Today we arrived on Kahoʻolawe after a long ride in a boat full of sleeping people. We arrived at home base at Hakioawa, which looks like a place I’ve always wanted to build on the hill behind the house I grew up in, and got to relax. Upon arriving, we tidied up the kitchen and started the imu right away.
Later that day, we performed kapu kai which is a very spiritual and reflective ceremony during which we drank ʻawa, which tasted like green tea, to create an ambient atmosphere and set the tone for the entire huakaʻi.
The people here are exceedingly sweet. When I first met everyone at the canoe club, I was nervous and fearful; but after getting to know the people just a bit, I think of myself as very lucky to have been granted access on the same huakaʻi as them. I wouldn’t trade anyone in this group for anyone else. So far, I’ve met:
Molly
Kehau
Kamy
Guy with long, fancy Spanish name
Maggie
I learned their names during kūkākūkā where we shared the meaning and significance of our names. It was wonderfully touching and I found it quite funny to share my awkward name, Keona Jo Blanks, amid a plethora of people of multicultural titles. (Interjection: I showed these new friends Jupiter and a paraselene evident in the night sky!)
Before kūkākūkā, we did a beach clean-up and Molly found a glass ball. (To-do: discover why glass balls are so significant)
We concluded the night with a mesmerizing burning 0f paper (Interjection: the pork from the imu was the best I’ve ever had!)