Within this story of haloa, there are many deep lessons that are embedded within. The Hawaiian people, since their time of conception have always been deeply connected to the land as well as the spirit of the land. For the spirit and land itself are one in the same. One seen, and one unseen. Through this understanding of human to earth connection, the ultimate truth is revealed to us. And that truth is...


"We are the land, and the land is us"


The very core of our existence is dependent upon our relationship to the earth. And our relationship to the earth, in its entirety, is dependent upon the stories, perspectives, and wisdom that we decide to base our values on. In other words, if we choose to see the earth as a basic commodity, asset, or that in which we consume from, our lifestyle will be dictated by those values. On the contrary, if we see the earth as Our Mother, the Eternal Provider, our Eldest Ancestor, and the Source of our existence, our lifestyle and behaviors will reflect those sacred values. 

In the Hawaiian way of life, the Earth is Our Grand Mother, papahanaumoku. The sky father, wakea, is the protection and connection that we have to the heavens. The stars, ho'ohokukalani, is our eternal guidance through life as every great mother is to their children. Our main food source, haloanakalaukapilili (the kalo), is our eldest sibling and the progenitor of the kanaka (mankind) who offered his life to be the source of sustenance for his 'ohana (family). And lastly, our example as kanaka to live in a spirit of stewardship to the land, skies, stars, and one another is the second born, haloa he ali'i (the chief). 

Unique from many cultures across the earth, the kanaka maoli are genealogically tied to their one hanau (birthing sands, home lands). Rather than the land being solely a symbol of provision and motherhood, the kanaka see Hawai'i as a literal manifested ancestor that is connected to our piko (life center) through a blood connected genealogical tie. The lineage of our people trace back to wakea and papa, as they have laid the foundation for the many lines of chiefs that governed the pae 'aina (island chain). 



"Papa is the earth, the crust upon which floats the oceans, her ambiotic fluid; the crust that feeds the growth of coral, the placenta of ocean life. Where wakea anchors us to the universe, papahanaumoku anchors us to geography, our sacred land base." - Dr. Taupori Tangaro