Mālama ‘Āina: Hawaii’s Spiritual Culture & Reverence for the Land

Hawaii has been one of the most beautiful and exciting places that I’ve visited. But what made it truly special was the indigenous Hawaiian spiritual practices I encountered, especially in reference to the relationship between Hawaiians and their land. Read on for more socio-cultural information!

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Why Hawaii is My Favorite Trip

It comes as no surprise that Hawaii was one of the most memorable trips I’ve had; in fact, it’s been my favorite trip so far, ever. Now that speaks volumes for what my experience was, because I’ve been on many trips! There are a few different reasons why Hawaii is my favorite travel experience yet: 

• The natural splendor and bioregionalism (top tier views!)

• The salient Hawaiian culture and language that’s visible all over the islands

• The fusion of other cultures, such as Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Chinese

• The fresh fruit and yummy food (albeit the high prices)

• The wealth of things to do (I still didn’t get to do and see everything I wanted)

However, I realized that what resonates with me the most — and what arguably tips this trip in my favor — is the spirituality that exists in Hawaii. For those of us who are attuned to spiritual energy, I could feel it permeate the air, the land, the water, the people. I think Spirit exists everywhere in the world, in all crevices and corners, but I also believe that Spirit is more potent in some places on Earth than others. Hawaii is one of those places. 

Mālama ‘Āina: “Care for the Land”

One of the reasons why I think Hawaii is so spiritual lies specifically in how Hawaiians interact with the land. While driving the Road to Hana and listening to the Shaka Guide app, I learned of the Hawaiian phrase Mālama ‘Āina: “Care for the Land.” Mālama ‘Āina is a pillar of indigenous Hawaiian culture because Hawaiians revere their land. Nature plays an integral role in Hawaiian religious practices, such as the goddess Pele, who represents volcanoes and fire and how the land is shaped by them. Because if this, all of the volcanoes in Hawaii are considered sacred. 

In Mālama ‘Āina, by taking care of the land, the land takes care of you. This shared cultural belief was evident during my Hawaii trip in many ways. For one, I rarely saw litter. The only litter I did see was in the densely populated tourist areas of Waikiki. But outside of Waikiki (and especially in more remote parts of the islands), everything was super clean and it was clear that the land was well cared for. Secondly, there are signs in many tourist attractions that aim to discourage visitors from taking parts of the land back home with them (for instance, volcanic rock from Haleakala or black-sand beaches). These signs even warned visitors by sharing stories of how tourists received bad luck once they took a piece of land home with them and spent tons of money sending the items back to Hawaii. 

Another interesting example of signage I saw was at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Abraham and I were walking on a trail that rimmed the caldera of one of the volcanoes. Here, I saw a sign that asked visitors to be quiet because many people come to this spot to pray. Cool, right?

The practice of Mālama ‘Āina is critical, especially considering the times we’re in. Our global corporations and greed are literally destroying our Earth and the beautiful forms of life that live in it. We need to take care of our land, now more than ever.

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I hope that if you get the privilege of visiting Hawaii, you can experience its powerful spiritual energy. If you’ve already visited, I’d love to hear how your experience was in the comments.

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