What is wai? Why is it important?
The English translation of "wai" is water. Water was a very valuable resource for ancient Hawaiians. The term "waiwai" was used to symbolize wealth and prosperity. It was also a big part of the culture. Fresh water was utilized from waterfalls and rivers for many things such as agriculture and other everyday uses. The ocean was where they caught different sources of food, sailed canoe, etc. Because their water was so valuable to them, they made sure to take care of it; something we can make an example of.
My Wai
I identify my wai as the stretch of beach in Hauʻula along the road. Our house is a couple streets inland from this area. I identify with this water because this is where I grew up. When we were younger my family spent many sunny days here together. To me this wai is important because when I go to this beach I think of my family and the memories we shared here, in a way, it is family. This wai is important to my community because this is the land we share as an area and pass everyday. The water in this area is clean but the run-off from the streams flows into the ocean. We need to work on keeping trash and other non-ecofriendly elements out of the streams and waterways.