Ok, I feel I can finally talk about this. Years of grief and healing journey come to the end.
Robert Keliihoomalu was the truest Kanaka, the most authentic Hawaiian, and one of the rare few who carried his traditional culture in Kaimu, also known as Kalapana.
He saw potential in me and encouraged me to learn from him about the Hawaiian way of life. He believed that I had the capacity to learn and truly understand.
I was born and raised in Tokyo, with no idea what being Hawaiian really meant. I felt as if I had been caught off guard, trying to grasp what was unfolding around me.
Surrounded by the breathtaking rush of the jungle, I found myself in a land overflowing with life—banana, papaya, mango, ‘ulu, avocado, kalo, ti, chili peppers… This was paradise, a place where the Keliihoomalu ‘ohana had lived for countless generations.
In rural lower Puna, where lava continuously flows into the land, mālama ‘āina and food sustainability are not just values, but essentials for survival.
It was here, in this sacred place, that my miracle life truly began.
