Hawai‘i County runs first KIPA Workshop with Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation

The first pilot KIPA workshop of tour operators, county employees, community leaders, hotel, park, and IHVB managers took place in Keaukaha at the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation (EKF) headquarters on November 4 & 5. EKF leaders covered two-full days of learning to heighten participants’ understanding of Hawaiian consciousness and intellect through the program’s content of kilo (observing and forecasting), mele, oli and hula (chants and dance), papakū makawalu (a method of understanding our environment through our ancestor’s perspective), and community huaka‘i at Lē‘ahi (voyaging by working in the community). KIPA training covers four pillars of standards called kupa‘āina practices in its learning. Those standards include learning how to enact respectful engagement with the wahi pana (sacred place) and communities to educate visitors to recognize and be conscious of the place, to approach the place with appropriate protocol and reverence, to welcome visitors to participate in meaningful work within the community, with purposeful intent for a healthy and vibrant ‘āina (land), to help visitors demonstrate respectful regard for kama‘āina (locals), being attentive to interactions with the host culture, their language and their way of life and to engage visitors to participate safely and to return home with a healthy respect for the island culture and natural resources. For participants, training and learning KIPA requires commitment to sharing Hawai‘i in a more meaningful and authentic way based on key Hawaiian cultural practices that connects learning to the natural and bio sciences of the location. Mahalo to the County of Hawai‘i, Department of Research and Development, Tourism Office for their efforts in making this pilot training possible. For more information about KIPA Training, contact Luka Kanakaʻole with EKF Foundation at [email protected].