Using creative and digital media with the timeless technologies of kilo and moʻolelo to document the restoration of E Ala, we will sail on an intimate journey through the past, present, and future of the Waiʻanae Coast–from Nānākuli to Keawaʻula–weaving a lei of mele, kānaka, and wahi pana that are significant to this waʻa, a physical and metaphorical vessel connecting generations of ancestors. A lei for E Ala to wear as he returns to the ocean. As keiki, mākua, and kūpuna—from the summit of Mauna Kaʻala through the diverse ahupuaʻa of Waiʻanae Moku and out to the waters of Moananuiākea—engage in this project, they will strengthen their aloha for and pilina with E Ala, the traditions of wayfinding, and each other.  

 

Under the guidance of the E Ala Working Group in collaboration with Mana Maoli and community mentors, and through generous funding from Kamehameha Schools, this project will utilize the talent, leadership, and promise of nā ʻōpio who will gain both hard and soft skills related to creative and digital media in ways that are pono, embrace culture and tradition, benefit their community, and lead them to future life pathways.