Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 12, 1 December 2022 — Restoring Balance for the Wellbeing of Humanity and the Environment [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Restoring Balance for the Wellbeing of Humanity and the Environment

By Kelley L. Uyeoka and Amber Souza This past November, Huliauapa'a, along with members of the Kali'uokapa'akai Collective, co-hosted a gathering in partnership with Red Star International, Ine. Red Star International is an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization dedicated to building connections with Indigenous communities to expand mindsets, evolve practices, and realize a collective vision of heahh and wellness. The Restoring Balance gathering took plaee in Hilo, Hawai'i, over three days. Our hui included representation ffom across Hawai'i, Turtle Island (the U.S. and Canada), Aotearoa and Tahiti. The gathering aimed to engage Indigenous leaders, communities, and organizations in a participatory process to identify pathways to globally connect current efforts to promote heahh equity and ecosystem resilience. Objectives included: • International Indigenous knowledge exchange and sharing; • Exploring Indigenous-led collaboratives - their development, growth and sustainability, and looking at the Kali'uokapa'akai Collective as a model example; • Sharing of an Indigenous approach to organizing for collective impact; and • Discussion on the value of coming together as a global community. To reafhrm our pilina to plaee and allow us the time and space to heeome grounded as a hui, we initiated our gathering with a visit to Mauna a Wakea. Mahalo 'Anakala Kalani Flores for holding space, sharing mo'olelo, and orienting us to this sacred plaee. Our 'aha on the Mauna where we offered ho'okupu and introduced ourselves to the elemental akua of this landscape deeply resonated with our visitors. "Unless we start from values and ceremony, we miss the target; our political struggles cannot be separated from

ceremony and values - knowledge sharing comes with responsibility" shared Lead Fisheries Director Ken Paul (Wolastoqey Nation). Over the next few days, our gathering consisted of discussions and deep reflections of our kuleana both locally and globally. Red Star International CEO Aleena Kawe (Hiaki) and her team brought the value of collective impact and Indigenous knowledge systems to the forefront of our discussions. We were reminded of our inherent ancestral responsibilities to our wahi kūpuna as well as the connection and shared responsibility we have as Indigenous people globally. Participant Julia Bernal, director of the Puehlo Action Allianee noted, "Our discussion highlights the need for the deep and intentional work we have to do in our community to have global impact." After a few years of remote-only work, it was inspiring to gather in person again and experience the value of knowledge sharing and collective action. Throughout our time together, the Red Star International team fostered a space that allowed our hui to reaffirm and enhanee our commitments by reflecting, sharing lessons learned, celebrating successes, teaching, and learning from one another. As the haekhone organization for the Kali'uokapa'akai Collective, Huliauapa'a aims to continue to elevate and uphold our kuleana to safeguard our wahi kūpuna through collaboration and collective efforts. We remain steadfast in our commitment to grow Hawai'i's communities through collaborative networking in wahi kūpuna stewardship and are reminded of our loeal and global impacts. ■ To learn more about Huliauapa'a and the Kali'uokapaakai Collective visit us online at www.huliauapaa.org and www. kaliuokapaakai.org. Kelley L. Uyeoka serves on the ILali'uokapa'akai Collective 'Aha Kuapapa ( Steering Hui) and is the executive director of Huliauapa'a, the haekhone organization of the Kali'uokapa'akai Collective. Amber Souza is the Kali'uokapa'akai Collective coordinator.

2022 Restoring Balance for the Wellbeing of Humanity and the Environment Gathering opening 'aha at Mauna a Wakea. - Photo: Courtesy of Huliauapa'a