[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha, and welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

I'm Maila Muraoka, an 8th grader at Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu.

Mahalo for joining us to watch the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

In this episode, we'll watch stories about family run business ventures.

We'll learn new dances from different cultures and how to move through proper yoga flow.

We'll explore native Hawaiian bees and their natural habitat, and we'll hear some student tips about finishing homework on time.

Let's get into it.

This upcoming report comes from Chloe Smith, a student at Radford High School on O‘ahu.

In it, we’ll learn about native Hawaiian bees and how planting endemic plants can help those busy bees survive.

Did you know that Hawai‘i only has one endemic bee and it's endangered?

While these bees are tiny, they have a big job.

Coming in at only five to seven millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice, is the yellow faced bee, also known as the nalo meli maoli.

These native Hawaiian bees are endangered due to invasive species, diseases and habitat loss.

Well, why does this matter?

It's because they are critical pollinators of our native Hawaiian plants, many of which are used in cultural practices.

have co-evolved, making the nalo meli maoli the most efficient pollinator.

Without them, these plants vital to our ecosystem, would cease to exist.

Well, what can we do to help these bees?

One simple thing you can do is to plant native plants in your own garden.

Let me show you a fun way to do this.

Today, I'm going to teach you an easy way to plant these native plants in your own garden.

Let's make a bee “bomb.” Bees are paper mâché balls with seeds mixed in that, when planted, can help grow native plants.

To make 40 bee bombs, you will need roughly 35 sheets of paper.

about one sheet of paper per bee bomb.

Any kind of paper will work.

Just remember to remove stickers, staples or tape.

I'm using my sister's old coloring pages.

You will also need native seeds.

A quick Google search can help you find where to purchase these.

I'm using ‘ilima seeds that I got from Hawai‘i Island Seed Bank.

You will also need a blender, a bowl for water, a strainer, and eight cups of water.

tear the paper into strips and put it in bowls.

Fill the bowl with water and soak overnight.

Next, you will need to blend the paper into a slurry, making the bee bomb molding.

using a handheld and merchant blender, but you can use a standard countertop blender.

Once it's blended, strain the slurry with the strainer to remove excess water.

Try to squeeze out as much water as possible.

Then, transfer back to the bowl and add your seeds, mixing them in gently.

I've chosen ‘ilima, but you can use other native plants.

Shape your bee bombs into a small ball and leave them on a plate or a drying rack to completely dry.

Once the bee bombs are completely dry, you can plant them in dirt by making a small hole deep enough to fit a single bee bomb, then lightly cover it in dirt.

Don't forget to water it daily until it sprouts, then whatever is recommended for your plant.

Now you know about the nalo meli maoli, and together, we can be the change and help protect these tiny heroes that need us as much as we need them.

I'm Chloe Smith from Radford High School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave]  Some of those beautiful native plants inspire jewelry too.

This next piece from Island Pacific Academy students on O‘ahu explores the history behind beloved Hawaiian gold bangles.

You know those gold bangles you see on everyone?

Well, did you know that they have royal origins?

bracelets are special pieces of jewelry that are gifted on meaningful occasions.

They are worn and sold all over Hawai‘i.

According to Royal Hawaiian Heritage Jewelry, the story of Hawaiian bracelets begins in 1862 when Queen Liliuokalani had a bracelet made from gold that featured black enamel lettering in Old English fonts.

This first bracelet combined Hawaiian and Victorian designs.

The tradition of gifting the bracelet started when Lili‘uokalani gave a bracelet to Zoe Atkinson, the principal of Pohukaina Girls School.

The parents of her students noticed her bracelet and began buying them for their own daughters.

Today, the tradition is a major part of Hawaiian culture.

These gold bracelets are given at milestone events such as 16th birthdays or graduations.

Many are passed down from generation to generation.

They come in a variety of designs featuring different flowers, animals or words.

Each design reflects a special meaning.

Since the 1800s, Hawaiian bracelets have been an important tradition for many families and continue to be a unique part of Hawai‘i's style today.

This is Madeleine Cook from Island Pacific Academy for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] It's time for a dance break.

Our next tutorial covers how to dance sasa, a traditional Samoan dance that uses one's hands.

It was produced by students at Wahiawā Middle School on O‘ahu.

Some people are really good at dancing.

Some claim to have two left feet.

Many can easily learn new dance moves, but there are those who may need more lessons to learn them.

One easy dance move to learn and perform is the Sasa.

According to Teaching Children Dance, 4th Edition, Sasa is a Samoan community dance.

This simple dance portrays daily movements, but it has developed into more modern dance movements.

About 5% of the student population here at Wahiawā Middle School is of Samoan descent.

They are very familiar with this dance.

Sasa should be practiced on a flat, smooth surface, or carpet is best to use.

It is performed sitting down with legs crossed and hands in a fist.

First clap your hands together, then move your right hand forward, keeping the left hand still by your chest.

Repeat with your left.

Then repeat the first hand movement, but add tapping your thighs twice at the same time.

Next, clap your hands together, this time going downwards three times with cupped hands.

Then clap your hands by tapping the side of your thigh twice on one thigh, then do the same with the left thigh.

Last, put your hands by your side, touch the floor and keep tapping around your legs.

This stance ends by clapping your hands together one last time.

Now you're ready to do the Sasa.

Show others these steps and share the joy this dance brings.

wave]   but this time the Soran Bushi, a Japanese dance.

This HIKI NŌ how to was produced by Pacific Buddhist Academy on O‘ahu.

This dance you are watching is called Soran Bushi, a dance that originated in Hokkaido, Japan.

This Japanese folk dance tells the story of local fishermen and their catch.

At Pacific Buddhist Academy, the entire school practices Soran Bushi to perform at the annual Taiko Fest in March.

Leading the group is athletic director, math teacher and sumo coach, Kena Heffernan.

He starts with a guided exercise to get our muscles warmed up.

Up, down.

Then he helps us with our dance techniques.

He reminds us to dance as one unit.

your elbows.

We fail together and succeed together.

begins with performers facing the ground with their feet flat on the floor.

Their hands will show the movement of the wave.

Their next move reflects the rapid grabbing of a net filled with fish.

During the course, dancers use their arms to act as if they are pulling the net from the left and to the right.

The chorus ends with dancers using their entire body to show the swift and strong movement of the wave.

We hope you have a chance to see Soran Bushi in person on your next trip to Japan.

This is Jack Poiani.

from Pacific Buddhist Academy for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

The next story was produced by Moanalua High School's news production program, Now Loading News they spotlight a family-owned pet and livestock supply store in Waimānalo on O‘ahu.

Their longevity is important to our community.

It's important to our animals, and I want them to be around forever.

located in the heart of Waimanalo, on the east side of O‘ahu is a well-known, family-owned business that has served the community for over 50 years, helping provide the needs to small family farms.

the koi, and the granite.

back in the day with his dad.

His dad started this business with him and his wife, and then they had five kids.

My grandpa was one of them.

Eventually, over the years, he took over.

The business started off as a laundromat, gas station, and then my grandpa switched it to a grocery store, and like a feed store.

His main focus was delivering animal feed around the island.

Waimanalo Feed Supply, we sell various types of livestock feed.

So, for anything from chickens to horses to cattle, as well as pet foods and other items.

they also focus on creating a welcoming environment for the community.

I have been coming to Waimanalo Feed since I was, like, eight years old.

So, I've been around them.

They know me, and so it's kind of like family here.

We've had multiple generations of customers here, you know.

People who've grown up as kids, you know, just coming here on the weekend, getting Icees, and now they have their own kids.

I believe that Waimanalo Feed is the heartbeat of this community, as far as the farming community, the animal community.

You'll walk in here and you'll see some uncle that you haven't met in years.

They're able to reconnect together.

They're very friendly.

They're very welcoming.

For this specific group of, like, people who have animals, it definitely is probably the biggest heartbeat for them in the community.

Waimanalo Feed Supply continues to meet the needs of everyone, they are still hungry for more.

definitely want to further invest into the community, as well as into our employees.

I feel like that's probably the most natural, organic way to support our community.

We have very direct relationships, not only with customers, but I would say, mainly with employees.

My main hope for this store is to grow in terms of how we can continue to help people.

Supplying and meeting different needs around the community, it doesn't necessarily mean that we need to grow bigger and expand and all that kind of stuff.

I think if we can keep this store here but expand the things that we can bring in, find ways to like lower prices, find ways to help more people.

Waimanalo Feed has been a staple in a lot of people's lives, and we can almost count on them.

will continue to connect the community for future generations.

This is Emma Ferrer reporting for Now Loading News.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Let's take a look back at this story produced by Wai‘anae High School students in 2013.

In it, we meet the owner of an egg farm in Māʻili on the west side of O‘ahu.

is pretty much hands-on, which is better for quality control anyway.

that's what it's all about here at Māʻili Moa: quality and control.

It's almost like a perfect food.

It comes in its own package.

You know, it has a high amount of protein for something so small.

He and his family have been packaging this perfection locally for almost two decades now.

There's 30 dozen in a case, and each case has 360 eggs.

A lot of work is done to get all the eggs from the chicken to the customer.

we wash them, size them, grade them, and then, depending on the order, we'd either put them in cartons or on flats.

That’s an average day.

just a few years ago, because the egg industry was in a fragile state.

went through the roof overnight and well, basically, we needed to downsize because we couldn't compete with the mainland eggs that was coming in so cheap.

It's not just eggs.

Hawai‘i's food import rate has grown to over 90%, according to a Honolulu Associated Press article in 2012.

With the cost of fuel and everything, and you know, the shipping going up, it's just going to make our food more and more costly.

now, according to Senate Bill 524, Hawai‘i consumers pay over $3 billion annually to import their food.

Until we get our own feed meal or grow our own feed in Hawai‘i, we're still going to be faced with that challenge.

If people get more aware, maybe we can increase our percentage of the market.

If we could grow our own grain for all our livestock, not just chickens, but our cows and pigs and goats and stuff.

there's no immediate answer or a one size fits all solution.

large, medium, and small.

We had to find an alternative.

We had to find a niche market where we could get more for our eggs.

That meant going cage-free to separate themselves from the flock and ensure their survival.

They were such a hit that Mark's chickens have to be hidden from the public so that no one imitates his process.

when our customers come, when they say, you know, we don't want to buy from the mainland eggs.

We prefer your eggs.

Your eggs is the best, you know.

When that happens, that makes us feel good.

And Mark hopes that he and his customers can help egg on the rest of Hawai‘i.

that's a happy worker.

High School, I'm Kahunui Foster reporting for HIKI NŌ.

The next piece offers a glimpse into what it's like running a family business.

This one is all about locally grown tomatoes.

This HIKI NŌ personal narrative project comes from a student at Mid-Pacific Institute on O‘ahu.

a little bit about me is that my family has a tomato business.

and we sell tomatoes, salsa, and chips at various farmers markets over the weekends.

The workers consist of my entire family.

To be honest, I'm really proud of my family and how far we've come.

We used to just sell our tomatoes at local markets, but now we're working our way up to larger companies, like Chef Zone, and recently, we were part of this big entrepreneurial showcase.

It's been a really special journey with my family, and honestly, I feel so lucky to be in a family that works so hard and supports one another.

And that's all.

Thank you for watching.

Let's return to our archives for a moment to visit with Fern White, a Hawaiian paniolo, or cowgirl, who lives on Hawai‘i Island.

This profile story comes from students at Konawaena High School.

I began riding as a two-year-old.

My babysitter was not a human.

It was a horse.

who grew up on Maui and currently operates a ranch with her husband in Kohala on the Big Island of Hawai‘i.

Her horses have been featured in several movies, most recently in the 2022 movie, The Wind and the Reckoning.

I grew up on a working ranch, one of the largest still in our state, called Ulu Palakua, and on that ranch a typical day in my growing up, which is the 50s, horses was an actual four legged animal, and that's what you rode to go and check pastures, to check the water lines, to check how the health of the cattle, what they were for that day, to move them around.

And that would be a typical day back then.

Fern was the first Hawai‘i rodeo barrel race champion.

She was also Miss Maui in 1968 and Pā‘ū queen several times.

Her experiences gave her a unique view of paniolo culture.

The ranchers of old, they're not going to say, “I was a paniolo.” They're going to say, “I cowboy.

I cowboy.” Right?

Women will say it, guys will say it.

“I cowboy.” When we say paniolo, I know that the meaning for people means the cowboy culture.

the importance of perpetuating that is because it represents several things, is the connection to land, and the connection to food source.

But the importance of preserving the paniolo culture, as you guys call it paniolo culture, the cowboy culture, is to preserve what it means to have grit and caring, and that is at its core.

teaching horsemanship at age 16.

Her teaching process stems from the values and disciplines associated with cowboy traditions.

A lot of times, process for other people is, ʻOkay, I'll show you a little bit, now you just go, you can go play, you can compete, you can do whatever.’ I am very much about foundation.

Foundation first, basic understanding, caring, and safety.

Fern runs the therapeutic riding program, Lio Lapa‘au.

She believes horses can regulate our emotions.

And my students can attest to this.

Right, they had a rough day at school.

They have a rough day in life, they're home, or whatever that is.

And so now they come.

That horse is going to have a whole different reaction, behavior, response, right?

And most of the time, you'll find that horse like, put its head somewhere, sometime in your lap.

Now if you go in and you get that horse and you think you all that, a horse will show you, “Hey, whoa.

What, you all that?

I don't think so.” Fern is deeply connected to the cowgirl lifestyle, not just as a way of life, but also as a source of healing and personal growth.

I've always known that the horse can help us survive the world, that I can turn to a horse, get on its back, ride for five, 10 minutes, and the world's okay again.

from Konawaena High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

Now for a student's practical guide on getting your work done on time.

This upcoming HIKI NŌ how to comes from a student at Kawananakoa Middle School on O‘ahu.

your work on time is very important.

It can help you get better grades in school and not fail your classes, and it can help you get a job when you are older.

Consequences for not turning in your work on time might be falling behind, failing that class, and not getting a job.

Today, I will be giving you advice on how to turn in your work on time and how to not fail any of your classes because you turn in your work late.

The first step to turning in your work on time is recording the due date.

When you record the due date, it gives you an idea of how much time you need to finish an assignment.

The second step is starting on your work early.

early will give you a head start and give you much more time to finish your assignment.

Now the last step is managing your time.

If you don't manage your time, you're going to turn in your work late, and you're going to get an F on that project, which will bring your grade down.

Now you can turn in your work on time, and guess what?

You're not going to get an F because you actually turned your work in on time.

Now that you turned in your work on time, you got that A+.

Since you followed my advice, you are now turning in your work on time all the time.

Now you can go, celebrate and be happy.

Before you go, let's take a moment to stretch.

This beginner's yoga guide was produced by Pacific Buddhist Academy students on O‘ahu.

Yoga unites breath, movement, and mindfulness.

It has influenced many cultures as a pathway to inner peace.

This standing flow demonstrates a simple vinyasa, a sequence of poses linked with breath to create gentle movement and focus.

Inhale and reach your arms up to the sky, exhale and fold down at your waist.

The next step is lowering into chaturanga, transition to then rest in child's pose.

Lift your chest into cobra, then back down into downward facing dog.

Step or hop to forward fold.

Pause before slowly lifting your hands back up to the sky and down to your heart.

Take a moment to notice your breath and how your body feels.

A few mindful movements can bring clarity and renewed energy to your day.

This is Mia Whitaker from Pacific Buddhist Academy for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

That brings us to the end of our show.

Mahalo for watching the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to follow HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

You can find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at pbshawaii.org Tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

[outro music]