Day 1 Honoring Our Past

Today was the official 1st day of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Convention (now the Hawaiian Council). The opening gave me chicken skin; it started with a video of kumu standing along the tidepools chanting an ʻoli, then went into a video of kanaka maoli around the country singing ʻOiwi E. It was followed by Tulalip tribal members doing their welcome dance & chant live on stage. I know 1 of the kumu chanting the ʻoli & 1 of the Tulalip Tribes council members doing the welcome dance. 

Lei greeting for Tulalip tribal representatives.

During the opening, it was explained that the reason the convention was not being held in Hawaiʻi was because in the 2023 community census it was determined for the 1st time that there were more Hawaiians living out-of-State than in-state. CNHA needed to bring the convention to the people. There were 1500 people in attendance from 37 states! 

During the opening session, Mehanaokalā Hind had a Talk Story about Chief of War with producer Thomas Paʻa Sibbett. They talked about the power of having Hawaiian voices & perspectives on screen presenting Hawaiian history. The series included input from cultural practitioners as well as native Hawaiian speakers. They were not able to tell us whether Apple+ had approved a 1nd season. I am going to have to find a way to see Chief of War. 

For lunch the Tulalip Tribes donated 700 meals; they were boxed lunches so those going to the breakout sessions that were taking place away from the Tulalip Resort on other parts of the Tulalip Reservation could take their lunches with them. Forgot to get a photo, I was too busy trying to finish it before I had to get on the bus.

The 1st breakout session I went to was ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi i ka ʻĀinaʻĒ: Nurturing Hawaiian Language in the Diaspora presented by KALO Hawaiian Civic Club. KALO is an acronym for Ka ʻAha Lāhui O ʻOlekona; it is one of the many Hawaiian Civic Clubs on the continent. The presenter was Leialoha Kaʻula who was featured in an article by my friend Libby about kalo being raised in Oregon. When I went up to introduce myself & say "Hi! from Libby", Lei introduced me to Isabel whose mother was born & raised in North Kohala. Turns out Isabel's grandfather built the cabinets in my grandparents' home that I am now living in!

Leialoha.

Isabel.

The 2nd breakout session I attended was Indigenous Case Studies in Tourism which consisted of a panel moderated by Tyler Iokepa Gomes featuring Dawnielle Tehama, Teresa Ryder, & Kamaka Pili. The panel discussed how mainstream tourism is an extractive business model which focuses on becoming bigger. Whereas regenerative tourism is indigenous peoples controlling the narrative of the area. One of the problems they identified in Hawaiʻi is that there is no certification for tour guides so anyone can say they are a tour guide without having the cultural knowledge. I had some friends who told me about hiring a tour guide for a day who was an immigrant from Europe who had lived here for 6 months! Although they seemed to like the tour, I am not sure of the veracity of the content that was shared with them. 

We arrive at Dining Hall for breakout session #2.

The convention is being held at the Tulalip Resort. As discussed in the session on regenerative tourism, the Tulalip Tribes are controlling the narrative & putting their culture & history front & center. Not only are there examples of their culture all around but there are also subtle indications such as the carpet that has a pattern reminiscent of cut cedar tree stumps. 

In the evening I went to Eh, You Play Konanē? presented by Uncle John Kaohelauliʻi. Uncle John paired us up & taught us how to play konanē; which is sort of like checkers but with lots of strategy. Uncle John taught us that konanē is a strategy game about conserving resources; by the end of the 2 hour session I was beginning to understand what he was talking about. Go to Uncle John's website to learn more about konanē & purchase his book & konanē game gear.

Driving around the reservation to get to the different sessions, we passed by 1 of the mitigation sites I worked on about 10 years ago. Passing by you would not know it was bare ground a little over 20 years ago. The trees & shrubs that were planted have filled in nicely!

The Marine Drive mitigation site about 20 years after planting.

Today I woke up about 30 minutes later than yesterday & the sun was at the right angle to come streaming in to the bedroom. Which is amazing since it also has to shine between the 2 story houses on the other side of the fence!

Forty-one minutes after sunrise.

When I got back to the mobile, I backed the car in so I could easily leave the next morning. I also paid more attention to the surrounding houses; most of which are 2 story homes. Inside, 1 of the cabinets was ajar; I quickly looked inside & saw no signs of a cat so I closed it securely. I could find Sam but not Kadydid. I opened the cabinet & called her again & heard a sound from way in the back of the cabinet. They both enjoyed their little evening snack. 

Moonlight over suburbia.

Kadydid after release from cabinet.

Sam enjoying a chin rub.

Sam & Kadydid relaxing after their snack.

Episode 35 of the eruption at Kīlauea is still forecast to begin some time between the 15th & the 20th. 

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Andrea, Britta, & Kari!