Ke Aloha Aina Tee-yellow
Ke Aloha Aina-E ou hoa kamaaina, he ui a he ninau, e ui aku ana au ia oe: O ke aloha aina, he aha ia? From Pukui & Elbert: "aloha aina n.v. Love of the land or of one's country, patriotism; the name of a Hawaiian-language newspaper published 1893–1920; aloha aina is a very old concept, to judge from the many sayings (perhaps thousands) illustrating deep love of the land..." Of the well-known phrases from our history, aloha aina evokes some of the strongest emotions. It is a core value that has always been with us and our expressions of it have evolved over centuries. From pre-contact times when the lifestyle and everyday actions of our ancestors embodied this concept, to the time when our küpuna began using this phrase to articulate their position in the political struggles of the late 19th century, and on into the 20th century struggles of our makua who fought for the protection of certain aina themselves. In these various struggles kanaka risked and even lost their lives to maintain aloha aina; to protect not just the land, but all that which nourishes our bodies, minds and spirits. Although it may change and adapt, it is a part of us that will never go away. We remain kupa‘a in our love for our place, which is challenged all the time by things that are not in the interest of the land or the people. More than a century of occupation may have produced a lot of confusion, but it can never break our aloha aina. So no matter what our different political persuasions might be, wherever we are on our journeys of learning, or wherever we find ourselves in the struggle, we must never forget our common bond of aloha aina.
*We have chosen to not use diacritical marks in the text of this design in recognition of the newspaper by this same name and the style of minimal marking characteristic of 19th and 20th century Hawaiian language newspapers.
*meanDAgreenOganik- A 100% organic cotton shirt
$34.00
