KĪPUKA OLOWALU

This non-profit organization is connecting residents and visitors to Maui’s environmental and cultural roots.

words BROOKE REHMANN

Olowalu is a sacred place, hidden in plain sight. A small town situated along the shores and valleys of West Maui, it has long been a special place to Hawaiians. Over the years, some of what has made this area incredibly special had been hidden, and without a renewed focus on conservation by caretakers, this knowledge could have been lost forever. Kīpuka Olowalu, a non-profit organization that formed right at the beginning of the pandemic, are now the caretakers of this unique area. Previous works by the Olowalu Cultural Reserve organization helped maintain and develop this space over the past twenty years, but renewed interest, energy and focus have allowed this special place to shine. The word kīpuka means a protected area, such as a space raised above surrounding lava, separated from the danger around it. In this way, Kīpuka Olowalu is a safe space for the beauty of the Hawaiian culture and the nature of the islands to flourish.

Kīpuka Olowalu operates with a dedicated staff, including Edwin “Ekolu” Lindsey, Vice President; Karin Osuga, Executive Director; Téjè Roy, Coordinator; Kainoa Horcajo, President; and Ua Aloha Maji, Cultural Practitioner and Supervisor. I was fortunate to be able to chat with Ekolu, Karin and Téjè for this story, each incredibly passionate about the space and their individual contributions to the larger goal of restoring this sacred land. Kīpuka Olowalu is also blessed to have many volunteers helping them in a variety of ways.

Ancient Hawai‘i had a sticks and stones culture, a phrase used frequently by Ekolu’s father, Ed Lindsey, and now with the next generation. This means that a lot of the artifacts of their society are challenging to find, as it becomes inundated by overgrown jungles, or washed away by rain and erosion. And because ancient Hawaiians did not have a written language, the only way to pass down stories was through the usage of oli, or chants, as well as through hula. As western contact prohibited hula and the Hawaiian language, a lot of stories and history have been lost to time. This makes places like Kīpuka Olowalu much more important and significant, as they can be a link to a nearly forgotten past, to help future generations learn about where they come from, and help chart a stronger, brighter future together.

Ekolu’s father was instrumental in helping bring West Maui’s cultural treasures to light, spearheading an organization called Maui Cultural Lands. Ekolu discussed his upbringing in a family where giving back to the community was an important part of their lives. “I grew up the haole in the family,” Ekolu laughs, sharing how he was the only one of his siblings who was born on the mainland. “I never thought I’d be the one to take over my father’s work.” And yet, this is precisely the role he’s recently taken on, joining the board of several organizations, helping to perpetuate Hawai‘i’s culture before it’s too late. Many members of Ekolu’s family, as well as close family friends, are passionate about their work caring for the islands’ lands and sharing the stories of their ancestors. This passion can be seen through various projects around Maui and the state. This passion and hard work across generations is what has allowed Kīpuka Olowalu to be where it is today.

It is a love of education that seems to ground most of the work performed at Kīpuka Olowalu. Ekolu shares about his father’s work as a teacher, taking his students hiking, on sailing trips, and adventures all around the island, to better understand the land they live on. “He flipped the script on the students, where all of a sudden, the smart ones in the classroom were not very smart outdoors. But the Hawaiian kids who were having a hard time learning in school were thriving outdoors. So now there was this mutual respect by seeing each other’s strengths.” This outdoor space, connected to generations and ancestors who have come before, feeds and nourishes not only the body, but also the soul. “My father’s goal as a teacher was to ensure that the integrity of the culture survives at least another generation, maybe two more,” Ekolu shared. It was this devotion and this vision that helped bring Ekolu into this line of work. Learning from his father and his mother, Puanani, who shared her wisdom about plants, helped bring to the forefront the importance of sharing the space of Kīpuka Olowalu with the students of Maui and beyond. Ekolu tells about one group that volunteered for eight days on the land, to give back and learn about this special place, and how connected the students were afterwards. Planning an eight-day event was a challenge for the folks at Kīpuka Olowalu, but a welcomed one. Ua Aloha Maji, Kīpuka Olowalu’s Cultural Practitioner and Supervisor, was given the space to create the agenda. Working together with the staff, they “designed an awesome program that was totally immersive, fun, educational and inspirational,” Ekolu says. One morning, they would dig up weeds, and in the afternoon, they’d learn about them and how they impacted the land. The students learned about native plants and their uses, medicinal plants, as well as streams and how they flow into the ocean and affect the coral reefs below. The group took snorkeling trips, hikes into the mountains, collected ferns and created lei, learned to dance hula and create an oli. At the end, the group celebrated with an hō‘ike, or display or sharing of their knowledge, for each other in an intimate setting, demonstrating all that they had learned together. Later, one volunteer stated that nothing had ever reached them in such a personal and meaningful way, and that they would take the lessons learned throughout the experience with them throughout their lives. “These types of moments really feed us that energy to go forward and do better,” Ekolu says.

Not every volunteer experience is as intensive or as long. Volunteers usually spend about a half-day at the kīpuka, spending 90 minutes working, and the rest of the time learning. This formula is by design, Ekolu shares, to ensure that folks come back. “That extra 30 minutes [beyond 90] is hard work,” he says, “but it doesn’t leave you hungry for more.” Each day the group will start with an opening protocol, to learn about each other and why they are there to volunteer. The end goal, Ekolu says, is to learn just one or two things by the end of the day. “There’s so much swirling in your head after the morning, but I really emphasize just that one thing. Just take that one thing and whoever you’re eating dinner with that night, just share it with them. Because if you’re not sharing it with somebody, you’re going to forget it.” Another goal is to then take that knowledge back to their homes, whether it’s on Maui or beyond, share it with their friends and family there, and try to live that learning in their own context. By doing so, changes can begin to take place slowly but surely.

Kīpuka Olowalu is funded through the CARES Act, and one of the long-term goals is to be self-sustaining going forward, and not have to rely solely on the work of volunteers. This is where staff members, such as Karin Osuga and Téjè Roy, come in. Their respective backgrounds in marine biology, conservation and sustainability help bring important knowledge to the group. For instance, Téjè works with worms to help create compost tea, a nutrient rich substance for the roots of plants, to help them thrive. She was encouraged to take bee-keeping classes to bring that knowledge back to the land, helping to further the space’s sustainability and environmentally friendly ethos. Karin’s previous work with marine-based conservation efforts help the organization’s staff to be mindful of what goes into the streams, as well as sediment that might be kicked up, that eventually trickles into the ocean, and subsequently, the reef below.

Some of the other folks that work for Kīpuka Olowalu include a wilderness guide, as well as an artist in residence. This helps the program take a holistic approach to caring for the space, seeing the beauty in multiple dimensions. The artist in residence is able to source their art materials by creating dyes from the various plants that grow around the property. The dyes are then used as a palette to create works of art that celebrate this beautiful space. “All of our staff members have different backgrounds, therefore, we can teach our visitors a variety of things. Our goal is to help create better understanding for future generations while keeping Hawaiian culture and beliefs alive,” Téjè shares.

The staff at Kīpuka Olowalu find the outreach to keiki (children) particularly gratifying. When speaking with Karin, she shared her passion for making the space available to children. Throughout their time on these field trips, the kids can put their feet in the mud of the lo‘i, or taro patch, learn about the cultural and traditional significance of kalo (taro), or what the native and endemic plant species are, and how a few of those plants arrived in our islands as canoe crops. “Having kids able to be here in a very immersive experience, and learn in a very experiential and tangible way is one of the most important things that we do,” Karin says.

Outside volunteers are welcome, and the team at Kīpuka Olowalu can help design schedules for groups of various sizes, from small workshops to larger groups that may need to be broken off into smaller subsets. There, volunteers can be immersed in the work of restoring this sacred place to a space closer to its origins. Though there are plants here that would not have been found in earlier times, such as avocado and mango trees, many canoe crops and native and endemic species are able to flourish in this area. “One goal for Kīpuka Olowalu is to be a place where people can come to connect not just with nature but also with each other, and connect with culture and cultural practices and become really immersed in those practices,” says Karin. Both Téjè and Karin encourage groups of all sizes to learn more about how they could design a program, whether the group is a family reunion, work outing, a scouting group, or just a few passionate individuals. The usual volunteer days are Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the second Sunday of the month, but you can inquire about other days. All are welcome to help give back to the land.

When asked what they hope people walk away from the experience with, I received a few different answers. For Karin, she hopes that visitors walk away with a glimpse of an authentic landscape and culture, and with a chance to give back to the island of Maui. For Téjè, she hopes that visitors will walk away with a stronger connection to the earth, and to feel a deeper connection to Maui than just the beaches or the food. “I hope they are able to gain an understanding of how amazing Hawaiian culture is and that indigenous knowledge is a huge thing here. After all, I’m always saying that the original voyagers had it tough, and that they were the very first observational scientists. They saw the connections between plants and animals, land and ocean,” she says. Meanwhile, Ekolu hopes that visitors will gain a better awareness and understanding of the people who called this area home, and who continue to help bring this corner of the island into the future. “I hope we will be able to honor into eternity those who came before us,” he says. And with all the hard work the team at Kīpuka Olowalu are doing, along with the help of generous volunteers, the knowledge and wisdom of generations of Hawaiians will hopefully continue on forever.

Kīpuka Olowalu is located in the historic town of Olowalu, about a ten minute drive outside of Lahaina, or a thirty minute drive from Kahului. Volunteers are welcome on their open volunteering days of Wednesdays and Thursdays each week, as well as the second Sunday of each month. Those looking for personalized tours or workshops can request more information from their website. For more information about the organization, as well as ways to donate time, money or supplies, visit the website kipukaolowalu.org or @kipukaolowalu.

Image by Natalia Mastrascusa