May. 20, 2015
Contributed by Pakalani Bello
Greetings beloved friends of Hawaiian language. On the 9th and 10th of April, students of Hawaiian 2 met at Bishop field to lāwalu (charbroil fish or meat wrapped in tī leaf) with Hawaiian language level 2 teachers and the Mālama Honua group. Hawaiian language teachers Kumu Hans WIlhelm and Kumu Laʻakapu Lenchanko led the students in the lāwalu iʻa (fish) activity. Kumu Kēhaulani Enos returned from her sabbatical to help as well. Mark Ellis, Kaʻanoʻi Walk, Lāiana Kanoa-Wong and Hōkū Akana of the Hoʻokahua group came to support and provide activities connected to the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage.
The students learned the cooking of fish with just tī leaves on top of a charcoal grill. First, the students fetched tī leaves from the garden on the left side of the Smith parking lot with the Kapālama grounds crew. They got 180 tī leaves for the lāwalu lesson. The students were energetic and nimble indeed when fetching tī leaves on the steep hillside. Afterward, the students had to wash and remove the midribs of all the tī leaves. This is also an important lesson for the students because they were not used to this kind of work.
On lāwalu day, everything was prepped and ready. The tents were set up by physical plant in the late afternoon on Wednesday. The fire was hot for the cooking and the students were hungry for the knowledge of our ancestors and for akule (big eyed scad) fish. Wow so delicious!
While the akule were cooking on the charcoal grill, the students, teachers, and Mālama Honua folks gathered to learn the canoe knots and the cooperation and teamwork associated with sailing on the ocean in a double hull canoe. These activities were taught to the students in the Hawaiian language. This activity provided students a real opportunity to practice their Hawaiian language – which was the main objective of the activity. This work is necessary and appropriate for the youth while the voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa sails to the four corners of the Earth. Soon it will be theirs, our students’ burden, to carry this responsibility for future generations.
Right after the fun activities, everyone gathered and prayed again before eating the iʻa lāwalu. The delicious fish was eaten by the students with poi. Wow, so delicious! I wanted to give many thanks to the Mālama Honua folks, the teachers, and (Languages Department Head) Kaimana Kong for her supporting these Hawaiian language activities for the students. Complete thanks to Pauahi also for her loving heart, generosity and benevolence for the children of the land.
Aloha e nā hoa makamaka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ma nā lā ʻeiwa a me ka ʻumi o ʻApelila, ua hui pū nā haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi makahiki ʻelua ma ke kahua pāʻani ʻo Pīhopa e lāwalu iʻa ai me nā kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi makahiki ʻelua a me ka hui Mālama Honua. Na Kumu Hans Wilhelm a me Kumu Laʻakapu Lenchanko i alakaʻi i nā haumāna i kēia hana lāwalu. Hoʻi mai nō hoʻi ʻo Kumu Kēhaulani Enos mai kāna hana sabatikala, ʻo ia kekahi i komo i ka hana. Mai ke keʻena Mālama Honua, ʻo Mark Ellis, ʻo Kaʻanoʻi Walk, ʻo Lāiana Kanoa-Wong a me Hōkū Akana nā mea i kōkua mai.
Ua aʻo ʻia nā haumāna i ka lāwalu, ʻo ia hoʻi, ke kuke ʻana i ka iʻa i ʻōwili ʻia i loko o ka lāʻī ma luna o ke kapuahi nānahu. ʻO ka mea mua, ua kiʻi nā haumāna i ka lāʻī mai ka māla ma ka ʻaoʻao hema o ke kahua hoʻokū kaʻa ʻo Smith me nā limahana nāna e mālama i ke kahua kula o Kapālama nei. Ua loaʻa hoʻokahi haneli kanawalu lāʻī iā lākou no ka lāwalu iʻa ʻana. Ua ʻeleu a kaʻukaʻulele nō nā haumāna i ke kiʻi ʻana i nā lāʻī. Ma hope iho, ua pono nā haumāna e kaka a holoi i na lāʻī a ua wehe lākou i nā iwi o nā lāʻī a pau. He haʻawina koʻikoʻi kēia kekahi no nā haumāna no ka mea, aʻole lākou maʻa i kēia ʻano hana.
Ma ka lā hana lāwalu iʻa, ua mākaukau nō nā mea a pau. Ua kūkulu ʻia nā peʻa e nā poʻe kōkua i ka ʻauinalā i ka Pōʻakolu, Ua wela nō ke ahi no ke kuke ʻana, a ua pōloli nō nā haumāna no ka ʻike kūpuna a me nā iʻa akule. Auē ka ʻono ē!
ʻOiai e moʻa ana nā iʻa ma ke kapuahi nanahu, ua hui pū nā haumāna, nā kumu, a me nā poʻe Mālama Honua e aʻo i nā hīpuʻu waʻa a me ka hana laulima i pili i ka holo waʻa ʻana ma ka waʻa kaulua. Ua aʻo ʻia kēia mau mea e nā haumāna ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō. Ua pono nā haumāna e hoʻomaʻamaʻa i kā lākou ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi kekahi, ʻo ia kekahi pahuhopu nui o kēia papahana. He pono kēia hana no nā ʻōpio ʻoiai ka waʻa kaulua ʻo Hōkūleʻa e holo ana i nā peʻa a pau o ka honua. A na kā kākou poʻe haumāna e ʻauamo ana i kēia kuleana no kekahi hanauna aʻe.
Ma hope pono o kēia mau hana leʻaleʻa, ua ʻākoakoa ka poʻe a pau e pule ma mua o ka ʻai ʻana i nā iʻa lāwalu. Ua ʻai ʻia nā iʻa ʻono e nā haumāna me ka poi. Hū ka ʻono! Makemake wau e mahalo nui i ke keʻena Mālama Honua, nā kumu, a me Kaimana Kong no kona kākoʻo ʻana i kēia hana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no nā haumāna. Mahalo piha iā Pauahi kekahi no kona puʻuwai aloha a me kona ʻōpū aliʻi no nā kamaliʻi o ka ʻāina.
Hawaiian language Kumu Hans Wilhelm grills up some 'ono akule wrapped in tī leaves. The hands-on activity was part of a lesson connecting students to the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. The experience was an opportunity for students to sharpen their Hawaiian language skills.
Prior to the grilling, students learn how to lūlū (sprinkle salt on the fish to season) and wrap the fish in tī leaves.
As the fish cooked, Cultural Specialist Lāiana Kanoa-Wong teaches students the first step in tying a correct hīpuʻu pōlena or bowline knot.
Cultural Resource Specialist Hōkū Akana explains the pāʻani Papa Kelepona (Telephone Board game) where students explore concepts of mālama honua (to care for the Island Earth) while exercising leadership skills to assist others who are blindfolded.
It's time to eat! Hū ka ʻono! It's delicious!
Students share their iʻa lāwalu with one another, with a side of poi.