MOʻOLELO MATTERS SPEAKER SERIES – 

ʻAi – responsibilities and PRIVILEGES of eating

In the second Moʻolelo Matters Speaker Series, AKA Executive Director Dr. Kamana Beamer, sits down with six ʻŌiwi mahiʻai, chefs, and cultural practitioners to delve into ʻAI — our ʻōlelo for both food and the act of eating and feeding. These conversations offer different perspectives on the pilina that forms between Kānaka, ʻAi, and ʻĀina when we grow, raise, and consume our own food. Understanding ʻAI as the root of ʻĀINA and the larger systems in which ʻAI functioned and flourished are paramount to contemporary discussions and considerations of resource stewardship, food production, and care for our people.

Featuring conversations with:

Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz – Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi (Heʻeia, Oʻahu)

Brandon Lee, Kaunamano Farm (Umauma), Lehua Restaurant (Hilo), Nā Pua Restaurant (Waikōloa)

Kaina Makua – Kūmano I Ke Ala (Waimea, Kauaʻi)

Kēhaulani Marshall – Ulu Mau Puanui (Puanui, Kohala)

Hōkūao Pellegrino – Nohoʻana Farm and Hui O Nā Wai ʻEhā (Waikapū, Maui)

Tammy Māhealani Smith – KTER4U (Oʻahu)