Kīluea is Erupting

 Today in Hawai’i we are standing to protect our freedoms, culture, and spirit of Aloha. On Wednesday, September 29, 2021 Kīlauea volcano erupted within Halema’uma’u crater. Hawaiian mythology shares how Pele first arrived on Kaua’i and thrusted her o’o stick into the ground to create space for her home. But her elder sister Namakaokaha’i would flood the pits all throughout Pele’s journey. Pele kept on moving down the islands in their geographical location and then finally resided on the Big Island.

Just as Namakaokaha’i tormented Pele, today we are tormenting one another. Today Native Hawaiians are one of the most incarcerated, low income, and houseless majority of the demographic population. Why? Just as Namakaokaha’i would not forgive Pele for the trauma she was responsible for, we are not forgiving one another.

This un-forgiveness is causing us to go extinct. Our values, tradition, and rituals are being replaced by clichés, platitudes, and bureaucratic jargon. We don’t have a tourist, military, or economic issue. We have a heart issue, and we have forgotten who we are and the lessons our ancestors passed to us. Madam Pele resides in the heart of Kilauea. She is not just a spectacle for the world to see. But our kupuna tells us that she is alive, breathing, and her mana is telling us something.

Native ferns, birds, and plants are near extinction. Many of these are kinolau of Akua. The many forms of personified natural elements. To many Hawaiians they are also family members. They too are alive and breathing. They too are telling us something. Just as Pele is associated with the Ohia Lehua which has been suffering from a disease called Rapid Ohia Death (ROD), our relationships are suffering. Just as the native bird the Maui ‘akepa is considered possibly extinct, our Maui people are leaving the islands.  Just as our streams are being diverted, so is our attention. We are in a crisis of confusion and deep seated heart issues that need to be addressed.

Today we need critical protection for Indigenous people to protect the freedom, culture, and practices of this specific place, in this specific time. We need to protect diversity. We cannot allow ourselves to be injected with the globalization agenda to colonize our minds. We need to stand up to continue the righteous of the land. And live like our Ali’i intended us to be. We need leaders, policy makers, layers, and teachers to protect against government overreach, high property taxes, and old fashion red tape. We need to flow, we need to break down the barriers for our people and raise the standards of living.