Kūhohonu: Navigating our Future

By Kauwila Hanchett

Kūhohonu—to rise from profound depth—is a collaborative endeavor facilitated by the Kaupō Community Association, Inc. (KCAI) in partnership with Hōlani Hāna, a culture-based nonprofit based in Hāna. Kūhohonu seeks to bring people together and support communities in their rightful role as navigators of the future.

Kūhohonu recognizes that the mechanisms to reclaim ancestral abundance remain encoded in the land and people of Kaupō. Indeed abundance is the natural state of ka pae ‘āina o Hawai‘i when kānaka and ‘āina are in pono—balance or right order.

What future do we envision for our children, grandchildren, and those yet unborn? What are the community values, cultural practices, rural lifestyles, and unique characteristics of Kaupō that we wish to protect and pass on to the next generation?

How do we work together to care for our keiki, mākua, kūpuna, and ‘ohana? How do we mālama the ‘āina, lani, and kai—and our natural, cultural, and historical resources?

How can we increase our selfsufficiency, and thus our resiliency, in the face of rapidly changing political, social, environmental, and economic landscapes?

How can we return to traditional knowledge and restore our basic relationship with the land as our primary source of sustenance?

We will seek to answer these questions as a community, and articulate a shared vision for our future. This vision will then inform the development of communityled initiatives that address current needs while honoring our kuleana to generations yet to come.

Another critical component of the project is to build our capacity to implement community-led initiatives. This may include increasing fundraising capacity; establishing human resource (HR) systems; strengthening fiscal management; developing datatracking and evaluation tools; and growing homegrown leaders.

Kūhohonu seeks to bring people together and support communities in their rightful role as navigators of the future.

The capacity building and community planning aspects of Kūhohonu will work in tandem to ensure that once our community is clear on its direction and vision for the future, we can confidently move forward to achieve our goals.

Kūhohonu spans East Maui from Ko‘olau to Kaupō, with each moku working toward the goals of the project in its own way. There will be opportunities to connect our efforts across moku as the project unfolds.

Kūhohonu is supported by the Weinberg Family Foundation, the Frost Family Foundation, and the Administration for Native Americans (ANA).

KCAI will be provided with funding over a three year period from 2022-2024 to implement project activities which include ‘ohana talk story sessions, focus groups, and town-hall style meetings.

If you are interested in learning more about this initiative or helping to bring these goals to fruition, please contact Kauwila at haleholani@gmail.com.