4th annual young wāhine kai camp
empowering and encouraging wāhine of hāna
This story was originally published in the summer issue of Pōʻai Pili, the Kaupō Community Newsletter. For the original and full story written by Kamalama, check out Pōʻai Pili here.
Wāhine Kai Camp participants and mentors getting ready for heʻe nalu (surfing); Photo by Anjo Hoʻopai-Waikoloa
The sun sinks slowly behind the misty hills of Hāna, setting the verdant landscape aglow. The sky is a clear blue, with wispy white clouds drifting across it. The traditional paddling shouts ring out over the waters of Kapueokahi, accompanied by the synchronized splash of paddles. The paddlers are determined; they are strong; they are wāhine; they are in harmony. These young women are from Wāhine Kai Camp. They have come to connect. To learn. To understand. The canoe moves as one…
Held annually in June, Wāhine Kai Camp is a unique opportunity for young women of East Maui (in middle or early high school) to come together with older wāhine mentors and learn about the ocean, each other, and themselves. Founded by Hāna wahine, surfer, and waterwoman Lipoa Kahaleuahi, as a part of Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke's community outreach efforts, the first Wāhine Kai Camp was facilitated in 2018. Lipoa convened a group of amazing, inspiring, and skilled wāhine— Monyca Eleogram, Kaukaʻohulani Morton, and Mikyla Thomas—and together they successfully brought the first camp to life.
Wāhine Kai Camp creates a safe and loving space where girls can connect, share, and engage in ocean activities. As the camp began this year, the girls indeed found themselves in a welcoming, safe environment where no question was forbidden and they could share their deepest concerns. The older “Aunties,” as they were known to the girls, created an opening circle and passed around a small, local mango; as it reached the hands of each wahine, they shared their name, their home, and the name of a wahine they respected or looked up to. In a way, saying the name of this respected wahine was like bringing her into the circle. Perhaps in other places, this list would be made up of famous singers, celebrities, or online sensations. But here in Hāna, the respected wāhine named were mostly the mothers, grandmothers, and aunties of East Maui. In this way the girls grew to know and understand a little bit about each other.
After the opening circle, the girls left Hōlani Hāna (the oceanside cultural campgrounds just outside of Hāna Town that served as camp headquarters) and walked along the coast, alone or in groups, for a beach cleanup. They gathered as much ‘ōpala from the shoreline as they could, then returned to camp with their bags full of trash and their hearts full of joy—a joy that comes from caring for the places we love.
The afternoon was spent paddling canoes and swimming in Hāna Bay. Then while the sun set on their first day at camp, the girls rolled the canoes out of the water, their muscles aching from paddling, feeling satisfied with all they had accomplished.
That evening, around a campfire, a “question basket” was brought out, through which the young wāhine could anonymously ask questions about anything. The young wāhine mentors, girls who’ve outgrown Kai Camp’s age limit but wanted to return and kōkua the younger participants, read the questions aloud for group discussion. The topics covered a wide spectrum—from close to home to far away; from day-to-day life to deeply-buried fears; a wide variety of wahine-kine things. With the wisdom of the young and old, the questions were answered or discussed; confusions and hurts were eased.
As the sun dawned the next day, the girls chanted the well-known oli to raise the sun, “E Ala E,” thereby deepening their knowledge of Hawaiian culture. As the morning progressed, they left Hōlani Hāna and went to Koki Beach, where one of the camp hosts told the girls a Hawaiian legend surrounding the hill, Ka Iwi o Pele, and the island out in the bay, known as Alau. Some knew the story; others did not; either way, they were fascinated.
Then, as the sun beat down and warmed their skin, they waded into the water and—with the help of many volunteer instructors from Hāna (both wāhine and kāne)—the girls all learned how to surf (or in some cases, added new techniques and knowledge to their previous surfing skills).
Throughout the camp, during various activities, wāhine and kāne with professional or local knowledge joined the girls to share their unique expertise and aloha; woven together, their shared knowledge covered a wide range.
In the afternoon of the second day, the girls made koko, small wreaths of flowers and ferns for their hair, printed the bags they were given on the first day, and then experienced a facial massage by Hāna Jungle Spa owner and expert Christy O’Connor. In the evening, fire-dancing by Danielle Comeaux completed the day. The girls watched in awe as the flames whirled through the air, sending sparks flying through the quiet night.
On the third and final day at camp, many of the girls had strengthened old friendships and made new ones. The day promised to be filled with as many adventures as the rest of the camp; indeed, the morning was filled with a hike to a special beach nearby. There, the girls explored the tidepools, lay on the sand, swam, or fished, learning even more about each other. As the cliffs stretched overhead, they felt happy that they’d been able to be a part of the camp…while also bittersweetly sad that it would soon be ending. But they knew that the friends they had made and the things they had experienced would go with them forever.
That night at Hō'ike, members of the campers’ families came to celebrate Wāhine Kai Camp together. The girls shared about what they learned; the friends they’d made; the things they'd done at camp. The evening was filled with good food, laughter, closeness, and smiles.
And as they left for home that night, these young wāhine were full to the brim with all they had learned and done. The memory of their time at Wāhine Kai Camp will remain close to their hearts for many years to come.
Full story here. Mahalo nui e Kamalama for writing this beautiful piece, and for sharing your experience and perspective.
Photo gallery from camp here. Mahalo nui e Shandelle Nakanelua for capturing stunning images throughout camp.