Kiʻi Aloha ʻĀina - Our Photos
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Photo Samples
As our mission states, our photographs are meant as tools for cultivating aloha ʻāina consciousness. As such, all of our photos are moʻolelo of their own, and so that our photos can be utilized as educational tools, we include our interpretations of these moʻolelo in written form with each of the photos we share. See some examples of of photos and moʻolelo below.
KūkahauʻulaAt the summit of Mauna a Wākea is Puʻu Kūkahauʻula. It is said that this puʻu was named after an aliʻi, Kūkahauʻula, who lived on the mauna with his aliʻi wahine, Lilinoe. It is recorded in moʻolelo that a number of aliʻi, including Liliʻuokalani herself, traveled to the summit of Mauna a Wākea to visit the iwi of these aliʻi. Kūkahauʻula is also an akua of the Mauna. As seen in this photo taken on Puʻu Kūkahauʻula, the snow that reflects the fiery red of the rising and setting sun is the elemental form of Kū-ka-hau-ʻula (Kū of the red snow).
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Ke Aka Mauna a Kea At sunrise and sunset, the mauna casts an awesome shadow over the earth. “Ke aka mauna a Kea,” the mountain shadow of Wākea, thus represents the image of Mauna a Wākea’s grandeur, expanse, and unmatched greatness. As the sun moves from solstice to solstice, this shadow marks the boundaries of the Kānaka sacred realm. This photo was taken at sunset, as the shadow extended out towards the northeast, over Puʻu Makanaka and Kaupō in the foreground, reminding us of Mauna a Wākea’s grandeur.
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* Note: These two photos were taken one right after the other from nearly the exact same location. "Kūkahauʻula" is the view while looking toward the setting sun, and "Ke Aka Mauna a Kea" is the view while looking away from the sun towards the east, where the shadow appeared and the full moon was rising.
Mauna a Wākea Series
As our moʻokūʻauhau teach us, akua, ʻāina, and kānaka are of the same genealogy. Above us is Wākea, the sky. Below, Papahānaumoku, the earth. We, Kānaka ʻŌiwi are their descendants, sustained by ʻāina, the land that feeds us. The highest peak and most sacred of our ʻāina is Mauna a Wākea, on the island of Hawaiʻi. There, the cycles of life begin and end with the first and last light of each day. Mauna a Wākea is sacred, and it is our kuleana to protect it.
I decided to do a Mauna a Wākea photo series to share the moʻolelo of our sacred Mauna, and to further cultivate consciousness within our communities about the many reasons why our Mauna is sacred and must be protected. For decades now, many Kānaka ʻŌiwi and others have been fighting to protect the sanctity of Mauna a Wākea in the face of continued attempts to develop astronomical telescopes of its summit. This struggle continues today, as a 14th telescope has been approved for construction on the summit of our Mauna. This telescope, the TMT, would be the largest building on the island of Hawaiʻi if constructed. To learn more about this struggle and how you can support the protection of Mauna a Wākea, see: http://kahea.org/issues/sacred-summits
Mauna a Wākea Series
As our moʻokūʻauhau teach us, akua, ʻāina, and kānaka are of the same genealogy. Above us is Wākea, the sky. Below, Papahānaumoku, the earth. We, Kānaka ʻŌiwi are their descendants, sustained by ʻāina, the land that feeds us. The highest peak and most sacred of our ʻāina is Mauna a Wākea, on the island of Hawaiʻi. There, the cycles of life begin and end with the first and last light of each day. Mauna a Wākea is sacred, and it is our kuleana to protect it.
I decided to do a Mauna a Wākea photo series to share the moʻolelo of our sacred Mauna, and to further cultivate consciousness within our communities about the many reasons why our Mauna is sacred and must be protected. For decades now, many Kānaka ʻŌiwi and others have been fighting to protect the sanctity of Mauna a Wākea in the face of continued attempts to develop astronomical telescopes of its summit. This struggle continues today, as a 14th telescope has been approved for construction on the summit of our Mauna. This telescope, the TMT, would be the largest building on the island of Hawaiʻi if constructed. To learn more about this struggle and how you can support the protection of Mauna a Wākea, see: http://kahea.org/issues/sacred-summits
E kala mai, this page is currently under cultivation. We currently arenʻt set up to take online orders, but if you are interested in purchasing photos, please send us a message on our "Contact Us" page. Mahalo nui!