Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 7, 1 July 2021 — Care for Iwi Kūpuna a Focus of OHA's Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Care for Iwi Kūpuna a Focus of OHA's Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan

The Health Outcomes strategic direction calls for the agency to support initiatives, leverage partnerships and engage in strategies to promote healthy and strong families By Ed Kalama "Puali kalo i ka wai 'ole; Taro,for laek ofwater, grows misshapen." For laek ofcare one may heeome iU.

Health Outcomes

Life is Ke Akuas most precious gift and health is life's most valuable asset; heahh i is a blessing that should see | continuous investment. It's no wonder then, that the OfRce of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), based on eommunity input, has selected Heahh Outcomes as one of

the four strategic directions of its 15-year Mana i Mauli Ola (Strength to Wellbeing) plan, along with Educational Pathways, Quality Housing and Eeonomie Stability. These four directions will be used to guide OHA's work to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians and affect change in the areas of education, heahh, housing and economics. Of course, heahh is a comprehensive concept. "We're looking at the general wellbeing of Native Hawaiians, and this includes all aspects of their wellbeing, not just the physical, but also emotional, mental and spiritual heahh," said OHA's Chief Operating Oflicer Casey Brown. "Heahh outcomes is something that OHA has always cared about, but we're going to be pulling up more at the system level - so you'll see us doing more advocacy. We also plan to do more collaborating and identify partners who are acting at the system level as well." OHA CEO/Ka Pouhana Dr. Sylvia Hussey takes the concept of heahh even further, framing h whhin the strategic plan theory of using the foundational strengths of Kānaka Maoli - 'ohana, mo'omeheu and 'āina - to affect the overall wellbeing of our people. "While individual physical heahh is very important, so is 'ohana heath, community heahh, generational heahh and spiritual heahh - they are all intertwined. It's the heahh of our aina - how do we have holistic heahh with our 'ohana and with our aina? How do we do that through the practices of our mo'omeheu, where we

know that we have spiritual connections?" she said. "It's a wellness of body, mind and spirit - lōkahi - a halanee of all that we have. Western constructs tell us that using our na'au is not a valid data eolleetion method. So we need to elevate that because we've been relying on our na'au for generations." Herb Lee is the execu-

tive director of the Paeihe American Foundation. He is a former OHA grant recipient, receiving an award in 2017 to help restore, revitalize and preserve the Waikalua Loko Fishpond in Kāne'ohe Bay. "Heahh is a huge issue in building this bridge between Indigenous wisdom and the 2lst century. Hawai'i is at a point in our history where we need to go back and restore the halanee of how we produce food and not rely on offshore opportunities. Not to say that we're going to be totally independent, but to restore a better halanee," Lee said. "Hopefully, in the process, we ean improve the plight of our aina, the preservation of our 'āina, so that we ean produce food - mauka to makai - because that is inextricably intertwined with our personal heahh. Physical

nurturing and spiritual nurturing go hand in hand." Specifically called out in the plan's focus on Heahh Outcomes is empowering communities to take care of iwi kūpuna. This past April, OHA announced the first awardees of its new Iwi Kūpuna and Repatriation Grant, created in direct response to Mana i Mauli Ola. Five community organizations were awarded a total of $217,298. Recipients included: The Hawaiian Church of Hawai'i Nei for education needed to care for nā iwi kūpuna; Hawaiian Islands Land Trust of Maui to train staff in the SEE CARE F0R IWI KŪPUNA ON PAGE 19

V KA NA'AUAO O NA KUPUNA ^ THE WISDOM OFTHE KŪPUNA

CARE F0R IWI KŪPUNA

Continued from page4 treatment and reinterment of iwi; Ke Ao Hali'i to help protect iwi kūpuna in Hāna; Organization Supporting the Language of Kaua'i, Ine., to document and protect iwi kūpuna at Polihale; and Hui Ho'oniho to facilitate reburial of 700-900 iwi kūpuna and moepū disturbed at Kawaiaha'o Church. "Iwi are described as our 'most cherished possession' by cultural ieon Mary Kawena Puku'i," notes OHA Compliance Enforcement Manager Kai Markell. "That has never changed. How could we, as a people, not honor, care for and protect our beloved ancestors, without whom we would not even exist? Our entire wellbeing on the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional levels depends so mueh on their continued love and guidance from across the veil. It has always been the way of our people. "The greatest lesson I have learned from the ancestors, is that when we learn to love them, as they unconditionally love

us, we can't help but love the living Kanaka standing to the left or right of us in the same manner. This is their greatest wish collectively. Aloha kekahi i kekahi. Love one another." OHA Community Advocate Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu adds, "To mālama iwi kūpuna reaffirms our connection, our commitment and our dedication to aeknowledge those we eome from. In our 'ohana we pay respect to our elders. Those who have gone before us deserve respect, honor and dignity - and we do that by implementing programming that will facilitate mālama iwi kūpuna. "We say that 'ohana is important, we say that our cultural values, our language, is important. All of these things teach us that honoring our ancestors is part and parcel of the expectation of who we are as Kānaka. Bone of my bones, kin of my kin, blood of my blood. Mālama iwi kūpuna is an expectation. It is of the utmost importance. Because those are the people ffom whom we descend, and it is through them that we elaim our legacy and our heritage of being Kānaka." ■

Dr. Sylvia Hussey - Photos: Courtesy

Casey Brown

A Herb Lee

Kai Markell

■ i * Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu