A Kū mau ka mana la‘a kapu a Wākea

Kualena ka Hei Kapu

As the season of Kū comes to a close and the season of Lono opens, I give thanks for the lessons that have come to teach me how to be undivided within myself and how to put these very lessons into conscious action.

This chant, written by Pua Case, Keali‘i Bertelmann, Kaleinohea Cleghorn, and myself, has been offered in honor of Kū Kia‘i Mauna for the past six years in the ceremony of the turning of seasons. This chant has also been lifted on every frontline stand for Mauna Kea. This video was taken on the 2015 frontlines.

It brings strength to my heart and tears to my eyes to see how far we have come since then. I can still feel the mountain chill on my hands meeting the skin of the pahu. I can still hear the resonant tones of Lanakilas voice meeting mine. I can still see the courage rising in all of us as we prepared for what we know would come.

I carry this memory with me every time I chant it in our seasonal transition ceremonies in reverence for the journey from the micro to the macro. And each time the revelations and the lessons deepen.