Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 10, 1 October 2023 — Hō'īnana Ola: Reinvigorating Life, Recovery and Wellbeing for Maui [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hō'īnana Ola: Reinvigorating Life, Recovery and Wellbeing for Maui

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3^ 'PiAiMumi T^mno(tz-~'Ahtmin^ m A any stories have already been told about the JV |/ Ē devastating wildfires that swept across Maui f |r I in August - and about what has happened in \^their aftermath. But there are stories yet to tell. And this is one of them. It was August 9, the day after. Fires continued to smoulder in hot spots and the acrid air was heavy and oppressive. As shock gave way to action, thousands on Maui and across the pae aina - and ffom around the world - were already mobilizing to help the survivors. That day, a small group of kumu hula from Maui, eultural practioners with knowledge of traditional Hawaiian ceremonies, gathered to talk about how they, too, could help. The kumu hula who gathered included Hōkūlani Holt, Henohea Kāne, Kahulu Maluo-Pearson, Kapono'ai Molitau, Pueo Pata and Keali'i Reichel. "We were hearing from the community. People were worrying about the life of their aina and about the souls that may not have been able to transition quickly because the fire eame so fast," Holt said. Heeding the eall for a cultural response, the kumu put together a series of ceremonies that they thought would be helpful. The ceremonies they planned were drawn from antiquity, and in all their aspects - pule, moon phase, time, location - were deliberate and purposeful. "Our kūpuna saw the value in maintaining their 'ike in written form and leaving it to us, the generations that were to follow," Holt reflected. "We are very fortunate that they did that. We have places that we ean look for a

particular pule, a particular oli, that would fit what we're trying to accomplish at any given ceremony. Being able to find them through research or have them shared by others who eame from a more traditional time, is important to bring those words forward." According to Holt, it's impossible to know exactly how our kūpuna would have responded to a disaster like this a thousand years ago, noting that wildfires did not happen ffequently in Hawai'i. So with regard to the oli and pule for the ceremonies she said, "we are selecting the things that we feel may have been appropriate for such a time." "We're kumu hula and various forms of cultural practitioners," added Pata. "So, we don't necessarily have the SEE HŌ'ĪNANA OLA ON PAGE 18

In an effort to understand how our kūpuna i ka wā kahiko (traditional times) might haue responded in the wake ofa catastrophic event - like the wildfires that ravaged Lahaina and areas of Upcountry, Maui - we reached out to cultural practitioners on the island. Emerging as cultural and spiritual leaders following the tragedy were kumu hulafrom Maui who collaborated to plan a series of ceremonies to help heal both ihe people and the land who have suffered such overwhelming, unspeakable loss. The kumu drew upon the 'ike kūpuna acquired over their eolleetive decades oftraining and study with purpose and intentionality. They are encouraged by numerous positive hō'ailona (signs) that their prayers have been acknowledged and received. We note that these kumu never expected their efforts to be widely shared with our lāhui, and so we mahalo them for being willing to talk with us about what they did, and why, and for allowing us to share this story with Ka Wai Ola readers.

Kumu Hulu Hōkūlūni Holt (foreground) prepares to lead a sunrise ceremony at Wai'ehu Beach Pork on the eost side of Mauna 'E'eka during the day-long Kipuni Alohū no Maui vigil on September 1. - Phoio: Pueo Poto

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HŌ'ĪNANA OLA Continued from page 17 answers. But our reflex is to reach back into our training; to administer the things that we've been trained to do." "We absolutely know that, in our culture, chant and pule was every day, not only when it was difhcult or we felt we needed to access extra help," Holt said. "Our kūpuna had pule and ceremonies for every single moment of their life. When they wake up, when they go to their taro patches, when they go out to the oeean, when they plant - all of that they had pule for. "So when a particular need arose, I believe they drew from those and maybe created new ones. And so there are many [oli and pule] that we ean look at and see if it might also fit what we may need today." -AimAuIiA -f£ō %MJMv Oia The hui decided to form the Anahulu Hō' īnana Ola, a 10-day period set aside for the purpose of reinvigorating life and heahh. For the anahulu they put together an 'Aha Pule Pualu, a ceremony of collectively delivered prayers. They carefully and strategically selected a series of pule to engage various weather phenomena. The hnal three pule, E Kānehoalani ē, E Kāne ē, and Lonokūlani (see sidebar) eome from the saga of Pele and Hi'iaka - and the last two are specifically pule that Hi'iaka, herself, uttered and whieh have been passed on for generations. Pata explained that E Kānehoalani ē was delivered to engage the driver of the weather cycles, Kānehoalani, who takes the form of the sun. E Kāne ē engages Kāneikawaiola to provide water for the resuscitation of life - whatever is needed in eaeh circumstance. The hnal chant, Lonokūlani, is a request for Lononuinohoikawai to eompel the waters to achieve the greatest degree of ola (life) in the areas affected by the fires. The anahulu would begin on August 13, during the moon phase of Kāne, since so many pule were directed to Kāne. This meant the anahulu would end on the moon phase of Kūpau. One meaning of "kū" is "a set or series of prayers," so kū-pau was fitting. With just three days to plan, Pata was tasked with writing out the pule, recording them, and posting them to social media so everyone who wanted to participate in the anahulu could do so. Kumu Henohea Kāne generated a QR code that linked to a shared folder where people could watch and listen to the record-

ings, read the write-ups and explanations of the chants, and even watch a video about how an 'aha is conducted. Most of the 'aha during the anahulu were livestreamed, with thousands participating virtually. The anahulu ceremonies were held at noon eaeh day at Hui No Ke Ola Pono in Wailuku, part of the Native Hawaiian Heahh Care system, at the invitation of Executive Director Mālia Purdy. Noon is "ka piko awakea," the time of day that human energies are most effective. On the first day of the anahulu, the kumu observed various concerning hō'ailona (signs) during the 'Aha Pule Pualu. When the 'aha was pau, they eame together to kālailai (analyze) the hō'ailona. "We decided [the hō'ailona] meant that the people in decision-making positions were going to have a hard time listening to what the community was needing - or going to need," shared Pata. From that point forward, throughout the remainder of the anahulu, the kumu focused on enlightenment for leadership so those individuals would be able to "hear" the community. -Ak ōL-tfKiAttl_an.iM ld& Ihe anahulu concluded on August 22 and five days later the kumu held their next ceremony, the 'Aha Hā'ule Lani no Lele, led by Molitau. 1his ceremony offers a means to release - both to release the 'uhane (soul) of a person who has passed, but also to release the grief of those left behind.

That ceremony was conducted at Keka'a, a point north of Lahaina in the ahupua'a called Hanaka'ō o. Keka'a is a "leina a ka 'uhane," a plaee where souls leap ffom this earthly realm to the realm of the ancestors. It took plaee at sunset, because that represents the transition from ao (day) to pō (night). About 250 people participated in the ceremony. The names of lost loved ones were spoken over a fire of pūkiawe, 'iliahi and maile. With specific pule, kā (dried braided ti-leaf) were placed into the fire signifying eaeh soul's release. When all the loved ones had been named, the kumu proceeded to recite the names, from south to north, of the 52 ahupua'a within Lahaina that were burned. Pata recalls strange gusts of wind, and sections of rainbow visible when eaeh person's name was spoken. Similarly, as the names of the ahupua'a were read out loud, the wind responded to eaeh plaee name. Pata described it as "powerful and beautiful." -Akeu -kfo 'opompom -Awa To bring the series of ceremonies to an end, the 'Aha Ho'oponopono 'Āina - a ceremony to rebalance the land - was held on September 11. On that day, the moon phase transitioned from Kāloapau back to Kāne. Kāloa ean refer to long-lasting effects, but it's also a contraction of Kanaloa, according to Pata, who notes that Kanaloa is the akua that presides over underground freshwater. And Kāne is the akua for life and health, whieh was the focus of the hnal 'aha.

"In the Hawaiian definition, aina is only aina if there are people," explained Pata. "Land that isn't paired with kānaka is honua. So ho'oponopono 'āina isn't just for the land, it's for the entire system of kānaka in tandem within the environment." The 'Aha Ho'oponopono 'Āina was divided into four kīhāpai (divisions for religious tasks). Four is a ceremonial number - it's the space between our fingers, called a kāuna - whieh represents fullness. The four kīhāpai, eaeh with anywhere from 16-20 people, had separate and distinct kuleana that were designed to work together to complete the whole. All four ceremonies began simultaneously at noon. One kīhāpai was located at Wahikuli ("noisy plaee") on the northern edge of the fire. They were responsible for the 'Aha Pule Hō īnana. The pule offered by that kīhāpai were intended to invigorate the other three - so that their pule would heeome "noisy" across the district and the region would heeome "saturated" with pule. Another kīhāpai was ma kai, at the birthing and healing stone, Hauola, on the shoreline of Lahaina where the library used to stand. They were in charge of the 'Aha Pule Ho ola, a ceremony for life, heahh and prayers of restoration. The third kīhāpai was ma uka on Pa'upa'u, the hill above Lahaina with the ieonie "L." The name, Pa'upa'u, refers to hard work, so the kuleana for this group was the 'Aha Pule Kala - ceremonies to release the haumia (defilement) caused by all of the death and destruction and to symbolize that all the hard work (of their prayers and petitions) was nearing completion. The hnal kīhāpai was stationed at the southern edge of the fire at Moku'ula, an island, now buried, that was the royal residence of Kamehameha III and the ceremonial and governmental piko of Lahaina. Their kuleana was for the 'Aha Pule Ho'omau - the ceremony to "anchor" all of the other pule being offered for the resuscitation of the people and the aina. Pata led the kīhāpai at Pa'upa'u and shared that the pahu drum he used in the 'aha was actually carved ffom the trunk of one of the last original 'ulu trees from the famous grove in Lahaina. It was created by the late Master Carver, Keola Sequeira, of Lahaina. Following the 'Aha Ho'oponopono 'Āina, members of the various kīhāpai regrouped at Wahikuli for a kapu kai, a purification ceremony in the oeean intended to release them from any defilement acquired, or mistakes made, during the ceremonies. The SEE HŌ'ĪNANA OLA ON PAGE 20

Pūnohu, low-lying rainbows, odorned every volley ofter the completion of the 'Aho Ho'oponopono 'Āino ceremony in Lohoino on September 11. Roinbows ore o positive hō'oilono (sign). Pictured ore the hills of Māhonoluonui (top left), Olowolu Volley (top right) ond Louniupoko Volley (helow). Pūnohu ore offectionotely colled "Leikōkō'ulo." - Photos: Pueo Pato

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HŌ'ĪNANA OLA Continued from page 18 kapu kai also released them from their ceremonial obligations. Y(ā +fō'ailoMj As they stepped out of the oeean and looked ma uka towards Kahoma Valley, they saw a golden-hued rainbow. Other hō'ailona observed during the ceremonies included a large pod of dolphins (a manifestation of Kanaloa) that appeared to the kīhāpai at Hauola. The pod then moved north, where it visited the kīhāpai at Wahikuli, a few miles away. Up ma uka, the kīhāpai at Pa'upa'u was reffeshed by an unexpected misty rain. "It was hot and sunny," recalled Pata. "But as soon as we got to the base of Pa'upa'u, the clouds extended out and it heeame so pleasant. Ihen just as we began our 'aha, the Pa upili rain misted down on us and it was exactly what we needed." As the group departed Lahaina, they were blessed by more rainbows. Every valley they drove past - Kahoma, Kaua'ula, Launiupoko, Olowalu - had rainbows spilling out from them. Pata said that the pūnohu (low-lying rainbows) are affectionately called "Leikōkō'ula." Rainbows followed Pata all the way home. "Right above us (in Makawao) was the 'Ulalena, the rainbow-hued misty rain from right here at Pi'iholo. It was just right there. The whole thing was lit up with that 'Ulalena," Pata remembered. -tf<dp iin^ -f-(<dptrfr Not only have Maui kumu hula responded to the requests of the community, but they have also responded to requests ffom people outside of Hawai'i who have eome to help - workers ffom FEMA, the Red Cross, the National Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, CalFire and more - who are not familiar with our loeal eommunity, its make up, outlook or values. "We have created cultural sensitivity training to help them understand how to interact with our community," Holt shared. She said they are developing a more cohesive request system to ensure that they ean provide the same information to everybody when they need it. The training has covered just about everything - Hawaiian values, outlook, history, language, olelo no'eau, pidgin, and historical trauma. 'And its not only Hawaiian you know. We talk about the coming of our immigrant families to Hawai'i because of sugar, and how almost everyone in Hawai'i is a mixture of different nationalities - and we like it that way," Holt said. "When a person stands in front of their desk,

this all comes with them. Historical trauma comes with them. A lower eeonomie upbringing comes with them. That is eommon. These are the things we want them to understand." The response from these agencies has been very positive. "They all understood they had to do something cultural, and we thank them for that," Pata said. Community participation in the various 'aha and in the September 1 vigil has been a healing, unifying experience for Maui and for all Hawai'i. The involvement of wildfire survivors, in particular, has been extremely important. "What happened affects us all, whether we are from Lahaina or not," Holt observed. "Participating in all of [the 'aha] were people who've lost everything. They're lending that need into the ceremony and that is an example of why the ceremonies were needed," Pata noted. "Being engaged and doing something immediately also lifts, a little bit, their feelings of helplessness." For now, the kumu remain on stand by. "Some of the community-based groups are also asking for help because they've seen a lot and they've been asking for spiritual guidance from our group. Our main ceremonies are finished, but we still have a lot of work to do. "For better or worse, we have heeome spiritual advisors, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists - but that is also one of our functions," Pata added. "Our community will be ready for certain things as time goes along," Holt said resolutely. "For example, the 'Aha Hā'ule Lani no Lele - if they were not ready to eome and release their loved one, they weren't ready. And so maybe we have to do that again in another month. We will respond to the needs of our community at that given time, just as we're doing now. And we will continue." ■

Members of the kīhōpoi who hod kuleano for the 'Aho Pule Kola that wos conducted on Pa'upo'u Hill. The 'oho wos held just helow the grovesite of historion Dovid Molo, ond just obove Lohoino's ieonie "L." - Photo: Courtesy of Pueo Pata