Mālama ʻĀina: Caring for nature
Nature journaling is about loving nature, and also protecting what we love. It is a practice of reciprocity and care. We are dependent on the lands, the waters, and the air for our life, and we are responsible for caring for the health of the environment in return.
This feeling is what I mean by the phrase, “Mālama ʻĀina.”
What does that mean? These definitions from https://wehewehe.org/ are a good starting point.
mā.lama
nvt. To take care of, tend, attend, preserve, protect, save, maintain, honor*
ʻāina
n. Land, earth.**
*Mālama Learning Center has a great page describing what mālama means to them.
**Of course, ʻāina is more than just another word for land, as the traditional Hawaiian relationship to land and place is complex and nuanced. Some people refer to ʻāina as “that which feeds,” referencing not only food but also a spiritual/physical/mental replenishment. Others remind us that ʻāina came first, before kanaka (people), and is the eldest ancestor. There are also many ʻōlelo noʻeau (traditional sayings) about the land which are worth knowing and thinking about.
Here are some ideas of ways to mālama the ʻāina:
- Honoring our islands with creativity and aloha
- Nature journaling
- Creating and sharing art about the beauty and challenges facing our islands
- Writing poetry or informational essays and articles
- Volunteering
- Restoration work
- Invasive species removal
- Volunteer opportunities
- Citizen science
- Can be formal or casual documentation of observations
- Citizen science in Hawaii
- Global Citizen science projects
- Make your voice heard
- Join your neighborhood board
- Talk to your local representatives about issues you care about
- Plant native plants
- Pick up trash (especially on our beaches)
- Teach others to care for nature, too!
- See a list of more ideas from Wild Wonder Foundation:
