On September 21, The Kohala Center, a Hawai?i island-based nonprofit, and Hawai?i Public Radio launch a 13-week original radio series entitled “Aloha ??ina.” The series, comprised of 65 approximately two-minute segments, explores the roots and historical endurance of the values of aloha ??ina, commonly translated as “love of the land.” Commentary is provided by noted Hawaiian scholars and leaders, such as Puanani Burgess, Sam ?Ohu Gon, Davianna McGregor, Jonathan Osorio, and Walter Ritte. The series is researched, written, and narrated by Julia Steele.
Between September 21 and December 18, "Aloha ‘?ina" airs on HPR-1 every weekday at 8:18 a.m., during the popular NPR news magazine Morning Edition. An encore broadcast is planned on HPR-2, with the second 13 weeks starting in January 2016. The series will be archived on hawaiipublicradio.org.
Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, president and CEO of The Kohala Center, said “When we first sat down with HPR a year ago, our goal was to help listeners—all listeners—deepen their reverence for the land and natural resources that sustain us. With the words ‘aloha ‘?ina’ gaining heightened prominence in local, and even global, discourse and consciousness in recent months, the timing of such an exploration couldn't be better. We're excited and truly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Hawai‘i Public Radio to bring this series to the people of Hawai‘i and the world.”
“The Kohala Center brought all the necessary elements with their proposal,” said HPR’s President and General Manager Michael Titterton. “They share our commitment to community enrichment and, as a research organization, they have the credibility to shape a rigorous and thoughtful exploration of the connection between indigenous wisdom and our modern relationships with the natural environment. ?Aloha ??ina' is the perfect complement to our earlier series 'Mahalo ??ina,' which illustrated the importance of healthy Hawaiian forests.”
The series begins with episodes exploring the historical origins of aloha ??ina and concludes with predictions for its future. In the weeks between, topics addressed include ahupua?a systems, the significance of kalo, some of Hawai?i's visionary chiefs, the emergence of art that paid tribute to the land, Captain Cook’s arrival, the M?hele, land huis, the PKO (Protect Kaho?olawe ?Ohana), the work of community-based organizations such as Sust??inable Molokai, and more.
Beamer continues, “Here in Hawai‘i, we are surrounded by a unique and incredible natural and cultural landscape, but what does it really mean to engage, to connect, to develop an intimate kinship with the environments and ancestral knowledge that have nourished and sustained these islands for centuries? Our hope is that this series, and the voices who contributed their mana‘o to it, will invite listeners to deepen their understanding of aloha ‘?ina and inspire them to incorporate these values into their everyday lives.”
The series' writer and host is Julia Steele, an editor at Hawai‘i’s largest magazine, Hana Hou! The Magazine of Hawaiian Airlines. At Hana Hou!, she has written and edited numerous award-winning articles about Hawai‘i. She holds a bachelor of arts in Pacific history and journalism from the University of Hawai‘i at M?noa and a Juris doctorate from Stanford Law School. Ms. Steele was the founding editor of Honolulu Weekly and has also worked as a writer for Stanford University and as the editor of Pacifica magazine.
About The Kohala Center
Founded in the year 2000, The Kohala Center is an independent, community-based center for research, conservation, and education. We turn research and ancestral knowledge into action, so that communities in Hawai‘i and around the world can thrive — ecologically, economically, culturally, and socially. Our main areas of interest are energy self-reliance, food self-reliance, and ecosystem health.
