By Hina Keala
In the summer of 2014, I was a young, freshly graduated 18-year-old with the opportunity to enter the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Monument under the Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy (KVA) led by Captain Bonnie Kahapeʻa-Tanner. This was the first time in recent history that a group this young was taken into the monument. That experience forever changed me and since then has been a mole (source) of inspiration, reverence, and guidance for me.
I can confidently say that almost every important decision I’ve made since can be traced back to that 2014 voyage to Papahānaumokuākea, in which kūpuna of all shapes and forms guided me from adolescence into womanhood. We don’t call them the “kūpuna islands” for nothing.
It was so crucial to be in this space as a young Hawaiian because all the stories of our kūpuna became real. I learned to trust and have “faith in the knowledge of my ancestors,” as Papa Mau said – a skill that went beyond the deck of that ship and has stuck with me since.
As a member of the Papahānaumokuākea Cultural Working Group (CWG), in 2023 I was honored to receive the kāhea to return to Papahānaumokuākea almost 10 years later to serve as a cultural liaison for a joint science research trip with USFWS, NOAA, and USGS to Kamole Atoll, formerly known as Laysan Island. Kamole is the second largest landmass in Papahānaumokuākea, approximately 1 mile wide by 1.5 miles long, with a hypersaline lake in the middle that is home to the world’s rarest duck, the endangered koloa pōhaka (Laysan duck)
On this trip, we reaped the benefits of decades of work to rid Kamole of Cenchrus echinatus, an invasive weed that has wreaked havoc on the island since 1961. We planned to continue removal, but after hours of searching we could not find a single plant! Hulō! We also observed a large colony of ʻewaʻewa (sooty tern) prospecting and selecting nesting locations. In the middle of the trip, they began to lay eggs. Ola!
Goals for the trip included Cenchrus removal, counting koloa pōhaka, surveying and tagging monk seals and honu, and installing weather stations. A main objective was to collect sediment samples from the center of the lake. We had the opportunity to jump in to the water, but due to its hypersalinity, it was nearly impossible to sink.
The team of scientists, many of whom have never participated in Hawaiian protocol before, were very receptive to learning oli. We focused our energies on the intention of the huakaʻi and reverence for Papahānaumokuākea. This resulted in a very smooth and efficient trip. Hopefully, we can see more cultural liaison positions in future research trips as both perspectives of stewardship are vital for the future of our kūpuna islands.
To Kahaz, Kalā, Aunty Pua, Keanaliʻiomanaʻe, Leiʻohu, and my KVA ʻohana, mahalo palena ʻole for dreaming so that we could live it and dream of further horizons. E ola i ke au a Kanaloa! Mahalo nui to the CWG for granting me this opportunity to hoʻi i ka mole.
 led by Captain Bonnie Kahapeʻa-Tanner.){kind=link}