Ohana ~ Family

Jun 9

Family, friends, community,

Ohana is the Polynesian term meaning family.
The root language is from the Māori kōhanga, meaning "nest".
Awhile ago I studied with an elder Kahuna on the Big Island.
He was teaching me how to honor our ancestors and family.
He kept on pointing me South as I was learning a sacred ritual through movement.
I asked "am I doing the ritual incorrectly?"
"No your back side keeps insulting your ancestors and family."
Polynesians know where their nest is located.
The Pacific Islands.
That far flung archipelago in the South Pacific.
Through tenacity, handed down knowledge of their water world,
they navigated to settle and make a thriving nest on Hawai'i.
It was between the 4th and 7th centuries that the real Hawaiians
sailed to their new Ohana.
They've been "knowing" stewards of the Hawaiian Islands for a long time.

The Polynesians have lived through colonialism, disease, religious indoctrination and big agriculture,
still Ohana endures.
Exuding from every scented flower, breeze, hand gesture and smile.
It's a painful reckoning in my heart, that Maui's Ohana has succumbed to ash.
"If you locate from the heart, Ohana will always be with you,"
Kahuna pounded on his chest and his wisdom to this day is
tattooed in my westernized brain.

Our Ohana prayers, thought intentions, donations and love;
The Nest will once again arise.

OMwards!

Here are my favs for donations.
Mahalo

Your donations directly into the hands of those who are in need.
Hawai'i Community Foundation has been a non profit organization that builds community since 1916 in the Hawaiian Islands.
Maui Strong was created by the foundation to meet the moment of this wild fire disaster.