Pilina ʻĀina

A program of the Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests, a 501(c)3 non-profit. In ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, pilina means “relationship,” and ʻāina means “land, earth, that which feeds us.” This inoa (name) reflects the growing direction and goals of the program as we adapt to the present and changing biocultural education needs of our Hawaiʻi communities. The piko (center) of Pilina ʻĀina is anchored in the idea of “I ola ʻoe, i ola mākou nei --- when you thrive, we all thrive,” and our mission is to cultivate ʻāina education opportunities through Hawaiʻi lifeways to nurture meaningful pilina that inspire a desire to live in reciprocity to ʻāina, steward place, and strengthen one’s community. 

Working alongside the US Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, and the University of Hawaiʻi, Pilina ʻĀina works with Hawaiʻi island schools, teachers, and communities to provide immersive and empowering ʻāina-based learning opportunities and education resources that encourage, facilitate, and enhance student’s, teacher’s, and community relationships with ʻāina. These experiences, anchored in ʻāina and place, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, mālama and aloha ʻāina stewardship values, and Hawaiʻi culture, cultivate a deeper and personally transformative understanding of Hawaiʻi’s native ecosystems as ʻohana and enable students, their families, teachers and other community members to fulfill their kuleana to these ʻāina through actively participating in restoration and conservation efforts. These experiences also provide enhanced secondary education and career preparedness for keiki as well as helping teachers to become community resources bridging the gap between academia and the wider community to foster shared kuleana (responsibility) for natural resources. The majority of our work centers on the ʻāina and rural communities of Hilo Palikū and North Kona/South Kohala in connection to the Laupāhoehoe and Puʻuwaʻawaʻa units of the Hawaiʻi Experimental Tropical Forests, as well as the ma uka forests of the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge.