EPIC: Kauluakalana (Kailua, Oʻahu, Hawaii)

At Kauluakalana, we are deeply committed to strengthening our connection between kanaka (people) and ʻāina (land) through culturally rooted practices and environmental stewardship. Our internship program is designed to immerse participants in hands-on experiences that honor the traditions of our ancestors while equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to be leaders in their communities. Interns will engage in both ʻĀina Education and ʻĀina Restoration activities, helping to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural and natural heritage of Hawaiʻi, specifically, in our beloved ahupuaʻa of Kailua. Through this work, interns will not only contribute to the land's healing but also grow as stewards of their own kuleana (responsibility) to their own ʻāina and community, guided by Kauluakalana’s mission, vision, and 3-pronged approach to restoring kanaka-ʻāina relationships: Haʻi Moʻolelo (storytelling), Hānai (growing and feeding people our ancestral foods), and Huli ka Lima i Lalo (turning hands down to the land).

List of Potential Projects:

Examples of ʻĀina Education tasks at Ulupō and Makaliʻi:

• Interns will support with planning and leading Ka Pahuhopu o Kawainui, an out-of-school, Hawaiian culture-based, ʻōlelo-rich, ʻĀina Education program designed for middle school to early high school-aged learners from Kailua and neighboring ahupuaʻa in Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu. The program focuses on engaging youth with cultural practitioners from our community in intergenerational transfer of Hawaiian knowledge and practices including story-telling, mele, food cultivation and preparation, and community-based land stewardship and restoration.

Examples of ʻĀina Restoration tasks at Ulupō:

• Interns will be mentored in a variety of farming tasks and will have the opportunity to learn both the theory and practice of biocultural restoration efforts occurring at Ulupō. Skills include managing complex loʻi systems including springs & ʻauwai, stewarding Ulupō (an agricultural heiau) and Kawainui fishpond, planting and caring for māla (dryland gardens), traditional food preparation, managing invasive species by weed whacking and clearing with handtools, and tasks as assigned.

Examples of ʻĀina Restoration tasks at Makaliʻi:

• Interns will be mentored in a variety of sustainable farming practices and will have the opportunity to learn both the theory and practice of biocultural restoration efforts occurring at Makaliʻi. Skills include managing complex loʻi systems including springs and ʻauwai, planting and caring for māla (dryland gardens), establishing agroforestry systems, managing invasive species through weeding, weed whacking, and clearing regions with both hand tools and alongside heavy machinery, and other tasks as assigned. At Makaliʻi, which is a new site for our organization, there will be a particular emphasis on monitoring current ecological systems (e.g. transects, water quality) and clear cutting invasive species to restore traditional ecosystems.