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presence, and practice. There are very few places that hold this depth of knowledge, <br /> and even fewer `ohana capable of caring for it in the way it deserves. <br /> If Ka`alaiki Kula were developed, the loss would extend far beyond a single parcel of <br /> land. Organizations like ours—who depend on EKF's teachings and places like Ka`alaiki <br /> to ground our work—would lose an irreplaceable source of understanding. Without <br /> Ka`alaiki, we lose pathways to our mo`olelo, our genealogies, and our ability to teach <br /> our children through place. <br /> Our keiki would physically lose this knowledge. They would be disconnected from <br /> kupuna, from `aina, and from Ka`alaiki itself. <br /> I have personally witnessed the growth of the EKF `ohana across more than five <br /> generations. I was a student of Luka Kanaka`ole and vividly remember preparing an imu <br /> and black pig for ceremony. In the 1980s, I studied under Edith and Pua Kanahele and <br /> worked Io`i kalo in Waipi`o Valley for the first time—an experience that shaped my life as <br /> a mahi`ai kalo. These places and these teachers continue to guide my work daily, as <br /> they do for many of us who have had the honor of learning from these kumu. <br /> Ka Papa Lo`i `O Kanewai at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, along with our `ohana <br /> Cashman, fully supports placing Ka`alaiki Kula and `Imakakaloa Heiau into the <br /> permanent care of the Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation. The generational knowledge held <br /> within this `ohana offers profound insight and guidance for our Iahui now and into the <br /> future. <br /> Protecting Ka`alaiki Kula is not simply land preservation—it is the protection of `ike, <br /> genealogy, and continuity. <br /> Ola EKF. <br /> Me ke aloha nui, <br /> i <br /> E. Makahiapo Cashman <br /> Director, Ka Papa Lo`i `O Kanewai & Ka Papa Lo`i `O Punalu`u <br /> University of Hawaii at Manoa <br /> Sugg.26-05 <br />