Season of Kū

An Ode to the Season of Kū and the rise of the Ki‘i Kū Kia‘i Mauna

The words Kū Kiaʻi Mauna made the journey on ʻĀpaʻapaʻa winds
From the ancient caves of ʻĀwini
Over the long spear valley of Pololū
Across the cliffs of Niuliʻi
Traveled through seven generations
To the hillsides of Lanikepu
Where the ʻEʻelekoa rains fall upon lehua mamo
Where four rivers flow to Waiʻulaʻula
To a descendant of ʻUmihulumakaokalanikiaʻimaunaoawini
His name echoed on her bones when her mother turned to her and said
“Stand strong like a mountain”

Kū
Kiaʻi
Mauna

To stand strong like a mountain
To become a protector of a mountain
To embody the protection of the sacred

A firm commitment to pono
For love of the land that loves us across time and space
For the love of the ones who came before us
For the love of the ones to come after us
To the next seven generations
And beyond
And beyond
And beyond
A legacy of strength
A legacy of unity
A legacy of aloha ʻāina

Eō
Ea

Eia mai ka wā o Kū