Kalana

Sitting on a stone on the water’s edge of Auwaiolimu, my feet rested on the mossy stones beneath the cool flowing waters. Taking deep breaths, I listened to the calming white noise from the water flowing downstream. From the meditative white noise of the stream I imagined myself in connection with Auwaiolimu, deep in this connection I asked the stream “How can I help you? How can we help you?”. 

The response was not a direct messaged that appeared in my mind, rather I was met with feelings of heartache. However,  this feeling was overwhelmed with love, forgiveness, and healing. After experiencing these emotions from Auwaiolimu I began to deeply reflect as to what this means. Prior to this experience, I believed that the only way to heal the stream was with physical solutions as in removing the concrete slabs that direct the streams path.

 Through love, forgiveness, and healing from the water-- the solution that I came up with echoes the Hawaiian Sovereign movement, in regards to the act of decolonizing the mind. Kumu Hina, a mahū teacher and activist noted that the relationship between mahū and transgender are not the same, there is no translation. She proclaimed to others (as do many kanaka leaders) to decolonize the mind and remove western definitions and notions that apply themselves to Hawaiian meanings. Solutions to Auwaiolimu’s future requires Kanka Māoli frameworks in order to reconnect us to the water. The overwhelmed sense of healing that I got from the water was a healing of the mind and connection with Auwaiolimu. In the western world, it is easily assumed that natural problems always require physical solutions. In this case, I felt that Auwaiolimu asks us to reconnect with water, water nourishes us and asks us to do the same. Perhaps when the whole of the community reconnects itself with water we could then imagine physical solutions that would be successful in Auwaiolimu's future, for now she asks to reconnect with the land and water.