Cherished moʻolelo (stories), meaningful mele, and breathtaking views were among the highlights of Piliʻāina, a unique learning experience offered to faculty and staff who are new to the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu.
Piliʻāina provided participants with an opportunity to explore where UH West Oʻahu calls home — the moku (district) of ʻEwa within the ahupuaʻa (land division) of Honouliuli — through mountain-to-sea-level stops at significant sites that included expert guides who shared their knowledge about the cultural and historical importance of these areas.
Traditionally an annual event held at the beginning of the fall semester, Piliʻāina was cancelled last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the event was held on two days — Monday, Aug. 16, and Tuesday, Aug. 17 — with a total of nearly a dozen participants, all of whom adhered to COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Led by Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, Konohiki for Kūlana o Kapolei, this year’s Piliʻāina began on campus in Hale Kuahuokalā at the Student Organic Garden. There, participants learned and discussed “Mele Honouliuli,” written by Puʻu Zablan, former PIKO assistant director at UH West Oʻahu. The mele was an appropriate introduction to the day’s activities as it highlighted areas the group would later visit. Time at the māla (garden) also featured a quick visit to the Uluniu Project’s nearby Niu Nursery and Uluniu Grove.
The group then boarded a shuttle bus that took them to a total of three locations throughout the ahupuaʻa: Puʻu O Kapolei, considered the piko (epicenter) of Honouliuli and located above Kapolei Regional Park, with guest speaker Mikiʻala Lidstone, executive director of Ulu Aʻe Learning Center; sea level at Kapāpaʻapuhi at Kaihuopalaʻai (West Loch) of Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor); and at the 2,500-foot elevation at Pālehua located above Makakilo and featuring a sweeping panaromic view from Oʻahu’s south to west sides, with guest speaker and site steward McD Philpotts, a Campbell family descendant.
Each stop helped participants to better understand and connect with the places, which is among the goals of Piliʻāina — to nurture relationship with self, place, and others.
Following the event, Dr. Bonnie Bittman, Assistant Professor of Secondary Social Studies at UH West Oʻahu, said her experience participating in Piliʻāina was a special one, an exploration of place and self.
“This is the beginning of my second year here at UH West Oʻahu, and I have heard the ‘Mele Honouliuli’ many times over Zoom,” Bittman said. “Although I have followed along with the words and read the translation, it never had much internal significance for me before.”
Bittman continued, “By showing me Pālehua, Kapolei, and Kapāpaʻapuhi, I am learning about the community I serve here in Honouliuli. The Piliʻāina was a wonderful learning experience for me as I continue to find and mark a place for myself in our wonderful community.”
To see more pictures from the two-day event, visit the Piliʻāina Fall 2021 album on flickr.
