Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 7, 1 July 2020 — Hui Mālama I Nā Kūpuna O Hawai'i Nei Part 3: Empowerment Through Education [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hui Mālama I Nā Kūpuna O Hawai'i Nei Part 3: Empowerment Through Education

/ IMANAIKA'OIWI > / KA NAAUAO O NĀ KŪPUNA , ^ 1 JYi/\rN/\ 1 UlWl ? \ THE WISD0M 0F THE KUPUNA i

By Edward Halealoha Ayau To read tliis article in 'ōlelo Hawai'i, please visit kawaiola.news Conducting proper burial was especially important because it was believed that ancestors could transform and become 'aumākua (guardians) of living descendants and that these 'aumākua must be cared for in order to maintain the pono (halanee and unity) of the family. For the ali'i nui (ruling

chief), maintaining tranquility in the kingdom was dependent, in part, on his care for the akua (gods) and 'aumākua. This was reflected by the status of gravesites. When there was peaee people were buried properly; when there were treacherous rulers, the bones were dug up. "Ola nā iwi" (the bones live) refers to

an elder who is well cared for by his or her family as well as to those who provide such care. This 'ōlelo no'eau reminds us that our kūpuna reside within our own iwi; we are the sum of all of the ancestors who collectively gave us life. This relationship engenders a profound

duty to care for and protect the bones of our kūpuna. The care of iwi kūpuna is a kuleana. The relationship between ancestors and the living is interdependent. Families maintain this kuleana by ensuring the ancestors are kanu pono (properly buried) and protected, as the physical and spiritual heahh of the family is related to the wellbeing of the ancestors.

"Mai kaula'i i nā iwi i ka lā" (don't expose the bones to the sun light) instructs us to prevent exposure of iwi because the 'uhane (spirit) of the deceased reside in a world known as Pō (darkness). Thus, iwi should be placed in the 'āina so that its mana ean nourish the land physically and spiritually. From this proverb we understand that kuleana to care for iwi includes protecting them from disturbances that would result in exposure to light. Therefore, removal of iwi, displaying and studying them, are forms of desecration based upon this belief because they are exposed to light. ■ Edward Halealoha Ayau is the former Executive Director of Hui Mālama I Nā Kūpuna 0 Hawai'i Nei, a group that has repatriated and reinterred thousands ofancestral Native Hawaiian remains andfunerary objects.

199/ Nihoa and Mokumanamana Repatriation Team ■ Photo: Courtesy of Hui Mōlomo