Kamakani o Waimea

Welina e Trail Markers ‘Ohana,

Today I reflect with great pride our completion of  Phase One, Ho’omakaukau! Congratulations!  Mahalo Ke Akua!

The first greeting to Waimea Valley is now from our Pohaku — E Komo Mai, you are welcome!  Visitors from around the world will be warm, embraced and peaceful, and as they leave our valley with the last view of a special place as our send off, echoes will be left in their hearts  — “leave with wellness and peace of mind, body and spirit.”

Mahalo e Bill Braden for your vision that birthed our first of its kind for us, a Cultural Trail Marker journey!   Gifting the pohaku from the kupuna stone wrapped in la’i was a stroke of genius.  Mahalo e Jinny for your always willingness to share Bill with us.

Mahalo e Rick Ortiz for your diligence in sharing your gifted talents and cultural convictions of assurance that our ancestors are honored with prominence.  We honor your blood line.  Aloha to your mother, we miss her!

Mahalo e Kupuna “Aunty Kanani” to you and your ‘ohana for modeling those strong beliefs in being Hawaiian,  for your many contributions and continued aloha. We remember your and our “Jimmy.”  Please thank your son Keith for his mentoring of Kamakani o Waimea and appropriate closing oli.  Perfect!

Mahalo e Makua ‘o’o Coco Leong  for your prayers, your music, your growing understanding of kuleana to our culture through believing, behaving, becoming and belonging.  Such a blessing is a gift (another “b”).

Mahalo piha e Au ‘Ohana for your gifts of reliance, hugs of aloha, smiles of humility and an always positive response to being Hawaiian. We all loved He Hawai’i Au and your new Kamakani o Waimea.  Maika’i!
Kawika, both kahea were heard, observed and understood.

Mahalo e Michael North for accepting your Hawaiian name literally, poetically and culturally (Kala).  Your energy to fullfill a promise to build, to care, to malama is noted and appreciated.  There is more to come.

Mahalo e Owana Salazar for sharing your talents in voice message with such dignity, joy and pride.  Maika’i! Your ancestors smile.  We honor them and your legacy.

Mahalo e “Uncle Jack” Jenkins for growing with understanding your adopted Hawaii without ever forgetting your “tar heel” beginnings.

Mahalo e Waimea Valley Cybil and Randy Ho’opai for your kokua and gracious presence.  Connection and inclusion is an always important ingredient. Mahalo Nohealani for receiving the leis to their resting place. Randy, Kamakani O Waimea heard the song, mahalo!  We felt their changing winds message!  Lucky we live Hawai’i.

Jurgen Klein more than once yesterday “invites” us to meet at his home.  His aloha and generosity is much appreciated.  He loves us, we love him.  Mahalo e Bob and Linda Adams for their always kokua to me and Uncle Jack through their watchful eyes and care.  Hanai to Hawai’i, they choose to live in our Hawai’i.

Mahalo to all others who remain in our thoughts and prayers for their kokua in every imagineable way. Tho’ their paths have taken them elsewhere, we appreciate how their spirit remains with us as our Trail Marker, our alliance and honor to family, to traditions, to connections, to the aina, to our faiths, to joy of teaching and learning, to belonging, remains pono.  All is embedded in the ”mana”  of the pohaku that greets all whenever we leave Kamehameha Hwy and return  to Waimea Valley .

Allow me to thank each of you for being the piko, the work horses, the inspiration, the ever supporting warriors of commitment to our Ahupua’a o Waimea, a special place for all the world to know. To be touched, to experience inclusion and trust is what the world seeks and we have found.

The world will come to know our ‘Ohana Pohaku.  The heartbeat of such has begun… . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aunty Betty

p.s.  Just one last thought.  The seating on “lauhala”  mats was very appropriate tho’ our aging kupuna required a chair which is proper, pono.  From the hala we acknowlege the weavers who symbolically gather the leaves, remove the thorns,  soften the lau and weave in and out, up and under.  Beauty is the result. There is “learning” in all that we do. You are all  WEAVERS.