Let us honor Penguin Moms this Mothers Day
Posted by msterilinn on Apr 30, 2008
My experiences as a mother, and compassionate human being sharing this Earth with so many wondrous creatures, has served to give me a greater perspective of all it entails to be a parent in a world full of unexpected events and moments of crisis. I feel quite strongly the bond we all share in these struggles, whether it be with my fellow humans or those beings of a different nature. We are all part of the same web, all things being connected, and therefor we carry equal shares in responsibility of helping to keep the great Balance.
As Mother’s Day approaches, penguin moms and families are facing a meltdown. You can help support our work to save these beloved birds — and their families — by adopting a penguin today.
Penguins may sing and dance in the movies, but — in the real world — times are tough. Rising temperatures are destroying vital penguin habitat and depriving them of crucial food sources, such as the shrimp-like krill. Many penguins can’t find enough food to feed their chicks.
Already, penguin populations have decreased by nearly 80 percent in some areas.
Adopt a penguin, a penguin family, or a Penguin Mom & Chick for your favorite “Moms” this Mother’s Day. It’s a great gift and you’ll be helping to save these precious creatures at the same time!
With your Penguin Mom & Chick gift adoption, those special ‘moms’ in your life will receive a soft and cuddly 11″ Tall, Penguin Mom & Chick Plushes, a framed personalized Certificate of Adoption and penguin photo, a penguin fact sheet, chock full of information about these feathered friends, and a Kids Wildlife Activity Book.
More importantly, your penguin gift adoption for Mom will help support our efforts to address global warming, pass legislation to help animals adapt to a changing climate, and our education and mobilization efforts to protect these wonderful animals.
Adopt a penguin or another imperiled animal by 7AM eastern on May 5th for FREE shipping in time for Mother’s Day.
P.S. Remember to place your adoption by 7AM Eastern Monday, May 5th for arrival by Mother’s Day with with FREE shipping! You can also get your adoption there on time with Express shipping if you order by 7AM Eastern Tuesday, May 6th.
P.P.S. Place your order by May 5th and receive a 10 percent discount off all your animal adoptions. Simply enter discount code MOM on your order. You can also make your wildlife gift adoption over the phone at (800) 385-9712.
Hawaii’s vital Wetlands going dry..
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 28, 2008
Here is another example of why we must pay very close attention to our surrounding environment as we walk through this Life. Hawaii’s wetlands are a vital part of the ecosystem, and the danger is very real. Please read the following, and let your voice be heard on this important matter…
Wetlands Going Dry
By Brandon Roberts, Molokai Dispatch, 27 February 2008
Disappearing Mana..e wetlands cause concern.
The lack of zoning enforcement on Molokai’s wetlands may bring serious environmental problems and cultural violations. Community leaders met with Mana..e (East End) residents to discuss development which is potentially damaging the wetlands in the area.
The lo..i (irrigated terrace) and the loko i..a (fishpond) are intrinsic with the culture and represent a living balance between the po..e (people) and the ..aina (land). Some of the development may be irresponsible and indiscriminate.
The non-profit organization Malama Pono O Ka ..Aina hosted the meeting last Saturday at the Kilohana Community Center, to gather input from the residents. Guest speakers included Rep. Mele Carroll, DLNR Branch Chief Randy Awo, and cultural specialist Vanda Hanakahi. Community members also gave valuable testimony.
“Indigenous knowledge cannot be ignored,” kumu ..Opu..ulani Albino said. “Best practices are found in the people who live with the land.”
Carroll revived the ‘Aha Kiole advisory council on Molokai and across the Hawaiian Islands The ..Aha Kiole exists as a bridge between the farmer, the hunter, the homesteader, the community, and state legislators.
Hanakahi, chairwoman of the ..Aha Kiole council, made a cultural presentation, explaining why the Mana..e coastal lands are a vital part of the Hawaiian culture.
“We want to create a Hawaii that Hawaiians would like to see,” Hanakahi said.
Prior to the meeting, Carroll, along with Awo and other officials took an ocean excursion to survey the development on the wetlands in Mana..e.
The meeting was a chance for Carroll to listen to residents’ concerns and receive public comments on hb2788. The bill seeks to prohibit wetlands development that did not include a “public informative meeting”before a permit is issued.
“What do you want to see in your community?” Carroll asked. “My role is to convey the message of the people.”
Awo gathered notes on community concerns, from jet skis on the reef to zoning infractions on the wetlands . He reassured the attendees that he would speak with the proper agencies and follow up on these concerns.
Possible zoning infractions were photographed by Malama Pono O Ka ..Aina and presented at the meeting in a slide show. The photographs show homes that speckle the Mana..e shoreline, some with Ho..olehua red dirt piles intended to fill the wetlands.
This imported earth may contain heptachlor, an insecticide used on the old pineapple plantation fields. Many residents fear water contamination. Exposure to heptachlor has been linked to liver damage and is associated with an increased risk of cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency banned heptaclor in 1978, yet it still lingers in the environment.
Other wetland residents may have illegal sea walls, boat ramps, and roads through the loko i..a. In some instances, shoreline trees were cut and bulldozed right into the ocean.
Attendees were frustrated with the lack of consistency and communication between various governmental agencies, as well as inadequate enforcement. Currently there is no zoning enforcement agency on Molokai, and meeting attendees feel this is one reason why there is wetlands abuse.
Malama Pono O Ka ..Aina President Linda Place wants to “work together to protect the wetlands.” She said this is possible through a “management swap,” which would transfer sensitive coastal lands into the protective custody of an appropriate governmental or non-profit entity.
Malama Pono O Ka ..Aina strives to “assure development that is lawful and respectful of the environmental health and historical culture of Mana..e, Molokai,” according to its mission statement.
Malama Pono O Ka ..Aina will host its next meeting March 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kilohana Community Center. All interested persons are encouraged to attend and share their mana..o.
The Longest Walk 2008.. for our Sacred Earth
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 5, 2008
I have been issued a special invitation, in which I wish to share with all my friends and fellow Earth lovers. At times we are called upon to do something more than wish or pray for this beautiful Earth to be restored to health, and asking for respect to be given to all living things, all Life being Sacred. If it is within our power, we may step forth and give just a bit more. So, I hereby offer an invitation, as follows…
You are invited to join the Sovereign First Peoples of this nation evolving on Mother Earth, Come and be a part of history led by the Native’s of this land that we share and call home, as the forces of darkness threaten to enslave us all, this most Sacred People are walking and praying, talking and listening to the needs of the people that they encounter along the way during their Journey. The forces of Nature will test them and heal them as they reconnect on a very deep level to the Soul of Mother Earth, come walk with us and transform yourselves on this Sacred Journey, of the longest Peace Walk in the history of the United States. We are One People.
What is the Longest Walk?
On Feb. 11th, Longest Walk participants will embark on a 5 month journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. arriving on July 11th. The Longest Walk south route is being led by AIM co-founder Dennis J. Banks. It is an extraordinary grassroots effort on a national level to bring attention to the environmental disharmony of Mother Earth, sacred site issues, and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original longest walk.
Why are we walking?
We walk to promote harmony with the Earth. We walk for the Seventh Generation, for our Youth, for Peace, for Justice, for healing of Mother Earth, for the healing of our people suffering from diabetes, heart conditions, alcoholism, drug addictions and other diseases. We walk with the message: All Life is Sacred, Save Mother Earth. Save the Sacred Sites, for it is important for future generations.
Through the elements of the seasons, we shall walk through the rain, snow, over mountains, high winds, through the heat and cold, nothing shall deter us from completing our mission: All Life is Sacred, Protect Sacred Sites.
Let those who doubt, hear our pledge. Let those who believe, join our ranks. As we walk the final miles, by our side will be elders, families, children, people of all races, from many walks of life, the old and the new America. All Life is Sacred, Clean Up Mother Earth.
What is our Goal?
The Clean Up America Campaign is an effort to clean up our country’s highways and roads by collecting debris found along the Longest Walk route. This monumental task will engage Walkers in a global effort at a grassroots level to promote harmony with our delicate environment.
Longest Walk participants will carry specially marked trash bags to separate the collected refuse into trash bins and recycling bins. A rotating team of walkers will pick up trash along the way with trash pokers leaving a health trail of earth in their path.
How can I get involved in my Community?
Volunteer with your local state Longest Walk coordinator. Find out at www.longestwalk.org. Support the Longest Walk when they are in your Community. If you are unable to walk, perhaps you would like to sponsor a walker. All good thoughts and prayers are most welcome!
**We will present our proposal for saving the Sacred Site, for saving Mother Earth, etc. in D.C. Times, Dates and rest stops will be posted online as time draws near. Visit www.longestwalk.org today to keep updated.
Polar Bears running out of time… Please Help!
Posted by msterilinn on Jan 29, 2008
In our fight to save Earth’s wild creatures, we are faced with many battles. I will never tire of this worthwhile cause… yet I sometimes wonder if time is our greatest enemy. Time is running out for the beautiful and wild Polar Bears in the Chukchi Sea. Yet truly time is not THE enemy of those who wish to live as Nature intended. Year after year, President Bush has called for harmful drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most important onshore denning habitats for U.S. polar bears. Earlier this month, his Secretary of the Interior approved the sale of drilling rights in the Chukchi Sea, potentially threatening even more bears with pollution, spills and disruptive activities.
What does George Bush have against polar bears?
The Bush/Cheney Administration’s own scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey say that global warming and habitat loss could lead polar bears to extinction in the U.S. by 2050. Yet, the president said little in last night’s State of the Union about what — if anything — his administration would be doing to prevent their extinction.
It is so very important to place this matter on high priority. Please visit Defenders of Wildlife and take the time to send a personalized message urging President Bush and his administration to do the following…
~ Direct the Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately list polar bears as “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The decision on listing has already been delayed once. It’s time for President to act.
~ Abandon plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and
~ Protect polar bears by scrapping the planned February 6th sale of leasing rights to drill for oil and gas drilling rights in the Chukchi Sea.
Our fellow Polar Bears are quickly running out of time. I am sending my own personalized message right this moment, and I strongly urge you to follow my example and Take Action Today!
Thank you so much for your support and thoughts for this important cause in helping to protect our four legged friends. We are nearly halfway there… let it be known how precious and sacred ALL Life is, and let your voice be heard!
Save the Polar Bear with us at Defenders of Wildlife
Wolves in danger yet again.. we can help!
Posted by msterilinn on Jan 24, 2008
Even though wolves are meant to remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, and despite the opposition of tens of thousands of Defenders supporters, the Fish & Wildlife Service just made it much easier to kill wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region. This is totally unnaceptable! Wolves play a very important role in Nature, and all of Earths creatures are Sacred, besides.
Wildlife officials will be able to shoot, trap and kill endangered wolves — even those that wander from the safety of Yellowstone National Park and other protected areas. The states would only need to prove that wolves are a “major cause” of the inability of elk and deer to meet state management goals. Wolves could be killed even if they only have an effect on how elk herds move or behave — not just if they reduce herd numbers.
Please let your voice be heard on this outrage! Help stop this slaughter by passing along this message, and writing a message to Secretary Kempthorne as soon as possible. This is very important, as wolves may be slaughtered as soon as March. We can help save these noble creatures before it is too late.
Write to Secretary Kempthorne to express your outrage today!
Adopt a Wolf.. a wonderful Gift!
Posted by msterilinn on Nov 20, 2007
No matter the season, a gift from the heart to help those in desperate need brings such a great feeling. As I live and breathe my goals each day are to do something worthwhile to help the Earth’s wild creatures. There is a great danger to our four legged friends, the Gray Wolf. If we do not put a stop to aerial gunning in Alaska, these beautiful creatures will soon only be found in the books of History. This is very sad indeed, as these animals have a right to share this Earth alongside us, as part of the great Balance. Who are we to question Creation in deciding what may live and what we must drive into extinction? Has man lost all sense of honor and can no longer tell right from wrong? This is so obviously wrong to me, and my heart goes out to the Wolf, among many others suffering through human greed. There is no honor in killing animals in this way. Unless they have gone rogue, and are causing harm to others, they have every right to live just as you and I. Should we begin hunting humans because there are simply too many of us, and we no longer wish to share the land? As that would be abominally wrong, so it the senseless hunting of those struggling to survive in the rapidly dwindling natural world.
All Life is Sacred!
I am asking people to look into their hearts and consider adopting a Wolf. Or perhaps another animal of your choice. If this is something you feel drawn to, please visit the Wildlife Adoption Center to Adopt a Wolf.
Adopt a Gray Wolf Family and you’ll receive a big 17”, super-cuddly plush wolf toy, a personalized Certificate of Adoption with an attractive 5″x7″ wolf photo and a fact sheet full of great information about these magnificent animals. You can also choose to receive a Kids Wildlife Activities book for that special young person in your life.
As mentioned on the Wildlife Adoption Center adoption site, here is how things stand among the Wolf Family…
Once virtually eliminated from the lower 48 United States, wolves have made an incredible comeback since Defenders and others successfully fought for their re-introduction into Yellowstone National Park in 1995.
But these and other wolves in America face a highly uncertain future, as plans are readied to remove vital protections and clear the way for the massacre of hundreds of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area and the American Southwest.
In Alaska, a state-sanctioned slaughter from the skies continues as aerial gunners shoot wolves from aircraft, or chase them to exhaustion, land and shoot wolves at point-blank range.
In the Greater Yellowstone region, one of the greatest conservation victories in decades could be destroyed as federal officials plan to lift critical protections for wolves — and turn over management duties to states that want to massacre hundreds of wolves within their borders.
In the Southwest, fewer than 60 wolves struggle to maintain a foothold in the wild as anti-wolf forces rally to eliminate their very existence.
But by Adopting a Gray Wolf Family, you’ll support our work to save these magnificent animals. We’re urging Congress to pass vital legislation to put an end to Alaska’s aerial gunning program — and prevent programs like it from spreading to states like Idaho and Wyoming.
We’re fighting to keep critical federal protections in place for gray wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region so that wolves will be protected for future generations. We’re on the ground in Arizona and New Mexico, countering anti-wolf misinformation to ensure that wolves have a future in the Southwest.
But our work doesn’t stop there. We continue to work with ranchers to compensate them for livestock losses attributed to wolves and to find ways to prevent conflicts between wolves and livestock before they occur.
Whether you Adopt a Gray Wolf Family, Adopt a Gray Wolf, Adopt a Gray Wolf Pack or Adopt a Gray Wolf Mom & Pup, you can take pride in knowing you’re doing your part to protect America’s majestic wolves for future generations to cherish.
Visit the Wildlife Adoption Center Today!
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The Sea is rising.. Nature claims her own
Posted by msterilinn on Nov 14, 2007
I believe that global warming is a natural state of affair. The earth is always changing, and evolving, and throughout history we can see how many ancient species did not evolve and adapt as well as others. While it is certain man is causing this evolution of change in global proportions by depleting the planets defenses against such a rapid occurance, this change is ultimately innevitable, and a part of the natural balance. I found an article which relates directly to the results of natures evolution.
Nature and the Atlantic coast: ‘We are losing land to water’
The effects of global warming are devouring the coastline of New Brunswick and threatening its delicate ecosystems, natural beauty and native heritage.
Rising sea levels are already swamping plants natives use to make medicine and in religious ceremonies on the Elsipogtog First Nation. And at the Irving Eco-Centre in nearby Bouctouche, there is fear that the 12-kilometre stretch of sand dunes that date to the Ice Age and attract thousands of visitors each summer will eventually be washed away. Already, the tourism attraction’s boardwalk has been moved inland.
“You can delay things a little bit, but you can’t completely stop them from happening,” Kelly Honeyman, a naturalist at the Irving Eco-centre and the Irving Nature Park in Saint John, said. “I hate to be a pessimist, but even if you put in large rocks and pilings to preserve the dunes, like they are doing in the Carolinas, you are usually only safe for five to seven years.
“Water is almost lapping up against our dunes right now.”
Environment Canada predicts that the sea level along the Northumberland Strait will rise by nearly four feet by the year 2050. If that happens, the extraordinarily beautiful dunes would be destroyed and rare plants that are native to the area, such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence aster and seaside pinweed, would be wiped out.
Scientists and researchers from J.D. Irving, Limited, have been working with other groups and agencies to help preserve the aster, a threatened species, since 2004. In addition, the company has helped preserve a population of endangered piping plovers, shorebirds which use the dunes for nesting.
Dr. Liette Vasseur, a professor at Laurentian University, told researchers and academics at a conference in Ottawa last week that many of the things New Brunswickers hold dear and rely on will be lost unless people change their behaviour to curtail and adapt to climate change.
A former instructor at the Université de Moncton, Vasseur conducted studies on the effects of global warming and climate change on coastal communities in Atlantic Canada, including Bouctouche and Elsipogtog. She said her recent assessment of the First Nation shows that traditional sites for harvesting sweetgrass and other natural medicinal plants are already being threatened by erosion and flooding.
Josephine Augustine, an herbal healer who practices traditional medicine at Elsipogtog, said Tuesday that she is having more and more difficulty finding the plants she picks and uses to make remedies for allergies, arthritis, headaches, psoriasis and ulcers, among other ailments.
“It is getting and harder,” Augustine said from her office in the health centre at the First Nation, which is near Rexton. “We are losing land to water, and we are losing medicines here.
“People need to be educated about the environment, and they have to let Mother Nature take its course. We have to let people know the ramifications of what they are doing, make them understand that these plants have a purpose.”
A teacher in Moncton from 2001 to 2004, Vasseur said areas like Bouctouche will be hurt economically unless people adapt to environmental conditions such as the rising sea level. She said they need to build farther inland, and they need to leave natural barriers to coastal erosion, including trees and shrubs, in place.
“People like to have a nice, manicured lawn running all the way down to the water, but when they remove all the trees they increase the vulnerability to the impact of a storm. All in all, we need to reduce our footprint on the environment, and everybody can play a role in that.
“I’m optimistic that people could be very good at adapting to these changes if they got together, but they have to first understand what is causing the changes.”
Honeyman, the naturalist, has spent countless hours walking the boardwalk at the Irving Eco-centre. Tuesday he lamented the threat to one of his favourite places.
“Once you get 200 meters past our interpretive centre, you have a wonderful feeling of solitude and are buffeted by beautiful breezes off the Northumberland Strait. It is really a special spot.”
Note - Credit for this article goes to…
Marty Klinkenberg
Telegraph-Journal
Published Wednesday October 31st, 2007
Appeared on page A1
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Partial Solar Eclipse on September 11th 2007
Posted by msterilinn on Sep 4, 2007
The last Solar Eclipse of the year is partial, and will only be visible from Antartica and parts of South America. Greatest eclipse (75 percent of the way to total) occurs in the South Ocean at 12:31-UT.
Early risers in southern South America will see the sun partially blocked during and/or soon after sunrise. One might ask what is the significance of these Eclipses? Is it all just scientific, or are there hidden meanings underlying these wondrous events…
The Solar Eclipse of September 11th, 2007 in Virgo 8:31 EDT has to do with Earth, practicle, sensible, dedicated and logical. As opposed to the Lunar Eclipse which occured on August 28th of 2007, which has to do with Water, Healing, Spiritual, Psycic and Sensitivity.
A powerful energetic geometry is formed as the four Eclipses of 2007 come to the end of their performance. Light from these two parallel events form lines of information that are seen in fractal patterns just beneath the surface of life. Eclipses represent openings and closings. These Eclipses are about the hidden messages in all words. Like a cosmic scrabble game the capital letters come together to be written anew; new thoughts.. new opportunities.. new beginnings.
Eclipses mean changes, good and bad, up and down and everything in-between. Eclipses always escort in significant events– marriage, divorce, death, birth, career change, etc. They intensely magnify and are living parenthesis forcing us to look at what we have turned our pretty heads away from. The old restraints in words and thoughts fall away like rusty shackles exposing new and tender skin. Within each word of the alphabet are hidden texts, challenging your mind to open to the vastness of what lies within them.
Solar eclipses mean new beginnings, (September 11 2007) and lunar eclipses (August 28, 2007) represent finishing things. These are very powerful Eclipses each with their own gifts and own set of rules.
~*~ Taking Root.. a Family in Nature reunited ~*~
Posted by msterilinn on Apr 17, 2007
Taking root
By VALERIE MONSON, Staff Writer
ULUPALAKUA – Hawaiian family members long separated from their roots returned home Saturday in an emotional reunion that many thought might never happen.
Eight alani seedlings went back to the Auwahi forest, taking their place in the shadow of their only known ancestor living in the wild.
“This is where they’re supposed to be,” said a proud Martha Vockrodt Moran, caretaker of the tree that produced the seeds, as she watched another plant go from pot to posterity. “It’s so great that they’re going home.”
The story of the alani – a native Hawaiian tree that once flourished on the back flank of Haleakala – has become yet another piece of the ongoing miracle at Auwahi, the dryland forest that was all but dead five years ago. With its dwindling collection of rare trees reaching old age and unable to reproduce in a landscape made hostile by cattle, kikuyu grass and fire, the native forest was fading away.
Since it was man who unwittingly led to the downfall of the forest, it seemed only right that it was men – and a whole lot of women, too – whose exhaustive efforts have brought a strand of it back, restoring hope for the land and the Native Hawaiian people whose culture centers on the sights, the sounds, the smells and the very spirit of the forest.
“In a Western sort of thinking, man has dominions over nature,” said Kalei Tsuha, the kumu whose family led the chants and prayers that welcomed back the alani. “In the Hawaiian perspective, we are one and the same. As Hawaiians, we need to have contact with the forest and the forest needs to have contact with us.”
Until a year ago, there was the very real possibility that contact with the alani would become a thing of the past. Biologists were aware of only two left – one in the wild at Auwahi on Ulupalakua Ranch and the other in the arboretum started by Moran’s grandfather, the renowned agronomist D.T. Fleming. Even worse, both were ailing and appeared to have lost their capability for producing viable seeds.
But Moran was determined to carry on the legacy of her grandfather who had collected the alani from Auwahi 50 years ago and planted it in his arboretum at nearby Puu Mahoe along with other plants that he feared were nearing extinction.
Alani were once prolific at Auwahi, where they grew to 30 or 40 feet tall and developed trunks a foot in diameter. Formerly known as “Pelea” for Pele, the goddess of Hawaiian volcanoes, the leaves release a fragrance similar to oranges and were used to scent kapa. The bark was used for medicine.
Calling herself “only a gardener,” Moran knew she needed help to save her tree, so she assembled a crack team that made Saturday’s homecoming possible: Makawao arborist Ernie Rezents, who diagnosed the tree’s disease and prescribed the cure; Nellie Sugii, a researcher at Lyons Arboretum on Oahu, whose experiments led to germination; and expert growers Anna Palomino, Richard Nakagawa, and Dan and Noah Judson, all of Maui, who produced the eight seedlings.
Meanwhile, Auwahi, with the permission of ranch executives Pardee and Sumner Erdman, was being readied for its return by tireless biologist Art Medeiros and his crack team of volunteers who have spent the last eight years fencing, weeding, digging, propagating, planting and willing the land back to life. After successfully restoring one 10-acre enclosure, they have fenced off another 20 acres that includes an old lava channel where the last alani was struggling to survive.
“When it gets cloudy here, it’s like you’re in a cathedral,” said Bob Mikell, one of the volunteers who has given up weekend after weekend to see Auwahi revived. “Everyone here is really possessive of this place. It’s part of their body and part of their spirit.”
The feeling of family was in the forest air as the plants were unloaded from four-wheel drive vehicles that traveled as far as they could, and then the plants were carried by hand the rest of the treacherous way across loose rocks and tangles of weeds. As the alani were going home, Moran couldn’t help but think of her grandfather on the afternoon that he went to Auwahi and gathered the alani that would become the mother to this new generation. Also thinking back was Mahealani Kaiaokamalie, seventh generation of his ohana to live in the area. Kaiaokamalie’s grandfather, William Ainoa Kaiaokamalie, saw the forest collapse in his lifetime. When famed botanist John Rock, who once described Auwahi as one of the top two dryland forests in Hawaii, returned in the 1960s to see it again, he asked the elder Kaiaokamalie to lead the way. As the men came upon the forest near death, Rock broke down and wept.
Mahealani Kaiaokamalie, who has spent much of his adult life restoring native ecosystems, wondered what his grandfather – and other ancestors – would be thinking at the scene below.
“I can only imagine they’re looking down and saying ’mahalo,’ ” said Kaiaokamalie. “My family has always been private, but I think they would be proud that somebody from their genealogy is here today. That’s all I live for – to make them proud.”
It was a day when pride seemed to ooze from the ground. Once the holes were dug, they were checked and rechecked to make sure they were deep enough (but not too deep) and wide enough (but not too wide).
Finally, with the holes deemed ready for occupancy, Kalei Tsuha and her family – husband, Mark, and daughters, Kawai and Joanna – called for silence as the crowd gathered around the single ancestor alani left in the wild. Holding the keiki up to the kupuna tree, Kalei Tsuha summoned the forest gods in a chant of celebration and introduced the young alani to the old one while reuniting a larger ohana.
“The forest is the greater kuahu (altar),” Tsuha said earlier. “The kuahu is where the gods dwell. For Hawaiians, those are our ancestors. Since we’re losing them, we’re losing ourselves.”
But on this afternoon, the ancestors – and their living descendants – got a boost and made contact. Moran was even startled to see how different the alani seedlings looked once they were sprung from their pots and had settled into their beds of rich volcanic soil.
“They seem to have gotten bigger by just getting into the ground,” she said with joy.
After years on the brink of extinction, the alani were back where they belong. They were home with the ancestors.
Valerie Monson can be reached at vmonson@mauinews.com.
