New chapter of stewardship: ʻAha Hoʻomaikaʻi for Moku o Loʻe
HIMB Director Megan Donahue and Kawaikapuokalani Hewett are all smiles at the end of the ʻAha Hoʻomaikaʻi. Photo Credit: Maria Frostic, HIMB.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) began the new academic year by reaffirming its commitment to island stewardship and honoring HIMB’s new director Megan Donahue at Coconut Island (Moku o Loʻe) on August 25. The campus hosted an ʻAha Hoʻomaikaʻi, a Hawaiian protocol meaning “to make all things good,” to clear a path into the future. Led by kupuna and Kumu Hula, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, a small group participated in a ceremony around the island to strengthen the bond between the institute and the land and sea that sustain it.
“It was an honor to be joined by the kūpuna of this place and past leaders of HIMB to recognize their sustaining care for this island,” said Donahue. “Along with our students and the HIMB ʻohana, we envision a future of innovation in marine science and education that honors people and place. Today’s protocol and celebration joins the past and the future of Moku o Loʻe with a continuity of stewardship.”
The Hoʻomaikaʻi ceremony came at a pivotal time for HIMB. The institute recently completed a collaborative community design process for pono stewardship, resulting in the creation of a formal Mālama ʻĀina Plan for Moku o Loʻe. This plan includes climate adaptation strategies and solidifies HIMB‘s dedication to UH Mānoa’s strategic plan to become a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning (NHPoL). NHPoL is responsive to Native Hawaiians, including students, employees, communities and ʻāina, and is also reflective of Hawaiʻi for all, and incorporates Hawaiian culture, language, ceremony, history, principles, values and worldviews.
Community, stewardship in action
The formal protocol was complemented by hands-on stewardship from the broader HIMB community. Faculty, staff, students and community partners participated in a collective effort to care for the island, embodying the principles of mālama ʻāina. This was followed by an ʻahaʻaina, a shared feast, celebrating the collective effort and the beginning of a promising new semester.
“As our kūpuna led the ʻAha Hoʻomaikaʻi, I had the honor of witnessing a glimpse of where we are headed as a research institution, grounded in the values of Hawaiʻi,” said HIMB Stewardship Coordinator Aimee Sato. “There was no distinction between a researcher, staff or community member, as everyone found themselves planting kalo, weeding areas of the island, cleaning the shorelines of trash, opening the imu, laying out lauhala mats or frying fish together.”
Leading up to the ʻahaʻaina, members of the HIMB ʻohana caught fish, gathered locally harvested foods from Moku o Loʻe and throughout the region, and readied an imu (underground oven) in preparation. This collective effort symbolizes the commitment and teamwork that are foundational to the institute’s mission.
This blend of traditional Hawaiian protocol, hands-on stewardship and community gathering reflects HIMB‘s holistic approach to marine science. It underscores the belief that world-class research and community-based stewardship are not mutually exclusive but are deeply intertwined. By honoring the past and working together in the present, HIMB is creating a sustainable and culturally-grounded future, demonstrating what it truly means to be a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.