Run for the island

WAIMEA — Rains and wind scour Hawaii Island and Makalii rises in the east at sunset. Lono is afoot. The Makahiki season, a time for connection and rejuvenation, has arrived.

In its third year, the Ka Makahiki Pule Aina Holo, a circle island prayer run, will begin the evening of Nov. 9 and continue through Nov. 13. On Oct 20, an orientation for the run was held at Kanu o ka Aina gym.

Ku’ulei Keakealani began the session by sharing the story of it’s Maka’iole and Kamiki, heroic brothers who travel from Kohanaiki in Kona to Lanimaomao (Lakeland), Mahiki (Mud Lane), Waipio and Lake Waiau, performing astonishing physical feats, orienting the group to the historical significance of places that will be traversed during the run.

“I want to make connections to what will occur in a few weeks, some place names, perhaps some pu’u, some lakes,” she said. “Hopefully there will be familiarity.”

Ka Makahiki Pule Aina Holo emerged from the experiences of Hamakua cultural practitioner, Lanakila Mangauil, as a way to create a contemporary connection with life-sustaining ancestral practices. While physical feats are very much a part of Hawaiian culture, often what is needed is the combined efforts of everyone. This was highlighted by Mangauil through a story of drought and famine in Hamakua, where it was only when all the people stopped complaining and joined in ceremony that the rains finally came.

“Don’t wait for superman, when we see something that needs to be done, we just get up and do it,” said Mangauil, which was something he experienced during a 2004 cultural exchange program with the Pit River and Hopi tribes.

“The ancestral run was created by the elders of the Pit River Tribe in the ‘90s as a ceremony to address the situation of their people. A lot of drug and alcohol abuse was happening in their community. They needed something to bring the people together: traditions, stories, blessings,” Mangauil said.

He continued to run with the tribes for another five years until one year he gave voice to the idea of holding a prayer run in Hawaii.

“I literally went to the fire and said, ‘I want to do one like this in Hawaii,’” Mangauil said.

The seed was planted and in a few months the shoots began to appear.

“That first year, back in 2014 was our first Makahiki run. It was literally two weeks before, just putting out the prayer, putting out the thought and let’s just see what we come up with. It was raw,” said Mangauil.

He could find no traditions of prayer runs in Hawaii but when he asked himself, “What other tradition do we have about circling the island?” The answer was, “Makahiki, the traditional practice of the circuit of the high chiefs and the kahuna.”

The Makahiki procession was always done clockwise beginning in Kealakekua.

“They always walked clockwise to cleanse the land. Right hand you receive, left hand you give, so it passes in and goes out this side. They were hooking any hana ino (negativity) from the land and casting it out that (ocean) side,” Mangauil said.

As often when a clear intention is sent out, the universe conspired to manifest it.

“It came so quickly, I couldn’t ignore. For the staff I thought of a kii, and low and behold, Uncle Kanani Kaulu Kukui from Kona carved the kii,” said Mangauil.

And the kapa for the Lono staff appeared from a serendipitous encounter.

“I met Dalani Tanahy, a kapa maker from Maui, at the Merry Monarch and she made the kapa for the Lono staff,” Mangauil said.

As the runners travel the island, it’s an opportunity for communities to share their best.

“We encourage the communities in the evening to come out and kanikapila and share food, stories, dance. It’s not necessarily mea (things) Hawaii, but people being able to come out and show what they worked on, be thankful for what they’ve been able to produce,” said Mangauil.

The first year, 20 Pit River tribal members came to join the run. This year there will be 50 guests from various tribes, coming to add their prayers to the growing number of island runners.

“We would like to have entire communities represented, and cross country teams from different schools involved,” said Pua Case, who will be providing orientation sessions leading up to the event, including a special chant and hula. “This is about prayer and purpose and culture, and that has to be in everybody’s mind when they’re running, footsteps on the ground, Lono on the ground running. Prayers high.”

Waimea runners will include the Keakealani family, represented by Ku’ulei and her daughters Kamehana, Nahenani and Ka’io, who will receive the Lono staff from the Kohala runners at Lanikepu (Upper H.P.A. Campus); Kanu o ka Aina middle and high school students, coordinated by Kanoa Castro, Pomai Bertelmann and Chelsey Dickson; and Punanaleo and Alo Kehau Hawaiian immersion schools, who will also provide lunch.

Ka Makahiki Pule Aina Holo is a budding tradition with old roots.

“Every tradition was created by a person at a time, and it only became tradition because it was practiced over and over and over again. As we create traditions that work that are pono, they will become traditions for our children’s, children’s children,” said Mangauil. “(It is an opportunity) to bring the whole island into a consciousness of gratitude. When we run we are also giving something. We’re offering ourselves, a sacrifice of our best.”