Day 5 by Julissa

Throughout my life it has been my goal to travel to Hawai’i. I envisioned it to be a sunny sky, a sandy beach with crystal clear water and coconuts on green palm trees. My expectations were wrong, and Hawai’i is more than I could ever imagine. It not only has its treasured nature, but also has honorable culture which interconnects with everything in Hawai’i. Today, I was introduced to some mythology that really gave me insight to the science and culture that comes with the Wailuku River. 

One of the legends that was the most thought provoking was the legend of Maui, Mo’okuna, and Hina in the river of Wailuku. The “wai” means water and “luku” means destructive; together these phrases mean destructive water. The reason for that is Hawaiian culture takes into consideration the power and force of the river floods that occur frequently. Maui is seen as a mythical almighty, strong son that protects his mother Hina, the goddess of the cave of Rainbow Falls from Mo’okuna, guardian of the river. Because Mo’okuna is in love with Hina, and she rejects him, he tries to drown her. Legend has it that Maui hears the call of Hina and rushes to her aid. He gets there by only three strokes of his canoe and quickly defeats Mo’okuna. Though this seems completely unrelated to ecology and the environment, it allows us to realize the uncontrollable power of the river, and our strong need to respect it. Therefore, it is important to always keep in mind that we should go to the river with good intentions and the river might respond likewise.

I was introduced to the idea that water is not only an important resource to the island of Hawai’i, but that it also is seen as wealth. In fact, the word that is used for water, “wai,” is used in the Hawaiin Hawaiian words. When I encountered the river, I saw it as something so beautiful and seamless. I was fortunate to be there at a time where it was calm and nondestructive. I learned that the Wailuku River can be over flooded and dangerous. Since the river was at a safe state, I took samples to determine the condition of the water. Also, I got to think about the factors that keep this river full of life such as dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, turbidity and temperature. It’s also essential to take note of the living creatures that cooperate individually to help this body of water to sustain itself. Overall this day has taught me that anthropogenic causes may lead to the destruction of the ecosystem of the water. The Hawaiian myth reminds us that water is a sacred resource, and we must take care of the environment. As a leader, I will devote more of time protecting every ecosystem so our future generations may enjoy nature and its gifts.