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Hawai'i Alaka'i Project (Community Mentor Program) 2004

HAWAI'I REPORT 2001
The Arts of Life/
Tracking and Wayfinding

This February and again in early April we returned to the Hawaiian Islands for our annual Arts of Life Hawai'i program, sharing our traditional tracking and cultural awareness programs with hundreds of Hawaiian youth from the Kamehameha Schools. We also had time to revisit friends and projects on O'ahu and the Big Island, to be part of welcoming ceremonies for the sailing canoe Hokule'a into the Hakipu'u ahupua'a in its community education voyage around O'ahu, and to watch a new-born humpback whale breach off the coast at Makapuu.

Since our early work with cultural activists and the sovereignty movement in the 1980's, and our first walks along the shore and into the mountains with Hawaiian children, our programs have continued to evolve and adapt to island life. Together with local practitioners, we have put together a package of survival/awareness skills that appeal to the youth, training their senses to experience the natural world in a way that cultivates connection, understanding and empathy with the remarkable environment of the Hawaiian Islands.

Miki Maeshiro instructs students in steaming with the breath of Pele.

A new video composed and produced by Nalani Minton—A Mau A Mau: To Continue Forever— featuring John Ka'imikaua and Halau Hula O Kukunaokala, provided us with a new language for the work we do in Hawai'i. In his first words regarding nature, the hula, and the "life-giving knowledge of peace," John stresses an important concept regarding our perceptions of nature, that we should strive to understand nature more with our intuition (in Hawaiian, na'au or gut-feeling from the very depths of each individual) than with our intellect.

With our intellect, we can only experience a small portion of nature, but with our na'au—which encompasses the intellect as well as many other senses, attentions and intelligences—we can feel and experience so much more. The intellect also has the ability to deceive us, whereas the knowledge from the na'au represents "the truth within each individual." When we experience the land with our na'au instead of our "head," we can also feel the love the ancestors had for the land and we can understand why the land must be cared for. (For further information regarding this and other videos, contact: Nalani Minton—Nalanima@aol.com.)

The awareness and sensitivity exercises of our tracking classes could well be described as "opening the eyes and ears of the na'au." As we continued to deepen our ties with land and life, our programs included:

Kamehameha Schools

* Multi-cultural presentations for the second grade class, including music, stories, dance and nature skills from Africa and North America. Thanks to Joyce Ahuna Ka'ai'ai, Julie, Joyce and Diane.

* Hikes and class presentations with the third grade, featuring survival skills, tracking and plant knowledge. During heavy winds and driving rain, we took shelter with the staff and students under a yellow milo Peace tree on the Kamehameha campus. This tree, planted in 1989 by Mohawk leader Jake Swamp and The Tracking Project, provided us with shelter to tell the story of the Great Peacemaker. Jake has explained that this is one of the uses of the peace trees—after the initial planting ceremony, we can return "to the shade of the tree to remember the words we spoke that day." Thanks to Jan, Dawn, Sylvie and Susan.

* Hiking the Aiea Loop Trail on O'ahu with two sixth grade classes, looking more deeply at plants, tracks and extending our awareness as preparatory training for the large cultural excursion to the Big Island.

* Working with Brad Cooper and 125 seventh graders of the Hui 'Ula'ula. Though our outing to Ho'omaluhia botanical garden was rained out, we used the classroom to look at survival, wayfinding, tracking and a cross-cultural approach to the uses of Hawaiian plants in the survival scenario. Thanks to the teachers of Hui 'Ula'ula: Brad, Jim, Sol, Randy, Shigemi, Palani, Doll, as well as Stan, Ashlyn & Hawley.

Big Island

* Joining 150 sixth graders and their teachers on the annual cultural excursion to the Big Island. At the Volcanoes National Park we led four days of hikes through the Thurston lava tube, across the Kilauea Iki crater, up Byron Ledge and back to the Steam Vents and KMC. Certain days were rich in bird and animals sightings; the students are always amazed when their "silent walk" training actually leads to a close encounter with a wild animal, such as a pheasant or a hawk, waiting for the day's thermals to begin. Miki Maeshiro also took the time to "steam" any students who wished to in "the breath of Pele," as we crossed the crater. Many thanks to Sheryl, Gary, Pete, Judy, Beth, Linda, Kumu Mahealani and Kumu Kealoha, Michele, Miki, Dan Kekahuna, Richard Wong, Kahele and Heather.

The Hawaiian Force shop in downtown Hilo, run by Craig and Luana Neff.

Visiting with Mililani Trask, convener of Na Koa Ikaika o Ka Lahui Hawai'i, Craig and Luana from the Hawaiian Force and other friends in Hilo, receiving updates on the sovereignty movement, the clean-up of Kaho'olawe and other issues. Greetings to Kainoa, Damien and family.

* Accompanying our friend, musician John Densmore, to Heiva 2001, the Tahiti Fête in Hilo. Thanks to Mike Kop/Hula Supply.

O'ahu

* Taking part in the welcome ceremonies for the Hokule'a at Kualoa Park. This sailing canoe is embarked on a community education voyage around the islands. Calvin Hoe and his 'ohana hosted these ceremonies on behalf of the Hakipu'u ahupua'a (land division). Later that day, Brad Cooper drove us to the other side of O'ahu to meet master navigator Nainoa Thompson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

* A fundraiser for The Tracking Project, organized by Suzanne di Franco, Zac Zunin and others at the home of Chuckie and Mehana in Kailua. Thanks to all who took part in the planning of this event.

Kumu Miki Maeshiro, grade six teacher from Kamehemeha Schools, will soon complete her one-year sabbatical with The Tracking Project. Miki has assisted us in every aspect of our project and she now returns to O'ahu, filled with ideas for new approaches to community education and cultural awareness. Working with attorney Yuklin Aluli, she will begin to assemble a future mentor program for Hawaiian artist/educators which we are currently calling the "Alaka'i Project."

John Stokes with Hokule'a at Kualoa during the welcoming ceremonies.

Land and sea, land and life. We will continue to bridge the teachings of wayfinding (the art of Non-Instrument Navigation) and principles of hardground tracking, working on an awareness curriculum which will be applicable anywhere on the planet. Our work in Hawai'i continues to nurture and inspire us. We send our finest thoughts and our deepest aloha to the Hawaiian people for their strength, ingenuity and hospitality.

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