This fall, The University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii, is offering courses leading to a degree in lawaia, traditional Hawaiian fishing and ocean resource management. This fall, The University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii, is offering courses leading
This fall, The University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii, is offering courses leading to a degree in lawaia, traditional Hawaiian fishing and ocean resource management.
“To our kupuna, fishing is more than a pole and a cooler full of fish; it is a wholesome lifestyle that provides nutrition for the body and spirit,” said Hawaii Lifestyles instructor Pualani Lincoln Maielua.
The study of lawaia has many purposes. In ancient Hawaii, lawaia was an essential source of sustenance, and traditional Hawaiian fishing practices are still an effective and sustainable means of harvesting food from the ocean today. “Lawaia is about managing resources properly and bringing balance to our environment, diet, and life,” Lincoln Maielua said. It provides residents with the opportunity to understand traditional Hawaiian fishing, as well as its relationship with community and nature.
“The basic function of lawaia is to feed our families,” Lincoln Maielua added. “Our kupuna recognized that without the ocean, the forest, the sun and the rain, they would not be able to do so; therefore, they honored those elements, named them, and acknowledged their existence with incantations. Our traditional fishing practices are grounded in feeding the physical and spiritual needs of an individual, a family, and a community.”
An associate in applied sciences degree in lawaia is offered as a four semester degree in West Hawaii. Students may enroll in one of the four courses without pursuing the two-year degree, as well. A similar Hawaii Lifestyles hula degree has been offered at the campus for years. Courses in hula and lawaia are interdisciplinary, combining traditional and contemporary dancing or fishing with insight into the art, music, customs and spirituality of the native people of Hawaii.
The lawaia degree prepares students for a variety of fields of study and potential careers including marine biology, aquaculture, environmental science, oceanography, astronomy, navigation, anthropology, archeology, biology, agriculture, education, social services, business, planning and politics.
Classes begin in August. The first eight-week course runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, at various sites in West Hawaii, and includes an optional overnight fishing event. The class introduces students to various coastal and nearshore fishing techniques and practices, and includes activities such as swimming, paddling and the construction of traditional fishing implements.
For registration information, contact the Student Services office at 969-8816. Lincoln Maielua will answer questions sent to blincoln@hawaii.edu. The deadline to enroll is Thursday.
