Aia Ka Alakeka Ma Kaipapau (Is There an Alligator at Kaipapau)

By Shawna Makala West

Book Id: WPLBN0002096846
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 8.15 MB
Reproduction Date: 4/19/2011

Title:	Aia Ka Alakeka Ma Kaipapau (Is There an Alligator at Kaipapau)
Author:	Shawna Makala West
Volume:
Language:	Hawaiian
Subject:	Fiction, Drama and Literature, Hawaiian Language Education
Collections:	Authors Community, Education
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Na Kamalei Ko'Olauloa Early Education Program

Member Page:	Hale Kuamoʻo Hawaiian Language Center
Citation APA MLA Chicago Makala West, B. S. (n.d.). Aia Ka Alakeka Ma Kaipapau (Is There an Alligator at Kaipapau). Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Na Kamalei-K. E. E. P. — Koolauloa Early Education Program is a Native Hawaiian nonprofit organization that includes Hoala Na Pua, a parent-child interaction and family education program that services the families of Koolauloa, Oahu, Hawaii. pictures for their books. Each book is published in the official languages of Hawai‘i: Hawaiian and English. Blends of ancient and modern Hawaiian words were included within the texts of our stories. The use and spelling of selected words, while commonly used by the residents of Koolauloa Oahu, may not be as typical in other regions of Hawai‘i. The Houlu Hou Project: Stories Told By Us participants have strived to retain the correct usage of the Hawaiian language within the processes and the pages of our stories. These books for all the children are lovingly dedicated to Auntie Maxine Kahaulelio, founder of Na Kamalei, Keoana Hanchett, Na Kamalei’s first program director, and Kawai Aona-Ueoka. They continue to inspire us. The Houlu Hou Project: Stories Told By Us is a project of NaKamalei that is funded in part by the Administration for Native Americans. The project goal is to provide families with services and opportunities that foster culturally appropriate and healthy development of a balanced child. The oral legacy within our community strengthens our families and produces stories that bring meaning to our lives and that help identify who we are and where we are from. Our resource partners are Ko‘olauloa community organizations that support the advancement of Native Hawaiian children and their families through the creation of children’s books.

Excerpt
Ka Hui Makua O Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Hau‘ula participated in this project because of love and passion for our mother tongue, and to encourage and support our keiki (children) in the creative process of expressing their mana‘o (thoughts, ideas) through writing. The name Alligator Pond is celebrated by the imagination of the children of Hau‘ula: that this rock formation resembles the body of an alligator. No one knows where the name originated. This beach area has been known as Alligator Pond for a very long time. Alligator Pond is a special place for the children and parents of this area. It is a place where the neighborhood comes to enjoy hot days and not so hot days. Families love to participate in all types of beach activities together. They include sand play on the beach, sea creature search in shallow water, fishing off of Alligator’s body and jumping off of Alligator’s nose into the sea pool. This is, and will always be, a beautiful place for the neighborhood of Kaipapa‘u. Ka Hui Makua O Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Hau‘ula was established in August of 1998. Although we were a group of parents that met monthly to discuss our visions and goals, we did not have an organization name until this year of 2004. Our primary goal is to help provide a quality Hawaiian Immersion educational environment within the moku (district) of Ko‘olauloa. We believe that dialogue must begin and continue with reference to what is pono (excellent, goodness with true nature) for our program. It cannot only take place within the Hawai‘i Department of Education circle but must include all who desire to have the program succeed. Ka Hui Makua perpetuates and encourages the concepts of laulima (many hands working together), lokahi (unity, harmony), kuleana (right, responsibility), ho‘ihi (sacredness), and malama (to attend, preserve). We affirm our belief that when each of us strengthens our spiritual connection from our na‘au to Akua, we receive the ‘ike (knowledge) and mana‘o (thoughts/ideas) that are pono for our program.