‘Oha Wai, more commonly referred to as Hawaiian Lobelia, is a plant that was once thought to be extinct is growing again on the Big Island. In the summer of 2011 “West Hawaii Today” reports that the Kohala Watershed Partnership has received a federal grant to protect and restore the endangered plant species known as oha wai. The plants have greenish, white flowers and dark green leaves tinged with red and prefer wet native forests.
Field of Taro on the Big Island
Learning Hawaiian words keeps the language alive, take a moment today to learn a new Hawaiian word or expression and share it with a child. This is a fun family activity and will keep the language in motion and alive.
Laulima means “many hands” and is an expression in Hawaiian that was known to mean to collaborate or work together cooperatively. Laulima made daily tasks more enjoyable and easier than to do them alone with a struggle. Children often helped with the family tasks and people worked together to fish, cultivate, and build. White people use the expression “Many hands make light work” but the Hawaiian word for this is laulima.
