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Saturday, December 09, 2023

Kaʻū News Briefs December 9, 2023

Kaʻū High Marine Science and journalism students and teachers at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center. Photo by Angelica Bivings

KAʻŪ HIGH MARINE SCIENCE STUDENTS VISITED Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo on Dec. 7 to use kilo - the Hawaiian practice of watching, observing and examining. The students looked for their personal connections to marine life shown in the educational displays about the federally protected  Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument comprised of islands and atolls and their surrounding ocean in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its 583,000 square mile area is the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area under the U.S. flag, and largest marine conservation area in the world.
    The Kaʻū students who visited the Discovery Center to learn about Papahānaumokuākea used kilo to  realize their personal connections to Hawaiʻi's environment, focusing on the ocean.
    They engaged in three learning rotations to better understand the historical, cultural, and ecological significance of Pāpahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. "They will continue to expand their kilo practice and discover more connections to the environment," said English and journalism teacher Chayanee Brooks whose students attended with the Marine Science teacher Beatriz Ramos and her students.

Map of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument islands, atolls and surrounding ocean in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its 583,000 square mile area is the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area under the U.S. flag, and largest marine conservation area in the worldMap from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument


See https://friendsofmidway.org/now-offering-
three-aloha-albatross-shirts/
CHOOSING AN ALBATROSS NESTING SHIRT CHRISTMAS GIFT to purchase this season sends 10 percent to Friends of Midway Atoll, the non-profit that supports the world's largest albatross colony, located within Pāpahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The Hawaiian name for Midway Atoll is Kuahihelani. The Hawaiian name for the Laysan albatross who lives there is Mōlī.
    The shirt is designed and manufactured by artist and "conservation mission-driven company manager David Shepard," says the Friends of Midway Atoll statement. Also offered are a Laysan Albatross Colony Men's Pull-over Aloha Shirt and a Women's button down Laysan Albatross Colony Half-sleeve Aloha Shirt.
    According to Friends, "Mōlī live long lives at sea, spending most of it far from land. Albatross are the kinolau (physical manifestation) of Lono, god of peace and rain. They are harbingers of the Makahiki winter rainy season. Each makahiki season, the arrival of mōlī are reminders of a season of peace, rain and growth."  See https://friendsofmidway.org/now-offering-three-aloha-albatross-shirts/.


EXPLORING THE DEPTHS OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN HERITAGE,  two treasured books, Na Pule Kahiko by June Gutmanis and Hawaiian Proverbs and Riddles by Henry Pratt Judd, have been reissued, "offering an invaluable resource for those passionate about traditional Hawaiian wisdom," says a statement from Petroglyph Press.
These scarce publications are reissued by Petroglyph Press
in Hawaiian and English. See BasicallyBooks.com
    In its sixty-first year, Hilo based publisher, Petroglyph Press, releases these new bilingual resources, in English and 'Olelo Hawai'i, continuing a legacy of returning scarce publications to the reading public.
    Na Pule Kahiko, originally published in 1983 by June Gutmanis, remains a fundamental repository of native Hawaiian prayers. "It stands as a tribute to ancestral practices, meticulously preserved through diligent scholarship. Gutmanis, through her dedication to gathering, recording, and translating these sacred chants, enriches our collective understanding of Hawaiian history, says the Petroglyph statement.
    Simultaneously, Hawaiian Proverbs and Riddles by Henry Pratt Judd, first published in 1930, "is a testament to Judd's scholarly prowess and dedication to Hawaiian language and culture. It presents a unique compilation of riddles and proverbs, offering a rare glimpse into the cultural fabric of the time by an expert and contributor to 'Olelo Hawaii textbooks," according to Petroglyph Press.
    Petroglyph Press books are available at book and gift stores throughout Hawai'i. They are also available online at BasicallyBooks.com, or at Basically Books, 334 Kilauea Avenue in Hilo.


More Rest for Monk Seals
Kaʻū Coast, the longest uninhabited shoreline in Hawai'i, keeps giving a safe resting place for
endangered monk seals, this one at Honu'apo this week. Photo by Barbara Sabin





























WATER LEASES FOR RANCHES, FARMS AND WOOD VALLEY WATER COOPERATIVE WERE APPROVED on Friday by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources. Here are the names of the entities approved and the amount of water used and description of use of the water.