By Eryn Wise | Project Leader
Daanzho/hello relatives -
We're finally home after weeks at the base of Mauna a Wakea in support of the descendants of the Sovereign Kingdom of Hawai'i trying to prevent the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) from being constructed. At the invitation of our beloved comrade and adopted auntie Pua, our collective was able to send a small delegation to lend support to protectors on the ground.
After arriving in Hawai'i, we were welcomed into the Pu'uhonua (a place of refuge) o Pu'uhuluhulu by our extended family and native Hawaiian relatives to join in daily protocols, hula offerings, meles, prayers, classes at the Pu'uhuluhulu University, and to be among their people in solidarity with the ever-growing mauna community. In a true spirit of kapu aloha (acting with only kindness, love, and empathy), we were guided by the teachings and vigilance of the kupuna (ancestors/elders), the dedication of our neighbors and fellow community members, and were reminded daily by the keiki (children) present why it was we stood like pillars, safeguarding such a sacred place.
A video is forthcoming, detailing our time supporting our fiercely loving relatives. In the meantime, please enjoy these photos and a small story of one plant-loving tutu in particular...
Last week this tutu brought us to tears. Having visited the mauna 4 times, she told the Kupuna that every time she came she felt guilty for not having a gift to offer during the daily protocols. She also expressed that her mobility was extremely limited and that she’d been hitching rides to get to camp. After she spoke, she set down the microphone and painstakingly pushed her walker forward. She announced that she didn’t have much, but she did have a garden and had spent several days making her way around her property to dig up the most beautiful of all her plants. That day, we witnessed her return to the mauna with them all as gifts. Many of us come from so little and the most humble hearts fill ours right up.
It is our fervent hope that we are able to produce a video that encapsulates as much of the love that we felt on the mauna as we did listening to our grandparent radiate reciprocity, even in its most humble form. We ask that you keep our relatives on the mauna in mind this coming week and stand tall like mountains for whatever moves you.
Iheedn/thank you for being on this journey with Storytellers. We so appreciate you all.
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