New Homeowner Board Inducted with Traditional ʻAwa Ceremony

New Homeowner Board Inducted

with Traditional ʻAwa Ceremony

With the community of Laʻi Loa completed, newly elected homeowner board members were inducted into their positions with a traditional ʻawa ceremony.

Kahu Lyons Naone, a lineal descendant from Honu‘ula, led the group through the ceremony alongside two of his students, Kainoa Horcajo and Kelson Kihe. Attendees included the newly elected board, homeowners and their ʻohana, developer representatives, site management team, representatives from Wailea Community Association, and landscapers who work on the land.

“ʻAwa takes us back to the beginning of time when the two gods Kāne and Kanaloa wandered the earth,” Horcajo explained. “Everywhere they walked, Kanaloa would point to a spot where Kāne would drive his ʻō‘ō stick into the ground, and water would come up. Kanaloa would take out his ʻawa, mix some up to drink, and pour some out onto the earth. Everywhere they poured ʻawa, life would spring up.”

Each group was given an ‘apu (coconut shell cup) and a taste of ʻawa. A leader from each group shared aloud their commitment to take seriously their kuleana (responsibility) for the land and community.

Reuven Gitter, newly elected president of the homeowners board, said: “I am honored to represent the residents and owners of this community, and I promise to preserve the past and am looking to the future with Hawaiian traditions. I thank everyone for this beautiful ceremony and time together.”

The Ledcor Maui team is deeply grateful to Kahu, Kainoa and Kelson for sharing this ceremony with the La‘i Loa community. We hope that this experience will have a long-lasting impact on the residents who call La’i Loa home, those who work on this land, and those to come in future generations.