Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 8, 1 August 2023 — Mālama Loko Ea Foundation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mālama Loko Ea Foundation

V LAMAKU HO'OKIPA C ^ A BEACON OF HOSPITALITY *

NaHHA would like to share afeaturefrom Rae DeCoito, one ofour "lamakū ho'okipa" ( beacons ofhospitality) who is making a positive impact through the value ofmalama and as a contributing member ofthe Native Hawaiian community. By Rae DeCoito Almost 15 years ago, Kamehameha Schools sent a kāhea (eall) to the community to solicit support for restoring the Loko Ea fishpond site, a wahi kūpuna (historically significant cultural site) nestled on the North Shore of O'ahu in the town of Hale'iwa. Loko Ea is a 500 year old fishpond and one of two loko i'a (traditional Hawaiian fishponds) located in the ahupua'a of Kawailoa within the moku of Waialua. The kāhea was answered by a small group of community members who established Mālama Loko Ea Foundation (MLEF) in 2009. Today, the restoration of Loko Ea represents the timely reimagination of what it means to preserve Hawaiian culture while supporting a thriving, sustainable eommunity in modern-day Hawai'i. MLEF remains steadfast in addressing the needs of the Native Hawaiian people as it endeavors to expand culturally informed educational programs, Hawaiian language eommitments, loko i'a and aina restoration. Additionally, MLEF hopes to stand as a repository for Hawaiian knowledge, culture and a plaee for community gathering and education. Eaeh year MLEF hosts over 400 eommunity, cultural and educational events at Loko Ea. In our Kupuohi programs, over 5,000 haumāna ffom various DOE schools visit eaeh year. Here, students learn 'āina based education using cultural values

practices focused on traditional ways of knowledge that promote the sustainability of the natural gifts of Hawai'i Nei. Last year, MLEF began offering virtual Hawaiian language courses. Eaeh semester, over 600 participants register for Kumu Kahanuola Solatorio's ffee 26-week course. The demand has been humbling as we see the hunger from the community to foster opportunities of learning and a desire for more cultural connection. Our Kumu 'Ikena program, established with funding from Hawai'i Council for the Humanities, brings in over 40 cultural practitioners eaeh year to teach ffee classes such as paipo board making, lā'au lapa'au, lomi, papakū makawalu, oli, mele and traditional rock wall kuapā building. Participants share that they feel a direct benefit from these uplifting community building events. One kumu shared this: "Wahi kūpuna are the repositories of our cultural mana, these are places where mana is transferred from plaee to Kānaka, from Kānaka to plaee, from kūpuna to the next generation. These repositories are the stronghold of our culture and are places where we ean transmit the culture to the next generation." ■ Rae DeCoito is the executive director of Mālama Loko Ea Foundation, a Native Hawaiian community educator, and a graduate ofNaHHA's Ola Hawai'i program. DeCoito leads a team thatfocuses on marine conservation, community engagement and cultural practices while building the next generation of conservation leaders, and is working on building a Hawaiian Science Learning Center on the North Shore to scale-up STEM research for K-12. For more information on ways to participate, support or kōkua, eontact Rae@lokoea.org

Loko Ea is a 500-year-old fishpond and wahi kOpuna on the North Shore of O'ohu in Hale'iwo. - Courtesy Photo