Be Aloha: 14 Ways
April 25, 2019
“Aloha has become a very universal word, heard all around the world. But what does this word mean beyond the greeting we so often hear?” asks Lahela Chandler Correa, co-founder of Aloha Movement Kauai in the forward of the “Aloha: What it Means to My ‘Ohana.” This book, based on Correa’s life lessons of Aloha and written for elementary school children by Aloha Movement co-founder Ann Hettinger, has been used for curriculum in local public schools and expanded into three editions for lower elementary, upper elementary and adult. It outlines 14 different meanings of Aloha and how these lessons can be applied in everyday life. “It doesn’t matter if you are white, black, blue or green, I believe we all have Aloha,” Correa writes. “Aloha is considered the gift of the Hawaiian people to the world.”
Timbers Kauai is proud to partner with Living Aloha to share this insight into local tradition and culture with our residents, guests, and friends.
Aloha is Malama
The meaning of malama: This means to care for all things like the kai (ocean), aina (land), yourself, your ‘ohana (family), and all living creatures.
Malama as expressed in everyday life: Do your part to care for our world. Volunteer for a Kahakai (beach) clean-up to keep ‘opala (trash) from polluting an causing harm to kai (ocean) creatures. Don’t stand on the reef. You can damage the protective layer of mucus, which can cause infection to the coral. Use sunscreen that doesn’t harm the reef. Take care of yourself; eat well and exercise.
What malama means to you: “In simple terms it’s to care or to nurture the land, like caring for children. This is a blessed place, but it’s not only about caring for the place but caring for the people. Caring for the people is also about caring for the self; how we represent ourselves with others and how we represent ourselves in a place. When we do good things for others, good things happen for ourselves, and that is our purpose. That is malama,” David Nagao, Director, Hokuala Community Association and Kauai native.
