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Ululaumāhie is recognized as a kīhāpai (garden for the people).
At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, a once overgrown space has been transformed into something alive and welcoming. The Ululaumāhie Native Forest Restoration Project is more than a garden. It is a place where students learn by doing. They plant, care for, and connect with native plants. They share hula, oli (chant) and connections. What began in 2018 as a clearing project has grown into a vibrant learning space surrounding Haleʻōlelo, home of Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language.
Kumu Larry Kimura in the garden with kalo.
The work is led by Kumu Carmelito “Lito” Arkangel, a UH Hilo lecturer in Hawaiian studies and music, who brings students into the space not just to learn about plants, but to understand culture and place.
“Ulu is growth. The lau is the flora. And māhie is charming, it’s delightful. And it is. I try to meet that, you know, and it’s not easy,” said Arkangel about the meaning of the garden’s name. “There’s different perspectives of it, but for me, māhie is going to be that kolohe (rascal) boy hiding from the grandma, from the aunty, because she’s going to kiss his face and they’re gonna be like, cute, or they smile, you know.”
Arkangel’s vision is simple. Let the garden tell its own story. Throughout time, students and the community have shaped it into a place of learning, rest and connection.
For more go to UH Hilo Stories.
Lito Arkangel,left, is project manager for Ululaumāhie.
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