Celebrating Makahiki with Kalo & Hoʻopono
Kalo at Gill Tract community farm!
ʻO Lono ʻOe
He ua la he ua
He ua piʻi mai
Noenoe hālau
Hālau loa o Lono
ʻO Lono ʻoe
Paʻāʻā nā Pali
I ka hana a Ikuwā
Pōhā kōʻeleʻele
A Welehū
Ka mālama
Noho i Makaliʻi
Liʻiliʻi ka hana
Aia a ʻeʻeu
He ʻeu no ka lā hiki
Hiki mai ka lani
Nāuweuwe ka honua
I ka hana ke ʻōlaʻi nui
Moe pono ʻole koʻu pō
Nā niho ʻai kalakala
Ka hana a ka Niuhi
A mau i ke kai loa
He loa o ka hikina
A ua noa
A ua noa e
Hāloanakalaukapalili!
Aloha kākou! Lonoikamakahiki! Eō! For the past two years, I’ve been able to celebrate Makahiki on Oʻahu. Unlike previous times when I’ve lived on the continent and did not celebrate this transition between the time of Kū and the time of Lono, I joined a group of continental folks and friends from Hawaiʻi and Moananuiākea for a Makahiki sunrise ceremony on Saturday, November 22. It was a beautiful ceremony that coincided with a visit to some kalo growing at the Gill Tract Community Farm in Albany. Despite being an ocean away from the ancestral home of the Lāhui Hawaiʻi, I am grateful to be in a place where ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻoli, pule, and mele are recited among community organizations.
I’m also privileged to be a student in a Hoʻopono: Mutual Emergence series sponsored by Wāhine Wellness, a Hawaiʻi-based organization that supports resilient women. The series, led by manawāhine Manulani Aluli Meyer and her wife Ngahiraka Mason, has been a blessing and a gift in restorative practices, cultural continuity, and Hawaiian consciousness. As we honor this sacred time of Lono, I will continue to reflect on the lessons that Manu and Ngahiraka have gifted to our community on “mending, restoring, and reawakening balance within ourselves and our communities.”
A couple questions for reflection throughout this Makahiki season: What am I mending in my life that is invisible to others? What visible scars do I have from mending in my life? How do I feel about letting others see these scars?
