Even in times of oppression our kupuna found ways to support the kingdom.  While Lili‘uokalani was imprisoned in the palace, loyalist would give her flowers wrapped in newspaper to keep her informed of the happenings in the community.  Here are a few pictures of a woven mat with words of support for the queen woven into the design.

The link below will take you to the online database of Hawaiian Langauge newspapers.

nupepa

Did you know at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Hawai‘i senator Daniel Inouye gave the keynote address?  Here’s a link to the his speech.

inouye1968speech.pdf

Hawaiian intelligence is often overlooked when things occur in our natural environment.

With all of the recent sightings of sharks in the waters off Hawai‘i’s coast, people are looking for reasons why.  Most scientists and environmentalist will say that not enough “studies” have been done on the behavior of sharks to conclusively explain the increased shark “activity”.  Could it be that they are always there and we are clueless to their presence.

Pua ka wiliwili, nanahu ka manö, When the wiliwili blossoms, sharks will bite.   Our kupuna studied their environment and knew that seasonally things that happen on land were indicators that other things were happening in the ocean.  They went as far as to study that this biting behavior was linked to the mating season of sharks.

Why is it then that western educated people don’t look to our ‘ike kupuna to answer some of their questions?

Have you ever had one of those days that seems like everything has gone wrong?  The students can’t focus, you can’t keep track of everything going on…

Maybe it was the phase of the moon.  Traditionally, our küpuna used the moon to calendar appropriate dates for fishing, farming, weddings, etc. to get the best possible outcome in yield, crops and happiness.  Each phases has a name and attributes.

Use the links below to find today’s moon and the corresponding moon on the one of the different Hawaiian moon calendars, and maybe you might be able to understand what’s happening around you.

Today’s Moon

 Ka Pö Mahina

Here’s another example of local businesses working to be more self-sufficient.  With the rising costs of fuel and the ripple effect, Hawai‘i will need to continue to work at finding ways to break our dependence on outside resources.

Local grinds for isle cows

By Bret Yager
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 11:59 AM HST

Dairy tries to beat the cost of corn — by growing its own

In a time of soaring shipping costs, Island Dairy has a plan for keeping the cows content while reducing its use of imported grains.

The Ookala farm of 500 milk cows is harvesting its first 50-acre crop of feed corn, and plans to have 200 acres of the grain growing under an ambitious expansion program. The farm also has another 35 acres of sorghum, alfalfa and peanuts growing in experimental plots.

“I figure we spend $1.6 million a year buying feed from the mainland. We’ll be able to cut half of that out,” said Scott Tripp, an Island Dairy consultant who specializes in making such farms profitable.

The farm is the first on the island to experiment with cost control by growing its own feed. Currently, about 500 milking cows produce around 1,300 gallons of milk a day at the Hamakua dairy.

Tripp plans to expand the number of cows and the amount of feed crops to “whatever the land can sustain.” That should result in increased milk production, he said.

The regimen includes fertilization and intense pasture rotations.

“With pasture improvements, correct fencing and water management, we could milk 1,200 cows here,” Tripp said. “There is so much potential here.”

Island Dairy - along with Cloverleaf Dairy in Hawi - is one of the two surviving dairies in the state.

Jeri Kahana, commodities branch manager for the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, and state Rep. Clift Tsuji were on hand for the inaugural corn harvest Tuesday.

“Feed costs have escalated,” Kahana said. “In order for them to stay in business, they have to look at changing the way they farm. They’re really going full on to try to make the farm more profitable and more sustainable.”

“To me, this is very historical that a farmer can grow his own feed on his own property,” Kahana said.

Only one other farm has done anything like it. A dairy on Oahu contracted in 2007 to have a distant neighbor grow corn. That was before the last Oahu dairy folded last year, Kahana said.

The price of fuel has greatly impacted the cost of shipping feed, Tsuji said. On top of that, the cost of corn has risen sharply due to increased demand for the product to be used in ethanol.

“This is value-added in terms of minimizing expenses,” said Tsuji, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. “This is the kind of entrepreneurship that needs to be looked into for long-term sustainability.”

The cost of feed can get steep when cows are munching 60 pounds of grains, alfalfa and molasses a day. Shipping for a ton of alfalfa alone is $120, Tripp said. Instead, the corn will be ground up - leaves, stalks, ears and all - and turned into a nutritious feed called silage.

“We’ll be able to cut out a lot of alfalfa and some of the grain,” Tripp said.

He’s not sure how much of the peanuts, sorghum and alfalfa he’ll grow at Island Dairy. It depends on what other feed sources - bakery leftovers or macadamia nut hulls - he can find.

“Whatever it takes. As long as it’s local,” he said. “I just don’t want to import anything. I want our cows to eat Hawaiian.”

With the recent end of the Democratic National Convention and the beginning of the Republican National Convention.  Hawai‘i has definitely been in the national spotlight with former Hawai‘i resident Barack Obama ast the Democrat’s candidate for Presdient and Governor Linda Lingle, presenting Governor Palin as the Republican candidate for Vice President.  The platforms for both parties have been endorsed by the parties delegates and both have language supporting Native Hawaiian Issues.

republican-platform.pdf

2008-democratic-platform-by-cmte-08-13-08.pdf