Kalohe Kapu was standing on the shoreline, carrying the Hawaiian flag, as he watched the paddle-out begin Sunday at Pine Trees on Hanalei Bay.
Then, he heard cries from those in the va‘a carrying kupuna and others. They were calling for a Hawaiian flag.
Without hesitation, Kapu waded out into the chest-deep water, made his way to the double-hulled canoe, and presented the flag as many offered thanks.
He returned to shore with a big smile.
“When the kupunas ask, you give,” he said.
About 300 people turned out on a sunny day for the protocol and paddle-out that followed in support of those standing against the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
It was a time for prayer, chant, dance, song and coming together, “mauka to makai,” for a common cause.
Auntie Louise Sausen was pleased with what she saw and heard. She loved how everyone was there with hearts for Mauna Kea.
“If I die tonight, I’m happy,” she said.
Many wore red shirts that said, “See You on the Mauna.” A sign read: “Kapu Aloha Is: Truth. Sacred. Inclusive. Righteous Action. Aloha Aina. Aloha Kai. Aloha Wai. A Philosophy For Life.”
A few hundred on shore watched the paddle-out about a hundred yards away on calm waters as those on surfboards formed a circle around the va‘a. Pule and oli could be heard.
Mainei Kinimaka said the protocol was the same as that carried out on Mauna Kea at sunrise, noon and evening, and it was being done on all the islands at the same time Sunday.
The paddle-out united paddlers, swimmers, divers, surfers and all who came out. There was no division, no focus on self.
“Our ancestors didn’t think of Hawaii as just the Eastside people should care about Eastside things, just the people from Hawaii Island should care about Hawaii Island things,” she said. “They thought of everything in a sense from mauka to makai.”
Peleke Flores, who led the paddle-out, said while it was emotional to see kupuna being arrested when the protests began on Mauna Kea, a lot of good has happened since.
“Our people are awakening,” he said.
Hawane Rios, a singer who has led TMT protesters on Mauna Kea, delivered a passionate talk to the crowd.
“It is so beautiful to be here with all of you today, mauka to makai, Hawaii Island to Kauai. Truly moved to be standing with you in intention, prayer and ceremony,” she said.
Rios said everyone is connected to the aina.
“If you’re not Hawaiian, but live here, or you’re a visitor and have drank of this water or eaten of the food of this land, you have the same responsibility as all of us to care and to stand up and show up and to speak up for this place that loves all of us, that feeds all of us,” she said.
Mauna Kea, Rios said, “is calling to the hearts of so many people around the world right now.”
“Our ancestors teach us that we can’t just care about ourselves at this time,” she said. “Our children and the children after them, they will be drinking of the water that we protect, the water that we care for. So we’re not just standing for right now. We’re standing for the next generations, because they matter. What kind of earth are we leaving them?” Rios asked.
She emphasized there must be unity.
“No matter our skin color or background, we all are coming together,” she added.
She called for people to make “a firm commitment to what is pono, to what is just, to what is true,” Rios said.
“What is happening to our home and the world is terrifying sometimes,” she said. “It’s sad to see the Amazon on fire. It’s not just sad. It’s not just that. People deliberately started those fires out of ignorance and greed. It’s devastating.”
It’s OK to be mad, to feel rage at what is happening, she said, but it must be controlled.
“If we can feel that with reverence, it changes the way we move in the world,” Rios said. “If we can feel every single one of these emotions, let our mana and our strength embrace us at the same time, we can learn how to stand with discipline.”
“Our kapu aloha is our safety,” she said.
Rios said there has long been opposition to the telescopes on Mauna Kea, “from the 1960s until now, someone was always saying ‘no.’ This is not new. Now the world is saying ‘no’ with us. How powerful is that?” she said as the crowd applauded.
Kumu hula Kehaulani Kekua taught people some of the chants before the ceremony began, and was a leader of the gathering.
“What’s exciting about today is the surfing community, and really the community at large, has come together,” she said.
The same chants were done in the same order with the same focus as on the other islands, to raise consciousness and awareness, she said.
Kekua said she was feeling “awesome” that the protocol and paddle-out did just that.
“I’m very happy to see the unity and the solidarity with our people and the awakening of the consciousness of just the importance of the environment, of everything,” she said.
