"Our elders have created for us a sacred way of being in the universe. It is our responsibility to pass this understanding on to the next generation."

Tessie Naranjo (Pueblo, North America)

Ho'i i ka pilina kai is an effort to reconnect ourselves to our environment and through that connection rediscover ourselves as kanaka. Based on the kumulipo, our people were born of this ocean and of this land, which has sustained us for thousands of years--- feeding us body, mind, and soul. Today the relationship has changed and as a majority we no longer are connected to our environemnt in the intimate way our kupuna were.

.

“...recover ourselves, to claim a space in which to develop a sense of authentic humanity.”

Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Maori, Aotearoa)

Through re-establishing our relationship with our oceans and recognizing our environment as a family member to be cared for in a familial way, we begin the journey to heal ourselves.

"Different places have a different degree of sacredness depending on your relationship to it"

Kekuhi Keli'ikanaka'ole (Kanaka Maoli, Hawaii)