ʻOhana Days at Kāhili
The sun brightens as we oli the words that were carefully and lovingly woven by Mehana Vaughn. "Kia'i ʻia Kīlauea e Nihokū," the first line of this oli that grounds us to Kāhili, calling the kia'i to protect this place as the 'iwa respond and surround the sky above us--'Iwa kīkaha puni ke ao.
This summer families from a community based program came for a second time to camp out and enjoy the beauty of Kāhili while strengthening both their connections to ʻāina and their understanding of stewardship. The summer program, Kaiaulu Ko'olau, hosted by Mehana Vaughn and Kapua Chandler was created to teach the keiki and 'ōpio whose families come from Kauaʻi’s Ko'olau moku multiple ways in which they can connect to the 'āina they call home. One of the many places they visit during this program is Kāhili Beach Preserve.
There was a time when Kāhili Beach wasn’t treated with love and respect. People frequently left trash, held massive parties, started open fires and left them unattended with dangerous debris inside, allowed their dogs to disturb ground-nesting birds, dig up native seedlings, and leave their waste on the sand dunes. Sadly, this created a rift where the families of Ko'olau who have come here for generations felt unsafe in the very place they called home. ʻOhana campouts through programs such as Kaiaulu Koʻolau is a step towards healing the disconnect to this ʻāina from this generational rift, and this is the second year that keiki and their families join us to tell stories of what they remember of this wahi pana, this special place--some of whom haven't been to Kāhili in decades.
We host this hui for two nights as they mālama 'āina and learn more about the resources in this area and how to protect it. Hearing old stories from their parents and grandparents of how tall the pu'uone (sand dunes) once stood, how much pōhuehue would grow, how abundant the 'anae were, and how big the 'o'opu were continue to inspire us to bring these resources back, and to also teach others that Kāhili is not just a playground.
"Iwa kīkaha puni ke ao." As we watch the young 'iwa being guided by the older 'iwa into the Uhau wind of Kāhili, we hope that the keiki of Kaiaulu Ko'olau become the watchful eyes that surround the sky above this place.
