Keep your love.
MĀLAMA KŌ ALOHA
Our Moʻolelo
With her dying breath, Ke Aliʻi Manono is said to have uttered “Mālama kō aloha”— “keep your love”— a plea to both sides that no matter what obstacles come to Hawai‘i, keep your love of one another.
In the 1819 Kaua ʻAi Noa, also called the Battle of Kuamo‘o, ʻŌiwi forces clashed over the traditional kapu religious system. The dispute pitted the forces of Kekuaokalani, nephew of Kamehameha I, who sought to preserve the traditional system, against his cousin, Liholiho (Kamehameha II), who had turned aside the kapu system. Liholiho was victorious, but many warriors from both sides perished in battle and were buried at Kuamoʻo and nearby Lekeleke, including Kekuaokalani and his wife, Chiefess Manono. With her dying breath, Ke Aliʻi Manono is said to have uttered “Mālama kō aloha”— “keep your love”— a plea to both sides that no matter what obstacles come to Hawai‘i, keep your love of one another.
The battle site was purchased for conservation on December 31, 2015, protecting this wahi pana in perpetuity. The ʻāina is now owned by Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by the Beamer ʻohana, Kanaka ʻŌiwi cultural practitioners and lineal descendants of Ke Aliʻi Manono.
Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina
We envision the land as a center of education for peace, justice, and reconciliation, transforming a former place of conflict into a refuge for meaningful place-based learning that integrates Native Hawaiian and Indigenous cultures in modern life.
— Our Mission
Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina (AKA) is a center for cultural and ecological peace, led by Keola Beamer and Dr. Kamana Beamer. AKA’s vision for the land’s future is to promote aloha ʻāina consistent with the moʻolelo (stories) and values of Kuamoʻo.
A restored Kuamoʻo landscape will link a vibrant local community with a broad international community dedicated to cultural and ecological peace and justice. AKA is a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
— Our Vision
Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina envisions the land as a center of education for peace, justice, and reconciliation, transforming this former place of conflict into a refuge for meaningful place-based learning that integrates Native Hawaiian and Indigenous cultural values in modern life. As we work to restore Kuamoʻo as an ʻāina momona, we will continue to engage the local community in planning for the land’s future. Our vision is to restore the cultural, historical, and ecological integrity of the landscape and reconnect keiki, kūpuna, and displaced ʻohana to Kuamoʻo through moʻolelo, mele, and healing programs.
