{"id":136943,"date":"2021-03-09T15:18:23","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T01:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=136943"},"modified":"2021-03-09T19:47:22","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T05:47:22","slug":"aloha-aina-resumes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/09\/aloha-aina-resumes\/","title":{"rendered":"Aloha \u02bb\u0100ina on M\u0101noa campus resumes"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Aloha ʻĀina<\/span> on the UH<\/abbr>M\u0101noa campus resumes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An outdoor University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa event founded on the Hawaiian concept of ʻāina<\/span> (Grandmother Earth) connection has been given the green light to safely resume during the spring 2021 semester. Aloha ʻĀina<\/span> Fridays<\/a>, a free series hosted by the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office<\/a>, Campus Arboretum<\/a> and Buildings and Grounds Management<\/a> gathers students, faculty and staff to get to know and learn ways they can care for plants on campus.<\/p>\n

The program promotes connecting with ʻāina<\/span> while connecting with others as a way to heal and recharge. UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Native Hawaiian affairs program officer Kaiwipuni Lipe<\/strong> leads the Aloha ʻĀina<\/span> program and believes the concept is needed now more than ever.<\/p>\n

“We thought about all the stuff being offered online right now. LOTS of presentations. Not a bunch of options for connecting with ʻāina<\/span> directly,” said Lipe. “We know connecting with \u2018āina is really nourishing for overall well-being and especially right now after being isolated for so long,”<\/p>\n

To adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines, the monthly events are limited to five UH<\/abbr> Mānoa students and employees who are required to follow social-distance guidelines and wear masks. Since the semester started, three events were held on-campus.<\/p>\n

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Participants picked Butterfly Pea flowers to extract dye.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On March 5, participants cleared fallen leaves and fruit from sprawling Australian Lemon-Scented Gum trees (Corymbia citriodora) next to the Biomedical Sciences building. They also yanked a widespread weed nearby called, Scarlet Gourd (Coccinea grandis) that choked out Easter Lily Vines (Beaumontia grandiflora) from the Himilayan tropics. Deep blue flowers known as Butterfly Pea (Clitorea ternatea) were also plucked from an adjacent fence to be used to make a dye for arts and crafts.<\/p>\n

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Indigo blue dye made from the flowers participants picked.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Aloha ʻĀina<\/span> series dedicated to caring for plants is also referred to as Huli ka lima i lalo (turning one\u2019s hands down to the earth) and is guided by UH<\/abbr> Mānoa campus arboretum curator Nōweo Kai<\/strong>. She is the campus\u2019 botanist and oversees more than 4,000 plants spread across UH<\/abbr> Mānoa.<\/p>\n

At each event, Kai describes how the specific plants focused on that day came to be a part of the university, where they come from and how to mālama (care) for them. She believes the ʻāina<\/span> events can provide a healthy outlet during the pandemic. “With increasing online attendance, it is essential to foster a sense of physical space,” she explained.<\/p>\n

Aloha ʻĀina<\/span> Fridays are scheduled for April 16 and May 7. Anyone interested can register to participate.<\/p>\n