I am still on east coast time when I awake early the next morning to a sunrise that is a deep rose gold, and I head out for a run around the lagoons in Ko Olina, which were built to replicate Oahu's ancestral fishponds. The Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute, which is located right next door to the Four Seasons, houses an example of one of these ancient ponds. This pond is referred to as the "Looking Glass." Later on that morning, I watch as Auntie Nettie Tiffany, the kahu of Lanikuhonua (which literally translates to "spiritual custodian"), cautiously wades into the crystal clear waters of Lanikuhonua while holding a handful of verdant ti leaves in one hand. As she fills a wooden bowl from the gently crashing waves, she bows her head and makes a silent blessing with her lips while she bends toward the water.
She beckons for me to approach her, and when I do, she puts her hands on super mario bros my wrists, squeezing them gently, and runs water from the bowl over my forearms. Auntie Nettie blesses my travels and bestows west side mana upon me as she greets me warmly on Oahu by pressing her forehead against mine and offering a warm welcome. After that, at her urging, I walk into the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean to complete the transaction.
Auntie Nettie received her training as a kahu from her mother, who was a descendant of a family that had once served King Kamehameha the Great. Auntie Nettie is a descendant of a family that had once served King Kamehameha the Great. When I ask Auntie to tell me the story of Lanikuhonua, she responds by saying that Ko Olina is homestead land. "This location holds a very special significance. The royal family used it as a place to relax and unwind. They came here in order to drink the water. They traveled all the way here to take a dip in these holy ponds."
These days, Lanikuhonua works hard to preserve and honor native Hawaiian culture by hosting annual festivals and educational programs. In furtherance of this mission, the institute makes available, on a weekly basis, a space for La'akea and his hula students to practice their art. Their particular form of dance, which they call ai ha'a, is extremely strenuous and imitates the movements of a traditional style of martial arts. The hula brothers learn to become warriors at Lanikuhonua by only using the resources that their ancestors had access to, such as the rocks, the sand, the coconut palms, and the ocean. This allows them to commit ritual dances and the stories that are told by those dances to memory.
On my final morning on the west side, I got up before sunrise to go hiking to Ka'ena Point with La'akea and Ka'ena as my guides. It was an incredible experience. As soon as our feet hit the trail, Ka'ena began regaling us with tales of the past.
"He began by saying, "There's a town on the west side called Nanakuli, and the people who lived there were once thought to be deaf, but in reality, they could hear just fine." They were simply embarrassed."
He went on to explain that in Hawaiian tradition, it has long been customary to offer food and drink to travelers. However, the inhospitable landscape of the island's west coast, with its dry land and brackish waters, yielded barely enough for the locals to survive off of. When travelers came through town, the locals of Nanakuli pretended not to hear by staring blankly at the newcomers and acting as if they couldn't see them. They were ashamed that they did not have any refreshments to offer the tourists. When the travelers got back to their homes, they told their families about the strange people who lived on the leeward side. These people seemed unable to hear or speak, and as a result, the region became known as Nana (look) kuli (deaf).
Ka'ena says, "But I've also heard that Nanakuli means 'look at knee,'" and this is something that she has heard. They were embarrassed because they had nothing to contribute, so they hung their heads and looked down at their knees.
After the mele and hula, as well as plenty of additional stories, we eventually headed back. Along the way, we made a pit stop to zigzag down through some rough volcanic boulders to where they met the ocean. There, they formed some deep tide pools that were perfect for swimming in. A large monk seal could be seen lounging in the vicinity on the porous black rocks that surrounded the pools. It had a green-gray girth that was scratched with a kelp-tinged flipper, and it tilted its smiling face toward the sun. It looked exactly like my dog when she is sunning herself in a warm spot on the driveway. I was startled when I heard La'akea shout, so I raised my head to look in the direction he was pointing, which was at a group of spinner dolphins playing on the surface of the cobalt water.
She beckons for me to approach her, and when I do, she puts her hands on super mario bros my wrists, squeezing them gently, and runs water from the bowl over my forearms. Auntie Nettie blesses my travels and bestows west side mana upon me as she greets me warmly on Oahu by pressing her forehead against mine and offering a warm welcome. After that, at her urging, I walk into the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean to complete the transaction.
Auntie Nettie received her training as a kahu from her mother, who was a descendant of a family that had once served King Kamehameha the Great. Auntie Nettie is a descendant of a family that had once served King Kamehameha the Great. When I ask Auntie to tell me the story of Lanikuhonua, she responds by saying that Ko Olina is homestead land. "This location holds a very special significance. The royal family used it as a place to relax and unwind. They came here in order to drink the water. They traveled all the way here to take a dip in these holy ponds."
These days, Lanikuhonua works hard to preserve and honor native Hawaiian culture by hosting annual festivals and educational programs. In furtherance of this mission, the institute makes available, on a weekly basis, a space for La'akea and his hula students to practice their art. Their particular form of dance, which they call ai ha'a, is extremely strenuous and imitates the movements of a traditional style of martial arts. The hula brothers learn to become warriors at Lanikuhonua by only using the resources that their ancestors had access to, such as the rocks, the sand, the coconut palms, and the ocean. This allows them to commit ritual dances and the stories that are told by those dances to memory.
On my final morning on the west side, I got up before sunrise to go hiking to Ka'ena Point with La'akea and Ka'ena as my guides. It was an incredible experience. As soon as our feet hit the trail, Ka'ena began regaling us with tales of the past.
"He began by saying, "There's a town on the west side called Nanakuli, and the people who lived there were once thought to be deaf, but in reality, they could hear just fine." They were simply embarrassed."
He went on to explain that in Hawaiian tradition, it has long been customary to offer food and drink to travelers. However, the inhospitable landscape of the island's west coast, with its dry land and brackish waters, yielded barely enough for the locals to survive off of. When travelers came through town, the locals of Nanakuli pretended not to hear by staring blankly at the newcomers and acting as if they couldn't see them. They were ashamed that they did not have any refreshments to offer the tourists. When the travelers got back to their homes, they told their families about the strange people who lived on the leeward side. These people seemed unable to hear or speak, and as a result, the region became known as Nana (look) kuli (deaf).
Ka'ena says, "But I've also heard that Nanakuli means 'look at knee,'" and this is something that she has heard. They were embarrassed because they had nothing to contribute, so they hung their heads and looked down at their knees.
After the mele and hula, as well as plenty of additional stories, we eventually headed back. Along the way, we made a pit stop to zigzag down through some rough volcanic boulders to where they met the ocean. There, they formed some deep tide pools that were perfect for swimming in. A large monk seal could be seen lounging in the vicinity on the porous black rocks that surrounded the pools. It had a green-gray girth that was scratched with a kelp-tinged flipper, and it tilted its smiling face toward the sun. It looked exactly like my dog when she is sunning herself in a warm spot on the driveway. I was startled when I heard La'akea shout, so I raised my head to look in the direction he was pointing, which was at a group of spinner dolphins playing on the surface of the cobalt water.