Hawaiian Airlines Brings Culture-Based Education Onboard

Video footage of He Moku He Wa‘a, He Wa‘a He Moku which will be seen on Hawaiian Airlines flights through June 2018. Footage from Nāʻālehu Anthony | ʻŌiwi TV

Hawaiian Airlines is bringing onboard a series of exclusive in-flight videos that will feature inspiring stories that showcase the power of culture-based native Hawaiian education.

The videos will show how educators are turning streams, fishponds and the voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a, into immersive classrooms while using traditional Hawaiian practices to empower youth.

The new series was produced by Kanaeokana, a network of over 50 local schools and organizations focused on strengthening Hawaiian education.

“We are excited to partner with Kanaeokana to present stories that demonstrate the importance and depth of our culture and its powerful impact on native Hawaiian youth,” said Evan Nomura, in-flight entertainment manager for the airline. “It’s a privilege to be able to showcase the authenticity of Hawai‘i and its people to guests visiting from around the world.”

The content highlights three impactful experiences from schools statewide:

He Moku He Wa‘a, He Wa‘a He Moku: Our Canoe is an Island; Our Island is a Canoe

Watch how the 1,200 students of Kamehameha Schools Maui become inspired by Hōkūleʻa’s decades of voyaging and message of Mālama Honua (to care for our island Earth). Together, they bring the mission of the Worldwide Voyage back to Hawai‘i and plant 5,000 native plants above Maui’s famous Honolua Bay.

Ho‘okahe Wai: Let the Streams Flow

Join eighth-grade students from Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School on their year-long journey to learn about the uplands and water issues facing Hawai‘i. Then, at the end of their classes, see how students are challenged to organize a large-scale stream cleanup in order to raise awareness about the importance of water to the Hawaiian Islands.

Changing Tides: Ka ‘Umeke Kā‘eo’s Education Movement

Take a walk around a fishpond with a student from Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Charter School on the Island of Hawai‘i. Travelers will experience how students are returning to nature and leveraging their ancestral skills to discover innovative solutions to pressing issues.

“Expanding our reach helps us bring our message to different audiences. The experiences nurturing our students are valuable not just for Native Hawaiians but have relevance to everyone,” said Ekela Kaniaupio-Crozier, a member of Kanaeokanaʻs Kōmike Ho’okele (Steering Committee) and Kamehameha Schools Maui’s Hawaiian Protocol Facilitator. “We all should be sharing in the kuleana (responsibilities) to Mālama Honua and each other.”

Kanaeokana’s videos will be available through June 2018 on all of Hawaiian’s international flights operated by its Airbus A330 aircraft.

To watch full videos from the Kanaeokana series, click here.

Kanaeokana seeks to strengthen the lāhui (people) and nurture the next generations of aloha ‘āina (love of the land) by collaboratively developing and growing a Native Hawaiian education system built on a strong ʻōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language) and ʻike Hawai‘i foundation.