I think the greatest part of the entire experience was right at the beginning. When we all paddled over to Mokauea, it was as if we were all one entity. As someone that doesn’t paddle regularly, or at all, it felt as if we were gliding on the water, and for a moment, we were all connected to each other and to the ʻāina. The water was so perfectly calm that day, and I loved the way I felt after clearing our minds that morning. I also really loved when we were able to walk on the reef towards the ocean and observe the animals and plants that we don’t often get to admire. It was really serene out there and quite beautiful. For me, I loved the fact that it felt like we were in a different world away from all the machines and technology that distracts us from our environment. We often forget to take moments away from all the noise and realize that the real beauty is outside.
This experience allowed us to connect to mālama ʻāina for obvious reasons such as picking up trash and protecting our native species, but it also helped me to realize the responsibility I have. Now that we’re going to be going off to college and most likely moving away from home for the next four years, it reminds of the responsibility I have to Hawaiʻi. Not only to bring back my knowledge and combine it with the knowledge of our ancestors but also come home and reconnect with the land. I realized that to only claim being Hawaiian isn’t enough. I need to follow through and continue to get engaged in the community after graduating from Kamehameha and moving away from home. To truly be a kanaka maoli I have to continue learning and growing in the Hawaiian culture in coalition with western education. - Kaulana K
I had such a great time at Mokauea, it reminded me of another program that I loved that I took a few years ago. Getting to see teddy bear crabs all over the place made me nostalgic. I just wished I could have been able to see a Spanish dancer. I have only ever seen 1 in my life before and to see one again would be so cool. Being able to make a difference at a place that I genuinely love because of the history that I have there made me feel amazing.
I felt closer to that ʻāina after that because of the ways we were able to get connected with it. We cleaned up as a group, learned as a group, but explored individually. I feel like I was able to spiritually bond with the place when I was on my own. It was a kind of rightness that I felt in my naʻau when I was there that I always get when I'm at the beach. I truly felt at home there and I don't know if it was just the nostalgia of going back to the ocean after being away for so long or there being an ancestral connection to the place. I like to think of it as a little bit of both.
This connects to Mālama Aina because in order to properly care for the land you first have to learn how to care. Care for the land with your heart by learning about it and appreciating its beauty. And then caring for it with action that you learn through observation. Through action do you learn. This is the philosophy of our kupuna. And in things like this, it is the only way that shows the true volume of our ʻāina.
Like I mentioned before being there touched a part of myself that I didn't realize I have missed all these months by being away from the ocean. It started from the second I dipped my broken paddle in the water and continues to haunt me even know. The memory of the sapphire water call to me through my window where I can see Mokauea but never go to. It is all so close but so far away at the same time. - Alina M
Some of the things that will stay with me about my experience at Mokauea would be being able to kokua and pick up after ourselves. I was honored to be able to clean up the beach especially since it was from our ahupuaʻa Kapālama. I feel like we shouldnʻt be told to do these things and it definitely keeps our lands clean.
My experience got me closer connected to the nature because I got to observe the many plants and animals in the water surrounding the island. It was very touching because I usually donʻt see many animals like those. I felt that it was a very cool experience because I got to touch and actually see them in person.
This connected to mālama ʻāina because we cleaned up the beaches surrounding the island and were able to be sustainable in conserving water and taking our trash back to where it came from after we finished eating.
This experience got me to my self identity as kanaka maoli by creating a sense of mālama for the ʻāina. I learned to take care of the land and it will provide. I want to pass on this sense to my future generations and hopefully keep it going throughout the community. - Harley K
I think the biggest thing that will stay with me about mokauea is that you never realize how much rubbish are in the ocean kill living things and also how pilau it makes the shore of the ‘āina. I makes me so happy that i was able to be there and just see be brought into this place that is so magical and eye opening. This experience made we closer to nature because i got to interact with so many things. I think taking out the jellyfish in the pond helped me to see that the ‘āina we grew up in are not the same and we need to educate more of the native keiki about these things so they can help to better the ‘āina. It made me realize that we as hawaiians are connected to the land and we need to give back. This made me feel a way i have never felt before being in the Kai. It made my connection to the ‘āina way stronger then it has been. I learned and felt and saw how truly beautiful the ‘āina was. I figured out my self-identity as a Kanaka was just this feeling that i was connected to my family being there. I know its weird but its just the aunty who was there knew my grandma and it made me feel like she was there and she was proud that i was working with other hawaiians to better our home. - Mahea L
Our visit to Mokauea was such an amazing experience! I had a lot of fun. One of my favorite parts on this trip was to be able to paddle our way to the small island. Something that will stay with me was the importance of cleaning and maintaining the lands to make it the best that it can be. Especially the upside-down jelly fish and invasive plants to Hawaii! My experience helped me get closer and connected to nature when we went out onto the island and explored the different areas of the island. We went from the land, the fish pond, then to the ocean. By going around and cleaning, this connected to Mālama ‘āina because we took away the invasive plants and sea animals to use it for something else. For example, the upside-down jellyfish came from the fish pond and was used as fertilizer. As a kanaka maoli this experience has gotten me to my self identity because even before we paddled out onto Mokauea, we chanted and cleansed ourselves by soaking our bodies in the salt water. Overall, this was an amazing experience that has taught me so much. It made me to become more aware and thankful for the lives we live and for our Hawaiian culture. - Alana V
This was my first time going to Mokauea. Something I will remember is being on the island and looking back at Mauli ola and the rest of the island that we are usually on. It was a new perspective to see the land that we normally look down on from campus.
On Mokauea there really isnʻt too many man-made buildings, just the few homes left. Being here I felt closer to nature because of how isolated we were on the island. When we walked out on the reef and the land seemed far away it was a unique feeling being surrounded by the ocean. I also enjoyed finding and learning about plants and animals I had never seen before.
This trip had a lot to do with Mālama `āina. The people that come to work at Mokauea, including ourselves, come to pick up trash and make an effort to restore this area. Although the people before did not understand how to take care of this land it is our job now to do so. Like we discussed, all the trash that ends up at Mokauea comes from us, the people up stream.
We learned about the many fishponds that were in this area during the times of the ancient Hawaiians compared to what is left today. It is sad to think of what could have been, but at the same time it is important that we learn about it because it is apart of who we are. This is where our people thrived and lived off of the land, there is a lot of history in this area. - Auliʻi C
My experience at Mokauea was amazing. It actually was not the first time I have been there. When I was about ten, I went there with my family for a beach clean up but can barely remember what happened. I believe that the field trip with my classmates will be an unforgettable experience during my time in high school. Being able to walk on the reef and distinguish the different animals were amazing. It was shocking to me and how much trash and pollution washes up the shore of the island and being able to pick up the amounts of garbage made me realize that we need to be more aware of our action. A simple task of throwing away a straw or picking up rubbish you see near a stream could save the lives of many animals and that really shift my mindset. This shift of mindset connects to Mālama ‘āina because once we begin thinking of change, we start doing it, but the first step is recognizing our actions and moving forward from there. Overall, the Huaka’i to Mokauea was great and a field trip that I will not forget. - Mālie M
From the moment I got off the bus to the moment I returned on the bus, there were many things that are going to stay with me from my experience at Mokauea. It began from the time we chanted. Aunty Kehau had told us to make a bowl that we fill with “rocks” or hard times in our life. She made that lesson so we learned that we have the option to empty our bowl and revive ourselves. We have the option to connect our mind, spirit, and soul on a deeper connection. Following our chant and emptying our bowl we were able to cleanse ourselves. Salt is a cleansing thing she said so we were able to either emerge ourselves in the water or just splash ourselves in order to be cleansed. Another thing that will stay with me is just the idea of living on an island secluded from our island, with no way to get food or supplies except paddling back to our island that imports 90% of our food and supplies. My experience got me closer and more connected to nature because we picked up trash and got to clean the land. The island has no way of disposing trash except when they take it back to our island or a matson container comes once a year. My group didn’t get a chance to go in the pond although we were able to walk along the reef and on the beach where we got to discovering many different creatures. We also found the shell from a turtle and they told us about another turtle that had died from being wrapped in wire and net and getting stuff in the mangrove. I was able to get closer to nature because I am more experience with different species as well as I was able to clean up the land which helps to keep our ocean animals safe. This connects to mālama ʻāina because we were able to clean our land and keep our animals safe. We also took jellyfish out of the pond. The jellyfish is an invasive species and isn’t good for the pond. Everything we did really was just about mālama ʻāina. This experience helped my self-identity as kanaka maoli from everything we did. Our spiritual connection to the land was really opened in the beginning when we were in the water. Going on an island that is separate and is somewhat self-sustaining really helped connect me to my ancestors. We were away from all the development even though it was quite nearby but it was special to walk along the reef and just connect to the creatures, and the land and sea that surrounded us. - Chloe A-B
On Monday, April 8th, our Mālama Honua class went on a field trip to Mokauea island. During this field trip, we paddled over to the island and once we arrived, we chanted. The purpose of this field trip was to go over to Mokauea and talk to the Kupuna here and communicate with them about how to continue to be self-sustainable in an age full of technology. Some things that will stay with me from the Mokauea field trip is that it is still very much possible to be self-sustainable in a world where technology and processed food has taken over. Another thing I have learned is that the trash in the ocean really affects the marine life. For example, the Kupuna there discovered a turtle that was trapped in an abundant of plastics. This trash has constantly affected the marine life and it is necessary for us to start taking notice of these things. This experience allowed me to see first-hand nature and the marine life and the benefits that it gives our eco-system. I am extremely thankful for this experience because it is one thing to learn about the marine life from a desk and one thing to see it first-hand. This trip also allowed me to build a true connection with the ‘āina. This learning trip connects to the concept of Mālama ‘āina because we learned about how the garbage negatively affects our marine life and our ‘āina. This experiment also helps us self-identify ourselves as Kanaka Maoli because this trip is more than just learning about marine life, is it more hands on and gives us more of an idea of the difference we are making. -Davis M