KUA

Visit us on facebook Visit us on twitter Visit us on rss
  • Calendar
  • Our Blog
  • Donate
a movement for land, people, culture and justice
Skip to content
  • About
    KUA
  • How We
    Work
  • Community Resources
  • Research
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
Join in the work! Make your gift and donate today.  Donate
Keep in touch with news and updates
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Latest From Our Blog

The Invisible Magic of Miwa. A Hui Hou & Mahalo!

In this time of transition marked by the equinox, Piko o Wākea – Ke Alaʻula a Kāne, we reflect on the ending of one season and the beginning of another. It seems only fitting that we also share with you some news about transitions within our own KUA ʻohana. After a lot of thought, pule and conversation, and over a decade in leadership at KUA, our beloved Miwa Tamanaha has decided to step down from her position as Co-Director at the end of this month.

Read More…

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.”

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM

kuaainauluauamo
The movement continues to grow, empowering communi The movement continues to grow, empowering communities across Hawaiʻi to work together toward a shared vision of ‘āina momona—abundant, productive ecological systems that support community well-being. In 2019, the KUA networks brought together hundreds of grassroots people from 80 different organizations. That same year the United Nations recognized the communities of Moʻomomi and Hāʻena for decades of work to steward their places by awarding them with the Equator Prize. During the Covid-19 pandemic, KUA continues to gather communities virtually, leveraging resources, partnerships, and the wisdom and solutions of the kuaʻāina people to address some of Hawaiʻi’s most difficult social and environmental problems and to build a better, more just and resilient future for generations to come.⁠ “There is no last chapter for KUA,” says Aunty Makaʻala. “It will evolve and progress as long as it’s addressing real issues with the truth.”⁠ 🌱⁠ Mahalo for reading a portion of KUA’s origin story [4/4]. Link in bio to read the article in its entirety. #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona⁠
Connecting Past, Present and Future • The impact Connecting Past, Present and Future • The impact of KUA’s work to connect community around traditional ecological knowledge continues to grow. Today, the E Alu Pū network has grown to over 40 community-based stewardship initiatives, families, and organizations that are working to mālama (care for) dryland forests, taro farms, fishponds and fisheries across Hawaiʻi. KUA also supports and facilitates a statewide network of traditional Hawaiian fishpond projects and practitioners called Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa as well as a growing network of limu (native seaweed) practitioners, educators, researchers, and community stewards known as the Limu Hui.⁠ ⁠ The work is bigger than any one organization. It is a movement. “What is an origin story? Everything begins before it begins,” says Miwa. “We can go back into the Hawaiian renaissance and joy and music being an inception point and then bringing back language. Today there are more speakers of Hawaiian than ever. There’s innovation all around us to continue to create those spaces to share knowledge.”⁠ 🌱⁠ Mahalo for reading a portion of KUA’s origin story [3/4]. Link in bio to read the article in its entirety. #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona⁠ ⁠ 📷: @holladayphoto
hau bush (onʻeula), 3/30 • It has perhaps never hau bush (onʻeula), 3/30 • It has perhaps never been more evident than in COVID times, this truth:  how essential and important great teachers are to the well-being, health and abundance of humankind... It was a little rough conditions, but still a great walk and talk with the crew from Teach for America. Mahalo Lia, Ian and Jason for your 360 vision -- literally (360 camera) and in your work together @tfahawaii. We appreciate your love and support for limu, for the sacredness of place, and care for community.  After the walk, our little limu gang tail-gated with the makana of fried manapua from @honolulukitchen you gifted, and geeked out on manapua/limu pairings. Līpeʻe + Honey Chicken = WINNAH.  📷 : @aplantnerdandadream #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona #ewalimuproject #yearofthelimu
Aloha mai, greetings to all our communities, linke Aloha mai, greetings to all our communities, linked by KUA. Miwa Tamanaha, my dear ohana, is opening new doors...she is letting new warriors take her place. ⁠ ⁠ KUA itself has evolved from the early roots of its founders in Environmental Justice stewardship. The roots of community based conservation movement brought indigenous leaders together with conservation leaders and youth activism. We are all bound together by "pono" stewardship of our natural resource. Our ancestors learned to always leave the earth better for the next generations. ⁠ ⁠ Industrial "mining" of earth's abundance has left our earth stripped of its ability to heal, and left wastelands and poverty in its wake. A new generation of activists are being trained to take up the call for environmental, social and economic justice. ⁠ ⁠ Miwa will be missed, but she leaves a map in her "wake" for others to follow. We will miss you, but we know where to find you! Love yah....⁠ ⁠ On behalf of Ka'ala Farm, a proud member of KUA, Eric Enos⁠ -⁠ If you would like to join us for a little pau hana pau hana this afternoon, pls email info at kuahawaii dot org for the zoom link! #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo
Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea | Last Sunday was the 6th Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea | Last Sunday was the 6th annual limu “what get” day at Papakahāohina. Jenny, she makes it happen. We breathed out with the reef. We nosed in all the holes and crevices. And despite some surge-y conditions, and were able to identify at least 22 different kinds of limu. We tasted, we laughed, we observed. It was, as Jenny calls it, some “butts up” work. ⁠ ⁠ Jenny Yagodich, one of your superpowers is your determination and consistency. I struggle to do or build even one good habit I can do daily or weekly. Jenny, you are the sun -- bright and never failing. From years of pulling out the MPW tent every weekend, years upon years of committed kilo of your beloved places, and “Aunty Jenny-ing” hundreds of youth through Ka Papa Kai and all the million other ways you “Aunty Jenny,” every day…⁠ ⁠ Mahalo also to the other dedicated members of the MPW hoa’āina crew. Frank, Kristy, Jim, Kimi, Buddy. Austin and Laʻa, weʻve gotten to watch you grow -- from small kid time to the strong, capable young men and future kūpuna you are today. We love you both, and cheering you on, always. Love, (aunty) miwa.
In her leadership at KUA, Miwa has embodied that k In her leadership at KUA, Miwa has embodied that konohiki mindset we often speak of that invites ability and willingness in the way she has observed, cultivated and cared for our growing staff and extended ʻohana. The level of excellence and quality she strives for in her own work, the depth of research, and the breadth of compassion she has in meeting people where they are at, have provided a compass for us to follow. She has lifted up values of accountability, equity, transparency and deep listening that have become foundations for the KUA way. As a colleague, friend, mentor, thought partner, collaborator, and one-person pep squad, Miwa has been the interconnected tissue that ties us together as a team and gets us to the heart of what matters, our ʻiʻo.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ After a year of transition unlike any other, we know that nothing is certain. Yet still, a few hopeful truths remain. As time marches toward the next solstice, Ke Ala Polohiwa a Kāne, we know the cold winter nights will turn into longer warmer days. We know the substance of the work we do is greater than any one person. It builds upon the work of those who came before us and draws upon a greater collective intelligence. We also know that as Miwa transitions out of her role as our fearless leader, she will continue to be a firece ally and steadfast supporter of us and our work, as we will be in all that lies ahead for her. Mahalo for all you have given, Miwa. We love you.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo ⁠⁠
After a lot of thought, pule and conversation, and After a lot of thought, pule and conversation, and over a decade in leadership at KUA, our beloved Miwa Tamanaha has decided to step down from her position as Co-Director at the end of this month.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ As KUA staff we’ve thought about how we might say A Hui Hou and Mahalo to someone whose contributions in service of our kuaʻāina and in building this backbone organization are as foundational as they are immeasurable. How do you bring to the surface, acknowledge and pay tribute to all the behind-the-scenes work that is so integrated into the thread of how we do things at KUA that it oftentimes goes unseen?⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ There is an invisible magic in all the ways Miwa has touched our hearts and shaped our collective hana. No tribute could acknowledge them all. What we can share is a small impression of the legacy Miwa leaves behind, what she has built at KUA and what we have witnessed in working alongside her.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ As a community organizer, network weaver and one of the founders of our non-profit, Miwa has strengthened and fortified the backbone that is KUA. She has built our organizational capacity, raised millions in resources for our communities, and guided us and others within the networks strategically toward our shared vision of ʻāina momona. In her soft humble way, Miwa has brought things to order, kept us on track, created safe spaces for us to share, grow in our practice, and take care of ourselves and each other. We will honor her in those safe spaces, persevere in our practices and mature in the ways we mālama ourselves and others.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo ⁠⁠⁠
Growing and Facing Challenges • The definition o Growing and Facing Challenges • The definition of the Native Hawaiian term kua is “back” like a “backbone” that holds up and fortifies the greater body. Kuaʻāina represents the grassroots, rural peoples of Hawaiʻi. Ulu means “to grow”, and ‘Auamo is a carrying stick held on multiple shoulders to share the burden of carrying something of great weight forward. Together the phrase means “grassroots growing through shared responsibility.” Miwa Tamanaha and Kevin Chang became KUA’s co-directors, incorporating the organization and beginning the continual work of fine-tuning its structure for maximum effectiveness. Around that time, the E Alu Pū network also formed a youth council for leadership development, mentoring, and succession. ⁠ ⁠ "I keep seeing all the challenges we have," says longtime member Uncle Damien Kenison, a fisherman in one of the last remaining traditional Hawaiian fishing villages, in Hoʻokena, Hawaiʻi. "It’s more than trying to retain our fishing rights. It’s trying to affect the political process. We need to have a good understanding of what our community needs, each of us, and then KUA's role is to help us achieve that goal."⁠ -⁠ Mahalo for reading a portion of KUA’s origin story [2/4]. Link in bio to read the article in its entirety. #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
What is your origin story? KUA was given the oppor What is your origin story? KUA was given the opportunity to capture a part of our moʻokūʻauhau and explore the evolution of the work we do to connect communities as they protect, restore and care for their special places. This gift was made possible with the kōkua of a fantastic writer and content strategist, Alice Skipton, and in partnership with Rethink Outside, a campaign focused on a shared tested narrative and storytelling intended to shift how people think about and prioritize the outdoors. Allow us to share a few snippets. Please read the full article on our website (link in our bio).⁠ 🌱⁠ In the Beginning • “KUA was called into being by one of our kupuna (elders), Uncle Mac Poepoe, who gave it life and breathed it into existence,” says early KUA co-founder Debbie Gowensmith. ⁠ …⁠ On the Hawaiian islands, the loss of stewardship traditions and cultural practices that connect people with ʻāina (land or earth—literally “that which feeds”) has impacted every area of community life and health, including people’s ability to feed themselves. ⁠ …⁠ Understanding that the community deserved more input into the management of water and land, Uncle Mac called for a gathering to share knowledge and reclaim traditional cultural practices and rights. The first meeting occurred in December 2003, a gathering of 13 communities in Moʻomomi with funds from longtime supporters the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and the Hawaii Community Foundation. That first meeting started a chain reaction. “Their very first priority was to transmit knowledge from elders to youth,” says Debbie. “Five weeks after the first gathering, one of our elders passed away, and it solidified that purpose.”⁠ 🌱⁠ [1/4] #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona⁠ #rethinkoutside
Hauʻoli lā hānau, Kinohi! We want to send a spe Hauʻoli lā hānau, Kinohi! We want to send a special shoutout to the birthday girl, our first Lohe Pono Fellow, & recent addition to the KUA team. We are so lucky to have this hammah join our lineup; she brings with her the breadth of her experience at Heʻeia fishpond and the depth of her connection to ʻāina and kūpuna. In her own words:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ “Lohe Pono is the act of radical listening, respectful listening, listening well, listening intently, the list goes on and on.  So many ways to define this term. I believe we listen with our na’au (gut-intuition) in regards to some of the most key, vital, and necessary components for our existence and our survival. Our magic decision-making tool lies in our naʻau. We need to relearn how to trust it.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ How do we capture, bring light to, and listen to what is unsaid, unheard, the viewpoints unseen, and the voices that may not be responding to certain types of communications?  There are many different types of communication, some are so ingrained in our society that they can be so crippling to some while other people flourish.” -Kinohi • to read the full blog post, LINK IN BIO #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo ⁠⁠
XOXO for the OX • KUNG HEE FAT CHOY! This Lunar XOXO for the OX • KUNG HEE FAT CHOY! This Lunar New Year of the Ox asks us to hold fast to the foundational elements of excellence and resilience: Prudence, diligence, discipline, & hard work.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Last year we celebrated what was to be the first of an annual KUA tradition to celebrate some of our cherished partnerships. We gathered in the intimate setting of Ka Waiwai to usher in 2020, the Year of the Rat, standing shoulder to shoulder over platters of dim sum and limu salad, sharing laughs, crushing fortune cookies, and as the drums and cymbals of the performers approached, folks huddled tighter awaiting their turn to feed lucky red envelopes to the lions. Looking back, everything about that party, down to the architectural elements of the rotunda, evokes a feeling of closeness, of coming together to the center of our ʻumeke full with joy and hope.     ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ We ask you to hold fast to this memory of being together, let the feeling hold you, & savor it until we can stand shoulder to shoulder again ~ blessings in abundance & good health from all of us at Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo: Alex, Brenda, Ginger, Kevin, Kim, Kinohi, Lauren, Malia, Miwa, Niegel, & Wally⁠⁠ Ox illustration by @aplantnerdandadream
Happy holidays to our ʻaʻama crab, Uncle Ben Vil Happy holidays to our ʻaʻama crab, Uncle Ben Villiarimo of Hāna, Maui. Heʻs been one of our personal heroes since the Limu Hui gathering in Molokaʻi when he shared his knowledge of limu, heʻs a macgyver of headgear and he can cook fancy, too! This year, he is sharing his recipe for Chili Pepper Water Consommé in our Nīoi Package! I asked Uncle Wally to describe the consommé, “oh itʻs delicious, itʻs a French preparation of soup thatʻs cloudy and you use egg white to clear out the sediment so you have clear broth...eh, you might find a better word than ʻsedimentʻ for soup” (I didnʻt). Sounds delicious, folks! We are busy transcribing the handwritten recipe so you can make some of this magic at home! Also included in that package is the paʻakai nīoi from Uncle Piʻi, so go look back on that post for more info!⁠ •⁠ Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 (tonite!) – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner and all that entails to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds that will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua! Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii
Feeding baby turtles by day, making the paʻakai n Feeding baby turtles by day, making the paʻakai nīoi by night. Uncle Piʻi Laeha of Kalāhuipuaʻa Fishpond is as spicy and salty as this perk! 🧂🌶🔥😂 Sprinkle it on your laulau, salt the rim of your bloody mary, or just take a pinch when you need a lil pick me up! Only a handful of these Nīoi Packages left! Comes with a recipe card of Wai Nīoi Consommé by Uncle Ben Villiarimo from Hānā. • Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner and all that entails to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds that will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua! Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii
That's my dad, Katimoana Heimuli. It’s me, Pua, That's my dad, Katimoana Heimuli. It’s me, Pua, Dad and Mom, Lisa Heimuli, right now in the Heimuli house. It’s been a great harvest year and we shared ʻulu with about 6 other families in our neighborhood and 7 friends in other places on Oʻahu. We also gave a couple boxes to Lunalilo Homes, they used it for their Meals on Wheels program for kūpuna all around the Hawaiʻi Kai area, it was pretty cool. My Dad always smiles every time he hears about who we gave ʻulu to, how they made it, and he gets excited when next ʻulu season comes around :) During ʻulu harvest season, Faʻalifu is a dish we make for dinner. The ingredients are locally grown either in our backyard or from other local farms, and the paʻakai is from our friends on Hawaiʻi Island. Faʻalifu reminds my Dad of all the good food he had growing up in Tonga and Sāmoa, it is what still keeps him connected to his family traditions. -Malia Heimuli 🌱 This recipe is featured in our ʻUlu package available on Indiegogo! Big mahalo to the ʻohana Heimuli for being a part of our extended fam. E ulu e! • Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner (and all that entails) to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds that will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua! Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii #gerbodefoundation 📷 Photos provided by Heimuli ‘ohana
Gwen Arkin is a Maui-based artist who finds inspir Gwen Arkin is a Maui-based artist who finds inspirations in these kind of artistic processes preceding photography. Each handcrafted print “belong to the tradition of light sensitive creative processes” and a part of her “search for unexpected beauty.” To us, they are just stunning! Gwen has generously donated three cyanotypes to our HOLO•HOLU Fundraiser; two of them have already been purchased, but there’s still one left! Check out our Indiegogo for that and other cool perks! • Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner and all that entails to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds that will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua! Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii  • To learn more about Gwen and her beautiful body of work, visit her website www.gwenarkin.com @squeezysvintage
Resilience, Rest, Recovery • We tend to make her Resilience, Rest, Recovery • We tend to make heroic space for the doing – more money, more jobs, more hours, more people served. Could this insatiable hunger for more and for better, simply be another expression of unbridled capitalism? As we invest in the doing, should we not also invest in rest and recovery? We believe resilience is an indicator of health and communities need time and space for rest. For all the things that feed our spirit and bring us joy. We need meaningful spaces to pause, take stock, catch breath, mālama, and go holoholo.  Rest also allows us to consider “how people are served” vs. “how many.”  It takes courage to set these boundaries. To determine what is enough. LAWA. How many times can you replant before the soil is depleted of nutrients? What is enough fish taken from the ocean? How many are enough people, tourists? Soil needs rest. Fisheries need rest. People need rest. Communities need rest. Why? So we can continue doing, for tomorrow, and next month, and next year, and for generations to come.  • Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner and all that entails to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds that will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua! Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! 🎶 by Uncle Tommy Urpanil of Lana’i Limu Farm & the Limu Hui #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii
The essential work of kuaʻāina • On this jour The essential work of kuaʻāina • On this journey toward resilience, we have come to understand the role that our kuaʻāina fishers, farmers, gatherers, and families play as stewards of our communities. During this pandemic, these grassroots community stewards have rallied to grow food and provisions for those in need, they are distributing PPE and food boxes, providing elder/childcare support, and developing place-based school curriculum pivots. They are doing so in real time with little resources, in the most remote places. Their role on the front lines of food security and community health and well-being has always been important, but nothing has forced us to strip our ways down to the essential work the way COVID-19 has.  We stand on the shoulders of giants, our kūpuna (and kupuna orgs) have tended to ʻāina for generations. Their capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, their resilience, has been a part of our community DNA. Yet, the work of building community resilience is tireless and oftentimes without compensation. It is work we must ʻauamo. How do we build capacity and re-invest in community resilience so it is both productive and regenerative? • Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner and all that entails to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds that will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua!Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii 🎥 @modestamediahawaii
HOLO•HOLU In 2014 we threw a virtual paeʻāin HOLO•HOLU In 2014 we threw a virtual paeʻāina dance party, in 2016 we took that party global, and in 2018 we had a PAKIPIKA Chili Pepper Water Auction. You could say that we’ve been celebrating “together apart” for years now. We ask you to join us again in our 2020 fundraising efforts!  When one says they’re going holoholo, it can mean a pleasurable cruise around the island or code for heading to the shoreline with your net and poles. Either way, it’s joyful movement from one place to the next. Holu speaks to a resilient nature, like a tree whose branches bend and sway instead of snapping in the storm. HOLO•HOLU is what we are calling our journey toward resilience.  • Our goal this year is to raise $28,000 by December 31st, 2020 – for each of the ~70 communities we support, we estimated the value of a day’s work for one practitioner and all that entails to be about $400 (inclusive of fringe and benefits). Translating sweat equity to financial equity gives this work the space needed for rest, recovery and resilience. During these difficult economic times, we know $400/day seems like a lot, but it’s not impossible! Thanks to the generosity of Gerbode Foundation and @alohacollection who have sponsored matching funds will increase the impact of your gift. A donation from you, even in the smallest amount, provides resources that will allow KUA to remain nimble in our response to our network and community needs. E holomua!Please visit our Indiegogo (linktree in bio)! Artwork by @kamakaaina #holoholu2020 #ealupu #limuhui #huimalamalokoia #kuahawaii
Before this day is through, we want to wish a haff Before this day is through, we want to wish a haffy burps to the birthday fella, our co-director, KEVIN CHANG! Wishing you a wickedly sweet lā hānau with Alma and the ʻohana! You are one lucky guy, those tacos looked tasty! The social distancing is even more bittersweet knowing you had to enjoy those all to yourself 😂😂😂 FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS KEV! We are so grateful for all of our KUA. Since Piko o Wākea (in March), weʻve been celebrating our beloveds from afar. Now as we head into Makahiki season, we are feeling the seasons change as we transition into the next phase. Looking forward to the days when we can jam together and boogie again ~ until then, stay safe out there everybody!
There is a lot to celebrate. We’re still here. W There is a lot to celebrate. We’re still here. We’re still showing up. Doing that deep listening. Honoring the ancestors. We feed the dragons. We keep the fires lit, with preparation, persistence, and pule, and keep reheating that delicious stew.  This isn’t waxing poetic. This is how Miwa truly believes and describes the work we do. The behind the scenes stuff of facilitation, the planning, and yes, grant writing (seriously!). ☺️ This is what Miwa does. She recognizes the magic in the mundane, creating ritual in our work. She loves the authentic, juicy qualities that exist within each of us and encourages us to be generous in giving our gifts, served in that delicious stew. She is committed to this journey, all of it. She asks the hard questions and listens with her whole self. She is the quiet force that breathes life into our dreams. This is what she does. We are so grateful for all of our KUA. We didn’t imagine that we would still be celebrating our birthdays (and babies, and gains, and everything else!) from a distance, but this expression of our aloha, to mihi our beloveds, is a practice that gets easier with each passing milestone. Mahalo to all of you who show up to celebrate them with us. HAUʻOLI LĀ HĀNAU MIWA #kuahawaii 📷: @kimmymoa & Scottie Kanda
Load More... Follow on Instagram

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

22 hours ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo
The movement continues to grow, empowering communities across Hawaiʻi to work together toward a shared vision of ‘āina momona—abundant, productive ecological systems that support community well-being. In 2019, the KUA networks brought together hundreds of grassroots people from 80 different organizations. That same year the United Nations recognized the communities of Moʻomomi and Hāʻena for decades of work to steward their places by awarding them with the Equator Prize. During the Covid-19 pandemic, KUA continues to gather communities virtually, leveraging resources, partnerships, and the wisdom and solutions of the kuaʻāina people to address some of Hawaiʻi’s most difficult social and environmental problems and to build a better, more just and resilient future for generations to come.“There is no last chapter for KUA,” says Aunty Makaʻala. “It will evolve and progress as long as it’s addressing real issues with the truth.”🌱Mahalo for reading a portion of KUA’s origin story [4/4]. Link in bio to read the article in its entirety. #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona ...

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

23 hours ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo
A global vision can be locally led: Local organisations “are not simple add-ons” to conservation www.iucn.org/news/forests/202103/local-organisations-are-not-simple-add-ons-conservation ...

Local organisations “are not simple add-ons” to conservation

www.iucn.org

David Kaimowitz of the Forest and Farm Facility shares his thoughts on the role of the global organisation he now manages, discusses a new report on Forest Governance by Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and touches on connections to primary forests.
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

NOTICE: All Upcoming Events POSTPONED Due to COVID-19

  1. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    April 17 @ 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

  2. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    May 15 @ 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

  3. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    June 19 @ 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

  4. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    July 17 @ 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

View All Events

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