Nourishing Pilina with Maui Providers
In a gathering that blended justice with healing, Caleb and Jo brought Ke Ao Nōweo ʻUla (KANU)—a Kanaka ʻŌiwi theory of wellbeing meaning “the new dawn that shines bright”—to the Department of the Prosecutor’s Office, Victim Witness Assistance Division, alongside guests from the Maui Police Department and Child and Family Services. These frontline public servants experienced mauli ola activities, reflected on their own roles in service, and explored how KANU, rooted in Indigenous knowledge and community voices, might strengthen pathways of care for victims and families. Honoring balance and connection, the sessions wove cultural wisdom into the heart of Maui’s response systems, supporting a transformation toward more relational, restorative approaches to public health and justice.
In service of Maui!
Ke Ao Nōweo 'Ula means “the new dawn that shines bright,” a decolonial theory of wellbeing, for Kānaka ʻŌiwi in behavioral health contexts. The name honors coming out of darkness and into ao - dawn, enlightenment. The acronym form is KANU, meaning both plant and hereditary, emphasizing the relational, cyclical, intergenerational ecology of mauli ola processes.
Through KANU, with community partner, I Ola Lāhui, we uplift the voices of 10 kumu & cultural leaders, 19 Kānaka with behavioral health challenges, and 12 therapists working with Kānaka.
Version 2 (of many iterations to come)
The blue drop represents obstacles to mauli ola, honoring our wai while acknowledging the poison of kolonaio in our water systems, causing ua, heavy rains, tears, kaumaha, ‘eha. The red dirt triangle represents supports and states of mauli ola, honoring healing mauna energy rooted in Papahānaumoku, empowering the mana in our bones. The 'ōlena color and circular symbol for outcomes of mauli ola, honoring the light of Lā, of na'auao, and sky father Wākea. The lauhala-colored concentric circle waves illustrate interconnectedness - mauli ola is complex and non-linear like cycles and seasons over time.
Each symbol represents a dimension of mauli ola named by the participants. Connect with us to learn more!
Symbols by Kahanulālani Fung.
Current reference: Qina‘au J. Ho‘omana I Ka Mauli Ola: Transformative Approaches to Decolonial and Indigenized Wellbeing for Kānaka ‘Oiwi. Dissertation. University of Hawai`i; 2024.
Future reference: Qinaʻau, J., Chung-Do, J., Kaholokula, K., Nakamura, L., Austin, A., Rivera, C., Johnson, K., Steuber, K., Manzana, D., Firoozan, A., Lee, L., Preston-Pita, H., Chan, K., Dudoit, F., Baclayon, K. K. P., Miles, N., Kāneakua, H. K., Papa, T., Spencer, S., Fung., K., & Sasaki, J. (manuscript in preparation). Ke Ao Nōweo 'Ula: A transformative theory for decolonial and indigenized wellbeing.
