Currently offline. Hina Adventures

Yes, I've been delinquent on my blogging lately.  There's been so many things to write about too...

But, as time is limited, I'll take this moment to promote a website that I just found.  It is called "Green Dimes," and its sole purpose is to end junk mail in America.  Check it out at http://www.greendimes.com/.

Here are just a couple of factoids that can be found on their website: 

• Each year, Americans trash enough office paper to build a 12-foot high wall from Los Angeles to New York City. 
• Each year we fill enough garbage trucks to form a line that would stretch from the Earth, halfway to the Moon
• Americans toss out enough paper & plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the Equator 300 times

Two weeks ago I tried opening my front door only to find that it had been impeded by 3 large phone books stuffed into a single plastic bag.  It is an annual delivery, which every home receives, so what's the big deal, right? 

The big deal is, we had already received 3 other phone books from another phone book company.  And I thought to myself, why in the world does one home need so many phone books?  First of all, one set is more than sufficient, but in addition to that, how often do we really use them now?  In actuality, our home doesn't use these books enough to warrant the need for any of them. 

But my point with all of this is, the thing with the phone books had cued me in to the issue of how much unnecessary paper we all receive on a daily basis.  So when I found this website whose goal is to eliminate junk mail, I knew I had to spread the word. 

If you'd like to do your part, you can check out their website at http://www.greendimes.com/.  The Reduce Junk Mail Kit is $15, and with it comes the planting of 10 trees on your behalf, and the knowledge that you've made a contribution towards saving our oxygen supply. 

WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO CHANGE OUR WORLD FOR THE BETTER...

I am inspired by the events of this past weekend to write a little bit about what constitutes a proper offering in our Hawaiian culture.  For those of us who are aware of Hawaiian cultural practices, we see actions all the time that are well-intended, but at the same time offensive.  And while we don't want to discourage the respect that people are trying to show, we also want to make sure that respect is shown in a proper manner. 

I think it is best to describe what is proper and what is not through actual events.  Here is the first: 

I met a young woman at one of Oahu's culturally-significant sites.  While there, she took out a tuning bowl - I don't know what culture it comes from, Tibetan maybe? - and began to make it sing.  Soon after, she began to walk the path through this site while at the same time attempting to chant a common Hawaiian prayer, accompanied by her tuning bowl.  Once at the end of this path, she left two offerings of small mangoes wrapped in ti leaves.  As we headed out through the same path, she once again chanted, accompanied by her tuning bowl. 

While this woman's intentions were obviously good, there are several cultural offenses being committed here. 

1)  PLEASE DON'T MIX CULTURES.  What you're saying by doing that is that you don't understand the nature of our culture.  One culture is more than enough. 

2)  If you're going to chant a Hawaiian prayer, KNOW YOUR WORDS.  This woman, while meaning well, had all the wrong words.  That, more than anything, is the greatest offense.  If you don't know the words, don't say anything at all. 

3)  If you're going to chant a common prayer, KNOW THE MELODY.  If you don't know the melody, then just speak it.  Giving it the wrong sound is nearly as bad as speaking the wrong words. 

4)  THINK ABOUT YOUR OFFERINGS.  These offerings were being left in a native Hawaiian garden, where mangoes, being introduced to our islands, are not being grown.  Therefore, it is not proper to leave mangoes there as an offering. 

Why is is not proper?  Think about it.  What if the mango rots and the seed plants itself in the ground, and a mango tree begins to grow?  Granted, chances are good that someone wil pull it up before it gets to big, but there's another issue to consider here.  Mango trees secrete a chemical into the dirt that make it nearly impossible for other plants to grow around it...in essence, it poisins the soil.  So to leave something like that in a place were people are desperately trying to grow other plants is actually damaging. 

I often see fruit left as offerings at sacred sites.  But please, think about the impact of that.  First of all, it attracts rodents, insects and birds.  The rodents make it unsanitary; the insects make it unbearable; and the birds...well, the birds could possibly be considered the worst of the three.  The birds either digest the seeds or the seeds get stuck to their plumage.  The birds land on these sacred sites and the seed falls from their feathers, or they leave droppings with those seeds still intact.  The seed plants itself, and before you know it you have the roots of a new tree destroying a 1,000 year old ancient structure. 

The point is, THINK ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE before leaving an offering.  How could it impact the area around you?  So many things are not as innocent as they seem. 

Here is another story: 

A friend was driving along the windward coast and came upon a spot where small rocks had been piled up, one atop the other, in an attempt at making an offering.  This friend stopped and dismantled this makeshift altar, and incurred the wrath of nearby tourists who thought he was destroying something sacred. 

While these tourists thought he was in the wrong, it was actually the tourists who were ignorant.  Somewhere in our recent history, people got it in their heads that piling stones on top of each other are ways of leaving offerings.  IT IS NOT.  This practice comes from South America, and is not Hawaiian at all. 

Worse is when people remove a rock from a structure and wrap it in a leaf to leave as an offering.  First of all, DON'T MOVE THAT ROCK!  YOU'RE DESTROYING THE STRUCTURE.  I can't stress this enough.  How in the world could anyone think they're doing a good thing by taking something that is perfectly fitted where it is and moving it? 

Secondly, moving rocks from it's original placement and creating a mini tower with them because you think that's what is proper is downright silly.  If it was proper for those rocks to be a mini tower, then they would already have been placed that way by the ancient Hawaiians.  THINK ABOUT IT. 

Here is my final story: 

A friend and I went hiking and happened upon an ancient altar, still very much intact, and still beautifully pristine in its construction.  Apparently someone else had discovered it too, because this person left candles in crevaces between the rocks. 

This person was obviously using this site as some sort of meditation sanctuary.  While there is nothing wrong with that, what is wrong are those candles. 

Wax candles heat the rock, impacting the integrity of that rock.  In essence, the heat makes the rock weaker.  By burning candles on them regularly, especially in crevaces where the heat is contained, this person is actually destroying this structure.  If this practice persists, the rocks will eventually crack. 

The point of all these stories are:

1)  If you're going to leave an offering at all, find out what is proper first. 

2)  Think about all the possible impacts of that offering.  Is it really wise to leave it?

3)  When in doubt, don't leave anything at all.  Your respectful thoughts are more than enough, and more appreciated than anything else. 

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.  That's also a good rule for life in general. 

Aloha!

I just read the most unbelievable article.  Apparently the City and County of Honolulu has been planning to remove trees from what is probably THE most heavily used beach park on the island so they can accommodate a concert in early 2008. 

What is the irony?  The concert is about Sustainability. 

Apparently the trees will block the view of the stage for concert-goers and TV cameras.  Additionally, this Blue Planet Festival, which will focus on energy sustainability, is NOT free, and yet they're expecting a crowd of 30,000.  It will also close the park to the public for several days for the set up and breakdown.

Apparently, the City has had this plan under wraps for about a year now, and purposefully neglected to inform the Outdoor Circle about it.  Perhaps they were trying to actually unearth the trees before anyone could complain...?

I'm not going into further details here, but I highly suggest that everyone read this article for themselves:  

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709070321

I will, however, say this.  I know Hawaii's people, and there's no way 30,000 will go to a concert at Ala Moana Beach park that they have to pay for (why in the world do we have to pay for something at a public park?  We never have before!);  Nor will the Honolulu locals want to support anything that is directly responsible for taking away all the park's shade. 

Bottom line:  The City really needs to understand that catering to outsiders will only lead to our own ruin.   

I just had to share...  Aloha.

Today concluded the second night, Hoaka, of the new lunar month of Mahoe Mua. Traditionally Hoaka is also the second night of the Kū kapu (taboo). Hoaka means “clear,” and this night was named so because the moon became more clearly visible on this night.

It is a good time for fishing of nearly every venue. Fishermen are warned to watch for shadows cast by the new moon on the water. The shadows scare away the fish.

This is a fair day for planting. It is better to wait for upcoming days when planting would produce more abundant plants.

Personal observations of this day did not yield much to go on. It was very windy, which is very much in line with the characteristics of this lunar month, as observed by the ancient Hawaiians. It was also a clear and sunny day, despite the wind.

And, despite the wind, the ‘ilima I planted yesterday is still alive. That’s a good sign!

So I've been a little lax about blog updates lately...but an article appeared in the local paper today that I just had to boast about to anyone who would listen. 

Kawai Nui is currently called a marsh, but that term doesn't really do it justice.  In ancient times, Kawai Nui was the largest fresh water fishpond in the Hawaiian Islands.  It took the entire windward community to maintain it, and in return the entire windward community also benefitted from its abundance. 

Kawai Nui was known for its awa (milkfish) among other varieties of fish.  It was also known for its lepo ai 'ia - edible dirt.  Yes, it sounds disgusting, but other native peoples around the world eat termites, so I wouldn't knock the dirt quite so much.  Of course the edible dirt was a famine food...  It was said that observers must be silent when the dirt was being collected, otherwise the sediment on the bottom of the pond would swirl up and suffocate the diver. 

A geographical feature as prominent as Kawai Nui has a wealth of cultural information attached to it, and its importance has never been forgotten.  We are fortunate that, with all the proposed development in the past, most of it was never acted upon, so that we still have this rich cultural landscape today.  It is even more fortunate that Kawai Nui is finally getting the attention it deserves, along with the funding to match. 

Today's article in the Honolulu Advertiser explains it all.  Anyone interested can read the story at this link:  http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070706/NEWS11/707060370

I would like to give a big MAHALO to 'Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi, the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club, the Windward Ahupua'a Alliance, and everyone else who have dedicated their time and efforts towards restoring and maintaining the Kawai Nui area over the last two decades.  It is because of them that Kawai Nui is finally marked as a priority for restoration.  Because of these dedicated people, I feel certain that a decade from now, Kawai Nui will once again be a pinnacle for the windward community, just as it had been for our ancestors. 

E malama pono!

'Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi, in cooperation with the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club, is sponsoring the annual Ulupo Heiau Ho'ike this Saturday, June 9th.  What is an Ulupo Heiau Ho'ike, you ask?  It's a Hawaiian Cultural Festival!

Ulupo Heiau is the site for this event.  Ulupo, meaning "night inspiration" is the name of a heiau, a religious temple, located in Kailua, Oahu.  It is the oldest intact heiau on the island.  It overlooks Kawainui, now a marsh, but once a huge freshwater fishpond which fed the entire community.  In ancient times, people from the area would come on the designated days to help clean & maintain the fishpond, as well as get their share of fish from it. 

In that spirit of community cooperation, 'Ahahui and the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club have been working together for quite some time to help restore Ulupo Heiau and the surrounding area into a working cultural site once again.  Yes, it is an archaeological remain, but it is also the promise of a great future. 

I went to the annual ho'ike (festival) last year, and had the best time!  Students from Hakipu'u Learning Center were there teaching people how to make 'ohe hano ihu (nose flutes); staff from Ka'ala Farms was there teaching people how to make kapa (traditional Hawaiian barkcloth); a Lua practitioner & halau (Lua is a Hawaiian Martial Art, and halau is a school) were there showing off their expertly crafted, elegantly beautiful weaponry and teaching people how to throw spears; staff from Hui Ku Maoli Ola, the Native Hawaiian Plant Nursery, were also there selling plants and talking with anyone who wanted to know more about them.  And, there was a person pounding poi (cooked taro being pounded into a pudding-like consistency). 

There were also numerous booths handing out information on all sorts of interesting things.  There was live entertainment throughout the day, and the absolute best part was that Hawaiian lunches were available for a donation.  They cooked all the food themselves, overnight, right on site in a traditional Hawaiian imu (underground oven).  If you want real Hawaiian food, this is the place to be!

This is a fundraiser for these organizations, and as they are non-profits, you can probably get all the tax breaks that come with that.  And if not, it doesn't matter, because if this year's festival is anything like last year's, you'll be sooo glad you went! 

For more details on what's really going on, follow this link:  http://www.kailuahawaiiancivicclub.com/ho'ike2007.  You won't regret it!

A "Blue Moon" will shine tonight...for some in the world.  But for Hawaiians, a "Blue Moon" doesn't exist. 

The term "Blue Moon" has come to signify the second full moon in one month.  That distinction grew out of a misinterpretation.  It's a pretty interesting story, which you can read more about at SPACE.com:  http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070525_ns_blue_moon.html. 

The first full moon for this month occurred on May 2nd, making tonight's full moon the second for May.  But since Hawaiians follow the lunar month, there would be no such thing as two full moons in one month.  Our month begins and ends with the new moon, or rather, the absence of a moon.  The full moon is smack-dab in the middle of our month. 

Likewise, by the Hawaiian calendar, tonight is Hoku.  It is the first of three nights when the moon appears full.  However, according to Hawaiian knowledge, Hoku is not technically the "full" moon.  Tomorrow, which will be Mahealani, is when the moon is at its fullest. 

And so, by Hawaiian standards, May would not have a "Blue Moon" this month, as the actual full moon would occur on June 1st. 

Oh, and according to my western-based, store-bought day planner, the full moon is supposed to be tomorrow.  So this whole "Blue Moon" thing really is a matter of perception.  But then again, isn't everything just a matter of perception...?

Aloha! 

For more information on the Hawaiian Moon Calendar, see our website at www.hinaadventures.com/culture/hawaiian_moon.