Kanu Mālaʻai
"Huli ka lima i lalo, turn the hand downward and be productive." This ʻŌlelo No'eau is a great representation of the experiences created in the gardens here at Kanu. As a Hawaiian Focused Public Charter School, we incorporate planting by the moon phases and teach them to be observant to their environment by reading the clouds, winds and animals that frequent our campus. Our students have a strong connection to our voyaging canoe and through this lens we teach them how to make natural dyes, fibers and turn them into kaula. They are introduced to traditional medicine and food that they learn to make from what they grow. “Ma ka hana ka 'ike, through doing one learns." This is one of our foundational beliefs and can be seen throughout our entire campus.
Community Involvement
The keiki of Kanu o ka ʻĀina got to work along side members of Nā Kālai Waʻa – Makaliʻi Voyaging ʻOhana to help grow and prepare food from our Kanu mālaʻai to send on a voyage to Mokumanamana in the summer of 2019. This video includes details of our involvement. Kanu along with other community schools, contributed to the kuleana of providing ʻai pono meals for the crew. Students learned preservation techniques and experimented with recipes. Haumāna also got to make kaula out of maiʻa fibers. It was an honor to help provision a voyaging canoe with supplies from the ʻāina.
