a happy birthday to our Alex ~ strength and resilience rolled in one. She’s a wonderful mama, beautiful friend & bestest E Alu Pū coordinator! May all your prune mui wishes come true!
PIKO O WĀKEA • today we gathered over a zoom ca PIKO O WĀKEA • today we gathered over a zoom call, to realign ourselves as a hui. During these trying times, who & where do you gravitate towards when you need a little re-alignment? When your usual systems, habits, & supports are wiped out? How do we begin to mālama each other as well as the space between us? B opened with the following poem. It’s timely & poignant. So as you read it & find solace, you too add another log gently to this fire allowing it to catch. FIRE by Judy Brown What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water. 
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood. When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible. We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire
grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way. #kuahawaii 📷 @kimmymoa
A reflection of Kahoʻolawe by Miwa | Brought some A reflection of Kahoʻolawe by Miwa | Brought some of Kanaloa back with me. On my boots, in my nose. And also in my mind and heart…this Kahoʻolawe access and journey were such a gift. I am so full with gratitude. I commit to continue to activate Kanaloa in my everyday:  words, actions and mindset. Mahalo, mahalo to our kuas:  Brutus, Sid, Pookela, Uncle Emmett, Aunty Kekuhi, and the enduring, mana-full and ever-patient Momi Wheeler. I was without a cellphone for four days and did not miss it. On island, we were asked to “paytention” and pay attention we could. And we did. To the island, to the plants, the clouds, the water, the winds, and to each other. The word that found me and that I have been contemplating is:  maʻalahilahi. Contentment, simplicity, ease; to be easy, simple. (Elbert and Pukui) In a world of wicked problems, in the face of hulihia (upheavals) like climate change, pandemic threats, fire, all the things… where do we land and find the ma’alahilahi — in ourselves, in our context, everywhere? How do we manifest ka maʻalahilahi? “Memories are so elusive, they’re so transparent. But what we’re doing with these memories, is we’re building a movement. Not just for the protection of Kahoʻolawe, but for the protection and preservation of all of Hawaiʻi… We gather here to prove and to show that grassroots people together can make a difference. That is a very important thing, grassroots people. So when people say, or when you yourself say, I can’t do that, it’s too hard, it’s impossible, I’m just one person… remember, a movement is based on the commitment of one person, of each person. And once you build that movement within yourself, it becomes easy to find like people who also have that movement built within themselves.” (Aunty Puanani Burgess, 1982) #kuahawaii
In 1994, the Molokaʻi Subsistence Task Force repo In 1994, the Molokaʻi Subsistence Task Force report showed that Molokaʻi relies heavily on subsistence fishing and gathering. Resource health and abundance are critical to allow Molokaʻi's subsistence practices to thrive. On behalf of the Hoʻolehua Hawaiian Homesteaders, the Hui Mālama O Moʻomomi (HMM) has proposed draft rules that reflect the knowledge of past & present lawaiʻa by designating the northwest coast of Molokaʻi, from Kalaeokaʻīlio to Nihoa Flats, as a Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) to reaffirm & protect fishing practices customarily & traditionally exercised for purposes of Native Hawaiian subsistence, culture, and religion. The state will hold multiple island hearings (March 23-25). As an aspect of governance, we would encourage anyone who supports, has questions/concerns, or opposes such a concept, to please come and practice your civic kuleana. #kuahawaii #lawaiapono #malamamoomomi •Link to the public notice: http://bit.ly/moomomihearings • For more info, check out our CBSFA Highlight reel •and join the Mo'omomi Community-based Subsistence Fishing Management Area Facebook Group
ALOHA FOR A LIFETIME | This picture of Uncle Franc ALOHA FOR A LIFETIME | This picture of Uncle Francis & Aunty Esse was taken in 2014 at Lehoʻula, where they hosted the very first fishpond gathering facilitated by KUA - and ho, the memories! Today we celebrate your fierce & everlasting AL🐟HA…just wanted to say happy anniversary 53 years together and still going strong! #livelongandnioi #kuahawaii
KEEPING UP WITH UNCLE WALLY | Plocamium sandvicens KEEPING UP WITH UNCLE WALLY | Plocamium sandvicense is the fancy name for this limu and it is endemic to Hawaiʻi. This past week, ʻAnakala Wally was invited to talk limu to Kumu Kawehiʻs UH Mānoa- ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi class: E Pū Paʻakai Kākou! We listened to handfuls of his fond memories with some of our Limu Huiʻs kūpuna, Uncle Henry and Uncle Allen. “One of my dreams is that this talk will be done in Hawaiian one day,” says Uncle Wally. Eō to the greats who have come before us, and who have passed on the ʻike to appreciate limu - our foundational species! #kuahawaii #unclewally #mahinaʻōlelohawaiʻi 📷 stunna shot of da limu from @billayylmaoo 🤙🏽
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Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

27 minutes ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

Our friends at Vikalp Sangam a grassroots collaboration of community efforts in India is putting out excellent short films of community-based natural resource management to speak to their country and community and what a "new normal" might be. We are proud to share them here

Vikalp Sangam Kalpavruksh Deccan Development Society and the ICCA Consortium ...

Community Conservation- Mookaneri & Ammapet Lakes

www.youtube.com

Executive Producers -- Geetha Narayanan, Ashish Kothari & Sanjay Barnela

Video

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Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

1 hour ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

EXCERPT: “We can feed ourselves for sure, but the goal doesn’t have to be 100%,” says Gary Maunakea-Forth, echoing what most farmers I talked to say. No one wants to give up their cheesecake, Champagne and caviar, as UH West O‘ahu’s Miles says. Not to mention wheat, which doesn’t grow well in the tropics. “But we can get to a really happy place where agriculture is really supporting some of the economy, where we’re not missing the boat on some of the things,” Maunakea-Forth says. ...

Can We Ever Eat All Local in Hawai‘i?

www.honolulumagazine.com

The governor set a goal of doubling local food production by 2020. So how do we measure up?
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NOTICE: All Upcoming Events POSTPONED Due to COVID-19

  1. Loko iʻa workday at Huilua Fishpond (Oʻahu)

    May 30 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

  2. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    June 20 @ 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

  3. Loko iʻa workday at Kīholo (Kona, Hawaiʻi)

    June 20 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

  4. Loko iʻa workday at Huilua Fishpond (Oʻahu)

    July 4 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

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Visit us on facebook Visit us on twitter Visit us on rss KUA • 47-200 Waihe'e Road, c/o Key Project • Kane'ohe, HI 96744 • Telephone: 808-672-2545 • KUA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization