ʻIʻinimaikalani Kahakalau

Name ʻIʻinimaikalani Kahakalau

social media @iinikahalalau

Age 29

Town/Moku Waipiʻo Valley

Island Hawaiʻi Island

Leadership Category Education

Nominated by Kimié Miner

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.

Aloha. I am a 21st-century Hawaiian, with a deep understanding of Hawaiian language, culture, values and traditions. Born and raised in Waipiʻo Valley on Hawaiʻi Island, I have always had a reciprocal relationship with the ʻāina. I am a co-owner of Kū-A-Kanaka, a Hawaiian social enterprise, that creates fun, culture-based games, like the popular Cards for 808. I am also a website developer, content creator, and the primary chef of Kanaka Kitchen which teaches how to cook with Hawaiian ingredients in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. One of my loves is to provide bi-lingual, hands-on, culture-based, place-based education to learners from keiki to kūpuna on our 5-acre taro-patch complex in Waipiʻo. I love to share Hawaiian language, culture and values in the hopes to strengthen kuanaʻike kanaka.

Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?

From an early age my parents instilled in me that if i wanted to call myself kanaka it meant i now had kuleana to mālama akua, ʻāina and kanaka. The work i do today fulfills that kuleana which is incredibly important to me. If one Kanaka can go home having learned something new like an ʻoli, their hoʻolauna or even a new vocab word that is one more step toward strengthening the lāhui. I see the pride our kanaka have when learning more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, when being able to reconnect to their culture, when giving back to the ʻāina and i eagerly volunteer and ʻauamo the kuleana to be the bridge to help others strengthen their kuanaʻike kanaka.

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.

Hoʻoihi, Aloha, Kuleana, Kupaʻa, Kūlia i ka nuʻu are some qualities i strive to live by. I was taught to be unapologetically Hawaiian and when doing so those qualities of our kupuna naturally come out. To be a kanaka in 2022 you need to kupaʻa and ʻauamo kuleana and at the same time have constant love and respect for everyone. Itʻs a hard balance to have sometimes but it feels pono in your naʻau. I strive to reach my highest potential in everything i do the same as our kupuna have always done.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?

My Māmā, Kū Kahakalau, has been my greatest kumu and alakaʻi. She has given her entire life to helping educate every kanaka especially keiki. She is my constant reminder to walk on the maʻawe pono (the path or righteousness and responsibility)

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?

Alulike

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?

Sacredness