Ceres Trust provides support for efforts that further Hawaiian knowledge, culture and the use of the Hawaiian language; the perpetuation of Hawaiian resource management and governance; and the rights of Hawaiians to environmental health, justice and sovereignty.
“Intact native communities like Molokai who provide an honored place for their kupuna (elders); cherish their kamali`i (children); maintain a sense of community and kuleana (sacred responsibility) to each other and to their place are as kīpuka (oases) in an increasingly unfriendly world. Like the kīpuka that serve as islands of abundance where vegetation gathers and bores through hardened lava beds, some native communities persist and serve to teach us how to return to ourselves and restore our relationship with each other and the natural world. These kīpuka are the seed-bearers, ready to plant the pulapula (seedlings) that come from the collective `ike (knowledge) passed from the elders. As the world grapples with the consequences of excess, it searches for these kīpuka to learn how to live pono (in right relationship).” ~Sustainable Moloka’i
Resources
- UA MAU KE EA - Sovereignty Endures: An Overview of the Political and Legal History of the Hawaiian Islands by David Keanu Sai · UA MAU chronicles Hawaii’s history through storytelling, interviews, archival images and Hawaiian-language newspaper articles, documented with hundreds of footnotes and additional references. Sovreignty Endures Textbook
- Hawaiian Kingdom blog, weblog of the acting government of the Hawaiian Kingdom presently operating within the occupied State of the Hawaiian Islands.
GRANTEE PARTNERS
‘Aina Momona
Awaiaulu
E Kupaka Ka Aina
Hawai'i Investment Ready
Hawai’i People’s Fund
Hui Aloha ‘Aina Momona
Hui o Kuapā
Indigenous Crop Biodiversity Festival
KAHEA
Koʻihonua
Movement for Aloha No ka ʻĀina (MANA)
Sustainable Molokai
Video Resources of Interest
Awaiaulu at Washington Place 2019 - Part 1
Awaiaulu at Washington Place 2019 - Part 2
Molokai - Legacy of Aloha ‘Āina
Hui O Kuapa - Hawaiian Learning Center, Molokai
Jerry Konanui on Kalo, Biodiversity, Ancient Wisdom, and Modern Science
Stories from the Field
COVID-19 Action in Molokai
When COVID-19 first hit Hawaiʻi in early March, our team immediately took steps to prepare for the virus to hit Molokai’s shores, foreseeing that it would negatively impact the island’s access to essential items. Noting that the virus disproportionately affects elderly, indigenous and Pacific Island communities, and that Molokai has few medical resources on island, we saw the need to take action early and help prevent the spread here.
Read More Maka’aka Farm, Waihe’e, Maui
The farm at Mākaʻaka, located within the Waihe‘e Coastal Wetlands and Dune Refuge continues its rotation of 14 lo‘i (wetland taro patches). Mākaʻaka continues to serve as a distribution point for taro huli, a food source for local families, Hawaiian cultural and taro events, a repository for unverified varieties, a monitored reverification site for in vitro plants, a field lab for recording morphological characteristics and traditional planting practices, and a classroom for high school and at-risk youth, college students and teachers, as well as the Halau o Hāloa cohort.
Read More Aloha ‘Āina Fellows Program
‘Āina Momona created an Aloha ‘Āina Fellows Program, a land-based initiative on Molokai that works to engage emerging professionals and grow leadership capacity-building on the Island. Fellows worked with the community to collect data on the potential sale of Molokai Ranch, held informational meetings, gave professional presentations, attended weekly classes, and ran community work days at important, damaged sites in the natural environment.
Read More ‘Onipa‘a Kākou Event
‘Āina Momona organized the ‘Onipa‘a Kākou event on January 17, 2018, bringing the broader Hawaiian community together for this event, which raised awareness for several Native Hawaiian issues happening across the state. The day culminated in thousands of people joining in a day of unity to recognize the day of solemn injustice against the Native Hawaiian people 125 years ago.
Read More Seed Festival
After attending the 2017 Seed Festival, an attendee was enthusiastic in becoming involved in growing adapted seed and was excited we would soon be making it available through the Hawai`i Seed Growers Network and Hawai`i Public Seed Initiative.
Read More Conserving Breadfruit Diversity
Dan Rudoy, Collection Manager for the Breadfruit Institute, is a specialist in organic, holistic and regenerative farming practices. He is managing the institute’s incomparable conservation collection of 150 breadfruit varieties using regenerative agricultural practices.
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