“Lahaina, i ka malu ‘ulu o Lele.
Lahaina, in the shade of the breadfruit trees of Lele.
The old name for Lahaina was Lele.”
In August, we witnessed to our horror and disbelief, the utter destruction of Lahaina! We also witnessed the immediate and remarkable support of many people coming to Lahaina’s assistance!
Our recent Benefit Lahaina – Celebrate Aloha Concert raised $15,300 to support recovery efforts!!! And more donations are continuing to come in! 100% will be going to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund.
One question haunts me. How did the fires happen in Lahaina and cause so much pain and destruction?
Prior to western contact, Lahaina’s name was Lele or Malu ‘Ulu o Lele (In the Shade of the Breadfruit Trees of Lele). It was lush with ulu, kalo, bananas, yams, coconut and many more edible plants. Kaipo Kekona shared that there was an investment of human capital in planting and maintaining the grove. The infrastructure of 'auwai systems worked symbiotically with nature to maximize abundance for both people and the natural environment. Increasing rainfall, aquifer recharge, near shore water discharge, attracted an abundance of fish to the healthy estuaries of flourishing ahupua'a to feed everyone.
Malu ‘Ulu o Lele was the sacred heartbeat of Maui and original capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom after Kamehameha I unified the Hawaiian Islands.
Hokuao Pellegrino said that an 1887 news article specifically talked about Pioneer Sugar Company pushing cut sugarcane up against the 'Ulu trees, and burning them down. The article describes the outcry from Hawaiian families and the broader community begging them to stop because the ‘ulu trees were not just a symbol of Lahaina, but they helped to sustain that population.
By the late 1800’s nothing was left of Malu ‘Ulu o Lele. The grove of ‘ulu that provided an abundance of food free to the people was replaced by sugarcane to turn a profit for the plantations. Plantations diverted the water that fed the area. The climate and environment that was known as Lahaina had completely changed and the stage was set for the devastating fires that consumed the city in August.
My friend Jenn Louie says, “We have a necessary and precious opportunity to reflect upon and unlearn our western colonial ways of being. These colonial ways have fractured and broken our relationships with each other and with the 'Aina. These ways of being have warped and limited how we see our humanity and value:
that the 'aina is something to be extracted from for profit,
that our time is something to be commodified for profit,
that our worth is measured by how much profit we can create for someone else.
It limits our ways of seeing value through what we produce, what we can commodify vs simply who we are. What would it mean if we could unlearn and teach the next generation that they deserve love just because they simply exist.
It is time to heal and recover. I pray that we are able to be skillful and compassionate in our actions going forward, that we support the short and long term health and balanced sustainability of the people and ‘aina of Lahaina. And that we firmly secure Aloha as the foundation of our being.
MAHALO NUI LOA to ALL the many people who contributed their time, money and gifts for this past Sunday – it was a gift to see all of you come together as ONE for Lahaina!!!
Malama pono (take care of body, mind, heart)
Kumu/Roshi June Kaililani Ryushin Tanoue
P.S. If you haven’t contributed yet for Lahaina, it’s not too late!