Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021

     Okamura explained the meaning of her show's name, Hawaiʻi Kulāiwi. She said, "Kulāiwi carries a lot of weight in Hawaiian. It most closely translates to homeland or native land in English, but has some literal allusions to the land where the bones of your ancestors are. Our songs about love between people use metaphors and references to relationships found in nature and the land, because for Hawaiians, the way we love our land can be reflective of the love we feel for our people and our loved ones." She said she wants to help listeners explore the love for the places they come from.
    Okamura is working on an advanced degree in 'ōlelo Hawai'i. She said that for her, "Hawaiian words were an everyday thing growing up in a Hawaiian household. Then I took 'ōlelo Hawai'i in high school and the passion I already had for my culture helped drive my language learning. Now, I have a degree in Hawaiian, and I teach others. I feel I have a duty to engage as many people as possible. I don't want people to feel left out if they don't speak Hawaiian, but I also want them to hear the language; once they open their minds to learning the language they will see Hawaiʻi through a much different lens."
    She said her Hawaiian language fluency helps her as a radio host since "There are so many layers to pull apart in Hawaiian music lyrics. Direct translations can be helpful, but can also be problematic in that they're too limiting. Radio doesn't come with liner notes like a CD does, and I feel like my job as a host is to be the liner notes for my listeners." She gave examples of layers of meaning in a song. "Take Ka Lae o Kaʻena medley sung by Papa ʻAilā, which I played on my August 1st show. The lyrics mention nani nā hono o ka wai kumu ʻole, which basically translates to beautiful are the bays of the source-less water. In English you might not think much about it, but in an arid area like Kaʻena, finding fresh water is essential to survival. Knowing how to access it really determines whether you are truly rooted in a place."
   When not behind the microphone and aside from studying and teaching, Okamura said she can be found "gathering salt with my family, flipping my fins in the ocean, snuggling/pestering my puppy, or perfecting my kimchi recipe. I also crochet a lot, and work on my lei hulu (feather lei) from time to time. Oftentimes my mind is scattered because I'm always working on ten things at one time so the crafty things I do help me focus. I cook a lot so I'm always trying new recipes or upping my Instant Pot game. My braised short ribs are 'chef's kiss' magnificent," she said.

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THE AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN GOT THE YES VOTE FROM Sen. Mazie K. Hirono today. A statement from her office said she voted to begin work to pass the legislation that "will support America’sworking families and small businesses while creating jobs, addressing the climate crisis, reducing child poverty, and investing in our education system. This legislation follows key investments Democrats made in the American Rescue Plan and its success at delivering relief to the American people earlier this year." Hirono said, “This vote sets the stage to provide transformational support for families and communities in Hawaii and across the country. The American Families Plan will lower costs for families and create jobs, provide paid family and medical leave, address the housing crisis, expand Medicare, make permanent the expanded Child Tax Credit, focus resources on mitigating the climate crisis, fix our broken immigration system, provide universal pre-K, and make child care more affordable and accessible, among other priorities. These longstanding needs, exacerbated during the pandemic, require us to act.”

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A FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY IS OFFERED TO A KAʻŪ HIGH STUDENT in a Food Ingredient Safety Specialist Training & Certification Program. It is sponsored and taught by Dr. Renee Joy Dufault, a Kaʻū resident and expert in the field. Application deadline is Sept. 10 and the program starts Sept. 31. It will involve in-person meeting with the instructor once a week at Kaʻū High School, with training online the rest of the time except for the occasional opportunity to assist with education activities in the community setting.

Dr. Renee Joy Dufault is offering a food safety fellowship to a Ka`u High student.

    

    The student will spend from five to seven hours on the program per week and earn a stipend of $450.00 upon completion of an online Healthy Diet Tutorial; $225.00 upon completion of a project; and $225 after passing the Food Ingredient Safety Specialist certification exam – adding up to a total stipend award of $900.00.
    Student applicants must be enrolled at Kaʻū High, be interested in nutrition and food safety, have the ability to read at 7th grade level, and ability to work hard and learn new material.
    To apply, email a typed or written response to each of the following questions: 1) What do you know about food ingredient safety? 2) What does diet have to do with disease prevention? Email your application to rdufault@foodingredient.info. Provide name and email.
    Regarding the Healthy Diet Tutorial– It is free and located at the Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute website at www.foodingredient.info . Click on the link to see a module of instruction Healthy Diet Tutorial Module One Textbook. The textbook will be provided at no charge. See the webpage to learn more about the Food Ingredient Safety Specialist occupation.

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