Be Aloha: 14 Ways
December 18, 2018
“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 Keikila’au’o’wakanahele 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.”
Hokuala Kauai is proud to partner with Aloha Movement to share this insight into local tradition and culture with our residents, guests, and friends.
Aloha is Akua
The meaning of Akua: Akua is a state of inner peace, achieved through positive thoughts and feelings. Akua is also about gratitude, good intentions and the power of positivity, especially in terms of how it connects all of us.
Akua as expressed in everyday life: Before paddling a wa’a (canoe) in an outrigger race, it’s a tradition for all the competitors to join hands in a large circle and close their eyes as the head kupuna (elder) leads a pule (prayer) and shares his or her maika’i (good) wishes and safety for the paddlers.
To practice Akua: take a quiet moment to think about something positive in your life and feel gratitude.
