Our Quest to Continue the Deep Dive Into Our Kuleana

Uncle Kawika shares his kuleana w/5B FISH!

What a blessing!  The FISH!, on our quest to dive deeper into our essential question, “What is our Kuleana?ʻ invited our own Uncle Kawika Lewis into our FISH!bowl!  We know the word kuleana, we know the definition of kuleana, and now…we had the opportunity to hear how Uncle Kawika puts his kuleana into “action!”  Like we say in class, knowing is NOT enough, we must put ʻike into action.

EQ: What is Our Kuleana

Uncle Kawika began his sharing by telling us, “If you love what you do, youʻll never work a day in your life!”  He shared about his growing up days and how he treasures the ʻike he received from his kupuna.  He emphasized the importance of watching and listening to learn and how he gained so much by doing just that.  Respect, responsibility, and work ethic are the foundations of his ohana.  He reminded us that not all learning comes from one place…he said, the ʻāina is alive! The ʻaina will teach you too…if you choose to pay attention!

Some of the main points of learning from Uncle Kawika:

K-Kōkua-Give back; help someone; take the initiative to offer help.

U– Kupuna-Show respect for kūpuna as they have valuable manaʻo

L– Lawena-Attitude is everything!; Work hard for a good attitude; acknowledge people as you get what you give!

E- ʻIke– Knowledge-Always keep learning: It helps to make better decisions for yourself, ohana, and lāhui.

A– Aloha-Care and love are deep inside of you- it is passed down through the generations; share it! If you share it, it will return to you 10x more!  Aloha aku, Aloha mai!

N– ʻĀina- ʻĀi-Food- ʻĀina is like food…it feeds you, it nourishes your body, mind, and naʻau

A– Hanauna Hou- For the future generations; the next generation- Always teach the next generation to care for the ʻāina & it will continue forever

Uncle Kawikaʻs passion & kuleana is alive at ʻĀina University, a 335 acre parcel in the hills of Paukaʻa…where he says the curriculum is the ʻāina!  There he teaches people how to sustain themselves.  He gathers & grows food that is both edible and aesthethically pleasing and connected to our culture!

His parting words of wisdom…”Kuleana is to plant a seed in people!” Share your manaʻo to help other understand their kuleana!  He feels that he is blessed, he always counts his blessings and shares it by speaking with others!   He reminded us that haʻahaʻa and hana kupono are important…as every koho (choice) brings a hopena (consequence).  Everyone is part of the waʻa, jump in…everyone works!

Sharing the love!

Mahalo Uncle Kawika for sharing your blessings with us, we were blessed by learning from you!  The seed is planted…Kaʻu Iʻa…ʻWhat is Your Kuleana now?  Go out and share your blessings and make a difference in our world!  Imua Uncle Kawika, Imua Kaʻu Iʻa, Imua Kamehameha!

Learning=FUN! Fun w/Selfies!