Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 1, 1 January 2011 — Kūpuna serve as links to our past, keys to our future [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kūpuna serve as links to our past, keys to our future

By Onaona Maly \o hea mai ka 'ike Hawai'i, ka 'ike hohonu? Mai nā kūpuna mai! - Where does Hawaiian knowledge eome from, the deep knowledge? It comesfrom our elders. Although most of us know the Hawaiian word kupuna to mean "elder" or "ancestor," sometimes we overlook that the ancient word also has another important meaning. Kupuna ean also mean the one who stands at the source, the starting point, a plaee from where growth begins. This meaning captures perfectly the plaee these special people have in our lives and our hearts, as a steadfast source of strength, guidance and encouragement. We cannot grow as a people without remembering that our stories begin with the aloha and mālama that our kūpuna have for us. One of our most cherished kūpuna on O'ahu is Aunty Arline Wainaha Ku'uleialoha Brede Eaton. Aunty Arline is truly one of our Hawaiian living treasures. Kūpuna like Aunty set an important example of how we're all responsible for our own personal growth, as well as that of our families, neighborhoods, eommunities and our state as a whole. We ean learn so mueh from the sacrifices they've made and the challenges they've overcome, if we just take the time to listen. I have had the privilege of knowing Aunty Arline since I was a child, and the pleasure of working with her to create the Hoakalei Cultural Foundation, whieh was established in 2006 to ensure good stewardship of the land and heritage of the 'Ewa Plain. Aunty serves as the organization's Board President, and the aloha spirit she brings to the foundation is infectious. Her

spontaneous stories and heartfelt embraces inspire everyone around her to work harder to preserve the precious cultural heritage and resources we have in Hawai'i. One recent example of the foundation's efforts is the annual Native Hawaiian Plants Landscaping Workshop, held eaeh Arbor Day. Workshops like this not only introduce people to native plants, their care and cultural uses - they also demonstrate how simply growing them at home ean help restore our traditional landscape. Sharing the stories that go along with these plants and other life lessons passed down to Aunty is another way she and the foundation are helping to keep Hawaiian culture alive. Now in her mid 80s, Aunty Arline has graciously fulfilled her role as a kupuna in her own family, as well as in her community. Aunty is one of just two children from her generation to have grown up in Pu'uloa, in an area now known as Iroquois Point, 'Ewa Beach. Raised by her grandparents, Tūtū Mama Malia and Tūtū Papa Kaniela Kealoha (known to her as "Nahiala"), she remembers swimming in the region's ponds, and traversing up and down the 'Ewa Plain during a time when the area was mostly water. Aunty Arline is known as the most knowledgeable kupuna on the 'Ewa Plain, passing on mo'olelo of the 'Ewa moku from traditional Hawaiian times to the present. Her mo'olelo were recently recorded for an oral history documentary that the Hoakalei Cultural Foundation hopes to soon share with the puhlie. This oral history documentary wasn't the first time Aunty Arline has shared her mo'olelo with others. She has dedicated her life to imparting her knowledge and passion for Hawaiian culture with her family and community. Although she's past the traditional retirement age, she continues to educate our keiki as a Hawaiian studies teacher at both Iroquois Point Elementary School and Kamehameha Schools,

where she has worked for nearly 25 years. In honor of her lifetime achievements and devotion to eulture, Aunty Arline recently received a Kalani Ali'i Award, presented by four royal societies: The Royal Order of Kamehameha I, The 'Ahahui Ka'ahumanu, The Hale O Nā Ali'i O Hawai'i, and The Daughters and Sons of The Hawaiian Warriors - Māmakakaua. The oral history documentary was made possible through the support of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and will be used in the Hoakalei Cultural Foundation's future efforts to educate residents and visitors about Hawaiian culture and traditions. But you don't have to do an oral history project in order to learn valuable lessons from the kūpuna in your life. Talk to them about their

childhood and life experiences, and keep a notebook to write it all down. Or ask if it's OK if you record their storytelling with a digital recorder or video camera. That way, you'll have these precious mo'olelo even

if they happen to depart from your own memory. Aunty Arline's oral history is full of rich stories about her modest, yet fascinating, upbringing and life on our island. Stories like these are fading, and it's up to us to preserve them before it's too late. I encourage you to make time to spend with your own kūpuna, those in your own 'ohana and in your community. And never forget the special meaning the Hawaiian word kupuna has - it's not just another name for our elders. They are the life source of our own progress as a person, as a eommunity, as a culture, as a state. ■

Onaona Maly has conducted lustorical and ethnographic research for more than 34 years with her husband, Kepa. For the last three years, they have worked on Lāna'i to help create a community museum and archive. She lives in Kāne'ohe, O 'ahu.

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Aunty Arline Ealon, on left, with the author. - Photo: Courtesy ofBecker Communications ine.