Kahuaola Visit

Today in Hawaiian studies, we took a trip to Kahuaola. This is half a mile up the mountain past the ceramic studio on campus. It was created as part of the Mālama 'Āina project which continues to bring students together to learn more about the Hawaiian culture. Kahuaola is where they grow the lo'I kalo (taro patch), and it is “a place of learning" for everyone who goes there. My class and I were a little relunctant because it was kind of rainy, but overall it was a really neat experience. We hiked up about a half a mile. (I hiked in flip-flops like a native!) When we arrived, we had to recite our oli, which is a chant, to ask if we could come into their place of learning. Uncle, as we called him, was the man incharge of Kahuaola. Once we recited our oli, he said mahalo and welcomed us into Kahuaola. The first thing we did was stand in a circle and introduce ourselves. Uncle told us that this would happen to you each time you went to visit one of the islands of polynesia. He told us that he wanted to know us because by knowing us, he knew our Mo'oku'auhau (Geneology). He said that the hawaiian word Mo'oku'auhau literally means "I am my ancestors".
Once we were aquainted he led us to the taro patch. He reminded us of the story our teacher, Brother Fermentes, told us before we had come. How the Sky father, Wakea and his earth daughter, Ho'ohokukalani, had a child named Haloa, which was a still born. They buried it in the earth where it became Kalo. And now Kalo, or Taro, enriches and feeds the earth. He told us of the design of the Taro. We discovered that it is grown in water because Hawaiian's like their taro a little softer than the rest of the Polynesian people. It is only grown about an arm length apart, from the wrist to the elbow, because like a person, it will not do well on it's own. He explained that the bigger leaves were like the parents of the smaller leaves. They called the roots of the smaller weeds 'oha, which is also the root word of ohana, which we all know means family. I've had taro before and I really like it, but now I have alot more respect for the food, and the way it is grown.
We got to ko kua, which means help or assist in raking up leaves around the trees and other plants that they grow up in Kahuaola. It was lots of fun and a very good experience. Aftwerwards, Kekoa (Mike) cut up some Sugar Cane for us. The actual plant was long and looked like bamboo, but then he sliced it up and we sucked on it, kind of like when you suck all the juice out of an orange but you don't really eat it. Mike told us not to eat the fibers, it might make us sick. I had never had it before and it was soooo good. I loved it!
The land was so beautiful up there. I took tons of pictures. Plus it was really a reverent spot. I understand why the Hawaiian people work so hard to keep it and take care of it. It's a part of them.