My apologies for not responding until now as I just saw this post that I had missed this .... I adopted "ohana" when I watched Lilo & Stitch when my grands were young ..."Ohana means family and family means no one is left behind or forgotten" I came to Oahu when I was turning 35 years old .. I worked for the airlines and flew in on an airlines pass ... spent a week and fell "in love" with the island and its people and culture ... I turned 55 on the Big Island ... when I went there to serve on Kokua Crew for a local organization ... 6 months of service work in trade for room and board .. 6 am to 3 pm m-f ... planning to stay ... found a job I loved ... then my momma almost died and the mainland called me back .... Another practice I was introduced to while in Hawai'i that I love is: Hoʻoponopono: a traditional Hawaiian practice focused on reconciliation and forgiveness. It aims to restore harmony within relationships through a structured process that includes prayer, discussion, and mutual forgiveness. I'm sorry Acknowledges remorse for any harm caused, whether intentional or not. Please forgive me Seeks forgiveness from others and oneself, allowing for emotional release. I love you: Expresses love, fostering connection and healing. Thank you: Shows gratitude for the lessons learned and the healing process. I am truly sorry for those people in the past who came to these islands with nefarious intentions to violate and over throw the sovereign kingdom of Hawai'i and its people ... I feel deeply for the Hawai'ian people and their culture as a result of such ones actionable behaviors .... It is my hope that the Sovereign Kingdom will again arise and be given back its rightful place of governing and stewarding these islands .... it is my hearts desire because it is what is right and true, in my perspective. I'm Sorry ... Please forgive me / WE I love you (all) Thank you ....... Thank you for your shares on this site .... I appreciate and highly honor you and your love for the amazing culture and people of these islands ... Namaste !

I am so happy you will be writing on this topic ...... I learned of ho'oponopono while taking college classes for my Chemical Dependency (drug/alcohol) counselor certification and degree ..... I watched a video on it by a hawai'ian man who shared how he utilized this cultural principle to help those he was working with who were in prison .... and he found that by so speaking with intention, these 4 phrases over the files of inmates he worked with.... it started having an almost immediate effect energetically ... a quantum physic's kind of woo-woo even ..... and all of a sudden these men were changing and softening and transforming .... it was so powerful ... I can't recall what the man's name was featured in this video ...that was in 2013-14 prior to graduation ... I lived in Hawai'i for a year and only left because my elderly mother almost died from a health complication requiring me to return to the mainland .... That was when I met you at Therapydia, I believe .... ??? Please do write on this from a more native hawai'ian cultural perspective !! I would be happy to learn more .... 💜 Mahalo!

When I lived on island ... we were limited on funds ... having saved up to serve there for 6 months .... and then securing a place to live and a job to serve at to stay .... we were very mindful of the culture, the people, the businesses, and travel around the island which was slightly limited by transportation issues ...... our heart was to honor the people, the land, the culture and support them in whatever way possible .... I feel we did well for the time we were there .... Ohana was very meaningful to me in that season definitely ..... I believe that we are to leave places (and people) BETTER than when we find them ... to the best of our ability ..... but this is a very lost way of being and thinking in today's world and that is so deeply sad to me.... 🥺

I remember visiting the area on the windward side of the island ... a pool that was heated underneath by lava... that had a ramp that allowed water from the ocean to ebb and flow in and out .... can't recall the name of the park but it was the most glorious experiences and enchantment I had experienced while living on island in 2016-17 ... I was so sad to hear it had been destroyed by the fissures of the eruption that took out Leilani Estates (If I remember correctly) .... I remember this place ... I can imagine again being in the water of pool .... watching water ebb in and flow out ... watching the stars appear ... feeling the warm soothing healing waters ............ so sad it is gone now ........ so grateful I was allowed the opportunity to spend one long day in its healing and soothing therapeutic waters ....

This is beautiful Loke ..... thank you for sharing this .... just catching up now ...

The reality of this factor fills me with great sadness ... be it on island or in our forests .... People need money so they have acres of forests cut down .... there is no clean up afterwards .. just piles of slag that need to be burned but seldom ever happens .... the birds and animals are displaced .... which is fine if there are massive forests they can go to near by ... however .... we have so commercialized nature .. its an inconvenience rather than a treasure to be stewarded and cared for and accommodated .... truly sad beyond expression ... I feel you heart ... and I feel my heart being very sad reading your post. Islands only have a certain amount of space ... I'm glad Ni'ihau is a closed island to outsiders .... the attempt to preserve a sacred space of being ..... Thank you for posting !!