Aloha mai kākou e nā maka o Hāloa i luna,
My name is Jesse Kekoa Kahoʻonei and I currently work as the Site Director for an ʻāina restoration project located within the ma uka region of Kahaluʻu on the island of Hawaiʻi. During the month of April my hui, Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa, and I are asking for support to help kickstart our organization and the ʻāina work we are doing at Kahaluʻu.
Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa, is a small hui of individuals who began working together in the summer of 2021 to revitalize the Kahalu‘u Field System. This field system is arguably the largest in-tact portion of the Kona Field System and exists today as a wahi kūpuna (cultural resource) and as a traditional agricultural landscape. The vision and mission of our hui is to perpetuate ancestral knowledge, reconnecting kānaka to ʻāina, through indigenous grassroots initiatives and sustainable restorative agricultural practices. By providing ʻāina (placed-based) learning experiences, we offer a space and opportunity within our community to learn traditional Hawaiian knowledge and practices and support efforts to influence more local food productions and maintain unique biodiversity within our island systems.
Within the 354-acre preserve of the Kahaluʻu Field System are thousands of archaeological features, 98% of which are agricultural features. Currently, the majority of the field system is overgrown with invasive species such as waiāwi and Christmas berry trees. These invasive species root themselves within these ancient features and continue to cause damage and deplete the soil of this once-fertile agricultural landscape. We believe in the urgency to clear out the invasive species, protect and restore these wahi kūpuna, out plant indigenous and endemic species, all while educating our local community on the teachings of our kūpuna and the values of aloha ʻāina and lāhui.
Presently, we are in the process of forming our non-profit organization. Our work and the ongoing site maintenance at Kahaluʻu is currently being managed and supported by another non-profit organization, Huliauapaʻa, whose mission is growing Hawaiʻi’s communities through culturally based forms of innovative learning, leadership development, and collaborative networking in wahi kūpuna stewardship.
We are asking for donations that will support our efforts in building capacity as an organization and support our on-site work to maintain this vast and well preserved wahi kūpuna. Your donation will aid in completing our process of becoming a federally recognized 501c3 non-profit as well as allow us to purchase tools and equipment to better steward this ʻāina. To date we have welcomed approximately 1000 visitors to the Kahaluʻu Field System at Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa. Our aim is to build capacity so that we may continue growing our community presence and provide an opportunity for others to learn about this wahi kūpuna. All donations from this campaign will go to Huliauapaʻa but will directly benefit the site and organization at Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa. We appreciate your support and aloha ʻāina!
Feel free to check out Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa and Huliauapaʻa’s website for more information:
https://www.kahaluukuahewa.org
