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Hāloanakalaukapalili: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Botany

This unit focuses on the Kalo plant, Colocasia esculenta, its role in the Hawaiian worldview, and our relationship as humans to the kalo plant, providing a framework that allows participants to apply to other mea kanu (plants), enabling the haumāna (students) to develop a kinship relationship with ʻāina (land). Through developed and ongoing reciprocity between people and plants, this unit will provide tangible experiences of concepts relating to sustainable food systems from a Hawaiian lens.

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Standards Aligned

Next Generation Science Standards, Social Studies (C3), Common Core ELA, Na Hapena A'o, Other (see Unit)

Community Partner(s)

In creating my kalo unit plan, I was fortunate to collaborate with incredible community partners who enriched the learning experience for my students. The Agriculture Program at Mililani High School provided a foundation for place-based education through their on-campus māla, allowing students to engage in hands-on kalo cultivation within a familiar environment. Hui Aloha ʻĀina Mōmona hosted a field trip where students participated in farm maintenance, deepening their connection to ʻāina while learning traditional practices and crafting their own papa kuʻi ʻai (poi pounding boards) as a tangible takeaway of cultural significance. At Mauliola Keʻehi, students immersed themselves in mālama ʻāina, removing invasive gorilla ogo from the reef flats and repurposing it as a soil amendment for their māla plants, demonstrating sustainable practices rooted in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Special mahalo to Jesse Mikasobe-Kealiʻinohomoku and Alapaki Luke for their invaluable feedback, which helped refine and enhance the unit plan to better serve the students and honor the ʻike (knowledge) of our community. Their guidance ensured this unit celebrated the integration of culture, place, and education in meaningful ways.

Essential Question

How can we use the story of Hāloa and the concept of “‘ohana” to understand mālama ʻāina in the context of conservation and sustainable food systems?

Enduring Understanding

Students understand the concepts of nānā pono.
- Students understand how to use nānā pono to identify the kalo ʻohana, and in turn, why these ʻohana were cultivated for different functions.
Students understand the story of Hāloanakalaukapalili, and how it shaped the Hawaiian worldview.
- Students understand that humans have a kinship with ʻāina, not a dominion relationship.
Students understand what an “ʻohana” is in the context of kalo, and how the word ʻohana was derived.
- Students understand what a cultivar is in the context of plants.

Content

Author Reflections

Through implementing this kalo unit, I learned that while it is designed to fit into a two-week timeframe, its true impact unfolds over a much longer period. To allow students to properly kilo (observe) and build pilina (relationships) with their kalo, this unit should ideally be taught over a year or, at minimum, a semester. I also realized the importance of starting with a single kalo cultivar. By focusing on one cultivar and developing confidence and familiarity with its unique characteristics and needs, students can build a solid foundation before expanding their knowledge to include other varieties. This slower, intentional approach aligns with the reciprocal values of aloha ʻāina and fosters a deeper connection between students and their plants.

Author

Kelsie Kuniyoshi

Learner Level High School

Primary Content Agriculture, Indigenous Knowledge, Science