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Year of the Limu A statewide effort created to raise awareness about the importance of limu (seaweed) to Hawai'i’s culture and environment.LEARN MORE
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

Kīpahulu Lawaiʻa Exchange

In the precious hours leading up to a long-anticipated site visit with Dept of Aquatic Resources, the Kīpahulu ʻohana received a small group of visitors as lawaiʻa from Hāʻena (Kaua’i), Miloliʻi (Hawai’i), and Moʻomomi (Molokai) reunited in Kīpahulu (Maui) alo he alo.

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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As we near the halfway mark of the Year of the Lim As we near the halfway mark of the Year of the Limu, we are continuing our limu celebrations on Lānaʻi for a community workday with Lānaʻi Limu Restoration Project. 

Lānaʻi Limu Restoration Project was started by Uncle Allen Kaiaokamalie, who had dedicated much of his life to teaching young people of his community about land and ocean resources and how to mālama them. Through limu growing and education on the Maunalei shoreline, his ʻohana continues Uncle Allen's passion to restore limu and fish abundance and to pass on his traditional ecological knowledge to the youth of Lānaʻi. 

SAT, JUNE 18th @ Maunalei (Keaumoku), Lānaʻi
10:00 am till 2:00 pm or pau - lunch provided

Volunteer activities will include:
- Beach and Limu Farm clean-up
- Limu Planting
(Camping open to those who want to stay overnight, bring your sleeping bag)

Please bring water, gloves, shoes, tabis, and sun protection (hat, dry-fit, reef-safe sunscreen)

You can RSVP with Aunty Cheryl to arrange a ride down to Maunalei. We hope to see you there!

Photos: Kim Moa

#yearofthelimu2022 #nolimunofish #limuhui #lanailimurestorationproject #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
Hoʻomaikaʻi! Today we cheer the Miloliʻi ʻOhan Hoʻomaikaʻi! Today we cheer the Miloliʻi ʻOhana, Kalanihale, & their community for reaching a major milestone today. The BLNR unanimously voted in support of the adoption of the Miloliʻi Community-based Subsistence Fishing Area rule package! Once the governor signs off on the rules, the state and the community will transition into a collaboration to co-manage the CBSFA.  As keepers of generational place-based knowledge, Miloliʻiʻs konohiki apprentices will co-manage the CBSFA. They will help survey and monitor.

“This is about the lawai`a of Miloliʻi self-managing their harvests and caring for their marine resources.  Pursuing a Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) designation is a reclamation of what was old, made relevant for today – codifying traditional and customary practices into new fishing rules, promoting lawai`a pono (virtuous fishing).” - Uilani Naipo

Eō Miloliʻi eō! #milolii #lawaiapono #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #cbsfa #communitybasedmanagement
On this World Oceans Day, we are stoked -and since On this World Oceans Day, we are stoked -and sincerely humbled- to share that KUA will receive a portion of the proceeds of a Poetry Tee collaboration by poet, Jasmine Kaur @jusmun, and ethical clothing retailer, @everlane. Available now online - link in bio 

The Everyone Poetry Tee is a simple tee with a powerful message about our koʻa. Coral reefs are the foundation of our nearshore ecosystems and natural indicators of the health of our oceans. It is a place for fish to congregate, feed, & hide from predators. People do the same. We often seek safe places to congregate and restore ourselves. Thankfully, we are not alone. In community-driven movements, the momentum of our collective energy is set upon the quality of our relationships with ʻāina and in our care of each other. 
~ i ola ʻoe i ola mākou nei.

Mahalo @everlane x @jasmun for taking this opportunity to lift the work of not only KUA, but the story and network efforts of grassroots organizations and stewards in our networks threaded together by a commitment to ʻāina momona, the health and productivity of our beloved lands and waters throughout Hawaii. #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona #jasminekaur #everlane #worldoceansday 📸Photography by @brianvanwyk
Kīpahulu CBSFA • Scoping Meeting Tue, Jun 7 at Kīpahulu CBSFA • Scoping Meeting Tue, Jun 7 at 5:30pm

Sharing our support of @kipahuluohana on their CBSFA journey! If you would to support, observe, or more importantly, provide substantive comments on their proposed rules -especially those who fish on Maui and in their proposed CBSFA area- you can register now for the meeting (link in bio). This is not a public or decision-making meeting. DLNR-DAR will take comments from this meeting to draft a rule package to be considered for public hearing and adoption. Check our Kīpahulu Story Highlights for more #kipahuluohana #kipahulumoku #ainamomona #lawaiapono #cbsfa #communitybasedmanagement #kuahawaii 📷 @gingerdidthis
Public Scoping Meeting for @kipahuluohana CBSFA ha Public Scoping Meeting for @kipahuluohana CBSFA has been scheduled for Tue, June 7th at 5:30-7:30pm

For more info, visit www.kipahulu.org/cbsfa where you can download the full Proposal and Management Plan and other educational materials; View videos that provide more information about their Mālama I Ke Kai programs and the proposed CBSFA rules. 
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We updated KUA’s linktree with reg link and will continue to share info & updates from Kīpahulu. All images & content @kipahuluohana • email cbsfa@kipahulu.org with questions, comments, & support #kipahuluohana #kipahulumoku #ainamomona #lawaiapono #cbsfa
KUAʻs Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa Coordinator, Brenda A KUAʻs Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa Coordinator, Brenda Asuncion, appears on tonightʻs KĀKOU: Hawaiʻi's Town Hall, The Future of our Food. Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 pm @pbshawaii 📺 also available to watch online www.pbshawaii.org and FB Live  #kuahawaii #ainamomona #huimalamalokoia 
•
Did you know that Hawai'i has the most expensive food prices in the nation? What can and should we do as a state to be more self-sustaining? Join the discussion tonight! #kakou #pbshawaii
We continue our Year of the Limu celebrations on O We continue our Year of the Limu celebrations on Oʻahu by partnering with @malamamaunalua for a volunteer workday! We will be helping to restore the marine environment in Maunalua Bay by removing invasive algae from the nearshore waters, as part of an effort to continue the work of the Great Huki.

SAT, MAY 21 @ Kuliʻouʻou Beach Park - Maunalua, Oʻahu
9:00 am - 12:00 pm 

There is limited space for this workday, please sign up at www.mālamamaunalua.org/volunteer/sign-up. We hope to see you there!

#yearofthelimu2022 #nolimunofish #limuhui #malamamaunalua #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
A journey to find the beloved. An abundantly gree A journey to find the beloved.

An abundantly green shoreline pathway.

It was by chance on our travel to French Polynesia to share the story of mālama ʻāina movement networks and community fishery management in Hawaiʻi that there was only one weekly flight in and out of Tahiti to Hawai'i.  For a few extra days we ferried to Moorea to work and find the loved one's of one of our E Alu Pū networks kupuna, Theodore "Teddy" Kawahinehelelani Blake. Teddy passed in 2021.

We stayed at a home on the shoreline of Papeto'ai. For a couple hours we walked the shoreline, not knowing we stood where Teddy first met his future wife Tatiana Fara’uo Tetuanui i te Farerii Kekehu Blake. At the time he met her he also found his favorite limu, what we call in Hawai'i limu kohu. Limu kohu is one of the most popular edible limu in Hawai'i. When Teddy found limu kohu at Moorea it convinced him that he would make Moorea his new home.

Late in his life Teddy found E Alu Pū and the Limu Hui. It ignited his deep passion for his community and culture. He got deeply involved in cultural and historic preservation as an advocate and even as a plaintiff. He felt the networks boosted his passion and focus and made his work in Kōloa, Kaua'i all the more impactful.

It was prescient that the day we connected with his beloved wife in Moorea that we also found limu covering the shoreline. An abundance of limu kala with seeds covered the area along with limu pepeiao, kāhili, hulumoa, and ʻeleʻele.

Like Hawai'i, Tahiti has many familiar energies in people and place. It is not a surprise that they share similar shoreline life and ecologies.

Aloha e Teddy. Your wife is well and the shorelines of your adopted home continue to call out. They beckon and await you. -KC @changkwaix

#kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #nolimunofish #yearofthelimu2022 #limuhui Photos 1-8 limu by @changkwaix. Photo 9 of uncle Teddy Blake, Pam Fujii, & Haili Mahoney taken in Honolua at the 2019 E Alu Pū gathering in Maui. (Photo: Luna Kekoa)
E iho ana o luna E pii ana o lalo E hui ana na mok E iho ana o luna
E pii ana o lalo
E hui ana na moku
E ku ana ka paia

That which is above will come down
That which is below will rise up
The islands shall unite
The walls shall stand firm.

Ce qui est en haut descendra
Ce qui est en bas s'élèvera
Les îles s'uniront
Les murs resteront fermes

Mahalo to the community fishery leaders of French Polynesia convenors and facilitators from SPC, IUCN for the honor of being invited to Tahiti to speak before 20+ different island communities from throughout French Polynesia (Tahiti, New Caledonia, Tuamotu islands, Wallis and Fortuna) to discuss "Zones de pêche réglementée en Polynésie française” (Regulated fishing areas of French Polynesia) and the prospects of starting a network for their region to care for their fisheries from the ground up. We were inspired!

Mahalo aux animateurs et facilitateurs de la CPS et de l'UICN pour l'honneur qui leur a été fait d'être invités à Tahiti pour s'adresser à plus de 20 communautés insulaires de toute la Polynésie française (Tahiti, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Tuamotu, Wallis et Fortuna) afin de discuter des "Zones de pêche réglementée en Polynésie française" et des perspectives de création d'un réseau pour leur région afin de prendre soin de leurs pêcheries à partir de la base. Nous avons été inspirés !

@uicn_comitefrancais
@spc_cps 
@iucn_congress 
@culture_gouv 
@tahiti
Kīpahulu Lawaiʻa Exchange (April 2022) • In th Kīpahulu Lawaiʻa Exchange (April 2022) • In the precious hours leading up to a long-anticipated site visit with Dept of Aquatic Resources, the Kīpahulu ʻohana received a small group of visitors as lawaiʻa from Hāʻena (Kaua’i), Miloliʻi (Hawai’i), and Moʻomomi (Molokai) reunited in Kīpahulu (Maui) alo he alo. To this day few communities in Hawaii have experienced going through the Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) rule-making and designation process. Those who have, regardless of whether they achieved this designation, know the road is a lonely arduous one that spans years, even decades, spent collecting data, organizing meetings, compromising and revising their rules package to protect natural resources and traditional and customary practices for subsistence and culture. All the while observing activities in their community that causes their beloved resources to decline before their eyes. 

“The longer this takes, the longer it takes our resources to come back” -Greg Lind, Kīpahulu ʻOhana
🌱
To read in its entirety, check out our blog (see link tree in our BIO) mahalo 📷: @gingerdidthis @albeit #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #kipahuluohana #kipahulu #kipahulumoku
Join us for the 2nd Annual Hawaiʻi Intertidal Exp Join us for the 2nd Annual Hawaiʻi Intertidal Exploration event in ʻEwa on the Oneʻula shoreline. This event is open to all ages to discover limu and other important species in the intertidal ecosystem. 

SUN, MAY 1 @ Oneʻula Beach Park (Hau Bush) - ʻEwa, Oʻahu
8:30 am - 10:45 am 

Please bring sun protection, water, and tabis. We hope to see you there!

#yearofthelimu2022 #nolimunofish #limuhui #waiheelimurestoration #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
Join us in watching the Miloliʻi CBSFA Public Hea Join us in watching the Miloliʻi CBSFA Public Hearing happening now online (link in our bio) ✊🏽#kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #milolii #miloliiohana #miloliicbsfa
Join us on Maui in support for our Limu Hui ʻohan Join us on Maui in support for our Limu Hui ʻohana @waiheelimurestoration as they present at the 30th Annual Celebration of the Arts Festival at @ritzcarltonkapalua.

SAT, April 15th @ Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui

11:30 am - "Limu: Love 'em and/or leave 'em" presentation by Aunty Napua Burrows from Waiheʻe Limu Restoration.

We hope to see you there!

Photo Credit: @kimmymoa

#yearofthelimu2022 #nolimunofish #limuhui #waiheelimurestoration #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
@civilbeat presents a special evening of stories t @civilbeat presents a special evening of stories told by folks whose lives have been greatly influenced by Hawaii's food systems. KUAʻs Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa network Coordinator, Brenda Asuncion, will be sharing connections she has to family through food traditions.

🕰 5pm•Come by our limu booth with Uncle Wally before the event. Weʻll have our limu calendars (see our Linktree for more info) & a limited run of limu postcards designed by @kehaunoeau or pickup a discounted copy of Dr. Isabella Abbott’s “Hawai’i Reef Plants” from @hawaii_sea_grant! Other booths by @paepaeoheeia @hawaiibananasource @gofarmhawaii  @kahumanaorganicfarm + UHWO, too! Grinds by Nui Kealoha and @uluandkalobakery. 🕰 6pm•HI Storytelling begins and if you already have tickets for that, wow u so lucky! The event sold out fast (you don’t need a ticket to come check us out before the event begins)! 📷 @gingerdidthis #yearofthelimu2022 #nolimunofish #limuhui #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #huimalamalokoia
Kinohi x Kahaʻi 2/22/22 • It was such a blessin Kinohi x Kahaʻi 2/22/22 • It was such a blessing for us to come together as a lei lāʻī of ʻohana, kiaʻi, & beloveds from all across the pae ʻāina. Itʻs official gangeh #finallyfukumitsu ua kō! @hikino17 @paepaeoheeia
Limu Hui members and partners have been sharing ou Limu Hui members and partners have been sharing our calendar with their communities and in less than a week, our office was wiped out. Folks have been asking us how they can get one, so if youʻre already on our mailing list, you should be getting one soon! If you’re not, consider joining our mailing list today. by making a donation of any amount on our website (link in bio)! First 100 donations between now until the end of February will be mailed a calendar! 2022 Year of the Limu #yearofthelimu2022 #nolimunofish #limuhui #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo
“This proclamation affirms that the State of Haw “This proclamation affirms that the State of Hawaii recognizes the importance of our work as limu advocates and limu educators in passing on traditional ecological limu knowledge to make our home a better place for future generations” – Uncle Wally Ito

It's official !!! #YearOfTheLimu2022

During last year's legislative session, members of the Limu Hui proposed a resolution that called on state legislators to designate 2022 as the “Year of the Limu.” While the resolution stalled last session, community members and limu advocates with the help of KUA and the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DLNR-DAR), petitioned Governor Ige to make the designation through executive order.
 
Signed by the Gov. on January 28, the Year of the Limu Proclamation recognizes the critical role that limu plays in our environment and culture, and acknowledges the work of loea limu (limu experts) such as the late Henry Chang Wo Jr. of 'Ewa Limu Project and the “First Lady of Limu,” Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott, and others who have worked to preserve limu traditions and knowledge.

KUA and the Limu Hui will be working with DAR and other community partners across the paeʻāina (archipelago) to plan and promote a variety of monthly Community Limu Events throughout the year where folks can connect with limu practitioners, share limu stories, memories and living limu traditions. 

[Link in Bio] for the full Media Release on this announcement. Photo Credit: @kimmymoa 

#YearOfTheLimu #NoLimuNoFish #LimuHui #EwaLimuProject #KUAhawaii #KuaainaUluAuamo #AinaMomona
Inoa Hawaiʻi Limu with Unko Ali’i Miner, Oneʻu Inoa Hawaiʻi Limu with Unko Ali’i Miner, Oneʻula, ʻEwa Oʻahu

#yearofthelimu2022 #kknowyourlimu #nolimunofish #limuhui #ewalimuproject #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
We’re excited to share that we are an awardee fo We’re excited to share that we are an awardee for the @hawaiihta Kūkulu Ola Program, administered by @hawaiicommunityfoundation. This funding will support education and outreach around #YearOfTheLimu2022 a  statewide effort to increase awareness about the importance of limu (seaweed) to Hawai'i’s culture, identity and the health of our nearshore marine environment.

Inspired by the work of loea (master) limu practitioners in the Limu Hui network and across the paeʻāina, including the late Uncle Henry Chang Wo and Uncle Wally Ito of ‘Ewa Limu Project, a resolution proposed during the 2021 Hawaiʻi Legislative Session and recently passed by Governor David Ige establishes 2022 as the Year of the Limu! 

The Year of the Limu will be filled with opportunities for the public to engage with limu and to share limu stories, memories and living limu traditions. Our hope is to share, recapture, and preserve biocultural and traditional knowledge about limu for the people of Hawaiʻi and all those who love our island home for many generations to come.

Follow us for updates on community educational events and Year of the Limu activities and related news!

Mahalo to our collaborators in the Limu Hui, the Division of Aquatic Resources @hawaiidlnr and partners across Hawaiʻi who have supported the Year of the Limu efforts. 

#nolimunofish #limuhui #ewalimuproject #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona #hawaiianculture #KukuluOlaAwardee

Photo Credit: @kimmymoa
This is it! 2022 is the ✨Year of the Limu✨ and This is it! 2022 is the ✨Year of the Limu✨ and we’re kicking off the year long celebration with our Limu Hui & ‘Ewa Limu Project ʻohana THIS weekend:

SAT, JAN 29th @ Oneʻula (ʻEwa, Oʻahu)
9 - 11 am Beach Cleanup
11 - 1 pm Educational Tables

For this inaugural #yearofthelimu2022 event weʻve partnered with Blue Zones Project - Kapolei Ewa and a few other new and old time ʻEwa-based friends including Ewa Beach Lions Club Foundation, ForʻEwa Pono and EWAlution 96706.

To register, visit [Link in Bio] bit.ly/20220129 or scan the QR code. 

This will be the first of many opportunities to participate statewide in the celebration of Limu throughout the year, so if you can’t make it this weekend, stay tuned for more opportunites. 

#nolimunofish #limuhui #ewalimuproject #kuahawaii #kuaainauluauamo #ainamomona
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Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

3 days ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo
Mahalo to our colleague of the ICCA Consortium for representing commons issues at the UN Ocean's Conference in Lisbon, Portugal."...our Members have expressed concerns about the accessibility of the UN Ocean Conference for artisanal fishers and Indigenous and local leaders and the limited opportunities for their meaningful engagement in the official sessions, side events in the main venue, and expected policy outcomes.Despite these concerns, several ICCA Consortium Members and network partners, including fishers’ organizations and Indigenous Peoples and local communities, are taking this opportunity to attend the conference to share their experiences and advocate for their self-determined priorities.In preparation for the conference, some of our Members contributed to and signed the Small-Scale Fisheries Call to Action. ""In many countries, they are also successfully advocating for policy and legal and institutional support from state governments. Just some of the many such examples include Locally Managed Marine Areas in several island nations, fishing associations and community conserved areas in Senegal, Marine Areas of Responsible Fishing in Costa Rica, Marine and Coastal Areas of Indigenous Peoples in Chile, Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Areas in Hawai’i and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in Canada."Hugh Govan Vivienne Solis Rivera www.iccaconsortium.org/index.php/2022/06/26/statement-solidarity-people-of-the-sea-2022-un-ocean-... ... See MoreSee Less

Statement of solidarity with the people of the sea on the occasion of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference - World - ICCA Consortium

www.iccaconsortium.org

The ICCA Consortium urges governments and the UN to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ territories of life as a critical imperative and opportunity to usher in transformative cha...
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Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo

3 days ago

Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo
Mahalo to Arju M and the ICCA Consortium for telling the story of our communities efforts in natural resource governance and self-determination. "This year, World Oceans Day saw fishing communities on Maui and Hawaii islands celebrate milestones in progress towards adopting rules for Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Areas (CBSFA). The rules reflect the wisdom and practices of kupuna (elder practitioners) and the passing on and preservation of ike (knowledge) to a younger generation of fishers so that they can continue to feed their families from the abundance of their “ice box” in the ocean."www.iccaconsortium.org/index.php/2022/06/08/hawaii-progress-community-based-subsistence-fishing-a... ... See MoreSee Less

Hawaii celebrates progress on Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Areas - ICCA Consortium

www.iccaconsortium.org

This year, World Oceans Day saw fishing communities on Maui and Hawaii islands celebrate milestones in progress towards adopting rules for Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Areas (CBSFA). The rules ...
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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