Sharing Aloha By Catherine Tarleton
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KeOlaMagazine.com | November-December 2020
Former Hawaiÿi Island resident Kerri Kantor (right), dancing with Healiÿi’s Polynesian Revue in San Diego. photo courtesy of Bryson Kim
Kalim Smith receives a heartfelt embrace from one of the protectors on Mauna Kea. photo by Francois Waikoloa
30 Although there are some differences in techniques, Kalim Smith successfully grows kalo in California and Hawaiÿi. photo courtesy of Kalim Smith
hat does Aloha Spirit look like in places outside of Hawai‘i? To find out, we asked an ipu (gourd) artist who grows them in both Kona and California, a kumu hula who teaches in Asia and Europe, and an IT tech/hula student in San Diego. Their stories, some surprising, some funny, some “chicken-skin,” tell us that the culture, values, and spirit of Hawai‘i are both vast and infinite, personal and global. Something you need to feel under your feet, and also something you can carry like a honu (turtle) shell wherever you go. Kamehameha Schools defines Hawaiian values as: “aloha (to have compassion and empathy); ‘imi na‘auao (to seek wisdom); mālama (to care for and protect); ‘ike pono (to know and do what is right); kuleana (to take responsibility); ho‘omau (to preserve and perpetuate); and ha‘aha‘a (to be humble).” More informally, Hawaiian values might be things we love and value: family, including ancestral family, food, nature, and the culture and philosophy that hold it all together—whether we live in Hawai‘i or elsewhere. Kalim Smith Kalim Smith grows ipu and makes traditional rhythm instruments in both San Diego and at Hālau Ka‘eaikahelelani in Keauhou. He’s created ipu heke (double gourds) and ipu heke ‘ole (single gourds) for some of Hawai‘i’s most prominent musicians, kumu (teachers), and dancers, including Keali‘i Reichel, Robert Cazimero, and many others. He also grows food crops and raises Hawaiian pigs—all of which he shares with the community. He holds two master’s degrees, in ethnic studies and anthropology, and was working on a PhD when a spinal cord injury “confined” him to a wheelchair. Indefatigable, it does not keep him from farming, traveling, swimming, skiing, teaching, or lifelong learning. From an interracial family, Kalim has a strong interest in genealogy, and he was surprised to learn that he’s related to Hiram Bingham and Lorenzo Lyons. He’s also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and a Mayflower descendant. “You can’t look at people in the moment. You have to look in a
Kumu Keala Ching’s haumana (students) in Switzerland. photo courtesy of Na Wai Iwi Ola
