Midday Manaʻo Episode 29 l Mele Lāhui with Kawika Aspili
Manu and Mehana are joined by ʻŌiwi musician Kawika Aspili, who shares his journey since his song "E Pi‘i Mai" went viral. The trio also explore the importance of music to our Hawaiian identity and how Mele Lāhui continues to inspire, connect, and uplift our people.
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"Na wai e hoʻōla i nā iwi?" (Who will save the bones?)
This traditional proverb speaks to the solemn kuleana of caring for iwi - which ʻŌiwi believe hold the mana of the departed.
Join Manu and Mehana for a discussion with Halealoha Ayau, who has long been the leader in bringing the bones of our ancestors home.
In this episode of Midday Manaʻo, Manu and Mehana are joined by Native Hawaiian Filmmaker ‘Aina Paikai, creator of Hawaiian Soul. Journey with us as we take a look through the lens of an indigenous perspective.
Native Hawaiian advocate and Board Member with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. Naʻalehu provides an update on the Kapūkaki (Red Hill) Crisis and why we all need to stay vigilent and engaged with this environmental catasrophe.
On this week’s episode, Manu and Mehana are joined by Bret Nainoa Mossman to discuss one of our favorite topics – manu! No, not our gracious and eloquent co-host; the other manu – birds! Nainoa is a conservationist and founder of Birds Hawaiʻi Past Present, an organization that seeks to rebuild our connection to native birds. In typical Midday Manaʻo fashion, the conversation starts with birds, but touches on a range of other topics including mele, reforestation, food sovereignty and sustainability, mosquitoes, and even the kumulipo. For information about Birds Hawai’i Past Present, visit: www.birdshawaiipastpresent.com For more information about the Environmental Assessment to control mosquitos and avian malaria on East Maui, visit: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=306&projectID=102795&documentID=125202Comment period: Dec 6, 2022 - Jan 23, 2023
This week, Mehana is joined by KHON2 Weather Anchor and Reporter Kamaka Pili to discuss traditional place names in Hawaiʻi. Why is it important to remember and honor the traditional name of an area, and why is it problematic when these names are replaced with English? Tune in to find out!
This week, Manu and Mehana are joined by Kēhaunani Abad, Director of Kealaiwikuamoʻo in Kamehameha Schools' Community Education Division. Kēhau leads a team that supports collaboration among Kanaeokana, a paeʻāina-wide network of some 80 schools and Hawaiian organizations focused on strengthening the lāhui and growing aloha ʻāina leaders through collaboration as a Hawaiian education system. Kanaeokana has been instrumental in amplifying important Native Hawaiian issues and events, including the upcoming Lā Kūʻokoʻa holiday. Together, they discuss the origin of this kingdom holiday - what it meant to Native Hawaiians in the past, and what it means to us today.
In this week's episode, Mehana flies solo and interviews Dr. Marcus Iwane, chief of Kīpukaoha (West Oʻahu Medical Office at Kapolei). Dr. Iwane shares with us his path to health and medicine, and together the pair discuss the social and cultural determinants of health, the challenges of addressing men's health, and the importance of health and wellbeing to a thriving lāhui.
This week, Manu and Mehana are joined by community organizer and former state legislator Kaniela Ing. As our 2022 election cycle comes to a close, the trio discuss voting, politics, and how to effectuate systems change to increase civic engagement.
Did you know that October is Kalo Appreciation month? In this episode, Manu and Mehana are joined by Davis Price, CNHA Business Development Strategist, and Kaina Makua, Executive Director of Kūmano I Ke Ala and owner of Aloha Aina Poi Company. Together, they remind us of our kuleana to Hāloa and the connection between a thriving food system and a healthy nation.
This week, Manu and Mehana are joined by Kathleen Ho, Deputy Director of Environmental Health for the Hawai’i State Department of Health. From Kaho’olawe to Kapūkakī, Kathy shares her past and present experiences protecting Hawaiʻi’s environmental resources.
On this week's episode, Manu and Mehana are joined by Mark Kawika Patterson, Administrator of the Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center and Chair of the Hawaiʻi State Correctional Systems Oversight Commission. With over 30 years of experience working in the criminal justice system, Kawika shares about the importance of shifting our mindsets from punishment to rehabilitation, creating a place of recovery, and the role of ʻāina-based healing.
In honor of Hawaiian History Month, Manu and Mehana are joined by Professor Leilani Basham to discuss Mele Lāhui - songs that are typically political in nature and that express our rights to sovereignty and self-determination. Watch, listen, and learn as we take a deep dive into the evolution of mele lāhui from the time of Liliuʻokalani to today.
On this week’s episode, Manu and Mehana are joined by Zabrina Zablan and Ipolani Duvauchelle from the Gay Agenda Collective, a wedding and event planning business that specializes in events for LGBTQ couples. Zabrina and Ipo discuss the origin of the Gay Agenda Collective, the importance of inclusivity in event planning, and their other business endeavors.
On this week's Midday Mana'o, Manu and Mehana sit down with Rick Barboza, Native Hawaiian plants expert and co-founder of Hui Kū Maoli Ola. Tune in to find out what constitutes a “native” plant, the difference between indigenous and endemic, and which introduced plants pose the greatest threat to our local ecosystems.
For this special Labor Day episode of Midday Mana'o, Mehana is joined by 'Ilima Long, a field organizer for the Hawai'i State Teacher Asscoiation, and Ikaika Hussey, a former organizer for UNITED HERE Local 5. Reflecting on the struggles and sacrifices of laborers throughout our history, the conversation takes us from the first plantation strike in Koloa, Kaua'i, in 1840 to our modern understanding of organized labor and itʻs significance in Hawai'i today.
This week, Manu and Mehana are joined, via zoom, by Dr. Trisha Kehaulani Watson-Sproat, a political strategist and founder of Honua Consulting. Coming off the heals of the 2022 Primary Election, the conversation revolves around elections, civic engagement, and voting as a part of our Hawaiian heritage.
On this week's Midday Manaʻo, Manu and Mehana are joined by Eweleiʻula Wong, 2022 ISA World Junior Surfing Champion, to talk story about competing in El Salvador, the place names of surfing spots, and using ʻŌlelo in the ocean.
Join us for a special episode of Midday Manaʻo coming straight from the 21st Annual Native Hawaiian Convention. How can Native Hawaiians leverage the intellectual property system to protect Indigenous culture and the legacy of our kūpuna? Watch, listen, and learn as Hawaiʻi State Senator Jarrett Keohokālole moderates a discussion about intellectual property rights with Makalika Naholowaʻa, CNHA Board Member and Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, and Nahoa Lucas, Senior Counsel for the Education Legal Division at Kamehameha Schools.
Join us for a special episode of Midday Mana’o coming straight from the 21st Annual Native Hawaiian Convention. Watch and listen to county mayors as they explore their vision for the future of regenerative tourism in Hawai’i.