Empowering the next generation: Highlights from the 2024 Native Hawaiian Convention

Sept. 26, 2024

Last week, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s 2024 Native Hawaiian Convention brought together nearly 200 youth from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, Maui, and Hawaiʻi, along with students from more than 25 other schools, for an enriching experience on Hawaiʻi Island. The ʻAha ʻŌpio, a dedicated track for students, offered two full days of breakout sessions, huakaʻi, panel discussions, and activities aimed at building pilina among the haumāna.

Awapuhi Kalima-Martin, a senior at Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi, shared her excitement: “I am so glad that I was able to attend this convention and see not only older and more experienced alakaʻi, but young alakaʻi and our future alakaʻi. Opportunities like this, where we can fill a room with different leo and mindsets, aren’t done often. Interacting with other ʻōpio creates a comfortable and safe setting to think and speak. Events like this are a big step in building our future as a lāhui.”

The pupose of ʻAha ʻŌpio is to provide a convention leadership experience for ʻōpio ʻōiwi leaders and provide a space for the haumāna from schools throughout the pae ʻāina to convene and engage on the topics that are important to them. It’s evolution in the past few years has emphasized integrating the haumāna into the conference to provide oportunities to interact with local leaders and attendees. For example, this year the format was a hybrid approach that included a mix of ʻōpio sessions and attending the larger convention plenaries and breakout sessions. This included our Kamehameha Schools haumāna attending the KS plenary panel discussion “Resilient ʻĀina Stewardship, Rooted in Moʻomeheu, kaiāulu and Ea.” Last year, haumāna only attended presentations by ʻōpio for ʻōpio.

KS Hawaiʻi senior Kamahaʻo Halemanu (right) spoke on the Our Kaiāulu Votes ʻŌpio Up Late Forum panel.

One of the standout sessions was the ʻAha ʻŌpio Up Late Forum, which delved into critical topics such as defining leadership, voting kuleana, dreams for the future of the lāhui, and ʻāina stewardship. A prominent poster at the KS Kaiāulu event, “Ma Uka to Ma Kai: We Decide,” encapsulated the spirit of youth empowerment.

During the panel discussions, students shared their visions and strategies for the future. They emphasized the importance of raising keiki in Hawaiʻi and achieving Ea sustainability. They discussed creating policies to build pilina and support the pae ʻāina, actively protecting clean water, and promoting water conservation. The haumāna also addressed issues like sewage spills and the impact of land use on water quality. They encouraged hands-on involvement and learning from those around them, highlighting that building connections to ʻāina fosters relationships with both the land and each other. They stressed the need to prioritize communal needs and treat ʻāina with the same respect as family, recognizing the importance of collective effort and mutual support.

Kalima-Martin reflected on a thought-provoking question posed during the convention.

“We were asked what two Hawaiian values or words we would use if we were running for office. And I said my first value comes from an ʻōlelo noʻeau ‘Pūpūkahi i holomua’. We all have different kuleana and we’re at different kulana but that doesn’t matter in the end when we’re all affected. We are a reflection of those who come before and after us, they are the ones who help shape us. Why let your people stand behind you when we can stand side by side as one? It doesn’t matter if you’re a principal, a kumu, the mayor, a haumāna or even the president. We can’t get anything done if we aren’t working together as one, ʻekahi, pūpūkahi,” she said.

She also reflected on her second value, aloha. “Aloha is another word we hear and throw around. If you split the word, you get ‘alo’ (face) and ‘ha/hā’ (breath of life). When we give or take aloha, it doesn’t only affect us but those we give and take it from. We all act and look different, but we breathe the same air and that unites us as one - pūpūkahi.”

The haumāna also participated in a huakaʻi to Kahaluʻu Ma Kai, Kamehameha Schools’ Educational Complex in West Hawaiʻi. Historically an intellectual training ground for Hawai‘i’s leaders, Kahaluʻu Ma Kai is being transformed into a hub for 21st-century educational exchanges.

Guided by community practitioners and KS staffers, the ʻōpio cohort visited Kahaluʻu Ma Kai.

The day began with a hoʻokupu and welcome, followed by three kaunoʻo that shared the past, present and future of Kahaluʻu Ma Kai. At the kaunoʻo, Hoʻokamaʻāina Heiau, students learned about significant heiau such as Makoleʻā, Keʻekū, and Hāpaialiʻi, guided by ʻAnakala Māhealani Pai. They also engaged with lineal descendants of Kahaluʻu and Keauhou kai, whose families have stewarded these sacred sites for generations. Kaimana Barcase, an ‘Āina Pauahi director at KS, shared insights on how kānaka values, culture, and connection to place shape the planning and development of Keauhou Bay and the greater Kahaluʻu-Keauhou area. Students learned about the integration of commercial and cultural spaces to restore prosperity and connection for the lāhui in a historically significant area impacted by Western development.

“My biggest takeaway has been new conversations about tourism,” said Addis Belay KSKʻ25. The ‘Aha ‘Ōpio huakaʻi to Kahaluʻu and the plenary panel really transformed my thinking about shaping tourism around the needs of Hawaiians, not the landscape of Hawaiʻi.”
The 2024 Native Hawaiian Convention provided a platform for the next generation of Native Hawaiian leaders to learn, share, and grow.

Through events like the ʻAha ʻŌpio Up Late Forum and the huakaʻi to Kahaluʻu Ma Kai, students gained valuable insights and experiences that will shape their futures and the future of the lāhui. The convention highlighted the importance of unity, cultural connection and the power of youth voices in creating a sustainable and prosperous future for Hawaiʻi.

“These opportunities allow our ‘ōpio to stand strong on their kahua as kanaka of our ‘āina where moʻokūʻauhau, mōʻaukala, ‘ōlelo, and ‘āina are foundational in strengthening who they are and where they come from,” said Lehua Veincent, the poʻo kula of KS Hawaiʻi’s kula kiʻekiʻe. “We learn from each other. We understand each other’s mauli. We embrace the opportunities for betterment of our ‘āina and our lāhui as kanaka through the building of cultural pride and unity, promoting collaboration and leadership, expanding networks of ‘ōpio, and encouraging civic engagement. E Ola Nō e Ko Hawaiʻi!”

Reflecting on the experience, Kalima-Martin added, “While at CNHA this past weekend, there aren’t words to express how I felt. Walking around and joining sessions, we got to see and experience so many different leo and manaʻo from all types of ʻōiwi. Personally, pā wale ka naʻau.”