History of ʻAimalama:

In 2013, a partnership was formed between Kalei Nuʻuhiwa, a kilo and Kaulana Mahina practitioner, Malia Nobrega-Olivera of the Loli Aniau, Makaʻala Aniau (LAMA) Climate Change, Climate Alert – Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge – UH Mānoa and Micky Huihui also of LAMA– UH Mānoa. Each partner represented different Hawaiian communities involved with the revival of traditional Hawaiian educational pedagogies. The partners reached out into their own communities seeking out experts, practitioners and scientists to find interested individuals who might want to revive the Kaulana Mahina as an educational, resource management and climate change tool. A few preliminary meetings were held with the partners and community individuals. The decision to hold a symposium in 2014 was made and the term ʻAimalama was chosen to represent the combined Hawaiian practices of the Kaulana Mahina, kilo (environmental observation) and trend prognosticator and survival adaptation. ʻAi generally means food, but is also a term that means to rule over, to enjoy the privileges of or to control responsibilities. The term malama generally means the moon, the light of the moon or the Hawaiian lunar months. Therefore, we collectively chose the term ʻaimalama to represent the mission of the partners and individuals who are trying to revive and enjoy the privileges of living in the season with the natural cycles of the environment, track natural occurrences around us by the lunar cycles and control the human responses to a changing climate with the intent of surviving.

In 2015, we hosted the first ʻAimalama conference at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

In 2016-2017, we worked one-on-one with communities on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Maui.

In 2018, we co-hosted the second ʻAimalama conference with University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Mahalo nui to Chancellor Lui Hokoana and Hōkūlani Holt for their commitment to ʻAimalama.