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

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

My name is Madison Mueller.

And my name is Cynthia Lefaoseu, and we are both eighth graders at Wahiawā Middle School on O‘ahu.

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

In this episode, we will explore the history of an important kalo farm on O‘ahu.

We'll hear from one student on Hawai‘i Island about how she and her classmates are advocating for zero waste on their campus and island home.

We'll learn a fun cultural Filipino game that will get your feet flying.

And we'll hop on a wa‘a to take a ride with the local canoe club on Kaua‘i.

Let's start the show.

First up, some of our youngest correspondents at Waiāhole Elementary School bring us this story about a renowned family-run farm located in the historic Waiāhole Valley on the windward side of O‘ahu.

I am proud to be a part of Waiāhole Valley.

I admire everyone who helps the Waiāhole community.

Uncle Charlie and Uncle Paul, two kalo farmers of Waiāhole Valley, have been working for decades to save the Waiāhole Valley community from development.

When we started farming, we were just gonna try it to see what it was like.

Turns out that it's one of the most interesting jobs that anybody could ever have.

So, Waiāhole was known for its kalo pa‘a, the hard taro.

When you have good cold water, you get good hard taro, and when you have good hard taro, it keeps really well.

It makes good poi.

We've been farming here for a long time, you know, like close to 50 years.

But maybe the first 20 years of our farming, or more, we had way too little water, and we had a lot of problems with rot.

Fighting for the water was our way of contributing, helping to contribute, and we were part of a, you know, a large group of people who were fighting for that water to be restored.

When that water got taken, taro farmers lost their chance to grow taro.

When sugarcane went out of business, they announced in 1993, we said, "Give us back our water.

You stole that water in the first place.” There was, you know, fighting in the courts and fighting in the court of public opinion, which is what our lawyers advised us to do.

They said they could fight it in the legal battle, but we needed to fight it in the court of public opinion, and we found that to be really, really important.

During the fight for water, it was important to Uncle Charlie and Uncle Paul to show aloha when working with the community, like children, families, and schools.

It's really important not to make enemies of your enemies.

There were so many aspects to this water fight that touched on different people that we found that even people who work for businesses that wanted to take this water and use it for things like golf courses or development understood where we were coming from and supported us.

Uncle Charlie and Uncle Paul fought for water rights all the way to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, and they won.

One of the requirements of our lease is that you have to farm your land.

Everybody needs to know how to grow food.

And if they don't end up being farmers, at least they'll have respect for farmers and respect for farming because it's probably the one thing in our lives that matters most of all, is that we have food to eat.

Today, Uncle Charlie and Uncle Paul continue to teach young generations about farming and the importance of protecting the wai.

And the water fight is not over.

In fact, it never will be over.

Some of the lessons that we learn, you know, are really important and need to be carried forward into the future.

This is Kanaloa Navales-Watanabe from Waiāhole Elementary School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] This next feature also explores the value of learning about the Hawaiian culture through the cultivation of kalo.

It was produced by students at Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle School in 2019.

Kumu Hōkūau believes that by learning about taro or kalo in Hawaiian, Native Hawaiian students will know more about their culture.

Part of the ‘āina-based educational components here, as well as sustainability, is to ensure that haumana know where the food is coming from, and how to prepare that food, especially when it is a traditional food crop like kalo and the relationship that we have with kalo genealogically, spiritually, and culturally.

Native Hawaiians believe the taro plant to be sacred, as they are descendants of this plant.

Though poi is an important part of their diet, having it on a regular basis can be quite expensive.

So currently, while we are starting to expand our growth of cultivation of kalo here on campus in A‘apueo, we are currently working with different community farms located in Ke‘anae, Waialua Nui, and in the Nā Wai ‘Ehā region.

With these kalo coming in from various areas on the island, Kumu Hōkūau believes that it's important for Native Hawaiians to learn how the ‘āina, or land, sustains cultures.

You know, we're genealogically, spiritually, and culturally connected to this plant, and so it's really important for students to have engagement in all aspects of this crop, from planting to cooking to milling, and of course eating.

The process starts by boiling the taro corm, then peeling it, and then cutting it into smaller pieces so it's easier to pound into poi.

About 175 pounds of poi for one lunch, one meal.

If we were to have to buy that poi and say, you know, $7 a pound, we're talking about a lot of money for just that one particular meal.

Being able to get a poi mill was the answer to all Kumu Hōkūau's problems.

So, this machine is called a Lamilpa Poi grinder.

This company, Lamilpa, has been around for about 100 years here in the United States, and it is basically a large commercial grain grinder of sorts.

And somewhere in the last, you know, a couple decades, it was found that it could be utilized for milling poi.

Kumu Hōkūau believes that the Hawaiian culture will continue to grow and thrive with continued education and support of kalo.

If we can support taro farmers who don't have the ability to mill their own poi but are willing to sell their kalo, it's a lot better for us to one, support our farmers and buying kalo directly from them, and secondly, the student engagement in the processing of the kalo into poi.

So, it's kind of a win-win for us.

We're reducing costs, but at the same time, engaging haumāna in supporting farmers.

This is Evalani Keawekane from Kamehameha Maui Middle School for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] This upcoming student reflection comes from a student at Ka'ū High School on Hawai‘i Island.

Let's learn about the Malama Aina Compostable Student Club there.

In the summer of 2025, I joined Malama ‘Āina Compostables and started my journey as a zero-waste youth advocate.

Malama ‘Āina Compostables is a student-led program where students like me learn to use zero waste practices.

Being in this program really changed my perspective on seeing food waste not just as trash, but as a resource to reuse the food waste again, but as compost.

Every time I see our waste diversion data, I realize that our small, consistent actions have a real impact.

We had a four-day youth convergence in October of 2025, where programs like ours collaborated and planned on how to make our communities better.

On day four, we did a beach cleanup in South Point, removing tons of waste in just an hour.

I think the impact that we made so far has been pretty significant.

You know, we've gotten our in-vessel composting unit, which allows us to turn all the food waste that was just going to go into the landfill into pure soil that we can use back in our environment.

And then we've also made some huge strides in supporting Bill 83, which allows us to have a ban on single-use plastics in the island.

And then of course we look at all of the things that we've accomplished, like going to the National Recycling Congress in New York, to doing the Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, and, you know, we've definitely made a huge impact so far.

We also testified in support of Bill 83 to ban single-use plastics, showing that alternatives exist.

The bill passed, and many things have gone into place as of 2026.

Many single-use plastics are banned and are not being used.

And I think this program affected me personally by growing into a person that thinks environmental changes.

Every action that I made, I always think about how it's gonna affect our environment, not only personally, but also the people that surrounding me.

I learned that you can change anything with a voice, and I am proud to say that being in Malama ‘Āina Compostables, it truly affected how I see my role in creating positive environmental change.

This is Rojelin Capueta from Ka‘ū High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Culture and community connect in this next story from students at Kapa‘a High School, which focuses on a foundation that manages the scenic Waipā Ahupuaʻa on Kaua‘i's North Shore.

Our goal is to inspire the next generation of kids here, as well as young people and families and people everywhere, to connect with the land, as that which feeds us.

The Waipā Foundation is uniquely located within the tropical rainforests on Kaua‘i's North Shore.

It's an intact ahupuaʻa all the way from Māmalahoa, which is the high mountain in the clouds, and the property boundary follows these ridge lines on both sides out to the ocean, 1,600 acre intact ahupua'a.

Today is our volunteer day, so a lot of the times the community likes to come in and help with whatever we have.

Every fourth Saturday of the month, locals and visitors alike gather in an immersive experience to share in this Hawaiian tradition of embracing the land.

Lo‘i is one of the places that we like to work.

We like to tell them just like a general story of Waipā and why you're here and what you're doing for us, and they do it because they love it, and we love it because they come and just it's like ‘ohana.

We especially want to inspire the next generation to take care of the land in their home area and love it so that they will come home and take care of it, because every generation is only going to live for so long and we need to perpetuate these traditions and practices.

These hands-on experiences help promote the passing on of knowledge and culture to ensure a more sustainable future.

Malama ‘āina and aloha ‘āina, their Hawaiian words, their Hawaiian values to take care of the land as your sibling.

But we feel like they're also universal values, and that if everyone globally felt that way about the land, we would all take much better care of the earth, basically.

It would be amazing, wouldn't it?

Challenges with commercial expansion that have hindered Waipā in the past have been overcome as they continue to grow as a living and learning center today.

40 years ago, in the early 1980s, the landowner Kamehameha Schools was going to build a resort community in this valley and the next valley over.

The Hawaiian families and other supporters came together and, through activism, saved actually both valleys from development, and they felt really strongly that it was important to save a space both for Hawaiian people, culture, plants, food, and values and language.

Traditions passed one generation to the next rely on education and stewardship that is rooted deep in Hawaiian culture.

The keiki have to learn from the kupuna because the kupuna have the knowledge and the manaʻo and everything from them are passed down, so, generation, generations.

So, what I'm doing today, it may be for me, but it's actually for them.

In the future, it's not going to be about me.

It's going to be about them.

This is Bodhi Moomaw from Kapa‘a High School for HIKI NŌ, on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Now let's learn how to play a fun and challenging Filipino kids’ game from students at my school, Wahiawā Middle on O‘ahu.

It's honestly a workout.

We all know the nursery rhyme "The cow jumped over the moon," but have you heard of jumping over cows?

In the Philippines, there is a physical game that children play, which, when literally translated, means jumping over cows.

It is called Luksong Baka.

It is a traditional Filipino game that originated in Bulacan, Philippines.

Some even say that the Tagalog tribe used this game to teach their youth to learn valuable skills such as speed, agility, coordination, and balance.

Although not very many children of Filipino descent in Hawai‘i are familiar with Luksong Baka, this game is often introduced and demonstrated during Filipino cultural festivals.

This game could be played by a minimum of two players, but can be played by teams.

Players will choose who is the baka either by playing rock paper scissors or by mutual agreement.

The game starts with the baka kneeling with both hands touching the ground.

The objective of the opponent is to jump over the baka without falling or knocking the baka or it down.

When jumping over the baka, it is best to put your hands over the baka's back for support, and make sure not to knock over the baka or touch any part of them.

The players or the team with the most successful jumps will be declared as the winner of the game, or the players can continue jumping until they agree to stop.

So go grab a friend or two, and have fun playing Luksong Baka.

This is Axel Brylle Agustin from Wahiawā Middle School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Paddlers on Kaua‘i reflect on how much their canoe club means to them in this next feature story produced by Kapa‘a High School students.

There was a point in high school that, like, I probably would have dropped out.

Honestly, I probably would have never come to school.

The only reason I was coming to school was to paddle.

Since 1990, the Pu‘uwai Canoe Club has been meeting at the Waialua River.

Currently, its members include 70 kids and 50 adults.

We participate in island-wide races, paddling against other canoe clubs.

So, we do sprint racing, quarter mile and half mile races, and then we also do long distance racing.

Pu‘uwai opened all the doors for me to connect with my teammates because not only do we paddle together during the club seasons and every summer, but we come up to the high school and paddle for the KIF seasons.

So, we're training together year round with all these shared experiences, races both on and off island.

We're all so connected.

No matter how far off we go, our culture connects us.

Our blood connects us.

Where we're from, it all connects us.

Culturally, we instill the Hawaiian names of the parts of the canoe, and just paddling out in the ocean brings us in touch with our Hawaiian culture, our Hawaiian roots of how they used to go out and fish and get from island to island or from village to village.

Connecting with Hawaiian heritage also supports a positive balance between mind and body.

Even when it can be really chaotic or raining or it low key feels like you're dying with how hard you're pushing yourself, it gives you this outlet.

I love feeling the surf, paddling against it, and then turning around and being able to surf the waves, how to maneuver the canoe in and out of the swells to get the most speed.

Being on the water, you're focused more so on the workout, and even if it's the worst workout you could ever imagine, you're more focused on that than whatever it is that you left on land.

Having a team to rely on also keeps its members accountable.

Not only do you have to physically push like, every part of your body to keep going, once you figure it out and you get it together, you just feel like, so much better.

Like, I can think clearer.

I feel better.

I can breathe better.

It's hard to be the one to really want to race and have to just sit on the side and support your team.

But Pu‘uwai has really helped build those strong connections and treating everyone as a family.

The Pu‘uwai team creates close bonds and a deeper understanding of culture.

We need to take care of our canoes because they take care of us.

It supports everything for us.

Life, the canoes brought us here.

The knowledge I gained from my father, I can pass it down to my children and everybody at this club to continue the unity that we can feel in the canoe.

This is Tyler Thornton from Kapa‘a High School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Let's hop aboard another waʻa.

This time, we get to tag along on a journey to learn about traditional sailing methods from Hālau Lōkahi Public Charter School students.

[conch shell music] Sailing on Waimanalo Bay on the eastern shore of O‘ahu, students from Hālau Lōkahi, a Hawaiian culture-based charter school, are rediscovering traditional methods of voyaging and navigation.

One of the noticeable unique features of the canoe program is its use of a traditional lauhala sail, which was designed by the beloved Grandmaster Navigator Pius Mau Piailug.

The lauhala sail is a rarity in modern times, but its beauty symbolizes how students are learning and reconnecting with the seafaring skills of their ancestors.

As a tribute to Papa Mau's legacy, the canoe is something named Maukeale Kupuna.

Okay, guys, paddle up.

Steer to the right.

Steer to the right?

Okay.

Well, to me, values, I think they're all important on a canoe, but the most important one, I would say, is kuleana.

You gotta do your part.

Combining math, science, and culture, the canoe serves as a floating classroom.

Sailing on the canoe Maukupuna gave me a deep sense of being connected to my culture.

[Hawaiian chant] I think all of the students are really grateful to Papa Mau for the abundance of wisdom and knowledge that he's left and bestowed on us, and that it's going to be an awesome opportunity for them in the future to carry on his legacy.

This is a Aquindolin Ka‘apa from Hālau Lōkahi for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] This next piece covers what you need to know if you want to get into stand-up paddling.

The story was produced by Lahainaluna High School students on Maui.

SUP, otherwise known as stand-up paddleboarding, has become a popular pastime.

However, like any sport, there are major safety concerns.

Majority of our 911 calls are recently stand-up paddlers that can't get back to shore.

It's not injuries that we're dealing with, with the SUP industry; it's people getting blown out to sea.

There are many factors that beginners don't take into account when paddleboarding.

People aren't aware of the factor of the wind and like, maybe not too much ocean knowledge, and you can get far out there and not be able to come back in.

One way that I've heard a lot of people getting hurt is that they don't know to stop their stand-up paddleboard before hitting the shore, and so they caught a wave, and they rode right into the shore and fell down.

Precautions can be taken to avoid injury and accidents while stand-up paddleboarding.

Beware of the conditions, to go out when there's not much of any wind, and to not go too far out, and to be aware if the wind's picking up.

Our number one safety tip is if you get in any type of trouble, to lay down on your paddle and paddle it in like a surfboard.

That way, you stay low to the wind, and you can get back to shore.

So, I think it's just a combination of things that people need to pay attention to: is number one your own physical ability, number two is the weather, and number three is know your limits.

If you are considering doing or trying stand-up paddling, first of all, know your area, ask questions, and if you see any bit of like, white chops or like white caps on the ocean, don't even go.

If you do go out, the weather can change at any time, so stay close along the shoreline.

Don't go out farther than you think you can swim back.

Sometimes it's been so bad where we couldn't even bring the board back.

We just had to end up rescuing the person, and the board was lost at sea because they were too far out, and the conditions were just too windy.

A lot of tourists come here, and they don't have the experience to keep themselves safe in the ocean, but they want to experience the ocean.

And I think having ocean safety people around helps minimize people getting in trouble, such as our tourists, and allows them to enjoy the beauties of our wonderful ocean.

They see the beauty in the beach.

They don't see the beast within the beauty, which is the danger.

They don't see the dangers.

They're not able to see and recognize the danger.

They see the sunshine, the beautiful sand, the beautiful blue water, but they don't see the dangers that come with that.

This is Erin and Melissa from Lahainaluna High School reporting for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] A sailing club for youth from U.S.

Navy families is the focus of this next story, produced by students at Āliamanu Middle School on O‘ahu.

Here at Rainbow Bay Marina, Mr.

Séamus teaches young sailors everything from knot tying to navigation.

Part of the MWR program, these after-school sailing lessons help military youth build character, stay safe, and connect with the water.

I sail because I really enjoy the mental aspect of sailing, just being out there on the water, and you have to know what you're doing, or else you're not going to do well.

And I also really enjoy the physical aspect of sailing, where it's not just mental, but the physical also is very great.

You have to be very fit to be able to sail well.

As Oliver grows, he learns with his friends.

They learn how important sailing and how being on the water can be a calming experience.

How fun it is to race with his friends as he continues his sailing journey, as he had learned a lot from his instructor, Mr.

Séamus.

So, the way I look at sailing, I think it is like a personal development seminar.

So people have an opportunity to learn how they think and learn how they respond, because in sailing, people are going to be identifying some solutions, or they might have things that hurt them, like they're oh my goodness, I'm afraid of this, and they have an opportunity to learn how to overcome the fear, and then learn how to become stronger and more powerful.

So, what I like in sailing is a great sport for people to learn, but what I think I really want the sailors to come away from is in life, we're going to be confronted with many different obstacles in life, and sailing is going to present these obstacles as they're sailing and learning, and so that they can use those skills to make their life better.

While Mr.

Seéamus used the water as a classroom without walls for one's character development, it also strives for connection.

I think the water connects us because there's something very magical about it.

Because when people are out on the water, I think it brings them back to the true essence.

Because I've had some sailors say when they come back from sailing, like that was such an amazing experience.

They tell me it's like a meditation.

So, when people are out sailing, they have an opportunity to actually feel connected with themselves.

They're at peace and they're able to feel removed from society.

They're removed from the day-to-day things like maybe problems with schoolwork they're having or things going on with home or stuff like that.

And when they're on the water, they're calm and peaceful.

So, I think that's such a great thing for them.

By racing across the island, these young adults discovered that the sea builds character alongside skill.

They leave the Rainbow Bay Marina with more than just navigation expertise.

They carry the resilience and friendship forged on the water.

The horizon may be vast, but for these sailors, it's no longer a mystery.

It's an invitation.

This is Alexander Aguilar-Salazar from Āliamanu Middle School for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Well, that's our show.

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

Don't forget to follow PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to enjoy the best stories from students across Hawai‘i.

You can find this HIKI NŌ episode and more on pbshawaii.org.

Tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i's students HIKI NŌ can do.

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