Mahealani Kuamo'o-Henry Pahoa, Big Island
(Reprinted from http://alohaspiritaunty.com/)
My name is Mahealani Kuamo'o-Henry. And I am kanaka maoli, cultural teacher and Hawaiian spiritual Kahu-priestess.
My Hawaiian ancestors and 'ohana members today freely interact with our ocean 'aumakua, and yes, they are 'aumakua to us, guardians and guides, our family, our ocean family.
In 1820 there was a huge, huge movement in our Hawaiian landscape. In 1820, from that period on, many of my people had practices that we did prior to 1820. We swam -- yes, we swam --with our ocean family. They were so much a part of us.
In my 'ohana alone, my mother comes from the Honu Clan. Absolutely. And my father with my grandfather, they used to have their canoes. They paddled their canoes and they called on the nai'a. The nai'a was part of our way for fishing as well, and for directing canoes. We are talking even way prior to that time frame.
For those Hawaiians who do not have that kind of mo'olelo in their 'ohana today, it is not your fault that you do not have this memory, because in 1820, with the coming of the missionaries, so many of our Hawaiian practices were deleted, were placed aside.
Please know, please know, that our ocean family, our ocean 'ohana, our 'aumakua still live within the hearts and practices of many, such as myself, who have received not only the personal experience but also the mo'olelo that was passed on from one generation to another that was not banned in certain 'ohana, and certainly not in mine.
So I simply ask you, please, aloha, aloha yourself, aloha our 'ohana of the ocean, and let's put together in one mind of aloha the kapu, if you will, certain conscious, conscious, means of education for protocol with our, our, 'ohana from the ocean. Mahalo.
My name is Mahealani Kuamo'o-Henry. And I am kanaka maoli, cultural teacher and Hawaiian spiritual Kahu-priestess.
My Hawaiian ancestors and 'ohana members today freely interact with our ocean 'aumakua, and yes, they are 'aumakua to us, guardians and guides, our family, our ocean family.
In 1820 there was a huge, huge movement in our Hawaiian landscape. In 1820, from that period on, many of my people had practices that we did prior to 1820. We swam -- yes, we swam --with our ocean family. They were so much a part of us.
In my 'ohana alone, my mother comes from the Honu Clan. Absolutely. And my father with my grandfather, they used to have their canoes. They paddled their canoes and they called on the nai'a. The nai'a was part of our way for fishing as well, and for directing canoes. We are talking even way prior to that time frame.
For those Hawaiians who do not have that kind of mo'olelo in their 'ohana today, it is not your fault that you do not have this memory, because in 1820, with the coming of the missionaries, so many of our Hawaiian practices were deleted, were placed aside.
Please know, please know, that our ocean family, our ocean 'ohana, our 'aumakua still live within the hearts and practices of many, such as myself, who have received not only the personal experience but also the mo'olelo that was passed on from one generation to another that was not banned in certain 'ohana, and certainly not in mine.
So I simply ask you, please, aloha, aloha yourself, aloha our 'ohana of the ocean, and let's put together in one mind of aloha the kapu, if you will, certain conscious, conscious, means of education for protocol with our, our, 'ohana from the ocean. Mahalo.