April 12, 2023
80 KSK haumāna papa ʻekahi recently tossed about 200 handmade Genki balls into the Ala Wai Canal to help clean the polluted waterway. These mudballs contain a mixture that includes microorganisms that digest sludge and promote the growth of living organisms that aid in the restoration of the natural aquatic ecosystem.
Kamehameha Schools is working toward having haumāna be able to drop Genki balls in their own ahupuaʻa of Kapālama in the near future.
“We hope to continue our Genki ball production to further contribute to the work the Ala Wai project has already started,” said Tina Nakamoto, KSK kumu papa ʻekahi. “Our dream is for our haumāna to be able to show their aloha for our ahupuaʻa, fulfill their kuleana, and to mālama Kapālama by expanding and focusing our efforts a little closer to home.”
The students have been interacting with various organizations to learn about stream ecosystems and the importance of fresh, clean water flowing from the mountains to the sea.
In addition to studying endemic and native stream life in class, they removed armored catfish, mosquito fish, and other invasive species from Mānoa Stream last week. Some of the first graders also visited Papa Loʻi o Kānewai at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently and heard about the moʻolelo and the significance of that wahi pana.
