Throughout the school year, the ALC students and I have had the great honor to not only visit Loko Ea Fishpond in Haleiwa, but to take part in an on-going program to visit, contribute to, and learn from the loko i’a and the caretakers of Loko Ea. During our time there we have learned about the 500 year history of the loko i’a and its importance to the people from the Moku (greater land district) of Waialua, acting as a major food resource through providing primarily protein from fish. The students learned about the connection between the aina and kai and how they come together to create a rich ecosystem which makes for a perfect breeding, living and growing area for the fish. They also learned about how everything that happens up mauka affects the makai areas. As this school year marches on we will be continuing to go there, taking part in the restoration of Loko Ea, building traditional Hawaiian kuapa (walls) for na mala (gardens), and learning about the history, culture and earth sciences that take place everyday in our backyard. It is a lot of fun to go there and there is always something new to see and learn and, all the while, the connection that we are making to our home and culture has been incredible.
Mr. Jacob Mirels | Waialua High & Intermediate Faculty Member
Through hands-on, community-based work experiences, students at WHIS are encouraged to make meaningful contributions to the eco-cultural sustainability efforts that are ongoing here on the North Shore of Oahu. Below, are two examples of teachers working alongside students in hopes of building a stronger, more sustainable future for our Waialua ohana.
Some things I liked about Loko Ea was that they try to give you as much knowledge as possible about its background. They would teach us about why it was so important to our people back in the days and what it took to maintain a fishpond. My favorite part about going to Loko Ea was learning how to build a rock wall. I think it is valuable for the community to go to the Loko Ea because it helps them learn about the history of where they came from and how people used to use the land as a way of getting food and resources for their family.- Silas
What I like about Lokoea is that we learn a lot of stuff about our culture and we are always learning or doing something to help out. My favorite thing about Lokoea is that we get to miss a day of school but I also think Loko Ea is important because it helps us learn things we could use in our community and we could help other people learn these things too. - Nakoa Cash
I enjoy going to Loko Ea because I’m surrounded by people that I care for and know care for me. We get to learn about what our ancestors did to survive, how they cultivated their fields, how they caught fish, built there houses, what type material they would use to make netting or what kind of materials and knots to make their tools and how many types of fish ponds there were. -La’akea Ryun
I really enjoy going to Loko Ea because we get to learn about the history and what the community was like 500 years ago. My favorite part is when we get to kilo(to observe) in the morning because it really helps us be more aware of our surroundings and if anything has changed or looks different. - Josh Asano
Engaging students in real-world literacy practices is an important part of teaching English Language Arts. Not only do students need to develop cognitive skills related to reading comprehension and written expression, they also need develop an understanding of how their values, beliefs, and relationships to the world underpin their motivation and purpose for engaging in acts of reading, writing, and composing. By providing opportunities for students to listen to the stories of our community and work alongside those who sustain the local lands and culture, I hope to facilitate authentic learning experiences for my students that move them - and their literacy learning - beyond the walls of my classroom.
The following student testimonials and images stem from a workday I organized with The North Shore Community Land Trust, a non-profit organization that works to conserve and restore coastal landscapes and cultural sites across the North Shore of Oʻahu. Students worked in Waiale’e, helping to remove invasive weeds in support of The Land Trust’s efforts to restore the Kalou fishpond and lo’i that had once flourished in that area.
~ Ms. Kelly Victor | WHIS Faculty
Hayley: The Waiale’e workday was a very culturally significant and eye-opening experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about different aspects of Hawaiian culture. One memorable part was when our guide Nick told us the myth of Maui. To explain the creation of Waiale’e Maui pulled the islands from the sea and created small pools of water where his hook had been. This reminded me of my own culture. My father’s side of the family is Cherokee, and I grew up listening to myths from my grandmother of how the Cherokee explained the creation of mother earth. Between the two cultures, they both value the connection people have with the land. It is revered and thought to be a generous gift from the gods. As I was cleaning Waiale’e of invasive plants, I couldn’t help but notice the serenity of nature. I could clearly see how important the land is to human life; it sustains us. Now people take the beauty of nature for granted; it’s not as respected as it used to be. I left Waiale’e that day feeling appreciative of those who came before me and a responsibility to preserve the land for generations to come.
~ Hayley | Grade 12
Getting to work at the Waiale’e workday was a very eye opening and meaningful experience for us. We feel fortunate to live here, so working in the land and helping to restore an area that has so much cultural significance to the people who call Hawai’i home was the least we could do for our community. Growing up in Hawai’i, we’ve been shaped by the land and the water in more ways than one way, giving back to it meant the world.
~ Maika and Ember | Grade 12
From the Waiale’e workday, I gained a deeper cultural connection and respect to the place I call home. I learned to care for and nurture the land, which was the Hawaiian theme of our service; Mālama 'Āina. The workday was a very culturally significant experience for me, as I listened to and deeply appreciated the knowledge that was shared to me & the rest of the group. He shared with us the Ancient Hawaiian beliefs of the Ahupua’a that we were in, as well as Ancient Hawaiian Legends of the Gods and Goddesses who influenced the area, and the significance of Waiale’e to the Ancient Hawaiian community and culture. It served as a source of fresh spring water, fishing (for food), and farming (for Taro). The brackish water of the pond was significant in the fact that it mixed the fresh water from the ground and the salt water from the ocean, to create the perfect conditions for the Ancient Hawaiians to cultivate the area. And for us, we were able to take part as we used our modern day tools to still do the same thing, caring for our environment by cultivating and nurturing it. I was able to use a pickaxe for the majority of the time, and I cleared out a lot of the invasive weeds that were plaguing the area. I also went to explore the surrounding area and saw huge fields of Hawaiian Plants, which had been cared for by the local community land trust group. Overall the experience reminded me that we need to respect Hawaiian culture and continue to care for the land because it is essential to where we live.
~ Dallen | Grade 12
