Māhukona Magic

Māhukona Magic: ‘Āko‘ako‘a Team Makes the Journey North

“The ocean connects all of us, and whether we’re in Miloli‘i, whether we’re in Keauhou, in Kona or we’re here in Māhukona, we’re all connected.” said Chadd Paishon. On the morning of October 10th, the ‘Āko‘ako‘a field team made the bright and early journey to Māhukona aboard the Kai Surveyor research vessel. Heading north up the coastline, this trip took 3 hours each way from the Hōnokohau Harbor. Once they arrived at Māhukona Beach Park, community members Kalei, Michael and Keone swam out to the boat to join the crew. Kalei Sine is a Makali‘i crew member and program coordinator for Nā Kālai Wa‘a, Michael Manu is a Nā Kālai carver, Makali‘i crew member and employee of Nā Kālai Wa’a, and Keone Emiliano works for Hawai’i Island Land Trust, as a coordinator on the ground in Māhukona. 

Kalei had a special perspective on what this collection day meant to her. “Growing up in California as a Kānaka Maoli continues to make me question my identity. Kamaʻāina was something I never felt comfortable to claim. Dayʻs like the one Michael Manu, Keone Emeliano and I spent with the coral restoration team from ‘Āko‘akoʻa helps me understand what Kamaʻāina truly means. To not only know your place but also to have a relationship with place. A relationship that is so strong that you can identify when something is wrong or a change has occurred. Kilo at its finest. Spending time with our living ancestors under the kai was a much different experience than simply observing the habitat around you.”

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As the team pulled colonies from the beautiful blue waters of the Bay, the corals were analyzed, logged and passed around amongst the group as they were excited and interested to learn more about each species. A total of 49 colonies and 12 species were collected from Māhukona and are now in the ‘Āko‘ako‘a Reef Restoration Nursery. These corals have been added to our Future Reef Bank where the goal is to collect corals of opportunity from various sites along the west coast of Hawai’i to have a representative sample in the land-based nursery to use in the restoration of those sites. The Future Reef Bank will be utilized to support and create coral spawning events next year and support future restoration of Māhukona as well as the other Bay’s we’ve collected colonies from.

This collection day would not have been possible without the support and mana’o of ‘Āko‘ako‘a cultural advisor Chadd Paishon. His guidance provided us this opportunity to properly approach gathering corals from Māhukona. As a navigator and senior captain of Nā Kālai Wa’a, he works closely with the youth to educate them on perpetuating pono practices and cultural traditions in order for them to become the next generation of stewards for Māhukona. “For me it’s exciting to have that next generation that loves this place because this is their backyard, this is where they call home. But also for us to make that connection for them to know how important it is to us, they feel really proud that there are other people that care about this place as much as they do.” Passing on these beliefs, understandings, and wisdom is vital to ensuring the future of Māhukona and all areas of Hawai‘i. Māhukona was once a thriving community and in that community some of those elders are still living today. “So for us it’s really continuing what our kupuna have asked us to do, to continue to care for this place, so that it can continue to provide for the next generation. And the next generation that sees it understands that it’s here because we’re all caring for it.” says Chadd. We look forward to continuing this partnership and supporting the future restoration of Māhukona for this community and for future generations. 

For people like Kalei who see Māhukona as home, this partnership is the beginning of a story that continues to be written. “I will continue to look for coral that has been knocked off the papa. To me this coral is much like myself, a Hawaiian that has been misplaced from their home and needs assistance to once again thrive within their one hānau.”

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