Rock, Soil, Plants, Humans

I was sitting beside a man named DJ, sitting under the canoe club shed at the canoe club in Honaunau Bay.  DJ had a large black stone that hung around his neck.  His gray hair was long and sun bleached.  He looked experienced and like a man not to mess with, yet his soul was kind.

DJ is a teacher, leader, and the protector of; the turtles, the whales, the ocean, the plants, and this place,  and he is concerned about it's health.   He talked about the issues of spear fishing, people who harass the dolphins, boats that pollute the water. He especially felt the need for children to learn by being actively involved in real experiences like paddling a canoe off the shore of Hawaii, allowing for the opportunity for learning. At that point I told him that I am a teacher and I was bringing students here in December.

Honaunau Bay

I told him the first reason why I wanted to come here is because I want myself and the students to see lava, as we are made from it.  I explained my thoughts of how “Rock becomes soil, that makes plants, that makes humans. The second reason is that I believe “the way in which people interpret, understand, respect and sustain the connection between themselves and their environment, is the culture of a people, and I think the people of Hawaii understand this so well.” He looked at me and said in a complementary manner, “ahhh you get it”.  It felt so good to hear that. 

Mauna Ulu

This place is described as one of 3 places on earth where there is a great deal of energy being released from the earth and depending on the person, this energy has a powerful affect on you.  DJ explained that because there are elements found here in the rock that are directly from the interior of the earth, magnetic in nature, which is why the royal chiefs (ali’i) visited here and once you entered behind the stone wall (built in 1550, so tight that it didn’t require mortar) with wooden figures that give you permission, you enter this sacred place known as pu’uhonua (the place of refuge). 

DJ showed me his 3 racing canoes and his hope to win states when hosted on the big island in August 2015.  He also told me about how he used donated money for solar panels to install solar panels to build their 3^rd canoe, and how today was a party for the kids who raced this season.  He told me where to swim, and that I should visit the historic site. 

The swim was magical, and when I arrived at the gate of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, the woman said that when she travels she pretends to be a Canadian because the world dislikes American citizens so much.  I told her that I hope that people think I am a local, which to me is the biggest compliment to be treated like one of them, and not a tourist.  She smiled big, and welcomed me to the site. 

I asked permission of the wooden guards and walked into the pu’uhonua, took off my sandals, and walked onto the black lava rock.  I took deep breaths because it felt special.  I realized that I had come to this place working hard to plan an educational experience that would transform lives, and had no idea until now, that in so many ways I was becoming transformed. 

On O’ahu we will start the experience on the top of the mountain, at the beginning of the watershed, travelling further down to where the food is made, and then to where the water enters the ocean.  The Hawaiian’s divided their land into these pizza shaped portions of land known as ahupua’a, each ruled by a chief.  We will visit schools that have exceptional programs, and work with elders and historians, conservationist and eat local organic food during this time.  Each chief was responsible for all the resources in his ahupua’a, believing that the land, the sea, clouds and all life was connected, and that they were responsible for the desired balance of life, before the word sustainability was even used.

The first time the word sustainability was used, was in a speech by a man from Wales in 1947, and it wasn’t until 1969 that a person from the University of Michigan created the 1^st working definition. 

Then we will visit the Big Island and visit the birthplace of rock.  It was here that I met Mauna Ulu, who erupted in 1969, a few months after I was born.  On our last day we will visit a local organic farm and harvest our food, and then prepare it for a picnic at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau.

I can only imagine what it would have been like to paddle to Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook arrived in 1788, only a few miles up the coast.

Kealakekua Bay