A Hawaiian non-profit organization in Waipi’o Valley revitalize and advance indigenous Kanaka Maoli cultural knowledge and land stewardship of this sacred place of our ancestors.
We have a few sites that participants can select from. In Waipiʻo Valley, we have 5 parcels. For example, one parcel includes the Hiʻilawe River for those who would want to focus on importance of water in an ʻahupuaʻa, compare water samples after water goes through loʻi etc. Another parcel in Waipiʻo has the ancient taro patches lined with rock walls dated back to 800 – 1200 AD in which groups help in the process of restoring these ancient taro patches. Another parcel as the famous Ti House with the backdrop of the famous Hiʻilawe Waterfall in which hālau hula normally requests to come and learn a hula, compose song/hula, prepare for Merrie Monarch. The other two parcels are for gathering hau to make rope, schools to come and harvest wood for poi boards.
The 2100 acres in the area of Mahiki and Lalakea, in the rimlands, we are focusing on ʻōhiʻa and how to save ʻōhiʻa trees from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. We also have a section in which people have already planted a large amount of sandalwood trees and we will continue to plant forests of koa, ʻulu, mamaki and other useful native trees and plants. These lands connect to our Koaʻekea parcel and wraps around the top of Waipiʻo Valley and connects to our parcels below Hiʻilawe Waterfalls as this particular parcel goes a little pass the top of the area of Hiʻilawe Waterfalls. Thereʻs the pool and smaller waterfalls that eventually flows down the 1400 foot cliff to create Hiʻilawe Waterfalls.
The Koaʻekea parcel we steward is the last parcel before one starts to travel into Waipiʻo Valley. This is the parcel we hosted STEM2 at. We cleaned up the area with removing 11 abandoned vehicles and over 20 trailer and truck loads of trash. Removed invasive trees, chipped them and utilized them to give back to the ʻāina while planting up native and other beneficial plants and trees.
In Olaʻa, Puna we offer workshops such as how to build traditional hale, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, star gazing, rock wall building, heiau and ʻahu building, poi board and poi pounder workshops, song composition, food prep, imu making etc.