Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola begins Ulupono Anahola planting

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Volunteers and students take a quick break during Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola’s second day of their ‘Aina to ‘Opu workshop, in Anahola.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Sisters Kaleimaile and ‘Ihi‘ihi Victor fill buckets with nutrient-rich soil to add to the new kalo (taro) field in Anahola Tuesday. The event was scheduled so that students could attend during their winter break.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

A volunteer walks barefoot around the new Anahola taro patch.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Kaipo Like, who helped lead the day’s workshop, lays out huli (taro cuttings) for students and volunteers to plant, in Anahola.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Malia Splittstoesser, Kapu service member, left, and horticulture technician at Limahuli Gardens Brendan Stogner volunteer their time to support Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola’s ‘Aina to ‘Opu workshop event.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Volunteer Edwin Nakakura takes a break from planting kalo (taro) to talk to three workshop attendees about the important things in life. Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola hosted the workshop under their mission to provide safe spaces and build life skills to strengthen oneʻs identity through Hawaiian values.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola hosts the second day of their ‘Aina to ‘Opu (land to your stomach) workshop events. Students and volunteers plant kalo (taro) to later harvest to feed the Anahola community.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Maki Nani prepares huli (taro cuttings) for planting during a three-day workshop in Anahola.

Laurel Smith / The Garden Island

Ku‘uleialoha Punua, president of Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola, plants kalo (taro) as part of a three-day workshop for students to get hands-on experience and knowledge about Hawaiian cultural practices. The event was funded by a $10,000 grant from the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

ANAHOLA — Kevin Kaleiohi remembers when the Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola Ulupono site was filled with sugar cane and pineapples.

“This was all plantation back when we moved here,” Kaleiohi said Tuesday morning. “My dad use to raise horses here.”

As part of KKOA’s three-day ‘Aina to ‘Opu event, yesterday’s day two marked the first day of planting kalo on the Ulupono Anahola Makai site.

A long-time KKOA volunteer, Kaleiohi brought his two sons who both Kanuikapono Public Charter School right up the road.

“I emphasize with my kids to malama your community and take care of the land,” Kaleiohi said.

And that’s what KKOA wants to do with this site, and has been doing in Anahola.

KKOA came into play in 2008, after youth suicide in the area saw an uptick. Since then, the nonprofit has worked to embrace Native Hawaiian culture in Anahola and create a safe space that deters suicide by building life skills and establishing a sustainable and thriving Hawaiian community.

Kaipo Like of the Waipa Foundation led 20 or so volunteers at the site planting kalo. Soil-remediation, Like said, is key in this process in this area to eventually feed the community.

In the future, Like hopes more residents can take part in workdays.

“This is a community effort,” said Ku‘uleialoha Punua, president and co-founder of KKOA, before she got to work in the garden. “We felt it was important to connect to the ‘aina, to the source, to find our identity.”

In addition to the kalo garden, KKOA plans for the development of the 30-acre site to be a space for the community to come together, with a pavilion, youth clubhouse, healing gardens and more.

Recently, KKOA received a license for the property, and the paperwork to get the water meter up and running is nearly complete. The team will also be expanding its staff.

“We have quite a vision,” Punua said.

This week’s event was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, as well as partnerships with the Waipa Foundation, Limahuli Garden, Hui Maka‘ainana O Makana and Kamehameha Schools.

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Sabrina Bodon, editor, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.

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