I am blessed to live in Nu‘uanu Valley just outside the center of Honolulu. It was a place where our kings and queens retired during the hot days of summers past to enjoy the cool winds and gentle mists. It remains a convenient and enjoyable place to escape the pace and heat of modern city life.
Thanks to the generosity of the United Church of Christ- Judd Street, our Foundation has enjoyed having its administrative hub in the former manse of the church at the very door of Nu‘uanu. For over a decade we have dealt with the management of a growing statewide organization dedicated to positive transformational change for needy Hawaiian children and their families. Free traveling preschools, preschools in homeless shelters and on the beaches, foster parenting and recruitment, care for adjudicated young men, and more all get support from our small office in Nu‘uanu.
It is interesting to remember that through this valley in May 1795 swept the army of Kamehameha, as he completed defeat of Kalanikūpule’s army and his conquest of O‘ahu as he went on to unite all the islands under his reign (see www.pacificworlds.com/nuuanu/native2cfm). Just a few blocks from the office is the resting place of most of the kings and queens of Hawai‘i at the Royal Mausoleum and further into the valley the former home of our Queen Emma and the remains of the summer home of Kamehameha III. At the end of the valley is the sharp precipice of the Nu‘uanu Pali, the beautiful and stunning “wall” of the cliffs of the Ko‘olau Mountains, and the expanse of the windward side of the island.
All great stuff, but how does it relate to all of us trudging through the challenge of life in the 21st century and the trying to make a difference in the lives of the needy in our community? That was a question that crossed my mind a few months ago and I thought that it might be important to revisit the concept of “wahi pana” as it relates to Nu‘uanu, Kalihi, and Kapālama, the neighborhoods we live and work in.
Wahi pana is a concept in Hawaiian culture that celebrates the places around us. Each place has its unique and special history, heroes, songs, traditions, stories, etc. that set it apart from other places and that give those who live there a powerful sense of tradition and identity. In traditional Hawaiian life it was the glue that helped create strong connections between people from a certain place which, in turn, helped to unite them in powerful community. Today there is a strong tendency to socially “homogenize” and “pasteurize” us and in many ways discount the unique “sense of place” our forefathers cherished.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that “wahi pana” might be a unifying factor to bring the various agencies and communities of faith in the Valley and in Kalihi and Kapālama together. Instead of ignoring our sense of place, we could lift it up to help unite us in our service to the community. Not rocket science, but the response to our initial gathering has been amazingly interesting.
As we scratched the surface of the history of Nu‘uanu, Kalihi, and Kapālama, we were reminded that this was a place that was much more than a battlefield. It was a place of healing heiau, enlightenment, knowledge, and learning (Kapālama), and a place of abundant provision for the people. The extensive ‘auwai system of irrigation provided food for the people, the heiau provided care for the injured and disabled, and learning and enlightenment was symbolized by the abundant lamalama forests of the hills above.
We asked our partners in service to the community to come together to celebrate our special “wahi pana” with song and fellowship. It was a blessing to watch as good hearted and generous people stepped back from service to join with those they didn’t know, around the special sense of place they share! Last Saturday, April 22, 2017, a number of ethnic groups, churches, schools, and interested individuals who are working for social justice in our community came together to share music and fellowship at St. Mark’s Coptic Church. To see and hear Tongan, various Micronesian languages, Hawaiian, English, and Coptic liturgy blended together in song and testimony gave a testimony to the “wahi pana” of this place as a place of enlightenment, knowledge, and care for the needy! As we rejoiced in the music of our cultures, we had a chance to connect with each other around our commitment to our community, and as a result took from those two hours a blessing and a deeper understanding of the joy of serving!
It is so simple yet so amazing, this discovery of rich blessings in our places of service. Let’s work to tune our hearts to the beat of those who have gone before us in servant leadership! How rich is their inheritance for us, if we but only open our eyes and hearts to it! Me ke aloha piha.
PIDF has produced several Wahi Pana videos. Please feel free to view them by clicking on each location below:
At Low Tide 