Kupuna Iwi
Kupuna Iwi means ‛the bones of our ancestors.‛ In this modern day, the Nation of Hawai’i and Native Hawaiian Cultural Practitioners struggle to preserve ancient burial sites, as well as, religious practices and traditional burial customs. Many places in Hawai’i have remnants of ancient burials, some of which are the resting places of royal Hawaiian families known as Ali’i. Ali'i are the chiefly lines and the ones who oversee the governance and equality of the resources to its people, they were deeply loved and appreciated by all. Due to development, these sites are often disturbed and desecrated, to the point where the bones are sometimes crushed and destroyed or even taken away to unknown locations without the consent of Native Hawaiians. It hurts to see our ancient loved ones treated as an afterthought and disregarded in a way that cannot be undone or fixed.
Konohiki Restoration Project, native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and Kupuna (Elders) together play a key role in the oversight, on field inspections and consultation processes pertaining to Kupuna Iwi. When Iwi is either discovered or unearthed, the Konohiki Restoration Project and Kupuna Council work directly with local authorities, property / home owners and all parties involved to solve any issues involving Iwi. Our intention is to properly re-enter Iwi back into the ground, as it was originally found before disruptions, followed by ceremony to show respect and bring peace to any type of disturbance. We are active in promoting awareness through educating others in the community about the proper protocols and how to handle situations where Iwi are discovered, especially when it comes to homeowners. In 2021, we co-founded our own native Hawaiian burial council called Konohiki Council Moku O Kaua’i, in order to represent our native community in the zoom meetings and county meetings where past decisions have been made without native council. It is our goal to make our voices known and bring forth justice for our ancestors who were either taken for "study", destroyed by heavy machinery or disturbed in any way, and to prevent any further pillaging of our sacred past.
Restoration and Protection of Sacred sites
Preserving and caring for the sacred sites of Kaua’i has been a primary objective of our organization since we began in 2018. Our guidance and counsel has been sought out by many as desecration continues to harm our people, places of spiritual / cultural significance and the burials of our beloved Kupuna throughout Hawai’i. We encourage all kanaka maoli to learn their history, genealogy and human rights when it comes to protecting the 'aina and all that is left of our identity in connection to these places of significance.
We are active in directly maintaining multiple heiaus by way of landscaping, cleaning, and restoring the areas, in addition to documenting any illegal activity that may occur. In our programs and volunteer days we visit sacred sites to help students and participants to understand the relationships between these sites and our culture. The importance of these stones and the remnants of these structures is precious and meant to be cherished, as these places provide the answers connecting us to our ancient legends and ancestors. These sites not only teach us about celestial movements, they provide insights into celestial navigation and how we are connected to other places within the Hawaiian Archipelago and Polynesia by the great voyages of those who came before us.
Wa’a Building and Celestial Navigation
Lau Lima is a Hawaiian value that unites people together through hands-on production and experiences, which is the focus of canoe / wa’a lifestyle. We begin by embedding the foundations and info of wa’a practices into our youth, through both our keiki program and family customs. Currently, we have several canoe vessels we are refurbishing as part of our live classroom, while also fine tuning and maintaining our active canoes to keep them safe and sea worthy. In both settings people from the community and our kids program are able to partake in the building process, while enjoying water time they also learn how to operate and navigate the canoe.
We are active in directly maintaining multiple heiaus by way of landscaping, cleaning, and restoring the areas, in addition to documenting any illegal activity that may occur. In our programs and volunteer days we visit sacred sites to help students and participants to understand the relationships between these sites and our culture. The importance of these stones and the remnants of these structures is precious and meant to be cherished, as these places provide the answers connecting us to our ancient legends and ancestors. These sites not only teach us about celestial movements, they provide insights into celestial navigation and how we are connected to other places within the Hawaiian Archipelago and Polynesia by the great voyages of those who came before us.
Community
As a multigenerational organization, we thrive because of the many ages and walks of life that come together making our organization impactful for all those who participate. In Hawaiian culture it is the kupuna (elders) who provide us with their ’ike (wisdom) and mana’o (knowledge) so that we may be successful in all that we do. Konohiki Restoration Project is a place where families come together, where they are able to learn new skills and work hard to create so all may benefit. We feel it is important to keep friends, families and neighborhoods together through traditional customs and practices involving food such as making lau laus, imus and participating in huki laus and other fishing methods. During our community events we always gather around the ahu, pule (pray) together and make time to share our intentions or anything that may feel important to speak out loud to one another.
As a community based organization, we also understand the importance of shifting our focus to important tasks that may take precedence during extreme situations. We are primarily based out of the North Shore, particularly Wainiha, which is known for raging waters and prone to flooding. During times of heavy floods or in the aftermath of landslides, our community becomes isolated. In these situations, such as the 2018 flood and the 2020 landslide in Hanalei, Konohiki Restoration Project is among the first to organize boat trips in and out, deliver supplies to those in need, and act as a hub location where people may pick up food, medical supplies or propane / gas. During the COVID 19 lock downs we provided an array of assistance ranging from mask distribution, meal programs and filing important paperwork so those who do not normally have access to computers were able to file for unemployment or other benefit programs much needed at the time. We know how important it is to have a safe place to gather and to feel welcome during times of great need.
Keiki Program
In 2020 we launched our kids program and created a workbook series that offers educational intel of Hawaiian cultural practices, coupled with scientific based knowledge of our local ecosystems on Kaua’i. This series, beginning on land, will lead us into the stars and cycles of the moon, as we engage our keiki into becoming the future celestial navigators of Hawai'i. Focusing on the watersheds and the importance of their health to provide resources for both food and building materials, we are able to directly connect the keiki to the wa’a (canoe) with the ’aina as their foundation. We use the Loi as a foundation to grow customary Hawaiian foods, build strength and stamina, while also learning the core values of our roots here on land as it connects to our waters and to ourselves.
In our program we teach many traditional methods for fishing, cooking, farming and gathering to prepare the native foods and cultural attire that represents Kanaka Maoli and the people of Hawai’i. The kids in our program learn the value of providing for themselves and their families by catching their own food and gathering important plant medicines that promote health and well being. They are always so excited to bring home a fresh catch and share their experiences. Our goal is to prepare our keiki to be able to think for themselves and understand the importance of sustainability while connecting directly with the teachings of our earth and of their ancestors.