Thank you for this wonderful post. I was immersed and had already shown my husband the satellite image of the fishpond, and we were remembering Maui and its incredible bird song, the wonderful Hawaiian language that speaks of responsibility and caring for the land. I already loved this story when I got to the bottom and saw that you shared my story. Mahalo! Let's keep in touch.🌺
Mahalo, Amanda! I was thrilled to read of all the environmental votes in your post, and I’m grateful you’re spotlighting hopeful developments. We need to soak up the good juice wherever it’s found. Thanks for dropping by!
This past summer I vowed to spend time each day in my hammock, and then began to document the changing of the leaves as the seasons began to shift. Now that spot is covered by snow, which has been hard to adjust to, and ironically arrived with the election results. I’ve been working to find a place to ground myself again, and this piece gave me some great ideas to ponder. Thank you.
What a lovely spot you chose for hanging out! And yes, it can be a lot harder to spend time outdoors in snowy seasons. When I lived in ice country (Colorado then New Mexico) we had a dog who dragged us outside whether we wanted to go or not! Dog walking and hiking—staying on the move!—in certain paths became my “spot.” I’m glad if you picked up a few ideas here, and thanks, Page, for dropping by and connecting.
Thnak you Priscilla, I so loved hearing your story about the restoration and how it’s being done, with wisdom, simplicity and relational to , very applicable to here in Australia. It’s a lot of work and money to replant natives so approaching this through tending to what is already here makes so much sense. I love that you were tight to sit with the plant first for a bit before weeding around her. Regenerating soil an soul 💚🌺
Yes, regeneration flowing both ways! I was not familiar with this method of restoration, but I am liking it. A lot! I also imagine it’s less of a budget challenge. But it does not inhibit their planning or imagination. I sat afterward and chatted with Koko, listening to their plans: mapping the octopus holes offshore; restoring the fishpond; restoring the lagoons zone by zone; educating the keiki (children)…the vision is breathtaking. They easily imagine 20, 30, 40 years down the road—because this land is family. And they will be here for the duration. That’s Indigenous thinking. Every place, every piece of Earth where people dwell, needs us to live from that sense of belonging.
You truly are in your right place, Priscilla, such privilege to have Koko as your teacher and inspiration. We have so much to learn about seeing and feeling where we live as kin, and proceeding from this sensibility in how we then care and restoresDo hope to hear a lot more about this , such an incredible process to be involved with
And merely one of many going on here! I also take inspiration from the Hawai‘i Land Trust restoration work just a few miles away, how cultural restoration is part of land restoration. The short videos at the bottom of this page are gold: https://www.hilt.org/waihee.
Once I found the poem, it was a little too on the nose in its political context. The same things have been weakening societies since forever, like runaway inequality. There was inequality in Hawaiian society too—it was hierarchical—but what it also had was this sense of connection, of responsibility. The more power, the greater responsibility to make sure all are thriving. There’s a Hawaiian concept I really love: kuleana. Often translated simply as responsibility, but it has this sense of connection: your kuleana is who you are connected to, who you respond to: your response-ability. And that starts with family, and family starts with land. And land remains.
So glad it’s helpful, Julie! I love that word “heartening.” I didn’t have the word for what I was going for here. Now I do! 🙏💚 Finding the poem sent me down bunny trails of 8th-century China, and it was a little too familiar: extreme inequality, corruption in high places. . . .
It put me in mind of the Karen Armstrong’s amazing book, “The Great Transformation,” about the “Axial Age” when the world’s major religions were all born (independently of each other), in response to human suffering. I remember being fascinated by the discussion of China’s woes.
Thank you for this wonderful post. I was immersed and had already shown my husband the satellite image of the fishpond, and we were remembering Maui and its incredible bird song, the wonderful Hawaiian language that speaks of responsibility and caring for the land. I already loved this story when I got to the bottom and saw that you shared my story. Mahalo! Let's keep in touch.🌺
Mahalo, Amanda! I was thrilled to read of all the environmental votes in your post, and I’m grateful you’re spotlighting hopeful developments. We need to soak up the good juice wherever it’s found. Thanks for dropping by!
This past summer I vowed to spend time each day in my hammock, and then began to document the changing of the leaves as the seasons began to shift. Now that spot is covered by snow, which has been hard to adjust to, and ironically arrived with the election results. I’ve been working to find a place to ground myself again, and this piece gave me some great ideas to ponder. Thank you.
What a lovely spot you chose for hanging out! And yes, it can be a lot harder to spend time outdoors in snowy seasons. When I lived in ice country (Colorado then New Mexico) we had a dog who dragged us outside whether we wanted to go or not! Dog walking and hiking—staying on the move!—in certain paths became my “spot.” I’m glad if you picked up a few ideas here, and thanks, Page, for dropping by and connecting.
Thnak you Priscilla, I so loved hearing your story about the restoration and how it’s being done, with wisdom, simplicity and relational to , very applicable to here in Australia. It’s a lot of work and money to replant natives so approaching this through tending to what is already here makes so much sense. I love that you were tight to sit with the plant first for a bit before weeding around her. Regenerating soil an soul 💚🌺
Yes, regeneration flowing both ways! I was not familiar with this method of restoration, but I am liking it. A lot! I also imagine it’s less of a budget challenge. But it does not inhibit their planning or imagination. I sat afterward and chatted with Koko, listening to their plans: mapping the octopus holes offshore; restoring the fishpond; restoring the lagoons zone by zone; educating the keiki (children)…the vision is breathtaking. They easily imagine 20, 30, 40 years down the road—because this land is family. And they will be here for the duration. That’s Indigenous thinking. Every place, every piece of Earth where people dwell, needs us to live from that sense of belonging.
Thanks I look forward to watching. Often overlooked when Indigenous methods adopted yet it is the foundation.
You truly are in your right place, Priscilla, such privilege to have Koko as your teacher and inspiration. We have so much to learn about seeing and feeling where we live as kin, and proceeding from this sensibility in how we then care and restoresDo hope to hear a lot more about this , such an incredible process to be involved with
And merely one of many going on here! I also take inspiration from the Hawai‘i Land Trust restoration work just a few miles away, how cultural restoration is part of land restoration. The short videos at the bottom of this page are gold: https://www.hilt.org/waihee.
Thank you for the reference to the Chinese. Perfect.
Once I found the poem, it was a little too on the nose in its political context. The same things have been weakening societies since forever, like runaway inequality. There was inequality in Hawaiian society too—it was hierarchical—but what it also had was this sense of connection, of responsibility. The more power, the greater responsibility to make sure all are thriving. There’s a Hawaiian concept I really love: kuleana. Often translated simply as responsibility, but it has this sense of connection: your kuleana is who you are connected to, who you respond to: your response-ability. And that starts with family, and family starts with land. And land remains.
I love this. Thank you!
This is so heartening. The opening with Du Fu’s poem really hooked me. Yes, connection is what we all need now. Opportunities abound. 🕊️🤍
So glad it’s helpful, Julie! I love that word “heartening.” I didn’t have the word for what I was going for here. Now I do! 🙏💚 Finding the poem sent me down bunny trails of 8th-century China, and it was a little too familiar: extreme inequality, corruption in high places. . . .
It put me in mind of the Karen Armstrong’s amazing book, “The Great Transformation,” about the “Axial Age” when the world’s major religions were all born (independently of each other), in response to human suffering. I remember being fascinated by the discussion of China’s woes.