Ohana waas (the family of the canoes) project IMI AKU, IMI IHO (to seek outward, to seek inward) delves into how the native hawaiian cultural practice of voyaging and ancestral and current knowledge…

The Department of the Interior's Interior Business Center awarded a $1,224,796 Project Grant under the Native Hawaiian Climate Resilience Program (CFDA 15.098) to 'Ohana Wa'A, a Native Hawaiian Organization, to implement the "Ohana Waas (The Family of the Canoes) Project Imi Aku, Imi Iho (To Seek Outward, To Seek Inward)." This 5-year project (10/1/2024 - 9/30/2029) aims to empower Native Hawaiian voyaging communities across Hawaii to recognize and respond to climate change impacts. The project will expand 'Ohana Wa'A's annual crew training program to include each community's reefs, forests, food security, and voyaging canoe needs on the islands of Maui, Oahu, Hawaii, and Kauai. By documenting data, results, lessons learned, and the wisdom of cultural practitioners, the project seeks to strengthen cultural and climate resilience for current and future generations.

Ohana waas (the family of the canoes) project IMI AKU, IMI IHO (to seek outward, to seek inward) delves into how the native hawaiian cultural practice of voyaging and ancestral and current knowledge systems can help voyaging communities across the PAE INA of hawaii cope with and adapt to growing climate change impacts. Using our guiding philosophy of he WAA he moku he moku he WAA (a canoe is an island an island is a canoe), and focusing on the interconnectedness of native hawaiians with their homelands and oceans and the resulting reciprocity of survival for our communities and our ahupuaa, we expand our annual IMI naauao (seeking knowledge) crew training program to include each voyaging communitys reefs, forests, food security, and specific voyaging canoe training needs on maui, oahu, hawaii island and kauai. The project aims to empower voyaging communities to recognize and respond to immediate and growing climate change effects. By documenting data, results, lessons learned and the wisdom of kpuna and other practitioners from their WAA kaulua and communities, ohaha WAA seeks to strengthen cultural and climate resilience and adaptability for ourselves and for future generations.