PU‘U WA‘AWA‘A — Every few minutes, another truck loaded with hunters pulled up to the weigh-in station, ready to check in the day’s catch and join in the Keikis of Da Aina 6th annual Pig Hunting Tournament.
Even amidst the cheers and celebration that came with weighing in an especially impressive pig, everyone kept one thing in mind: it’s all for the kids.
“We want to teach the kids to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture of hunting,” said Nakoa Pabre, president of Keikis of Da Aina. “And the proper ways of doing it and the right reason to do it.”
While hunters could hunt throughout the island, every team was required to have at least one child participating.
Pabre said the event offers valuable lessons and experiences for island youth.
“It’s, for one, having the cultural experience we had when we were kids and not just getting clouded in video games … and getting out in the woods, hands-on, out in the forest.”
The tournament, he added, gives kids valuable skills about survival and sustainability.
Pabre said they had 59 teams participating in the event.
“It’s a great turnout,” he said.
Those who participated in the tournament all said it was a great opportunity to get youth involved in the sport of hunting.
“Just to teach the younger generations,” said Lincoln Medeiros, 27, of Team Dirty Dirty. “Pass on what I got taught hunting as a kid.”
Medeiros said he’s been hunting for pretty much his whole life and has taken part in the tournament almost every year.
“Just the freedom,” he said of why he loves the sport. “The feeling of the hunt, you know what I mean?”
Medeiros’ team brought in two pigs to the weigh-in, one weighing more than 170 pounds from South Kona.
“I’m in first, that’s all I know,” he said.
Hunter Tavares, 13, of Hilo, came to the tournament as part of a team made up of several of his cousins, all around the same age.
He said he liked hunting and having the ability to put food on the table.
“It’s a tradition for our family,” he said.
His squad, Team Smooth Move, also included Isaiah Toki, 13; Kolten Filoteo, 14; and Tryston Spencer, 13; all of Hilo.
The team brought in a 113-pound sow from a “secret spot” in Kona. It was their first time participating in the tournament.
In addition to giving Big Island hunters an opportunity to compete, the event also provided a valuable opportunity for researchers who continue to study Rapid Ohia Death on the island.
Keikis of Da Aina partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service for the event, the theme of which was “On the same side of the fence,” Pabre said, promoting collaboration between the hunting community and the Forestry Service.
After hunters weighed their pig, researchers from the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry in Hilo collected samples from the animal’s hooves to test for the pathogen responsible for Rapid Ohia Death.
In addition to providing valuable scientific evidence, said Institute director Ric Lopez, it’s also a great chance for scientists to mingle with the island’s hunting community.
“We could not do this without the hunting community and you don’t often hear that from the ecological science community,” said Lopez. “And we appreciate them.”