huiMAU hosted by Boys & Girls Club, Pāʻauilo for Family Night

On March 25, 2014, the Boys & Girls Club of Pāʻauilo, led by Aunty Loke Alpiche, hosted Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili for their monthly Family Night. The theme of their Family Night that month was focused on the cultural backgrounds of the youth in the club, as well as the specific cultural history of Hāmākua and the immediate area surrounding Pāʻauilo. As such, Aunty Loke invited me to present to the ʻōpio and their parents about the work that huiMAU is doing in the community, and about our resource website.

In preparation for this presentation, I decided it might be best if I started with talking about the history of Hāmākua through ʻōlelo noʻeau, wise or poetic sayings, passed on to us by our kūpuna. There are many ʻōlelo noʻeau about our ʻāina, and they often describe important observations made by our kūpuna about the nature of a particular ʻāina and the kamaʻāina born of it. The lessons held in ʻōlelo noʻeau, like those held in moʻolelo and mele, are very important for us today, as they teach us how to properly live in balance with our ʻāina and each other. 

huiMAU Hāmākua Coloring Book

In an attempt to engage our youth creatively with the ʻōlelo noʻeau of Hāmākua, I worked with ʻŌiwi artist, Haley Kailiehu, to develop a coloring book depicting these ʻōlelo noʻeau visually. A truly skilled artist, Haley was able to illustrate each ʻōlelo noʻeau beautifully, and added additional illustrations to depict the winds of Hāmākua, the place names of Hāmākua and Koholālele, as well as the moʻolelo of ʻUmi-a-līloa, the famous aliʻi of Hāmākua. 

It was really an honor to be able to share these stories with our youth and their ʻohana of Hāmākua. The smiles on their faces as they went through each page of their coloring books reflected the aloha being instilled in them by our kūpuna.

Our youth, like the buds of the lehua, hold within them the seeds of change for the future generations. While the time I spent with these particular ʻōpio that evening was short, it influenced me greatly. As our hui grows and moves forward with our efforts, I am confident that the youth of Hāmākua will carry on this work with great aloha for our ʻāina and kūpuna. While that night, I may have been the one standing at the front of the room and presenting, it was the ʻōpio who were truly teaching us the important lessons. In sharing that evening together, I learned a great deal about our community. I even learned that the Pāʻauilo Hongwanji, where we gathered that evening, is actually located in the ahupuaʻa of Hauola. I mahalo the ʻōpio, their ʻohana, and all of our ʻohana of huiMAU, and I look forward to sharing more together in the future.

ʻO wau iho nō,  
   Noʻeau Peralto