Last month I had a trip of a lifetime, having the
opportunity to experience Kaho’olawe for a service project through Protect
Kaho’olawe Ohana (PKO). For those of you
who have never heard of Kaho’olawe, it is the smallest of the 8 main Hawaiian
Islands, located about 7 miles offshore of Maui, and unexploded ordinances
still present a risk. Access to the
island is restricted, due to its long history of being a training ground and
bombing range during World War II.
Military used the island to test torpedoes, bombs, projectiles, and
other explosives. This destruction
continued on until 1976, when the members of the Protect Kaho’olawe Ohana filed
suit in Federal District Court resulting with a mandatory environmental impact
assessment to be conducted by the Navy in order to supply an inventory of, and
protect, the historic sites of the island.
Surface ordinances were cleared from 10,000 acres, and soil conservation
and revegetation programs were initiated.
On March 18th, 1981, the island was listed on the National
Register for Historical Places. The Kaho’olawe District contains 544 recorded
archaeological/historical sites. In 1993
Senator Daniel K. Inouye transferred ownership of Kaho’olawe to the state of
Hawaii in order to promote environmental restoration of the land and create
meaningful safe use of the island for appropriate cultural, historical,
archaeological, and educational purposes.
 |
| Kaho'olawe |
Kaho’olawe was named for the god of the ocean and the
foundation of the earth, it is a sacred island that in modern times has served
as the foundation for the revitalization of Hawaiian cultural practices. Restoring the island will provide a lace for
the current and future generation to rediscover what it means to be Hawaiian,
and how to be stewards of the land. It is
said that you do not choose to come to the island, but rather you are chosen by
Kanaloa-Kaho’olawe. This experience
offered me the incredible opportunity to learn and participate in the Hawaiian
culture. Being born on O’ahu, but raised
on the mainland, I have always felt a deeper connection with the islands, and
considered Hawaii to be my home. That
being said, only moving here in July, I have just recently been able to learn
more about the language and culture of Hawaii.
Luckily for me, getting to go to Kaho’olawe was an eye-opening journey
and I have found it very difficult to portray in words, but I will do my best.
First off, I was surrounded by amazing, passionate, and
caring people which made for positive energy throughout the trip. Most of the participants were affiliated with
Kupu, so we all had a common interest in environmental stewardship, and were
all on the same page with the benefits of working hard to help protect the aina. We spent three nights on the island, working
to restore the Ala Loa Trail which will connect all of the ‘ili (districts) of
Kaho’olawe. The goal is to have a path that will go around the entire island of
Kanaloa-Kaho’olawe for the observance of the Makahiki Ceremonies that take
place on the island.
 |
| Enjoying the view from our hike |
On the first night we all met at the Hawaiian Canoe Club,
where we had orientation and prepared our bags to be transported to Kahoolawe
the following morning. This required several trash bags and a lot of duct tape
to ensure that water didn’t leak into our gear.
We slept among the canoes and picnic tables at the park, and had a 2:30
AM wake up call to pack our belongings into the bus and head to our boat
harbors, either Kihei or Maalaea. We
were cold, shivering, and a bit anxious, but we excitedly boarded our boat and
were soon out at sea heading to our destination. The goal was to arrive to Kahoolawe right
around sunrise, where we would meet the zodiac which would drop us and our
bags, food, water, ect offshore. We followed cultural protocol, and requested permission
to pae (land) onto Kanaloa-Kaho’olawe as we approached the island. We chanted Oli Kahea, and our leader
responded with Oli Komo, granting us permission. After our ride towards the island, we finally
arrived as the sun was starting to peek up behind Haleakala (a beautiful sight
to behold). We were all transporting in
three separate boats, and mine was the second to arrive, so there were already
helping hands in the water to aid in moving our gear from the sea to land. We got into a line and pushed our floating
bags towards shore, where they were piled high.
Although we were anticipating strong winds and rough seas, the weather
cooperated and we were blessed to arrive safely with a small swell; it was a
perfect landing. As soon as we walked
onto land, the wind went still and I got an overwhelming feeling of belonging,
it is very hard to put into words, but it was immediately evident to me what a
special place Kanaloa-Kaho’olawe is. The
first thing we did when we were on Kahoolawe, was to gather in a circle, hold
hands, and pule (pray). I could feel the
energy and excitement and felt so happy to be in a place with so much
mana. Next, we got into a semicircle
facing the sea, and cleansed ourselves of any obligations or worries. We then headed into the ocean and submerged
beneath our waves to finalize the cleanse.
It was a very cool experience. The
remainder of the morning was spent unloading, setting up, getting situated, and
preparing an imu.
 |
| Setting up camp for the night |
 |
| Preparing the imu |
The next two days were dedicated to working on the Ala Loa. We woke up at 4:30 the next morning to pack
an overnight bag, as we would be hiking a few miles to our next site, where we
would begin our trail work, stay the night, and resume in the morning. Before we departed camp, we gathered together
and chanted E Ala E with the purpose of aiding the sun in its efforts to start
a new day. This chant is an opportunity
to be grateful for the sun and appreciate how it rises every single day,
without fail. We all faced the sea, and
began the chant when we first saw the sun, but didn’t end until it completely arose
from the horizon. The sunset was
spectacular, with vibrant colors all throughout the sky. The angle of Haleakala was beautiful, and the
clouds made for an outstanding scene. It
was so beautiful it could spark an emotion and really make you stop and
appreciate nature and how magnificent it is.
 |
| Sunrise over Haleakala |
The hike to Aikupau was gorgeous, and a little tiring. Carrying tools, overnight gear, and water, we
made our way and eventually got to our destination just in time for lunch. The remainder of the day was working hard to
build trail. Some people went ahead and
weed-wacked a path so we knew where we would be building the trail. We followed behind with rakes to clear away
small pohaku (rocks), and moved the larger pohaku to the sides where we would
build a wall the next day. The weather
was great, a slight wind and a moderate amount of cloud coverage, so it wasn’t
too hot, but it also never rained. The
second day on the trail was dedicated to making the trail more flat and moving
all of the pohaku out of the trail, while building a wall on the sides. The purpose of the wall was so that even if
there was regrowth of vegetation, they could still follow the path. Although it was hard work finding and
carrying the rocks to build the wall, it really helped to have such a coherent
team that worked together and we accomplished an extraordinary amount in just a
few days.
 |
| Beautiful coral reefs on the North tip of Kaho'olawe |
Overall, my time on Kaho’olawe was filled with laughter, hard work,
and amazing new friends. Leaving was not
easy, and I think I will always have an urge to return to the island. As my friend and fellow Kupu intern, Julia
Espaniola, eloquantly expressed, “Not any words in our human existence [can]
describe the way Kanaloa-Kaho’olawe has made me feel. Thank you for cleansing
us, as we attempted to cleanse you.
Thank you for accepting us, as you have accepted your history. Thank you
for releasing us, as you have released your anger…Life is comprised of many
experiences good and bad, but I can definitely say that this has been a service
project that has changed my life for the better. My na’au is shaking in fulfillment, my heart
has exploded in purpose. Thank you God
for this magical, beautiful, abundant life!”
Aloha,
Lyndsey
No comments:
Post a Comment