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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

The Snare of Racism: Hōhonu no ke kawa.

There are painful truths about racism in Hawaiʻi that continue to hurt us and keep us from the whole, abundant, Hawaiʻi – the ‘āina momona…
We’re listening and working to understand how we make action with intention. We invite you to do this work with us. With Aloha…

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.”

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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
It’s not often that you find a friend with the p It’s not often that you find a friend with the perfect combination of heart and humor. Someone you can go deep and wide with in conversation or simply shoot the...breeze. Someone with charm and wit who is both fearless and vulnerable in bringing their authentic self and in sharing generously of their gifts. This Equinox we celebrate the endearing @gingerdidthis - the bestest Dance Partier, ‘Girl Talk’ Facilitator, Aloha Lounger, Outreach & Engagement Coordinator and bosom buddy we know. You serendipitously found your way to our KUA ‘ohana at the beginning of the longest year EVER and have brought joy, laughter and light to each moment together (on zoom) since. Hauʻoli lā hānau, Aunty Ging! May you and your tita bun find yourself swept away on fabulous holoholo adventures and wrapped in the warm voices of the village of hoa aloha you build around you wherever you go. 📷: @kimmymoa & Scottie Kanda
GIVE ALOHA 2020 From September 1-30, donations to GIVE ALOHA 2020 From September 1-30, donations to @kuaainauluauamo and other Give Aloha participating organizations will be accepted at checkout at all Foodland, Sack N Save, & Foodland Farms stores statewide. Use your Maikaʻi Card to make a donation to KUA using code 78943 at checkout! But thatʻs not all…Foodland and the Western Union Foundation will match each donation up to a total of at least $250,000 for all organizations combined. If total customer donations exceed $250,000, the matching gift will be divided among all participating organizations - the more everybody gives, everyone wins. :) For more info, check out @foodlandhi (link in their bio) - what an awesome way to support your favorite community organizations MAHALO! 🙌🏽 #kuahawaii #ainamomona #FoodlandGiveAloha #FoodlandHI
It doesn’t just take a good artistic eye to be a It doesn’t just take a good artistic eye to be able to spot opportune moments, it takes a loving heart. It takes the ability to recognize & follow one’s instinctual knowing that, yes this moment matters! these people matter! Capturing this in a photo to show what others can’t see - that is your gift. Mahalo Kim for growing our collection of beautiful moments and loving portraits; stories of our work & communities, kūpuna to keiki. And Hauʻoli lā hānau! Your work is a gift that will last for lifetimes. Note. Being a photographer, Kim is always behind the lens, rarely in front of it. This can make it difficult to find a picture with her in it. Even in this day and age where everyone has a high quality cameraphone in their hand, you’d expect it to be a little easier, but it’s not😆 It takes one to know one, and luckily we have the help of other professional photographers to lend a hand and a foto. 📷 mahalo Scotty! #kuahawaii
Thursday- Sept 3rd SESSION #11 - 3:30PM - 5:30PM • Forum #633 Title: Perpetuating ʻĀina Momona through Loko Iʻa Culture (Presenters: Brenda Asuncion, Barbara Seidel, Lehua Kamaka, Kuʻulei Keakealani, Dena Sedar, Noelani Lee, Tiana Henderson) Huakaʻi with us to a few loko iʻa and wai ʻōpae, and learn about tools and activities you can continue using after the session. (Photo Credit: @kimmymoa) #hiconcon2020 #kuahawaii #ainamomona
ʻāina momona • this year’s  #hiconcon2020  ʻāina momona • this year’s  #hiconcon2020 features the beautiful artwork by a very special artist close to our hearts, Malia Heimuli! We saw this text posted by @hawaiiconservation and had to share. Here’s Malia in her own words… "When I look upon our ʻāina momona, I see Clouds, heavy with rain rolling in on tradewinds Hōʻailona revealed in patterns, equinox and solstice of the sun Recognizing stars and cycles of mahina, Seasons coming thru. These I pass on to the mākua. When I look upon our ʻāina momona, I see Mauna, summits draped in ʻohu, forests breathing Trills and songs of ʻiʻiwi and kāhuli clear across ridges Kahawai surging and flowing red with petals of Lehua down through valleys, A vast expanse. These I pass on to the keiki. When I look upon our ʻāina momona, I see Kānaka, surrounded by our brother Hāloa, ʻŌʻō uncovering pōhaku, passing them in line one by one To rebuild foundations around muliwai flowing into playgrounds for pua Limu plucked from papa, iʻa pulled from loko, ʻulu picked from māla All in exchange among communities for full bellies, Ceremonies of gratitude for these gifts of ʻāina. These I pass on to the moʻopuna When I look upon our ʻāina momona, I see Currents, lined with ʻōpelu guiding hīhīmanu out to Moananuiākea Meeting koholā as they dive into deeper realms Where koʻa lives, birthed into a world immersed in pō And emerging from darkness into a time, not yet seen. These I pass on to you. Ola i ka ʻāina momona!" – Malia Heimuli 📷 2nd photo was taken by her sister @moani_ani taken at last year’s HCC event #kuahawaii #ainamomona
New! Catch Uncle Wally at Forum #263 Title: “Res New! Catch Uncle Wally at Forum #263 Title: “Restoring Nearshore Hawaiian Algae and Seagrass Habitat" beginning at 2:15pm - TODAY Tue, Sep 2nd - (Presenters: Doug Harper, Keli'i Kotubetey, Wally Ito, Wendy Kuntz, Kim Fuller, Wesley Dukes, Celia Smith, & Alex Awo) • This symposium will highlight the various methods and lessons learned around the state of Hawaii for removing invasive algae species, facilitating the return of native algae, and assessing the health of the nearshore habitat. It will demonstrate how community, culture, technology, and science all play a part in restoring native nearshore Hawaiian habitat. 📷 @gingerdidthis #hiconcon2020 #kuahawaii #ainamomona
Spotlight Sesh, TODAY 👀 • WED Sept 2nd • SE Spotlight Sesh, TODAY 👀 • WED Sept 2nd • SESSION #6 • 1:15PM - 2:15PM • Forum #329 • Importance of NETwork Weaving: New Engagement Together, Working On Restoration Kuleana Solutions ••• This solution-oriented session will feature non-profit mālama ʻāina organizations spanning across Hawai’i who are part of the Community Restoration Partnership (CRP) of the Hawai’i Community Foundation (HCF). Through their support, this cohort style approach weaves together multi-agency collaboration inviting innovation to flow and shared capacity to grow amongst the CRP network. These community leaders will briefly share highlights of their environmental restoration work and strategies that engage community expertise and build pilina (relationships and connection) within communities to strengthen their agency. ••• Presenters: Niegel Rozet, Butch Haase, Josiah Ching, Chelsey Jay, Pauline Sato, Makana Reilly, Pūlama Lima, Nahulu Maioho, Tim Tybuszewski ••• 📷: @kimmymoa #hiconcon2020 #kuahawaii #ainamomona
URBAN ʻĀINA • day 1 of Hawaii Conservation Co URBAN ʻĀINA • day 1 of Hawaii Conservation Conference. Weʻre getting the lay of this new virtual conference space & wishing everyone well over the next few days with strong wifi and stronger beverages! 🙌🏽 #kuahawaii #hiconcon2020 mahalo @hawaiiconservation Share a takeaway from any of the sessions today! 📍 “We need to shift our perspective of what urban environments are…we need to incorporate the idea of ʻāina momona in our urban areas as well” -Kialoa Mossman @hilohanakahi_95
27th Hawai’i Conservation Conference action happ 27th Hawai’i Conservation Conference action happening now!!! If you’re registered, join us and hoaaloha for the next sesh! ••• TODAY • SESSION #3 • 3:15PM - 5:15PM • Forum #272 • E ʻIlau Mai Kākou: Working together to achieve ʻāina momona • Presenters: Ulu Ching, Aunty Hannah Springer, Nahaku Kalei, Scott Crawford, Emily Cadiz, Manuel Mejia, Rebecca Most; Moderator: Kevin Chang ••• This session will highlight the spectrum of collaborative efforts across various communities and the impacts they have on conservation in Hawaiʻi. Collaboration itself is not unique within conservation, but through this forum, we will highlight the various innovative forms it takes in Hawaiʻi. The fruits of relationship-building efforts that have spanned decades are now being realized and this session will showcase those efforts, lessons learned, and how to keep those efforts viable and strong for the future. ••• 📷: @holladayphoto #hiconcon2020 #kuahawaii #ainamomona
“The proposed rules are based on data that's bee “The proposed rules are based on data that's been collected over 25 years using traditional native Hawaiian methods of observation and monitoring…and these species can not wait for the rules any more. We need the rules to protect the resources.” -Davianna McGregor Take a look for yourself. Are the bag limits in the proposed rules reasonable? We think so. Just a reminder, today is the deadline to receive your written testimony for Moʻomomi CBSFA via email or postal! Send written testimony by today August 26, 2020 • Mail to: Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813 Or email to either: DLNR.Aquatics@hawaii.gov OR CBSFA@hawaii.gov Check out our Posts & Highlights for info and videos. Other links are found in our Bio via Linktree!#kuahawaii #lawaiapono #malamamoomomi
We kākoʻo Moʻomomi CBSFA • In the last coupl We kākoʻo Moʻomomi CBSFA • In the last couple weeks, we have enjoyed seeing our Moʻomomi folks ramp up their outreach, taking to social media to share their journey. The outpour of aloha and supportive messages from across the pae ʻāina have been coming in full blast as well. WE KĀKOʻO from Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu! If you want to share your support with us from your places, tag us in your photos! :) #kuahawaii #malamamoomomi #lawaiapono
"When you go holoholo, you go with the intent to f "When you go holoholo, you go with the intent to feed your family. That is pono fishing. The basics are, you go to one place where people live there, people depend on that area. There’s a certain code of conduct when you go to one place, and we ask that people can respect that code of conduct, coming from the outside. That they can respect how we treat the place, that they can treat 'um like that as well." – Kanohowailuku Helm

Kākoʻo Moʻomomi Community-based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA)...for the keiki. --- Send written testimony by August 26, 2020 Mail to: Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813 Or email to either address: DLNR.Aquatics@hawaii.gov or CBSFA@hawaii.gov OR Submit live testimony at an online public hearing on August 19, 2020 from 5:30-9:30pm To sign up, please email your request to: CBSFA@hawaii.gov at least 48 hours in advance. Please include your email, full name, phone number. A confirmation will be sent to you with instructions and the meeting link and call-in number - Important links are found in our BIO>Linktree!#kuahawaii #lawaiapono #malamamoomomi
Mahalo nunui to @solomonenos • with every art pu Mahalo nunui to @solomonenos • with every art purchase made in June & July, Solomon donated half of the proceeds to KUA. Since April, heʻs been on a roll, making a ton of new mindblowing art pieces and donating portions of his profits to organizations close to his heart. We were so lucky to be included with the likes of other beloved beneficiaries such as @hoaainaomakaha and Meals-On-Wheels/Lanakila Pacific. ⁠ ⁠ Solomon is an indigenous visual artist & painter who applies Hawaiian moʻolelo to vivid and fantastical imagery of idealistic worlds & epic heroes. Unexpected acts of generosity such as this helps us continue to highlight the work of our communities, ʻāina farmers, limu loea, & loko iʻa caretakers. For us at KUA, these are our heroes and these are our stories. When Solomon approached us with this gift in early June, we decided to take it as an opportunity to share it with another hero organization in our community whoʻs work we want to lift up - please follow @popoloproject as they embark on their Black August campaign. #kuahawaii ⁠#popoloproject⁠ 📷 @mattanelms 🙌🏽
Seriously the loveliest lady we know. Brenda, we h Seriously the loveliest lady we know. Brenda, we hope that your birthday is every bit of special as you are! As a collaborator, you keep a steady pace, hold us accountable to our goals, & always get the job done. As a leader, the effortless way you bring out the excellence in all around you makes even the most massive gathering super special for everyone involved. As a friend-a, you are the most Brenda. And so, we say to this hula dancer, longboard rippah, & all around badass, HAPPY BIRTHDAY B! @lupcheongstuffuhu⁠
"Chaetomorpha antennina - Do you know the Hawaiian "Chaetomorpha antennina - Do you know the Hawaiian name for this limu? Malia does." -uncle wally :) • But this isn’t a post about limu!!! Before this day is thru, we want to wish our Malia (and her beautiful twinster, Pua) a double dose of hapi lā hānau from your biggest KUA fans. Mahalo for bringing your voices to our zoom calls, in wisdom, song, & laughter. You radiate with passion & aloha for the native forest, for ʻulu, for kalo, and for the māla ʻai you tend with your ʻohana - and especially with your newfound passion for limu! #kuahawaii #limuhui ✨ mahalo to @tomorrowancestor for the awesome video about Malia! ✨
Join us this Friday, Aug 7th-live at 9am(HST) • Join us this Friday, Aug 7th-live at 9am(HST) • Folks from Hui Mālama o Moʻomomi will be zooming into Lei Ānuenue to talk with Malia Nobrega-Olivera about efforts to catalyze a movement around lawai’a pono values on Molokaʻi; fishing in a Hawaiian way that is sensible and reverent to the ocean and itʻs life-giving nature to sustain us now and for future generations. These values were the basis of forming a Community-based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) Rule Package Proposal that would allow the Hoʻolehua Homestead community to set rules based on traditional customary practice for how their fishery is managed in collaboration with government partners. Public testimony about this proposal is currently being accepted by the DLNR.  Come with your support, thoughtful comments, & questions so that we can have this important conversation together. #kuahawaii #malamamoomomi #lawaiapono
At our Limu Hui gathering last year, Uncle Sol Kah At our Limu Hui gathering last year, Uncle Sol Kahoʻohalahala shared his vision of Hawaiian families gathering around the kitchen table, to have a meal, to talk about elected leadership, cast their vote together, and commit to put ballots in the mail. Later, he shared what the legacy of Hawaiian statesman Nawahī means to him, and how we might uphold this standard in our elected leadership today. I believe kitchen tables are both sacred and powerful. This is a picture of our kitchen table, with our copy of Ka Puke Moʻolelo o Hon. Joseph K. Nawahī. This is the table in Waipiʻo around which we gather, every morning. Where we eat, where we pray, and with mahalo to Uncle Sol, where we will talk politics. It may be awkward at first, heated at times, but we will. Some of our KUA staff and friends volunteered their time and gifts to come to the kitchen table (via zoom) on the recent holiday, Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea. By engaging in this conversation together, we are emboldened to shape our own opinions and find our voice amongst others in our community. Mahalo to everyone who came to our kitchen table to talk politics; and a gentle reminder to those who are voting in this U.S. election, your ballots are due August 8 (received, NOT postmarked) 📝 -miwa P.S. Check out our “Songs of EA” playlist on youtube for an audio pick-me-up :) #kuahawaii
FOR THE KEIKI • The Department of Land and Natur FOR THE KEIKI • The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold a statewide public hearing online and in-person on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. There are 3 ways to participate! ONLINE via internet or telephone; IN-PERSON; or by WRITTEN TESTIMONY. Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage you to lend your voice of support via online and/or written testimony. This post covers some basic info on those methods. To read the notice in its entirety for directions & other helpful info about testifying in person, use the linktree in our BIO. Please share our post! And check out our Moʻomomi Highlight for more info! #kuahawaii #malamamoomomi #lawaiapono
The Moʻomomi community-based subsistence fishing The Moʻomomi community-based subsistence fishing area (CBSFA) rules are coming up. Please stay tuned for the exact dates; they should be announced soon. The administrative process cited in the notice are a part of governance which allows rural and Native Hawaiian communities and fellow citizens to play a stronger role in determining the destiny and abundance of their special places and resources beyond mere elections.  These rules are based on the only law we know of that explicitly seeks to protect Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing and sustainable place-based fishing practices and values. This law allows a community to co-manage and co-govern the resources of their area; a spirit, mindset and activity of traditional and customary cultural practice. In this case, the notice concerns efforts at Moʻomomi, Molokaʻi to develop a community-based subsistence fishing area (CBSFA). Rural Native Hawaiian communities across the state are seeking to better protect their resources and this is one such tool. The efforts on Molokaʻi inspired the law and catalyzed a movement of communities to mālama their places. This led to the first passage of rules at Hāʻena, Kauaʻi. To date, Moʻomomi, Kīpahulu (Maui) and Miloliʻi (Hawaiʻi island) are in the queue. The state will hold virtual and in-person hearings (so please practice safe social distancing!). 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. • For more info, you can also follow KUA on Facebook or join the “Mo'omomi Community-based Subsistence Fishing Management Area” Group #kuahawaii #malamamoomomi #lawaiapono
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Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo was live.

8 hours ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29th at 2PM
Live on OHA’s Facebook Page and via Zoom at www.oha.org/aloharising

Join us as we host a great roundtable discussion between leaders on the topic of the Public Land Trust! Listen in as Governor John Waiheʻe, III, Jocelyn Doane, Kūhiō Lewis and Rebecca Soon discuss the Public Land Trust and why it should matter to me and you.

#AlohaRising #aina ...

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Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

9 hours ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

Job Opportunity: Ahupuaʻa Accelerator Initiative Coordinator –DEADLINE: Recruitment period, Open until filled

The Hawai'i Conservation Alliance Foundation, in partnership with the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and Kamehameha Schools, are seeking applications for the Project Coordination of the Ahupuaʻa Accelerator Initiative. The position will support community-based work in 6 ahupua'a across the state.

Full time (40 hours/week).
Salary Range: Commensurate with qualifications, including health benefits.
Start: January 1, 2020

Please share with anyone who might be interested.

More info HERE: conservationconnections.org/opportunities/full-time/1859/ahupuaa-accelerator-initiative-coordinator ...

Ahupuaʻa Accelerator Initiative Coordinator

conservationconnections.org

Full time (40 hours/week) Salary Range: Commensurate with qualifications; including health benefits, paid sick and vacation leave Start: January 1, 2020 Recruitment period: Open until filled
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NOTICE: All Upcoming Events POSTPONED Due to COVID-19

  1. Loko iʻa workday at Huilua Fishpond (Oʻahu)

    October 31 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

  2. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    November 21 @ 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

  3. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

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

  4. Loko iʻa workday at Loko Ea (Oʻahu)

    January 16, 2021 @ 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