Educational Activities

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY PANEL

Perspectives from Mahi'ai and Kia'i Loko

Cab has 39+ years of successful farming growing experience in Hawaii.Master with microorganisms, fermentations, and probiotics in farming. On-island EM Bokashi
producer for 22 years. Well known for high quality, nutrient rich foods and herbs – medicine in most assimilable form. Co-founder and former President, Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA). Co-founder of the Hawaii Island Hemp Association, which advocated for growing hemp instead of sugar cane in the early 1990s.

Ruth Aloua

Ruth Aloua is a Kanaka Maoli from the Kona District. Her grandmother’s lineage binds her to the island Hawai'i and her grandfather’s to Maui. She is a mahi'ai (farmer) for Malu 'Āina Center for Nonviolent Education and Action and a kia'i loko (fishpond guardian) for Kaloko Fishpond. Her work extends to the peaks of Mauna a Wākea, to the plains of Pōhakuloa into the deepest depths of the ocean to the realm of Kanaloa. She is an advocate for peace and justice fostering nonviolent interaction between people, land, water, ocean and air.

Hanohano Naehu

For the last 17 years Hanohano Naehu has been a Kia’i Loko, a fishpond guardian at Keawanui, an 800 year old Hawaiian Fishpond on Molokai, Hawaii. He is the caretaker of this environment in which he restores an aspect of Hawaiian Aquaculture: a traditional, sustainable, ocean fishpond that itself presents other opportunities for creativitythrough the healing Arts, Sciences, and feeling Spirituality. Hano, as he is referred to is also a community educator,...

...teaching ancient concepts in land stewardship and resource management. As an avid activist and artist for Aloha Āina he translates his passions through hip hop and lyrical messages under his MC name The Paniolo Prince. He is also the coach for the Molokai Youth Slam Poets Society.

AINA & CO.

Asia Carreathers & Adonis Ward

Moving from Detroit to Hawaii in 2013, we’re dedicated to getting back to nature, and paying our dues to the dirt. Six years later, our small farming family has become a premier produce supplier on the West side of the Big Island. We’ve yet to lose inspiration for the life we live and it certainly feels as though we’re just getting started! The BEST is yet to come!

Anissa Lucero

Anissa has been involved with Hawai’i ‘Ulu Cooperative (HUC) since its inception in the summer of 2016. When HUC opened its aggregation and processing facility in Kona in 2017, she became the assistant manager. Since then, she has overseen the processing of over 100,000 lbs of 'ulu and 20,000 lbs of co-crops. She has recently stepped into a newly created position as food safety and product research and development specialist and continues to provide technical support for breadfruit farmers.

AGRICULTURE & HAWAIIAN CULTURE WORKSHOPS

Lomi Lomi La'au

Lomi Lomi La'au is relative to Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage. Many Hawaiian who practiced Lomi Lomi massage to only their ohana often times had some relative hand craft several sizes of back, neck, or feet sticks to help relieve sore muscles. Many Lomi practitioners themselves have a Lomi Lomi La'au to both relieve their sore bodies and also to use on those they massage. Made more public and popular in the last 50 years due to the increase in the number of students and practitioners of Lomi Lomi massage,...

...Lomi La'au is the perfect way to daily give yourself the "massage" that takes less than 20 minutes and "awakens every moment" your body feels from being touched by you and YOUR stick.

Body dimensions, Plant Medicine, & Chakras with Kai Keali’ikea’ehale O Kaholokai

It’s time to know all about your unique layer of bodies, the different dimensions and our alignment of chakras. Uncle Kai will share his experience and knowledge about your Plant Chakras connection with Kalo, ‘Olena, ‘Awa, Noni and Kukui through our senses and hand-on rubbering. “Man’s relationship with Nature is to trust that now evolved herbal plants create a new form of fire breath energy for life” Aloha ‘Aina, Kai Keali’ikea’ehale O Kaholokai

Edible Wild Plants with Sunny Savage

Sunny Savage is a wild food educator. Her love of edible wild plants spans over 2 decades, and includes traveling to all 7 continents learning from plants and people. She ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to help fund the launch of her upcoming mobile app called Savage Kitchen, slated to launch in 2020. Designed to help locate, identify, and cook with 5 edible invasive species, the app in an innovate approach to strengthening food security in the Hawaiian Islands.

Author of Wild Food Plants of Hawaiʻi, a TedxMaui presenter, and host of the television series Hot on the Trail with Sunny Savage that has aired in locations around the globe, she is an advocate for enlivened connection with the wild world around us. Sunny holds a bachelors degree in Dietetics and a masters degree in Nutrition.

Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

Fruit Tree Planting with FTPF

Join The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) & HIP Ag in a fruit tree planting. Together we will plant 20 or more fruit trees on the festival grounds to support local food sovereignty. FTPF is an award-winning international charity dedicated to planting fruit trees to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. Their programs strategically donate orchards, training, and aftercare where the harvest will best serve communities for generations -- including public schools, city parks, community gardens, food banks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries.

YOGA

Jamie Eversweet Belmeraz

Jamie was initially certified as a yoga instructor in 2001 by Ganga White and Tracey Rich at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara. Since then she has studied under numerous teachers but her best teachers have been her child, her own body-mind and her students. Influenced by Tantra, Kundalini, sacred texts, non-duality as well as her own divine experience Jamie is most interested in assisting her students towards self-initiation on the path to embodied light and joy.

Kelly Stern

A yogi and farm-her, Kelly Stern passion for movement and stretching began at an early age. With a background in gymnastics, Kelly continued to practice body oriented activities such as dance and other performing arts, until she fell in love with yoga. As a high school student, Kelly began practicing many different styles of physical yoga. She knew right away that she wanted to share this passion with others.

Kristen Cosmi ~ Cosmik Sound

Alternative Healing has been a passion of mine for over 10 years. It all started when I began studying Massage Therapy in 2007. Since then, I have been pursuing knowledge and experience in the world of Alternative Medicine, Sound, and Healing. My interests led me to the study of Ayurveda in 2010 and through these teachings I started experiencing a different way of BEing.

I began a Mediation practice at this time and as my perspectives widened I knew I wanted to be of service in some way. Shortly after this in 2010, I was first introduced to Sound Therapy. I immediately felt that working with sound was a calling and started learning all I could about Sound as Therapy. I continue to practice Meditation as well as continuously broaden my knowledge and experience in alternative healing modalities. My mission and goal in working with Sound Therapy is to create and hold space for people to individually, or as a group, have experiences with different states of consciousness through sound. When this happens we allow our bodies a safe space to release trauma from our nervous systems, reset, and literally expand and raise our vibration. I believe that connecting with this deeper aspect of ourselves, in the meditative state, on a regular basis leads to a life of clarity, bliss, and purpose. I created Cosmik Sound to consistently offer this opportunity for growth and support in my community. I invite you to experience it for yourself!

John Smrtic

RE-MEMBERING THE TRIBE: Calling all Earth guardians, writers of the new mythology and dreamers dancing unity into manifestation – the time is now. The Great Remembering is upon us and the call of sacred community and awakening consciousness is here. Come! Let us gather and celebrate life and what is truly possible in love and spirit with an inspiring and specially selected and mixed playlist, chanting, meditation and a strong vinyasa-based practice. “All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. John Smrtic, JD, Advanced Certification Jivamukti Yoga,...

...E-RYT, teaches yoga internationally and believes love is the power to fully awaken the soul and the eternal connection to Source in this lifetime, through devotional, compassionate, yogic living. John teaches that love is the evolution of human consciousness and that through awakened equal vision, unity, peace and freedom for all beings is truly possible, birthing a golden new day on sweet Mother Earth. He innovatively shares yoga as the technology to spark this Divine Re-membering, crafting each class as a unique experience where his renowned Bhakti Groove soundtracks meld with intelligently sequenced, vinyasa-based asana, chanting, yogic scripture and meditation. John leads an annual pilgrimage to India and has led international yoga retreats with the likes of DJ Drez and Marti Nikko, in addition to teaching at premiere festivals such as Bhaktifest. We are the ones we have been waiting for. Devotion. Compassion. Expansion. Liberation. (R)Evolution.

10TH ANNUAL ʻĀINA FEST