’Āina

I was watching another excellent episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown this time in Hawaii.

In this episode I learn of the Hawaiian word ’āina. ’Āina translates to “that which feeds,” that which refers to the land and the sea. Native Hawaiians had a respect and a reverence for Mother Earth; to be Hawaiian is to be an environmentalist.

Above I shared my favourite clip of from the show. Bourdain asks, “Who gets to be Hawaiian?” And the guest answers that if you love our ’Āina as much as we love it, and as much as our ancestors loved it, then we can be more than friends, we can be Ohana. Beautifully put.