Standing Above the Clouds with Kumu Pua Case

Standing Above the Clouds
The Mountain is Our Teacher

Hosted by Tanya Yamanaka, Ola Ka Moku is a podcast for and about the people and places of Hawaii Island.  Today, guest Pua Case shares and reflects on the growth and wellspring of creativity that has come from the Mauna Kea movement.   The Mauna is our teacher, our protector.  Clarity is the word. One need not agree with the movement, we are all on our own timeline and path. Yet to not acknowledge that we are living in a remarkable time in which we are witness to the evolution of an entire culture would be short-sighted of us as fellow humans. This movement is not just culturally meaningful, it is an evolutionary current for us to catch and feel into in order to collectively become more. Check out some of the incredible creative projects that have come forth at https://www.mkea.info/mkea-projects.

I hope you enjoy this conversation. And mahalo to Pua for her patience with me (not kanak but learning every day) and for graciously setting me straight (as straight as I can be) when needed.

Mahalo for listening to Ola Ka Moku, Hawaii Islandʻs Community Podcast. For more information about Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, visit www.MKEA.org

You can follow their actions and ways to support and protect our sacred spaces on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/mkea.info/ and on Instagram at @protectmaunakea 

Celebrate lā 3000 on Sunday, June 11 at noon at the Kamehameha Statue in Kapaau in Kohala. 

Publisher's note: My name, Yamanaka, in Japanese refers to mountain people. Yama means mountain or peak, and can also be used as a metaphor to highlight that which is important, climaxing or critical. ;n

This podcast has been supported by Tina Leilani Stuart, a NeoLife promoter. Visit shopneolife.com/tinastuart for science based nutrition and personal solutions to upgrade your health. Thereʻs no better time than now to start experiencing the benefits of superior quality nutrition. Call Tina at 808-333-2250.

To purchase or learn more about Candace Fujikaneʻs book, Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future, which I referred to in this podcast, visit this link at Duke University Press: https://www.dukeupress.edu/mapping-abundance-for-a-planetary-future. 

Transcript

Aloha and welcome to Ola Ka Moku, Hawaii Islandʻs Community Podcast. I'm your host, Tanya Yamanaka. Today we're talking about Hawaiian culture, and yet I'm gonna start today's podcast with a quote by Chief Seattle who is known for his courage, leadership in his tribe, and for his articulateness in his relations with Europeans in what is now known as Washington state: “The earth does not belong to man, Man belongs to the Earth.” I first read this quote as a child, elementary school age in an encyclopedia at the local library, and afterward I found myself feeling how nice it was to belong to the earth. I had not yet heard this understanding in my life, and I often contemplated this quote and secretly wondered what it would mean to other people. I didnʻt understand this as the seeds of a new worldview.  I just always went back to it as a comfort of feeling and belonging to the Earth.

And I'm hoping my guest today can provide similar comfort as you hear from her and feel into how we each belong, where our place is and how we are all connected. Pua Case was born and raised on the Island of Hawaii, surrounded by mountains Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai and Kohala. A kumu hula, a teacher of traditional dance and chant and a teacher of the ways, culture and traditions of the kanaka maoli of Hawaii. She has also integrated ike Hawaii, Hawaiian knowledge and understanding in the public school system for over 30 years and has served her community in numerous ways. She's a mom, wife, daughter, caregiver, friend, like many of us. But in addition to these critically important roles that we all hold, most of us probably are most familiar with her as Ku Kiaʻi Mauna, Aloha ʻAina, a representative of the Mauna Kea ʻOhana Na Kiaʻi Mauna, petitioner in two contested case hearings to stop the development of TMT and a representative Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, an organization formed to educate and raise awareness of the spiritual, historical, cultural, environmental, and political significance of Mauna Kea. Aloha and welcome to Ola Ka Moku, kumu Pua Case.

Pua: Good morning. Yes. Pleasure to be here. 

Tanya: It's always a pleasure to see you and to hear your voice like I've told you before, it's so grounding for me personally. Well, why don't we get started? I think a lot of people know probably a little bit about what you have been up to in the past, but why don't you start us off with the current projects that you're working on or that are just taking flight right now. 

Pua: Sure. I want to say aloha to everybody who's listening, first of all, from wherever they come from and who do similar who work and have a passion, as we do, a connection, as we do  or responsibility, like the words of Chief Seattle. I think the terms that come to mind when I think of what you were reading this morning, indeed is exactly what we're doing. That sense of responsibility because we belong to the Earth and those terms, aloha aina, just come full forth.

You know, when, when I hear a quote like that, I just think that is for me what aloha aina encompasses. Not fully perhaps, but the essence of aloha aina is belonging to the Earth. And when you do that, especially your place on this earth, then your kuleana to it is right in front of your eyes, revealed whether sometimes you want to see that or not. Your responsibility and your privilege and your birthright reveals itself. So for us, that became Mauna Kea. So what we're doing right at this moment I'll just go through my day yesterday for what we are doing right now. And we had three meetings yesterday and a grant due. So it was a, a busy day for us, but productive and really exciting. Our goal this year for Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, so I actually have to start there a little, is in addition to doing everything we can to protect Mauna Kea, which in this case means stopping the construction of the thirty-meter telescope in any way that we can in, in a pono way. In addition to that, this year we are really concentrating and focused on acknowledging, recognizing and honoring all of the kukulu, the pillars, all of the Kiai, the guardians, and protectors, all of our supporters, really honoring them this year.

Because if we don't do that, then this work becomes all consuming, exhausting. When you don't see a success and it's all challenge you tend to maybe feel defeated. And, and exhausted, you know? And so we said, wait a minute, what can we do to help our people? And really all people to take that one more step, to do that, one more thing to remain visible, to remain present, to remain activated and inspired. So when the action call goes out, you're ready. So having said that, it's how do we do that on a daily basis? So we are a 24/7 organization with a goal of being visible. We are not here to be invisible, and we are not here to be silent because we can't afford that. When we are looking around us at our Hawaii and all of the changes that are occurring, And the development and the housing situations and our cultural situation, and you just can't be still anymore. And so how can we be visible and present on a daily basis, you know, in addition to being on social media to spread the word, to share events, gathering, ceremonies, presentations. So we we really decided to spread out our network a little bit more and become truly involved with the Mauna Kea protectors on the continent and in the UC, the university system. And we partner with them. And through that we offered to bring our Kukulu exhibits, which are a traveling exhibition. To honor pillars wherever the exhibit makes its home to bring it to the continent, to bring it to the other islands. So we're really busy with five exhibits actually opening in this month and in the month of June here in Hawaii and on the continent. So we have that going on. We just mastered a compilation album featuring artists and featuring prayers, chants and songs that were inspired or that were done on the ala on Mauna Kea from 2019 and 20. And that's dedicated to the pillars of Mauna a Wakea, Mauna Kea. In addition to that, we have films that are coming out. We have, we have endless amounts of projects. Projects that will enable us to be visible, enable us to do the best work that we can so that Mauna Kea is pivotal, significant because it is not just for us, but for the whole world. 

Tanya: That may be the biggest misunderstanding maybe of local residents here and not understanding how important this movement is for the entire world and for just honoring the sacredness of all life.

Pua: You know, if you really think about what Mauna Kea has done for us, and I have to say first, For the kanaka maoli people. Mauna Kea is the Kahoolawe. Mauna Kea is the Hokulea, Mauna Kea is those beacons, those unifiers in a much larger, much larger capacity for us in that it, because of social media, we were able to truly connect with many, many more people than those earlier beacons were able to do. But for me, I can speak for myself because for everyone, Mauna Kea is symbolic, is important, is necessary for their own reasons and for their own family reasons. But for us, Mauna Kea and the movement and the issue that surrounded it came about in perfect timing. It came about in a time when we as a people are stronger.  When I look at the youth, they're fearless. When I look at us, we are more ready than we ever have before, and we sense the urgency. If we're not going to protect the most sacred, then what are we willing to protect? And we said, if not today, then when. And yes Mauna Kea is a huge water source for us. So yes, there's that. It's a fragile ecosystem. Yes, there is that. It's an environment that we will look up at every single day should the TMT be built, and at least from Waimea and surrounding areas, it would remind us every day that one more time and one more thing has been taken from us. And I think that we just couldn't do that to our children. We just couldn't. It reminds me of when my daughter Hawani said to me, mom, this is on your watch. Don't you leave this for us to deal with and for us to take care of when it's obsolete. It's like a giant tombstone is going to be up there and we will not be able to bear that. And every time we look up there or go up there for ceremony, for gatherings, for all the reasons that we do, we would be weeping. And for me I've seen so much loss in our time. You know, you used to camp there, you can't camp there. You used to go there, you can't go there anymore. And the practices that went along with, with being at those places, your kids aren't doing it anymore. And a lot of times they don't wanna hear about your upbringing because they'll say, mom, we can't do that.

So we don't wanna hear about it. We don't wanna know what you used to do that we can't do because there's a hotel there. And, and for many reasons, We, we became involved. We all became involved. We all had that urgency. And for me, I believe our kupuna, our ancestors, you know, put their hand on our shoulder and said, not this time, and if you stand, yeah, we'll be here.  We'll be here to guide you. You know, not only was it significant for us to be able to stand and it truly transformed us, but for us to be able to be in a setting where as close as possible, we were able to really live what we read in books. You know, we were able to live the puuhonua. We were able to live in a kauhale system in a community, and we were able to live with the values and the guidelines, the rituals, and the ceremonies that for many they had never been exposed to. So for those that are uncomfortable by that, or perhaps are pro-TMT or what have you or have some kind of fear that the Hawaiians are rising around the TMT issue and also in every way that we have been standing after coming down from the Mauna I, I can empathize, but we've been uncomfortable for generations and this is time. And yes, we, yeah, we're rising. 

Tanya: It goes back to what you said earlier about being visible. Right? I mean, the external world wants to make us invisible, colonialism is here to make the practices more invisible. The practicing of hula and performance was banned and slowly Hawaiians brought it back. So you guys have been able to take it to this next level where you're building off of, you know, the movements in the past. And I love that you brought up your daughter because our daughters, of course, are always asking more of us and allowing us to grow and evolve as bigger and better people. And just to see this on an evolutionary perspective it's, it's a blessing for us all. I hope that more and more people will understand this isn't just about Hawaiians. This is so much more. This is about the evolution of humanity. And the Hawaiians are teaching us in so many ways. You are teaching us how to be better humans, how to be better stewards, how to be better in our relationships, in our understanding of how we connect. And it is enough is enough. You know, you have to draw the line somewhere of how much we're gonna let be taken away and. I know just for me personally the movement of Mauna Kea has taught me so much about myself and where I am not being courageous in my own life and where I am allowing things to go too far. And I'll tell you, I read this book by Candace Fujikane. My friend Kim Coco (Iwamoto) gave me this book. I recommend it to everybody. I don't wanna vote for anyone anymore who doesn't understand what she's talking about. Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future, and just her perspective from going from a, a settler mindset to I agree with everything you say and I support you, but am I really present for this?  It's very different. It's very different to be an active aloha aina versus being raised in a settler mindset knowing that you have been, knowing you don't believe in that. And then really showing up when you can for something that we claim to love. We wear our Aloha shirts and we, you know, love Hula. We cry, we, we feel it. But are we there for the people who are leading the way? The, her book woke me up in more ways and I, I, she had very, obviously very moving experiences on the Mauna with you guys. 

Pua: Yes. She wrote from the standpoint certainly of, of being there and, and throughout the years, really throughout the years and earned her way to that book really earned her way there, you know. And I think that the time, it's why I'm talking about the time is right, because when you look back at even what we learned in school, what we learned in the community, what we learned in our families when we were growing up is very, was limiting, you know, it, it was a limited amount of information for most of us. The overthrow and all of the challenges that Hawaiians faced, you'd find in a paragraph, in a US history book. You know, we, we didn't learn what could have empowered us at the time and with all of, you know, the limitations that we faced. And I remember the kupuna when we talked about Mauna Kea and the development that began really in 1968 and onward. People like my dad, who's gonna be 90 this year, really said they didn't know they had the right to. And they didn't know how and when they saw us beginning at this time to stand for Mauna Kea from about 2010 on, and I'm talking about just in this movement, I'll always recognize that there were members in our community who never stopped. They've been standing for a long time. Members of the Mauna Kea Hui who were in this case long before us, and also community members, practitioners, wise elders were in this long before us. But by the time that we became aware for most of us in the community, it was a time where we had learned enough and we were impassioned enough with the knowledge that we had. And we had the encouragement and the support of many of our people, which is really important because when you're talking Kahoolawe, you have like two handfuls and you have most of the community not knowing what you're doing and not understanding what you're doing. Because I started in that movement when I was in high school. So I know that we were a minority. All of a sudden, we are the majority. We are the majority. And so you feel that what you are doing is pono because usually when you're in this colonized, in this colonized kind of framework around you, there's so many techniques and strategies to keep you from really standing. There really are, you know, they will make you feel guilty. They will wait for us to divide and find ways to make that happen. They will put that money into the schools for those scholarships. They will bully you and manipulate you until you give up. And in this time we saw that there was no turning back for us and no giving up.

And it felt, it felt beautiful. When you felt, when you stood with your sign, when you, when you stood on the ala, when you stood alone, when you wore your shirt, when you wore your shawl, when you wore your hat, and when you still do. You felt like what you were standing for was right, was right. And all of that our children are witnessing and taking part in. And so when they're our age, oh my goodness, what they have faced already. What they've seen, what they've witnessed, we have left this in their hands. And we will have trained them enough and we will have shown them enough and we will have set them on a course where truly, the reclaiming that they will be able to do will be far more than we. And if that's what we leave them with, then mahalo, Mauna Kea, job well done. 

 Tanya: Absolutely. I mean, I think. What a blessing you know, to be middle-aged at this point and be able to live here and watch an entire culture evolve. It gives me 

 Pua: Yes.

Tanya: Chicken skin because it really is a reflection that we are all still evolving and we are all still growing. And we don't need to be afraid. We don't need to, you know, we were taught to be quiet. We were taught to, you know, like our parents were taught, were taught that - you weren't supposed to speak up, especially about big important things. 

 Pua: Oh yes. 

Tanya: Someone else's jurisdiction, someone else's authority.

Pua: Yes, for sure.

Tanya: So, I mean, it's absolutely a blessing for us all. I'm really hoping that more and more people understand that this is not something to be feared, that, oh my gosh, the Hawaiians are taking their own land back, you know? This is really about, it is about evolution of an entire culture and just to be witness to the chants and the music, you brought up, Hawani, the music. Talk more about yeah, some of the art that's come out of this movement, and it is such a great idea to celebrate this at this time. 

Pua: Well, what I, what I've seen in this movement and really with other movements as well. So we want to really acknowledge every movement every stance, every effort. That all of our people are making, and not just here in Hawaii, but supporters on the continent and relatives who are standing for their own homelands, their water issues that they have, their land issues, they're life way issues. We are all in this together for sure. But what we saw firsthand in the Mauna Kea movement was this wellspring of music and art that just burst out of our composers, our musicians, our writers, our artists, our storytellers. It was as if this creative way of expressing their love for Hawaii, their conviction and commitment to standing, really, I saw that blossom in a huge way. The films that came out, all of those things I say always, whether you read me on Facebook or you see me speak, don't ever stop. Because those are the methods that people will embrace. They'll listen to a song rather than maybe someone speaking and trying to convince you of something, they'll look at a piece of art and it will touch their heart in a way that they can embrace with their eyes instead of hearing a message.

Yeah. It's a way, the vibration of the arts is for me so integral in how we are able to deliver the message. There is a vibration that comes from the music and the arts and the films that are able to, one, reach people, not just here in Hawaii, but really reach people around the world. And so, you know, I, I find I, I can't criticize that at all. I embrace that and I really call out for more of that. So in whatever way we can spread the message. Sometimes it's through our voice, sometimes it's through a presentation and it's through a speech and it's through an oration and sometimes, and pivotally so, it's through those means by which we can hear and feel.

So I've seen over the course of maybe eight years now, the songs for Mauna Kea, the songs for aloha aina, the songs for the places that the actions delivered, the messages uttered, have come out through the music, through the arts. That's why we keep doing that. If you can't hear us through our words through talking, then hear us through rhythm, hear us through the beat, feel that and, and you will leap and you will understand in a way that maybe you couldn't have understood in any other way. So I highly, highly encourage, and I'm excited by the compositions. And, and I remember one Hoku, Hoku Awards where almost everything that won was about Mauna Kea. And I said, oh my goodness, this is incredible. Because for artists, sometimes if they can't be on the frontline, or even if they are, because there were many artists up on the mountain, they're so inspired that as soon as they get home, they're like, this is the means in which we can lift up this movement. 

It, it's been incredible to hear, to watch and to feel what has come out of our community, out of our youth, out of our elders, out of our parents because of the Mauna. So, you know, if I say anything here that's gonna reach everyone, Mauna Kea has been the gift for all of us. Mauna Kea has been the training ground for us in a way that I think no other place could have been, because we know it's the wao akua. We know it's where the elemental beings and the deities still dwell. We, we are learning their names, we are learning their characteristics. And when you were on the Mauna, you saw them, you saw the manifestations of water in every form, and you learned their names and you learned the chance. And you learned the songs for them and something connected and you said, this is what it's like to be them. 

Those parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and before them, that came before me. And you saw what that way of life, that glimpse of it really was before we came here and Mauna Kea gave us that code of conduct that I see till today, how to treat one another, whether it's kapu aloha, whether it's aloha aina. We put that into action because you had to, it regulated a large mass of people into, really a lahui that was based on a code of conduct and a code of behavior that could be in the same place at the same time, whether we were 30 or whether we were 3,000, you know, that that was huge. And we know that that is incorporated into everything we are doing at this time. And people around the world saw it and they gravitated to it. And if they could, they were there. We had people and flags from every nation. They, I don't know why I am here, or I just felt by looking at the livestream that I had to be here. And, and they were, they were there. They were there and they, they learned something and we learned something. That exchange of support. And compassion and understanding of struggle and all of that was encapsulated on the Mauna. And no matter who you have on the program, everyone will have something different to say. But in the end, we all felt it. And we all lived it. And we can't forget that because one, we might have to be up there again, perhaps, or maybe we'll be successful in stopping it from this front line where we are right now. You know, the issue of the TMT has returned to the community, to the legislature, to the government, to the university, to the court system. And we know that. So if we have to stay grounded in what we experienced, What we learned, how we changed, how we treat one another because it's not over. This is far from over.

They're determined to build. So we must be even more committed to the one promise we made on the ala every single day. Three times a day. We will not allow 18 stories on our mountain. And we said that. And that commitment is on that ala as well as thousands and thousands of accumulated prayers. So that still lives there. And if you need something, go up there and tap into that. It's all still there. And the Mauna holds that. It's incredible. That we are here in this lifetime, and we are able to speak of this and be a part of it and leave these stories and these actions and these times for the next generation and the next and the next. I mean, we have provided a framework and a grounding and a foundation for ourselves that I don't think we could have as a lahui in any other way, on any other place in our beloved Hawaii. So I, I'm filled with gratitude every day that I look at that Mauna and I say, Mauna Kea thank you. And you know, may I be worthy in what I say and what I do, and you know, if I take a step back, let me take ten steps forward.  

You know, we are all, like you said, we are evolving, we're not perfect. We have to interact in this system every single day. And you know, we have all the emotions that go with that, but we still have the Mauna as a beacon and we just gravitate back to it and, and check ourself, you know, correct ourself, ground ourself. Wow. What that Mauna has, has gifted us.  

We needed that. We really needed that. When I see a aha at the Capitol on Oahu, I know that we need that. We need that so we can remain spiritually and emotionally and physically healthy in all of this, in this transitional time period before we really pass this on to the next generation. Weʻre that bridge in between trying to take care of all these pono`ole regulations and practices, we are doing this work so that we can pass on some answers and solutions and corrections to our daughters. And so when I look at my girls, and I know for many of you out there and your families, we're proud of our girls and our sons because we see them totally immersed in something. Yeah. It doesn't have to be Mauna Kea, but in some way we all rose because of it. But with the thought that we'd go back to our communities and be more engaged and look around and see, you know, what, what, what needs help here in our own community. And we've seen the engagement by our sons and daughters, our nephews and nieces, the keiki, and we're, we're proud and we're here to guide them and help them so they don't become overwhelmed. So they don't become overwhelmed and they know how to face a loss. What seems to be a, a loss. They, they, we have to train us all in how to face that and go on, because sometimes a loss is really a win.  

And I say that because when we lost the first contested case, I say, what if we had won that and it had stopped right there? In 2013, none of these other things would've happened, right? And we wouldn't be in the place we are right now. So sometimes a loss is a win, and, and we have to know how to recognize that more clearly. But all in all, I'm just so proud to be a part of this lahui of native people, of local people, of, of supporters, of allies, of visitors who, you know, whoever is, is feeling that call to make change in themselves, to protect the environment and culture. And it's just about social justice in every which way occurring right now. And yes, we'll face challenges, right? Yeah. But here we are. Here, we sit - in it - rather than watching it from a distance, you know?  

Tanya: I mean, so yes, so you were just talking about family and daughters and one of the short films that I watched was Standing Above the Clouds, which brought me so much clarity, literally also just watching the journey that, you know, three moms and their daughters had, to be able to experience that and grow together through your culture and rituals and, and, you know, moving through oppression basically, and the oppressive tactics. I not only cried through most of it, I was just in awe of the openness and ultimately what a gift you guys must feel to have been able to share all that together.

Pua: You know, I'm glad you brought that up on regarding the short film. Yes. Standing Above the Clouds is about three mothers and their daughters and really in a, in a way that's not so apparent. It's about what our mothers pass to us and how our mothers have interacted with us throughout the filming and really throughout this whole experience and what I want to have happen when we create the feature we're working on, of course, taking this 15-minutes of our lives, really a true glimpse into our life that was made for film festivals. So we went with a 15-minute piece and we're looking at a feature film is when you're talking, I'm listening to you talk about what it must have been like for mothers and daughters in those moments. And I'm gonna say what we'll show in the future is it's extremely difficult. What we go through on a daily basis is when you're in the movement, as we are, when the mothers are giving almost every moment to protecting something. Beyond themselves. Sometimes it's, it's overwhelmingly difficult and challenging and each of us ha as families have gone through health issues. We've gone through tragedies, we've gone through emotional challenges where we found ourselves literally on our knees because of the stance that we took and are still taking. And so I know many mothers and daughters in the movements from here and from the continent, and I don't think for any of us, it's been easy. It looks like it, you know, it does look like it, when we are on stage together. When we are presenting together, when we are arm in arm together, that's real. That comes out of a real love and bond and conviction to what we are standing for. And the knowledge that's being a family is gonna get us through it. But underneath all that, and in between all that and to get there is, is true hardship sometimes and really working through it, you know, every family has, has some element of that. But when you have some element of that just from living as a family and then you tack on the biggest movement and all the time that it's taking to be in a court case. 

Tanya: Right.  

Pua: To testify in all those meetings, to bring that energy home, to give up. Lots of opportunities, right? Because, no, we can't do that today because we gotta get this done and we, we still need to do that brief. There's so much beauty to standing together and I will never disregard that, but I also will never glamorize it either, because, you know, you hear that, oh, must be nice to be, you know, doing all that. It's, it's probably for me, what I will remember most in my life is this bond that my daughters and I have and watching them become the aloha aina activist that they are in their own way, through photography, through music, through standing, that's what I'll take with me when I go. That my daughters will be more than I, but they will be as I am. But more than, and they will have learned enough from me to not repeat my mistakes, to take better care of themselves, to not work till they drop. They already know that. And I'm watching them become the, the activist, the aloha aina that we'll need for this day's forward because of what we've gone through together. And so there's joy and there's pain. 

And it's the path we chose. And and we wouldn't change most things about what we're doing. I think we'd navigate some things in a different way. We'd make sure that we, we listened to each other. We would make sure that our daughters didn't feel invisible sometimes, or not listen to, or, you know, just we'd be maybe a little bit more present. And, but I think the biggest thing that at least I've learned from my own ohana is a lot of this work is hard. And there when, especially if you go to a meeting, it's a typical, you go to a meeting and you hear something that you don't wanna hear about what they're gonna do to. Your, the area you live in or the next move for the TMT and you're not heard and you come home and you're angry. A lot of us maybe don't get involved because, oh, I no like go to that meeting, I just going to hear the same old thing. And then when I come home right. I bring that home. And I think that's not just here. That's everywhere. Whatever you are exposed to outside, you bring home and we've made it a real concerted effort to not bring anger from events or meetings or those kinds of circumstances into our home because we knew from the onset if we did that, our girls would probably not follow in our footsteps, and in fact, they'd get very resentful about what we were doing. And so that's what we've been able to eliminate from the equation, is not being resentful about the work that we do.  

And in fact, both girls work for me in Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, and we're more dedicated than ever because we have not brought that home to the best of our ability. And so I don't want this call to sound in any way, like it's been too hard or Oh, you know, oh my goodness. 

All these challenges and all of that. This has been yes, it's hard. Yes, there are challenges. Yes, we face. We face hardship in, in every way, just like a lot of other people. Right. But in the end, Mauna Kea has been worth all that and the relationships we've made, the people we've met, the experiences we've had, and the transformations that we're still going through on a daily basis. The music we've created, the art we've done, the projects we've been facilitated, the ceremonies, the gatherings, the life on the ala, you know, I mean, none of the other things, when you think about all of that really can equate to where we're sitting right now. And trust me, we'll all say the TMT will never be built. Because that would be devastating for our children. Devastating. To look at. Devastating for the mountain. Yes, we know that. But put that on the side, the stance and what we've learned on how to protect and the training we've received and what we, what will utilize as we stand for everything else that we have to stand for here. This is like Mauna Kea is one thing. There's so many other places and so many other things we have to stand for in our Hawaii. That this, like I said before, has been a gift. For us, this training we've received from, from standing on this Mauna. The Mauna has been our teacher. The mountain is our teacher, and I think we've learned well. We've learned well.  

Tanya: Absolutely. I, Iʻm often in awe of the amount of energy that you guys can move as well as then create so many different creative projects and juggle so much at once. You know, I mean, it's pretty amazing. 

Pua: Well, that's true. 

Tanya: It's pretty amazing. 

Pua: It it is. I mean, I will say that for sure. You know, I mean we, we have at least ten projects ourselves going on at one time. But the, but what I see around me, is that there are many others who are working really hard in their communities. That really inspires us to not only keep doing what we're doing, but then to support each other as well. There are individuals, there are organizations, there are huiʻs that are just doing what they do. And what they do is adding to all that we're all doing.  

So it's really, you know, I might be sitting here today, but there's so many that should be sitting here, because really in all humility, I'm in awe of our people. I'm in awe of those who will take on the legislature. And those bills and resolutions in a way that just totally exhausts me. I'm in awe of those who attend those meetings or who get arrested because they'll put themselves there. I'm in awe of that. Just those who, the teachers in the schools who take a chance and, and teach something about activism or, or invite one of us in the classroom. There is so much going on right now. So I think to everybody, as I do. I own what I'm doing. I'm proud of what I'm doing. I'm proud of the efforts I'm making and the accomplishments that I have and my organization have and my family have. Because if we don't really own what we're doing and say to ourselves, wow, that was a great job. Sometimes we're the only ones who's going to recognize that. And, and we have to, we have to sit in it for a little while, you know, we do good things and then we just go on for the next one. And it's like, no, let's sit in this, debrief this, embrace this, add this to our core and our armor so that we're more empowered than ever. And it's not about doing great big things, it's just doing, about doing something. So today Mauna Kea Wear Wednesday. If you don't know what to do, wear something for Mauna Kea on Wednesdays, make sure Mauna Kea is visible. Don't let anybody think that we're not here anymore. If you haven't done something, sign the No Construction on the Mound petition that we have out there, we are 24,000 petition signatures away from 500,000. And wouldn't it be great to go to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and just say we are more than a few Hawaiians, some Hawaiians and their supporters? No, we are at least 500,000. I mean, there's things, follow people on social media.

You know, follow the actions by people that you trust, not just for Mauna Kea. But for the water protectors on Oahu, for those on Kauai, for those on Maui, those on Molokai. I mean we have so much work to do. Do something, right? Let's just do something cuz something is gonna be more than we did yesterday. And then just say, yes, I did that, I did that. And that's plenty. 

Tanya: At one step at a time. 

Pua: Yes, for sure, for sure. 

Tanya: One step and moment at a time. We make choices in every moment and well, Pua, it's always fabulous to talk to you. 

Pua: Oh, you too. Thank you. Thank you for having me because there's some great things coming up. So if I could, I really would like to end with June 11th, everyone, it's lā 3000. 3000 days since March 25th, 2015. A count that was started by Kuuipo Freitas of Kona, lā one in the crosswalk. 3,000 days later is June 11th, Kamehameha Day.  And I'm gonna just say stay tuned to our, our social media, Mauna Education and Awareness, Protect Mauna Kea and some of the other Instagram accounts that share information on the daily, because we'll have something in store for that day.  And we, we wanna do that all together, with all of you. Let's celebrate. We don't celebrate enough. Let's celebrate 3,000 days since 2015, standing and protecting Mauna Kea. No construction on the mountain and a lahui that is still standing together and supporting one another. and getting strong. Let's pay tribute, getting stronger as we go. 

Pua: Yes, Ao for sure. 

Tanya: Hmm. Hmm. Excellent. Well it's been great talking to you, Pua.  

Pua: You too 

Tanya: And I wish you will have just a beautiful event or events, whatever's happening on June 11th, I'm super excited to find out. We'll have the links below so that people can click on MKEA.info and any other links that Pua provides with me, we will share as well.

Pua: Okay. Thank you so much and to our lahui. Yeah. Aloha to our lahui out there. Love you all. Aloha. 

Mahalo for listening to Ola Ka Moku, Hawaii Islandʻs Community Podcast. To support this show or listen to more episodes, visit www.olakamoku.com. For more information about Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, visit www.MKEA.org

Follow and learn about ways to support and protect our sacred spaces resources at www.Facebook.com/mkea.info/ and on Instagram at @protectmaunakea  

Celebrate lā 3000 on Sunday, June 11 at noon at the Kamehameha Statue in Kapaau in Kohala.  

This podcast has been supported by Tina Leilani Stuart, a NeoLife promoter. Visit shopneolife.com/tinastuart for science based nutrition and personal solutions to upgrade your health. Thereʻs no better time than now to start experiencing the benefits of superior quality nutrition. Call Tina at 808-333-2250.

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Note: Aloha, this is Tanya Yamanaka. My name, Yamanaka, is Japanese and refers to people of the mountain. The cultural and environmental significance of Mauna Kea is understood by many. I humbly urge listeners, friends, family and businesses to learn more about Mauna Kea and the worldwide political, spiritual and evolutionary significance of this movement. Visit MKEA.org to learn more. I welcome respectful, intimate conversations with those who disagree, donʻt understand, are still on the fence, just observing or want to know and learn more. We are all learning, growing and evolving. 

To purchase or learn more about Candace Fujikaneʻs book, Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future, which I referred to in this podcast, visit this link at Duke University Press: https://www.dukeupress.edu/mapping-abundance-for-a-planetary-future.