Hui o Ho`ohonua is a community non-profit with the following mission: To address historical trauma to the land, waters and people of the `Ewa Moku. Through our primary program, Mālama Pu`uloa - we work with community and partners to restore Pu`uloa (Pearl Harbor) to its historic abundance.
Mo`olelo inform us that these are the waters of the guardian shark Ka`ahupāhau, the mo`o Kanekua`ana who brought the hamau i`a (oysters) from Tahiti and the `Anaeholo - the traveling mullet generously shared throughout the island by Ka`ihuopala`ai and his eel child Laumeke.
Our organization is one of several working to restore `Ewa to `āina momona - thriving lands, thriving people.
Learn more by visiting our website: malamapuuloa.org and please follow us on Instagram: malamapuuloa
Our Honouliuli Stream Restoration Site
The `Ewa Moku Surrounds the Waters of Pu`uloa
Pollution threatens water and food security for `Ewa - and all of O`ahu
Students kilo and work to recover Nihola Loko I`a
About the Summer Internship
Our goals for participating Project Hōkūlani Interns: engage in the hanai and complex learning associated with Mālama Pu`uloa - invasive mangrove removal, native revegetation, community engagement, research, education and partnership building.
Each intern chose different modes of digital story telling: video documentaries, combining tech tools to create multiple engaging Instagram posts, creating an arcGIS story map and creating short videos for social media.
During their time at our `āina site, Kapapapuhi Point Park in the Honouliuli Ahupua`a of O`ahu, our interns helped us by mentoring groups of volunteers, younger school-community groups, propagating native akulikuli and more. They worked to learn oli, mo`olelo and conducted research on their own time as they created their digital story telling projects.
Weʻre proud of our interns' work ethic, willingness to learn, excellence in working with community-school volunteers - their communication skills and integration of multiple tech tools (and their willingness to explore tech tools new to them) and field experiences will suit them well as they pursue STEM careers.
Team
Kumu Dalen
Academic Mentor
Kumu Keora
Academic Mentor
Tresyn Molina
Student Intern
Joanne Wong
Student Intern
Zander Woosley
Student Intern
Landon Tupper
Student Intern
Aunty Sandy Ward, Executive Director of Hui o Ho`ohonua
Intership Mentor
It was my honor to work with these amazing Project Hōkūlani Interns: Joanne, Landon, Tresyn and Zander...and to support the goals of this wonderful project!
I hope the pilina we created will last beyond the summer experience - we value each intern as an alaka`i of our Mālama Pu`uloa Program!
Student Intern Reflections
Tresyn Molina
During my time in this project I worked in the field and virtually. I planted invasive plants and removed mangrove seedlings and mangrove trees. I've met so many great and honorable people who set their time aside to come work to restore abundance. I wish to continue their work so that as a child of ʻEwa I can show my kuleana to my ʻaina. Through this I hope that I may become an honorable person.
My time in this project was short but sweet, now I'm going to continue as a true alakaʻi. It has been a great pleasure to be an intern for HOH808 - Mālama Puʻuloa.
Landon Tupper
The interning experience under Hui o Ho'ohonua and the Malama Pu'uloa program was a life changing experience for me. Investing my time into this program had me doing aina work in Pu'uloa. This aina work involved removing invasive mangrove and replacing the invasive species with native plants; primarily akulikuli. I also worked on the shoreline to remove baby mangrove as well as trash. I worked in many roles at the site as an employee, leader, student, and peer to my other interns.
As a virtual aspect of my project, I assembled a 9 minute documentary that shows a lot of the significance of the sight that I learned. In constructing such a short piece, I try to demonstrate the importance of the area while keeping my insight concise.
What really changed in me was my perspective of my community. I always viewed Hawaii with a very tourist-tinted perspective. Despite me living here Oahu always seemed like just another part of this place of beaches and palm trees. I knew of Hawaiian tradition but not that much. Working with Hui o Ho'ohonua allowed me to learn by experience. Experiencing the passionate efforts of the community leaders and understanding how they viewed this place was really powerful. By understanding the perspective of others my own changed. Now I realize as a member of this community it is my responsibility to care for this place. In other words it is my kuleana to malama Pu'uloa.
Joanne Wong
At the shorelines of Kapapapuhi, I removed mangrove, planted invasive species, and got to meet and work with so many incredible people, mentors, and students. I've also created an ArcGis storymap as a passion project, about the things I've learned at Pu‘uloa and what I envision for the future.
It has been an incredible honor to be an intern for HOH808 and Mālama Puʻuloa.
Zander Woosley
I was hoping to learn more about the situation and what I can do to help...I wanted to be a part of something bigger. I was aiming to play my part and contribute
I learned that even something as small as planting a plant, or clearing out a few branches can make a world of a difference.
And with the help of more people, we can truly make this projectʻs dream a reality.