Nā Lauʻō o Kaʻakepa
Nā Lauʻō o Kaʻakepa is a hui (group) of family and community members who care specifically for the place of Kaʻakepa under Pōhaku Pelemaka. Pōhaku Pelemaka has secured a right-of entry for two Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) parcels (about 30 acres) and a County owned parcel (about 5 acres) on Hawaii island in the district of Puna, in the ahupuaʻa (smaller land division) of Malama.
Pōhaku Pelemaka provides Nā Lauʻō o Kaʻakepa with liability insurance, safety training/supplies/protocols, and right of access. The Board of Pōkahu Pelemaka will have oversight over membership.
Mission
Preserve and protect Kaʻakepa now and for the future generations
Vision
Protect Kaʻakepa and implement the ʻOhana Stewardship and Adaptive Management plan
Kaʻakepa
Kaʻakepa is one of the last remaining coconut groves of its kind. Families have been gathering here for generations. Nā Lauʻō o Kaʻakepa was formed to protect and preserve Kaʻakepa. The education of residents/visitors is critical within these spaces.
Passing the torch of Hawaiian practices is paramount.
The transmission of intergenerational knowledge of Hawaiian practices is imperative to the protection and preservation of Kaʻakepa. Through culture-based education
we can reduce the impacts by residents and visitors entering into the space.
Presence is key and over the last 4-years we have been able to share the importance of the place. The more we are there to educate, the more people understand the significance of this wahi pana.
We believe having a presence and educating residents and visitors frequenting Kaʻakepa makes a difference. If we Aloha ʻĀina then others will follow.
It is also important to allow the place time to rest so we can perpetuate the natural and cultural resources within the space. Our aspiration is to have at least one kupuna present each month. As stewards of the area, it is imperative to share intergenerational knowledge rom kupuna to keiki as it has been done for generations.
Programs
Lā ʻOhana
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Six times per year
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Activities & Purpose:
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Hana lima
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Kilo
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Holoholo
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Moʻolelo
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Hana Leʻaleʻa
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Reinforce pono
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Hana noʻeau
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Hoʻowehe i ka Niu
This is our annual camp for three days in July when we have kupuna present each day for us to all share in the intergenerational knowledge that was/is passed down from our kūpuna to our keiki.
We offer cultural workshops such as oli/mele, kilo, lawaiʻa, coconut husking, cordage, milk, as well as making pulumi and pāpale, lauhala bracelets and kuʻi kalo.
Community Based Stewardship
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Kaʻakepa ʻOhana Stewardship and Adaptive Management plan
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Biological/Ecological assessment
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Archaeological assessment or Literature Review and Field Inspection
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Research ʻIke Kūpuna practices and implement into the plan
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Develop management goals/practices and implement into the plan
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