Hawaiʻi Rising

Celebrating Earth Day in Kahuku

On Lā Honua (Earth Day) 2022, kiaʻi from different movements for land and water across Oʻahu gathered in Waialeʻe on the North Shore to build solidarity and connect with the movement to protect the Kahuku community from a proposed military radar.

In this short podcast special, we take you on a march to the proposed radar site and spotlight a speech by Kainoa Azama, a young leader who heads the Hui Sivila ʻŌpiopio o Koʻolaupoko (Jr. Koʻolaupoko Civic Club), a 2021 HPF grantee.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

The Battle of Kuamoʻo with Kamana Beamer

In this special episode, we take you to Kuamoʻo on Hawaiʻi island to hear the mo’olelo of the Battle of Kuamo’o on the ‘āina where it happened and to talk story with Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer about the impacts of uncontrolled real estate development and the promise of an alternative economics rooted in aloha ‘āina.

Kamana Beamer is a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi - Mānoa, a founding member of ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures, and the executive director of HPF community partner Aloha Kuamo’o ‘Āina, an organization that stewards the historic site of the Battle of Kuamo’o in the Kona district of Hawai’i Island.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

21. Masters of the Currents: Community-Based Theater in Kalihi

Ova Saopeng is a theater artist and one of the creators of Masters of the Currents, a collaborative production from TeAda Productions and the Micronesian Health Advisory Coalition.

Masters of the Currents addresses the tension and strife that has arisen around the arrival of Micronesians to Hawai’i. As the newest wave of immigrants, many fleeing their island nations due to environmental and economic pressures, Micronesian communities are subject to misconceptions, discrimination, racial profiling, and educational disparities. Micronesian Health Advisory Coalition and TeAda Productions’ intention is that their performances and activities will bring greater insight to the issues behind the story, setting in motion a process of understanding, healing, reconciliation and creating dialogue that results in real solutions.

Website: www.teada.org/masters-of-the-current-1

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai’i, Hawaii

20. Hānai Kaiāulu: Community Composting in Waiʻanae

A conversation about learning composting and teaching kuleana with Michelle Uʻilani Pieper, Hawaiian language teacher and founder of Hānai Kaiāulu.

Hānai Kaiāulu (HK) is a student-led non-profit organization dedicated to reducing food waste through bokashi composting, food recovery and education. HK’s composting program engages and educates people about food systems and community sustainability, providing solutions for individuals and businesses to capture organic waste and retain it as a community resource. Through community outreach, HK seeks to empower Hawaiʻi communities to hānai kaiāulu (care for the community). The power to manifest global social change lies within.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hanaikaiaulu

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

19. Kalauokekahuli: A New Dawn for Hawaiʻi

An interview about childbirth and the regeneration of ancestral knowledge with ʻIolani Brosio, co-founder of Kalauokekahuli.

Kalauokekahuli supports Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander birthing people by providing culturally based prenatal, birth, and postpartum support and education. They seek to directly address NHPI disparities in birth outcomes by creating free, accessible, and culturally competent informational resources to the community. By sharing information, videos, and art that center NHPI cultural identities, they hope to educate and empower the birthing community to reclaim traditional practices surrounding birth, and ultimately reclaim birth sovereignty and bodily autonomy.

Instagram: @kalauokekahuli

Tags: Hawai’i, Hawaiʻi, Hawaii

18. Pōhāhā I Ka Lani: Land Stewardship in Waipiʻo Valley

A conversation about kuleana and community care with Kūlia Tolentino-Potter, co-founder of Pōhāhā I Ka Lani.

Pōhāhā i Ka Lani builds upon nearly two decades of the organization’s land stewardship and revitalization efforts in Waipiʻo Valley, helping to ensure that the wahi pana thrives with native plants and deepens the relationship between residents and visitors helping to mālama ʻāina. The hui hosts a culturally-based community stewardship program to address and mālama the culturally rich Mahiki area, where trespassing into fragile ecosystems, illegal dumping, and illicit activities threaten the delicate balance in Waipiʻo. The Liko No Ka Lama Project seeks to connect families, individuals, and other organizations with ‘āina stewardship and cultural education to increase the social and emotional competence of ‘ohana and keiki.

Website: pohahaikalani.com

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai’i, Hawaii

17. Mālama Mākua: Piko of Peace

A conversation about ʻāina and activism with Lynette Cruz and Sparky Rodrigues, board members of Mālama Mākua.

Mālama Mākua is a Kanaka Maoli-led non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about the return of sacred Mākua Valley for culturally appropriate use. They preserve and protect this wahi pana on Oʻahuʻs west side through continuous community access and engagement, establishing constant presence and practice in a place that has been occupied by the U.S. army since World War II. The non-profit organization hosts free cultural accesses to ancient and culturally-vital sites in sacred Mākua twice each month, and address the cultural, social, and legal issues associated with the use of Mākua Valley, especially the environmental and cultural impact to the land and sea and to Native Hawaiians and other people.

Website: malamamakua.org

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai’i, Hawaii

16. Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina: Stewarding Land, Stewarding Stories

Dr. Kamana Beamer, executive director of Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina (AKA), tells the story of the historic Battle of Kuamoʻo in this interview alongside AKA program director Kelsy Jorgensen.

AKA offers a critical and special place in Kona for ʻŌiwi youth and all families across their island to deepen their cultural and spiritual ties to the land. Since 2016, AKA has connected over 2,000 community members and Native youth to Kuamoʻo’s landscape and history through managed access, community restoration projects, and place-based cultural education.

Website: kuamoo.org

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

15. Honua Scholars: Reclaiming the Technology Sector in Hawaiʻi

A conversation about the future of STEM in Hawaiʻi with Kyle Yoshida and Maveric Abella, founding members of Honua Scholars.

Honua Scholars empowers local students to pursue STEM careers and advanced degrees to be Hawaiʻi’s STEM leaders. Formed in 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic and the perceived dissonance between culture and science, Honua Scholars supports STEM development alongside culture through an ecological social framework. Honua Scholars encourages civic engagement in the STEM community and advocates for reclaiming Hawaiʻi’s technology sector to be run by Hawaiians for Hawaiians.

Website: honuascholars.org

14. LAING Hawaiʻi: Language, Power, and Identity

Meet Anthony Arce and Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt from Language Acquisition and Immersion for the New Generation (LAING).

LAING Hawaiʻi utilizes heritage language learning as a tool for social and political education. Their programming provides opportunities for cultural reclamation of ancestral knowledge as they work towards collective liberation and radical futures. LAINGʻs current programming includes Ilokano and Visayan-Cebuano language courses; Wellbeing Workshops to support health and wellness in our community during the COVID crisis; Tungtungan Sessions language partner exchange in collaboration with Unite Here! Local 5; and Pakasaritaan Storyteller’s Corner, where skills and stories are shared by collaborators in their native language.

Website: lainghawaii.org/

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii