Ulu Mauli Ola: Day 1

During the month of August, my office decided to do a retreat. It was a great time to close one school year, and prepare for the next. Out with the old, in with the new. A time to breathe, to bond, and to grow. It was such a wonderful retreat. We were with good people (all women), great minds, and it all took place at a beautiful place, Kapoho. Here are a few highlights from the retreat.

A pic of our small group before heading out to Kapoho. Front row: Lokelani Brandt, Nāoli Weller, Kaulana Dameg, Alohalani Housman, and me. Second row: Hiʻilei Vuta and Lepeka English.


The first thing we did was make a hala lei. Hala, meaning to pass, as time, would represent the year that has passed, the closing of one thing to the next. This is a very difficult task to complete. From trying to find the hala fruit that is perfectly ripe, to cutting the keys in a certain manner, to stringing them together. However, it was well worth it. The outcome was beautiful.




Hiʻuwai, which is a water purification ceremony was our next thing. A dip in the water that would cleanse all that may have been bothering us from the previous years. Some of us needed this a lot. I know I looked forward to this the most. We may have not done it in the true traditional sense, but I say we walked away from that experience with a great sense of purification of our bodies, minds and spirits. Out with the bad so there is room for the good that await us.