What Does It Mean To Be Hawaiian?

It is a quality of Self and a standard of behavior, not a birthright. You cannot be a Hawaiian unless you are native to this place, but even those people whose ancestors were born here must always strive to be Hawaiian as they live in the here and now.

Being Hawaiian is based in three ideas, pono, lokahi and malama, all wrapped in aloha. Pono means to be correct for everyone on all levels, lokahi means harmony, malama means respect & stewardship, and aloha means love.

The practice of ho'opono pono is to engage all of the above in your actions for the purpose of improving your life and the lives of others. Being Hawaiian isn't only about what's in your heart and mind, it is also about what you actually do and create. And so the tenets of always being Hawaiian as you go through your life would be:

• Live with love, kindness and generosity in your heart and have the compassion to do something for others not as fortunate
• Take complete responsibility for your actions and never pretend not to understand the true consequences of those actions for all people involved
• Create peace and unity through your actions
• Have deep respect and a sense of protectiveness for all people and the planet we share
• Wisdom is understanding that for you, all people, and for the planet itself, there is much more going on than meets the eye and solutions are always found at the source

Why is Hawaii such a truly special place, unlike anywhere else on Earth? Take a look here for a glimpse.

Or you can hear a native Hawaiian, M Kalani Souza, talk about it as no one else can right here. And you can also see Elizabeth Lindsey, also from one of Hawaii's most rooted families, talk about what we believe it means to bring the best out of ourselves in this place right here .