Ka Wai Ola a Kāne...

Last week I received a last minute email and call asking if I would be able to attend a conference this morning sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the proposed Ala Wai Flood Mitigation Project which is estimated to cost almost 500 million dollars. There was a place on the morning agenda to talk about the Native Hawaiian cultural history of the Waikīkī area, and the source of waters in the Mānoa, Makiki and Palolo Valleys which feed into the current Ala Wai Canal.

All weekend I was in intermittent prayer seeking 'ike and guidance on what to share. It came in little pieces all the way up until I exited my car and entered the Honolulu Country Club where the conference was held today.

I shared about Kāne and his twin brother Kanaloa, about Ka Wai Ola a Kāne, the Life Giving Waters of Kāne, Ua Kapu Ke Ola Na Kāne...Life is Sacred to Kāne. From there, the thoughts flowed from the Wao Akua, the abode of the deities, down to the Wao Kānaka, the abode of humans, like a stream of consciousness.

The Sacredness of Water to All Life.  About the water in our bodies. The water in our breath, our Hā. Aia ka Mana i loko o ka hua 'Ōlelo. The Power of Words in Hawaiian thought. About Ma'ilikukahi and his grandson Kalamakua and the vast kalo fields and fish ponds that once covered the massive Waikīkī ahupua'a which ran from Kou (Honolulu) out to Hawai'i Kai.

About abundance and health. Healing. Kamehameha's conquest of O'ahu via Waikīkī. About Papa'ena'ena Heiau and the human sacrifices. About catastrophic social change and decimation of the population. About the conversion of kalo fields to rice, fish and duck ponds.

About stream diversion, channeling and destruction. About kupua and water spirits. Mo'o. About the residency of our Queen Lili'uokalani and other ali'i at Hamohamo, Helumoa, 'Āinahau and the healing waters of the Muliwai o Kawehewehe. About limu kala, hiuwai and kapu kai. 

About the karsts under Mo'ili'ili and the burials and wooden images, the ki'i, hidden down there. The springs or punawai of Punahou, Kānewai, Kumulae, and so many others. Capped off. Filled in. Water passage ways destroyed by construction and breach.

About Pu'u Pueo in Mānoa and the Mo'olelo of Kapoi, Chief Kakuhihewa, and the Chief Eating Sands of Waikīkī. About the successful project to clean up a drug and prostitution infested mini-park on Kūhiō Avenue that ended up having kalo spontaneously start growing on its own after the park was cleansed physically and spiritually, with the help of Kāne, Kanaloa and Haumea.

About the finding of a woman and child, buried in their Eternal Sleep, when a tree was pulled out of the little grassy median between the sidewalk and road in the middle of overdeveloped Waikīkī. Our people are still there.

The dredging and filling in of the marshes, lo'i and fishponds to make more land to sell, build upon and increase valuation by destroying the Life giving waters.

Lots of other free flowing thoughts and 'ike Hawai'i too including about Dr. Masaru Emoto's amazing studies on water crystals and the effects of our positive or negative words on the crystals themselves, of which we are about 60% water, and our brains about 75% as well as infants being about 75% water as a whole. 

The ultimate message. Waikīkī used to be a powerful spiritual place for our people. A place of abundance in food. Abundance of Healing. Where Kāne flows from the Wao Akua and embraces his brother Kanaloa in the ocean and creates Healing Life in this potent mixture of fresh and salt waters. Life. Fish. Limu. Healing. 

About how we all carry Ka Wai Ola a Kāne in our Sacred Breath and Hā. How we choose our words carefully, like the famed black and white stones of war and diplomacy of our warring Ali'i. We can choose Life. Even in the face of Black Stones given to us in the words of others. We can always choose Life. Humility. Gratitude. Forgiveness. Tolerance. Kindness. Compassion. Always...

I am not always sure where the Ancestors will lead me when I have to speak to a group of people. Just humbly Blessed however to be able to share so freely without fear of looking like a nut case. Life is way to short and way too important to ever worry about that. 

I arrived this morning at the venue, a place I actually worked at decades ago to help pay my way through college, by carrying the golf bags of wealthy powerful people. Judges. Politicians. Celebrities. Attorneys. Real Estate Moguls. Sports Stars. Movie Stars. Business Leaders. Gangsters. This was the first time I entered the club through the front entrance.

And there, before me, on the walkway to the massive front doors, was Kāne, showing himself in his Life Giving Waters spread out on the warm asphalt. A Beautiful Humbling affirmation that the time he and I spent together this weekend in prayer, conversation and downloads, was real and to wish me luck before my presentation. Humbly Grateful. Always. There is too much at stake...