{"id":217468,"date":"2025-06-16T10:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T20:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=217468"},"modified":"2025-06-16T10:03:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T20:03:53","slug":"restoring-pono-restoring-community-uh-west-oahu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/16\/restoring-pono-restoring-community-uh-west-oahu\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoring pono, restoring community: Hundreds gather at UH<\/abbr> West O\u02bbahu"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"large
ʻAha Hoʻoponopono<\/span> took place June 5–6 on the Â鶹´«Ã½West Oʻahu<\/span> campus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Healing, truth-telling and aloha filled the air at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>–West Oʻahu<\/span> as nearly 300 participants came together for a powerful two-day gathering on hoʻoponopono<\/span>—Hawaiian for “to make right, to restore goodness and peace within families and close groups, to return to a loving state through ritual communication, and to speak truth for the purpose of healing relationships.”<\/p>\n

\"Person
Aunty Lynette Paglinawan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ʻAha Hoʻoponopono<\/span> \u2014 A time to partner!<\/a> was held June 5–6 and welcomed haku hoʻoponopono<\/span> (peacemakers), social service professionals, aloha ʻ\u0101ina (love and care for land) advocates and community members to explore how ancestral knowledge can guide healing in modern contexts. About 200 attendees joined in person and nearly 100 online.<\/p>\n

“We were intentional about folks knowing that hoʻoponopono<\/span> still exists but now in many forms, all with naʻau<\/span> ʻoiaiʻo<\/span> at the core\u2014this means that we are wanting to express ourselves through and with the center of truth from our deepest knowing,\u201d said Manu Aluli-Meyer, Konohiki for K\u016blana o Kapolei.<\/p>\n

Loea Hoʻoponopono<\/span> (revered teacher) Lynette Paglinawan, retired resident kupuna at UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span>, gave the keynote address.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am humbled to stand here to address and to share more importantly a topic that is dear to my puʻuwai<\/span> (heart), and to pay respects to all of you who come with the same passion and desire to help, to heal, and to restore pono and aloha in our community,\u201d Paglinawan said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to band together and promote health and healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui\u02bbs quotation filled the screen behind Paglinawan while she gave context to the reason for the gathering: \u201cʻOiaiʻo<\/span> is truth in the feeling sense. You feel whether what you are saying is ʻoiaiʻo<\/span> or not. Real truth\u2014real sincerity\u2014comes from na\u02bbau ʻoiaiʻo<\/span>, from \u2018truthful guts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Paglinawan\u02bbs purpose for acknowledging aspects of hoʻoponopono<\/span> within multiple programs, ideas and practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe essence of each joined all practitioners present: na\u02bbau ʻoiaiʻo<\/span>,\u201d Aluli-Meyer said.<\/p>\n

Workshops and discussions followed, examining hoʻoponopono<\/span> at three levels\u2014individual and family, community and institutions, and systems and policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ʻaha has changed many people,\u201d Aluli-Meyer said. \u201cWe are healing our collective with aloha languaging and pono behavior. The sense in the air was loving. It was palpable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paglinawan addressed the many volunteers who created this experience: \u201cBecause they have been the recipients of aloha, they know how to give aloha in the future.\u201d
\nPhotos are available in the 2025 \u2018Aha Hoʻoponopono<\/span> Flickr album<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more visit Ka Puna O Kaloʻi<\/span><\/em><\/a>.
\n\u2014By Zenaida Serrano Arvman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ancient wisdom and modern insight unite in a powerful call for healing and growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[33,59],"class_list":["post-217468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaiian","tag-uh-west-oahu","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t