As a mother, Native of Hawai’i, everything I do is for the future of my four children, and for the future of Hawaiʻi.
Growing up here in Hawaiʻi and coming from a mixture of cultures, I struggled with my identity. My father, born and raised on the island of Molokaʻi comes from a 100% Hawaiian mother and 100% Filipino father. My mother is 100% Japanese. As you can imagine, I never connected with anyone of these cultures more than the other. I always felt as if I was not Hawaiian enough, or Filipino enough or Japanese enough. At times it felt good to be a little of each culture because you belonged to more than one heritage, but most times in my life, I didnʻt know who I truly was.
Fast forward to present day, I feel the most comfortable being who I am. I can see very clearly that Hawaiʻi is the homeland of the Hawaiian people. This is our country. If I cannot and do not identify with that and do what I can to help uplift my Hawaiian heritage, I would not serve my ancestors and kupuna well.
The Hawaiian culture is deeply connected to ʻaina (land) and wai (water) and to live in present day means protecting the land and water we need to live. As Waiwoalani came to be, I felt a strong connection to Mauna ʻEʻeka formally known as Mauna Kahālāwai. I know that this business was meant to give back to my ʻaina and support my Hawaiian heritage as best as I can.