Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 1, 1 January 2021 — Kū'oko'a Kūkanono 2020: A Virtual Gommemoration of Lā Kū'oko'a [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kū'oko'a Kūkanono 2020: A Virtual Gommemoration of Lā Kū'oko'a

By Kauluakalana Staff On a sunny Saturday morning in late November, participants from Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i, O'ahu and Kaua'i gathered virtually with a eommon purpose: to celebrate Lā Kū'oko'a, Hawai 'i's Independence Day. Lā Kū'oko'a was established on Nov. 28, 1843, and commemorates the day that the Kingdom of Hawai'i was recognized as a sovereign nation by France and Great Britain. The virtual event, Kū'oko'a Kūkanono, was organized by Kauluakalana, a community-based, nonprofit in Kailua, O'ahu, whose mission is to restore and grow healthy relationships between kānaka and 'āina (people and plaee) through retelling Kailua-specific stories, replanting and eating Hawaiian ancestral foods, and caring for the sacred sites, lands and waters of Kailua. Kū'oko'a Kūkanono featured mo'olelo, hula and mele, along with short videos submitted by participants to share the ways they pursue kū'oko'a (independence). A highlight of the event was to ku'i 'ōko'a - to ku'i kalo simultaneously at noon from their own places and spaces as a powerful act of unity as a lāhui. This was made possible with the support of Kanaeokana, the network of 'ōlelo, 'āina and culture-based organizations, and the generosity

'Ōiwi from across the pae 'ōina joined together via Zoom to celebrate Lō Kū'oko'a on Nov. 28, 2020. - Photo: Courtesy of Kauluakalana Staff

of kalo farmers on five islands, as more than 1,000 lbs of kalo were distributed to participants prior to the event. As noon approached that day, there were more than ' 40 livestreams of groups and individuals participating in ku'i 'ōko'a across Hawai'i. Social media hashtags such as

#HowDoYouKuokoa, #KuiOkoa, and #KuokoaKukanono were used to engage participants collectively. Kauluakalana has hosted Kū'oko'a Kūkanono annually since 2018 as a free community ho'olaule'a. The event name, Kū'oko'a Kūkanono, combines the word "kū'oko'a" (to stand/ exist independently, differently, separately; and to stand/ exist fully, wholly, completely) with "kūkanono" (abundance), whieh is also the name of the 'ili 'āina where the work of Kauluakalana is grounded. For the first two years, the event was held at the base of Ulupō heiau along the banks of Kawainui fishpond in Kailua.

This year, Kū'oko'a Kūkanono went virtual. Kaleomanuiwa Wong, executive director of the hui said, piko at Ulupō is wūhin the 'ili 'āina of Kūkanono. SEE KŪ'OKO'A KŪKAN0N0 ON PAGE 19

KŪ'OKO'A KŪKANONO Continued from page10 We are committed to 'āina education and restoration for the purposes of cultural revitalization, community regeneration, identity reclamation, and the renewal of kuleana." Added event organizer and Kauluakalana president Maya Saffery, "By naming this community gathering Kū'oko'a Kūkanono we embraced all meanings of both words and simultaneously maintained Kailua as the piko of the event, while expanding it to include the whole pae 'āina. The food we eat. The 'āina we care for. The practices we perpetuate. The stories we live. The people we love. "These are the things that help us to kū'oko'a- to stand together fully and independently as a lāhui. And through our individual and collective kū'oko'a today, a future that is kūkanono - abundant in aloha for our people, land and culture - is within reach." For more information, visit Kauluakalana online at www.kauluakalana.org or on Facebook and Instagram, or contact them at info@kauluakalana.org. ■