My name is Chaeana Kaha‘i-Kim and I am from the Moku of ʻEwa. I currently reside in ‘Ewa where I have been living since I was three. Before I moved to ʻEwa my family and I lived in a small apartment in Salt Lake. ‘Ewa means crooked or unstable. There are many different winds of ‘Ewa, but no rains. It barely rains in ‘Ewa, but when it does that means its raining everywhere else. The winds and individual smaller districts it covers are Mānuʻunu of Puʻuloa, Mo‘aeku of ‘Ewa Loa, and Waikōloa of Līhue (near Schofield Barraks). My mauna is Kapālama. I consider this my second home. I have been here for the past 12 years, making my 13th very soon.
To me Mālama Honua means the literal definition. You must take care and protect the earth. Earth is a broader section rather than just saying to protect the land. Within the word earth a bunch of different meanings come up as well. Earth associates with all of our resources for means of food, transporation, clean air, clean water, and life. We need our earth to be taken care of so the animals which is one of our main sources of food as humans, can live long lives and provide for future generations. Being a girl scout from the age of around five it really taught me to be aware of surroundings and leaving places better than it was when you arrived. In the girl scout law one of the last lines is “make the world a better place”. Whether that means cleaing up your local beach, holding a door open for someone, or being a shoulder to cry on. We had events like world thinking day where we would all come together as different troops and do activities and crafts. We were all assigned a different place around the world to base your craft and poster with research on. |
As a haumana of papa Mālama Honua I would like to be able to have a very hands on type of learning style which incoorporates field trips and traveling out onto the actual field. By doing so I will be able to see whatever is the topic of discussion live in action in its natural habitat rather than from the classroom. This will help better our understandings as a student when it comes to what we are learning because we get to see its surroundings and how it may respond in different settings. This is rather important because it will show the many different traits and characteristics it may hold.
Aloha ‘āina is different from just taking care of the earth. Instead, aloha ‘āina means to love the earth and everything it comes with. If you dont love and take care of the earth how do we expect it to stay the way it is for generations to come? Its true that all things need love and nurishment in order to grow. In a way you must Aloha ‘āina in order to Mālama Honua. By this I mean you must have the right intensions and love for the land in order to take care of it. Its the same way if you were to take care of a child. The two sayings come together because there is no way you will be able to care for and protect your earth if you dont love the land first. We tend to forget how much the land does for us everyday. We forget that the trees provide oxygen for us to breathe clean air, so without the trees we would die. We forget that our ocean provides a home for animals such as fish and crab that we use as a source of food. So when we litter on the floor it will eventually end up in the ocean which then pollutes the water. Its a chain effect in which these things will all occur. |