Historically, the ahupuaʻa of Kahalu‘u and Keauhou in North Kona were centers of political governance and intellect for many celebrated Hawaiian leaders of the past. They were gathering places for influential kāhuna and ali‘i to train in resource management, political strategy, history, genealogies, spiritual expertise and a myriad of other fields of study. In modern history, the lands came to be part of the assets within the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, who’s mission it is to elevate well-being and education of Native Hawaiians. The rich history and sites at Keauhou and Kahaluu have become guiding foundations for an emerging online blended aina-based educational program for the Kamehameha Schools West Hawai’i Region. Currently a website is being created to house information such as the history of the wahi pana in the region, the influential residents, the data collection of 1949 – 50 by Henry Kekahuna, the recent restoration efforts, the ceremonies and chants, and the daily weather and lunar phases. Learners will also be able to track live webcam information from two stations. One station is situated on a ma uka property and another is situated on a ma kai property. Both will track the wind speed, humidity, precipitation, temperature as well as live observations via the webcam. Learners are able to make daily, weekly and monthly weather comparisons. The goal is to offer a dynamic learning platform rooted in Hawaiian place and moolelo that is also tied to academic curriculum and that leverages modern technology. These two sites are our “R&D sites”, and we have a larger vision of dozens of hybrid aina/online-learning stations planned throughout West Hawaii.
