Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 12, 1 December 1991 — Kupuna and ʻopio strengthen Hawaiian values [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kupuna and ʻopio strengthen Hawaiian values

Rev. Moses K. Keale, Sr. Trustee, Kaua'i & Ni'ihau " Hawaiians helieue kupuna to be their source of traditional cultural beliefs, practices and values. There existed in Hawaii past, a framework that commanded the role of kupuna to be respected and honored. Kupuna then, led the 'ohana through genealogy linkage accuracy, child rearing practices, ceremonies, rituals, and laws of cause and effect" — Betty Jenkins

Four years ago, two embryos were planted in the kipuka of Hawai'i nei. One blossomed into the child we know as Aha Opio O OHA and the other sprouted strong roots developing into Aha Kupuna — the foundation and the

hope, the hua and the pua. The Kupuna are the foundation of our Hawaiian culture and our Hawaiian spirituality. The Opio are the fruits of the labor of the love of our Kupuna and in these young people are embodied the hope for the future of our race. The Kupuna must breathe into their nostrils the breath of life that Ke Akua shares so freely with us. October marked the fourth annual meeting of the Kupuna sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Education and Culture Division. Eaeh meeting becomes more and more important to our future. Eaeh meeting brings all of us closer to eaeh other. This year was no exception. Again the role of the Kupuna in shaping our future became clear.

Our Kupuna must continue to meet together in sharing and they must keep in mind that the thoughts they leave with our people are the thoughts that define the Hawaiian universe. The things they identify as important will describe the concepts, values, practices, traits, rituals and protocals that is the essence of Hawaiian spirituality. It is the nature of this spirituality that we hold most dear. Even the foreigner observed the importance of proper spirituality. Webster defines spirituality as "the view that spirit is a prime element of reality ; an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms; a special attitude or frame of mind; a mental disposition." How does this apply to us today? Well, I think whenever we address our Hawaiian people it must be in the context of who we are, where we eome from, and why we are the way we are, and what do we realiy respond positively to. It is about turning to our cultural values and the context of the world we define as Hawaiian and acknowledging that this is what we wish to leave to our children. To strengthen the Hawaiian body, we must strengthen the Hawaiian spirit. To make a true difference in the long run, we must deal with the Hawaiian in his or her own universe, the universe defined by Hawaiian cultural values and practices. We must never arbitrarily abandon our traditions or practices for those traditions or practices of others. In the past we have done just that and it has led us toward the path of destruction and obsolescence. It is our duty to rekindle the spirit of our ancestors. It is our mission to replace inappropriate practices with proper practices and protocols and to teach our children to appreciate those practices and protocols.

May I leave you with the pleading voice of our young Aha 'Opio governor of 1990, Nohealani Nihipali: "It is your task, those educated and skilled by the ha'ole (foreigner), to carry on our traditions into the next generations. It is your task to improve the conditions of our people and restore the pride of our race. We must impress upon these generations that our future revival will depend on racial pride and not rivalries. "Too long have our people struggled-to survive. Who were these brave Polynesians who travelled great oeean distances and accomplished so mueh with so little? Where are their descendants to lead the canoes to the future? Will there be enough of Hawai'i left for my mo'opuna? . . . "The continuity of our nation of Hawai'i is more important then the changes that have been imposed upon our people . . . we will discover together. We will lead the way . . . E Hawai'i Au! Ku Kanaka!" I wish to thank eaeh and every valuable participant. Your sharing and presence ensures the eonhnuum of the quality of life for our people. A special thank you goes to the volunteers of Aunty Betty Jenkins' Kupuna group who worked many long hours developing the program for this year's conference. A warm and appreciative thank you goes out to the presenters and facilitator who shared their special knowledge and message. And finally, we must never forget to thank the hard working, dedicated staff who eonhnue to produce great work for us to enjoy. koho ia i na kupuna! Hoomau! Hoomau! A i manao kekahi e lilo i pookele i waena o oukou, e pono no e lilo ia i kauwa na oukou. No ke Akua e malama a e alakai ia kakou apau.