 ThinkTek Hawaii, civil engagement lives here. Wa'uka Kokoa Kai, happy Aloha Friday and welcome to a brand new episode of Perspectives on Global Justice, ThinkTek Hawaii. This is your host, Bea Cantelmo. Today, we have a very special guest, Brad Lomb, to guide us through a marvelous dialogue about the meaning of Kokoa, Ula, Kokoa Kai, Ahukua'a, and Waiipana Systems of Identification. These are important values for Native Hawaiian culture and people, and I may add, for everybody around the world, whether we know it or not, every one of us living in Ahapua'a, he will certainly help me with that word as the show progresses, but we will be talking about the revival of Ahukua'a concept and invite our viewers to confront the challenges of how to co-create sustainable educational systems in the state of Hawaii, the recognizing sponal practices, building capacity for community-based action, and managing our environment holistically. We'll also talk about teachers and how they can incorporate these values into their own practices. And lucky for us, we will get the inside scoop on how the Department of Education is taking steps to ensure that Hawaiian studies and Native Hawaiian language becomes incorporated in their curriculum so that every student from kindergarten to high school have access to it. On that note, welcome. Welcome. Aloha. Aloha. Aloha. Aloha. So, Fred, give our viewers a little background about you. Where do you come from? I grew up in the area of Makali in Honolulu, Hawaii, went to school at Lunelulu Elementary School, Washington Middle, and McKinley High School, graduating from McKinley High School. And when I graduated from high school, Hawaiian, as far as being Hawaiian, it was not important. I took a class, a Hawaiian studies class at the University of Hawaii, and it was Paul Nani Burgess, and she actually told us about how many of us were Hawaiian, and all 50 of us rose our hands, and then she kept on going on, and she said, how many of us speak the language, and hardly no one, at that time, no one rose their hands. She said, how many of you dance tula, no one raised their hands hardly, and she kept on going on and on, and all of a sudden she started to cry. You and everybody? Yeah. And then she said, the tears were really wholesome, they were real, and then she said, sadly, she said, you are the chosen ones, unfortunately, all of you don't know anything about your culture, nothing about who you are as a Hawaiian, and she said, if we don't do something now, our culture will die. So there was a renaissance of hula and Hawaiian language, and everything Hawaiian back in 1972, and it started from there, and that's when I started to get a little bit more serious like to hula, language, everything, and to be very honest, hula was the, for me, was where I learned most of my language, and history, and stories. That is very special, and how fortunate to have an instructor that could make such a big impact in your life, in the lives of so many native Hawaiians who really had the language and their culture stripped of Hawai'i, and it's one of the surest ways to hula culture is through having its traditions and language taught, and this is why this program is so important, and so fascinating is the call for where we are now in 2018, and what is the plan for the future, because I feel like that there is a very strong need and call, maybe a stronger one, for a new phase of revival. I know a lot of native Hawaiian youth that do not speak the language, do not really practice native Hawaiian culture or traditions, because they don't know, their parents really never quite learned what they needed to learn, because they didn't have access to that information, and everything kind of came up into pieces. So, I'm the kumu, I'm the teacher right now at Niholio Elementary School. I'm so happy to be there, and part of being there, there is a Hawaiian education policy, it's policy 105-7, and that policy is Hawai'i's public education system should embody Hawaiian values, language, culture, and history as a foundation to prepare students in grades K to 12 for success in college, career, and communities, and that is for locally and globally. Hawaiian language, culture, and history should be an integral part of Hawai'i's education standards in the DOE system, so that's why I play a really important role in our school, because of that role. The Board of Education also recognizes the appropriate support and implementation of Hawaiian education, and will positively impact the education outcomes of students, again, in preparation for college and career and community opportunities. Right, and it's not just that, it's really about identity. I feel that so much of what we learn about civics and about cultural identification happens during those formative years, and I can relate to part of what you're saying when you were in school, and your teacher asked you all of the questions that you said earlier, because in Brazil, like my mother decided the family was indigenous, and she was not allowed really to teach the language, and much of the culture really was stripped from so many generations, and I feel this sense of incompletion. It's like I can catch up with the history, but so much of the practices, the traditions, and the language, which helps cement all of that, I've never been able to develop. It's a dream I have. We really need good Hawaiian studies teachers in the school system, and without those good Hawaiian studies teachers that excel in different areas of the school system, then I really believe the Hawaiian studies program will die. So as far as my school is concerned, I've taken upon everything. I am the core of the Hawaiian system at my school, and what I mean by core, I not only touch our students, but I touch my teachers, I touch the staff, and so I am that rock at my school. I think that's really important. I think most Hawaiian studies teachers should understand that you are the pohaku of your course. What I mean by pohaku, you are that solid ground. So when a teacher asks you for a question on some kind of language or some kind of kumu, can you turn this into Hawaiian? How do I do? You are that person. And also, how can I haku, which means braid my Hawaiian standards or my Hawaiian teaching in the school's curriculum. I'm really lucky because our school teachers have it's a mind. Have it's a mind is from Dr. Costa. Have it's a mind teaches children a holistic way of being empathetic to each other, on how to be creative thinkers, on how to think before they do, how to think for themselves, and how to interpret whatever they did through expressions, through art, through everything that they do in the classrooms. So I really believe that Hawaiian studies at my school really blends in well to have it's a mind. And I'm very lucky to be at that school. And how fortunate for your students and for your peers to have you as their kumu and their foundation. So what is the plan for the Department of Education to ensure that more kumus, number one, are trained and apt to be able to take this role now but also moving forward? So the plan that the Department of Hawaiian Education is doing is koku wa uka, koku wa kai. So how can our students understand the interdependent cycles, the natural cycles, and what's going on in our class, and not only in our classrooms but outside of our classrooms? How do we know those different places? You know I can go back to what I'm teaching. I taught my students a chant and this chant is the different areas. It's just like we were taking a tour around our school and we talk about Diamond Head, we talk about Waikiki, we talk about the lipoa that smells the seaweed when the breeze comes up into our school, we talk about Kapahulu, we talk about the uaki ovao, which is a certain rain that comes into Palo Alto Valley, and the Vaya Onao, which is a certain wind that comes from Palo Alto Valley into our school. So now the students understand where those areas, because before I even started that chant I asked the students, where are we? What is this area called? They never knew. So we have to take it upon us, the wine studies department had to take it upon us to actually teach our children the au poa of our school, because if we don't teach that part, because then they don't have any self-worth, like oh I belong here, this is where I belong, this is my school, I belong here. What's that sense of identification and belonging is so important. Definitely. And it's not just a school ground, but it's this environment, this space, this microcosm that Hawaii is right in the Pacific, and there's so many layers that are so sacred, and I don't think many schools walk with curriculum based development that work with just academics, but plus the older aspects of being. You know in our school, I teach, especially in my classes, I teach this one thing, which is part of habits of mind, and part of habits of mind is being mindful, sitting mindful, getting ready for kumu. So all of my children are actually, as soon as I come in, you know, I have to set up the class, and they're sitting with their hands on their lap, feet on the ground, straight up waiting for kumu to get ready. That is mindful, that's part of habits of mind. Now on the Hawaiian side, and that's what I mean, it really blends in so well. The Hawaiian side, I do ha, the breath, mana, breathing out. So breathing out everything that's good and breathing out everything that's bad. So I think that's the ha and the mana, but before I go with ha and a mana, I always tell them, this is where you can find your peace. This is now you're at peace with yourself. And in order for you to be at peace, it doesn't matter about whatever, what all those people are doing, you're at peace with yourself. And then we breathe the ha and the mana. And the second part is now, you can, now since you're at peace with yourself, you can share that peace with others. Let's do the second part, let's do another ha and let's do another mana. So they do that again. I want to be your student. Can we start every day? They work like this. And then the third part, I say to them, now since you spread your peace to other people, hopefully those people will spread their peace that you sent to them and will have a peaceful world. And then they will do the last ha and mana. Oh, that's really special. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to come back with a ha and a mana practice. Aloha, I'm Kili Akina and I'm here every other week on Mondays at two o'clock p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii's Hawaii Together. In Hawaii Together, we talk with some of the most fascinating people in the islands about working together, working together for a better economy, government and society. So I invite you into our conversation every other Monday at 2 p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii Broadcast Network. Join us for Hawaii Together. I'm Kili Akina. Aloha. Hi, I'm Dave Stevens, the host of Cyber Underground every Friday here at 1 p.m. on ThinkTechHawaii.com. And then every episode is uploaded to the Cyber Underground, that library of shows that you can see of mine on youtube.com. And I hope you'll join us here every Friday. We have some topical discussions about why security matters and what could scare the absolute bejesus out of you if you just try to watch my show all the way through. Hope to see you next time on Cyber Underground. Stay safe. Welcome to Perspectives on Global Justice. Think Tech Hawaii. This is your host, and here we are, you know, being gifted with the presence of Kumu Brad Lume. So, Brad, we were talking about the practice of ha and mana. So shall we continue? Because it's a very important thing. It is really important. So part of ha and mana in the classroom is be breath. How do I share my breath? Whatever comes out from my mouth, whatever I do, and how can I make my life a little bit more pungent? So again, we talk about karma. Whatever comes out good is good. Whatever comes out bad is bad. Then we talk about responsibility. Whatever I say, whatever I do, that's your responsibility. So being responsible for the things that you do and say. And then is e, how to achieve excellence to the highest form. How can I show, how can I show excellence to not only myself, but others as well? So could you give an example, like if a kid comes to you and says, I don't know how to do this. Like, where would he or she start with that? Sure. If a child came up to me and says, Kumu, I don't know how to do this. I'll give them options. For instance, Kumu, I don't know this project that we're doing. And I don't understand. So from that project, I said, well, if you don't understand that project, where I use the how, why, and what. So, and then they can give me those answers. So that's, that's all. Right. Very basic, but very respectful. I think of very equal grounds where your students are being trained to feel elevated, but also meet people at the same level and to treat people the same level. Imagine if this was then expanded to the rest of the world, not just to the rooms of your classroom or, or schools that will, you know, have to help me because I need a Kumu to help you with the language. So it's, it's ahu. So I want to go back to, to the B again. So B is belonging, our responsibility, E, excellence, A, aloha, T, total well-being, H, Hawaii. And what does that spell out? Breath. So all of that, all of those things that I just told you are what I teach in my classrooms. And that's, that's the whole thing and how to be Pono in everything that you do. So to all of you who do not live in Hawaii and do not understand the meaning of Pono, what do you mind giving a definition? Pono, to be right, to make right, to sit up right, um, to, um, um, Pono comes from karma. I really believe that karma is, is whatever you, you dish out, you get. And if you get good, then you're going to get good. See, in our curriculum, in habits of mind, it's perfect because Pono really works at our school. Pono really works. I was going to ask you, like, so you start talking with the kids in this curriculum since kindergarten and they go throughout their, you know, years. What, what do you notice in the children with regards to behavior, concentration, ability to, you know, negotiate challenging situations? I come from a very smart school. It's unbelievable. The chat that I wrote is a 32-line chat. Some of the, um, kindergarten teachers came to me and said, Pono, I don't think they can. They didn't say that. And I said, no, just leave it up to me. They will. Believe it or not, they learned the 32-line chat from kindergarten all the way to the fifth grade by heart. So now it's become a school chat. So it all depends on the teacher. And how focused you want to be in your classrooms. As I said, it's, you know, good Hawaiian studies teachers are focused, are, are involved in your, in the school, no matter if it's outside the curriculum or inside the curriculum. So, um, we are that block or we are that rock. Yes. Well, I would like to expand this dialogue a little bit to what we are seeing today in so many schools throughout America with all of the fear. And, uh, rightly so, you know, and all of the gun violence that's happening. And I, you know, I wanted to see if we could tie in a little bit of this value system to share this love, this Pono throughout the country and around the world because as much as I appreciate and am so proud of the students who are going out there to the streets and speaking with our representatives to say no more, I can see also the stress level and the pain and the fear and the frustration piling up. And when we talk about karma and when we talk about energy and what we filter in and what we breathe out, I think this is a very important, uh, dialogue to have and something important to be mindful of, you know, as we support students in Hawaii is very lucky because we haven't had any fatality in regards to gun violence in school setting. But across the country, that's not always true. And, you know, I keep thinking for the students, I keep thinking also the teachers who also, you know, are now wondering, do we have to carry an AR, you know, 15 to classroom to protect ourselves and our, you know, children? To be very honest, we don't worry about that. Again, it's karma. It's part of our curriculum. So we don't put it out there. We talk about it. I would say maybe the upper grade level teachers do talk about that with their students, but that's only individual class on class. But as far as my school is concerned, what I see is porno. I don't see I am frightened. I don't see I am scared. I don't see it in our teachers either. And I really believe it's because of habits of mind. So what would you tell to a teacher or a student, whether in Hawaii or, you know, in the United States, other states that may share that fear to help them, you know, cement some of that and to find that peace zone and rest entry. Yeah. Thank you for letting. And I always would say, what did Kumu do? What does Kumu do in your classroom? What would you do in your classroom? And they always, the answer, I know what the answer is going to be. The answer is going to be, oh, I'm going to find a peace. And what does Kumus tell you every time when we are in our mindful positions and we are mindful and quiet where everything is happening crazy around us? What happens to us? I'm peaceful. That's exactly what our students would tell me all the time. I am peaceful. And so since you're peaceful, again, I'm going back to what I'm teaching to what I told you. So where's that peace going? Now I'm peaceful. I can share that peace with others. Oh, okay. So you can share that with others. What happens? So they do this across my fingers that the whole world would be at peace because I know me. I know. And I think that is the main thing is I know who I am. I don't have to worry about that. I know who I am. And, you know, this is so crucial, I think, to anything that is in this array in the world is that there is this disconnect and disruption with identity, either because the person, you know, have never had that chance, the opportunity to develop that sense of belonging and knowing who they are, but also because their lives also have been disrupted or never really developed in the way that it should have been. And we have to be prepared for whatever is happening in the meantime. That's not on our children. Our children does not, they don't, we have to prepare them. But we have, as teachers and educators, we are the ones that I'm responsible for those little ones. When they come into my classroom, I'm responsible for that. And to be very honest, I hear other teachers across the country, oh, what happens? And, you know, I would protect my children, when I would protect myself. I know you would, because Akumu really is a labor of love. And this is part of who you are. I can't believe how quickly our program went by. You have to come back very often. We've got to do other episodes and, you know, segments to this beautiful dialogue. So can we end it with a ha, mana, a lot of viewers can end their Friday. So all our viewers, let's find that peaceful place. Yes. Let's sit up in your chair, wherever you are. Find that peaceful place. You can close your eyes, if you like, and just be at peace, and just be quiet. And don't forget to breathe in and out, softly. And sometimes you forget to breathe. But this time we're not going to forget to breathe, because we're going to breathe in, and we're going to breathe out, nice and soft. Now we are at peace with ourselves. And since we're at peace with ourselves, we can breathe our ha. Let's do the first ha, mana. Now that we are peace at ourselves, we can share that peace with others. Let's do the second ha, mana. Now we can share that peace with others, and hope that we can, that that peace that you have, that I'm sharing this with you today, that you can share that peace with others so we can have a peaceful world. Last ha, mana. There you go. Aloha. Aloha.