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We were very pleased to talk story with Hawaiian elder Aunty Pua and hear a call from our ancestors to behave as 'ohana, Family, in this moment of chaos, and to remember: Ua mau ke Ea, o ka 'Aina i ka Pono (The Life of This Land is perpetuated in Hope).
We explored with Aunty the experience of 'ohana and how we might express it more fully in our daily lives.
Puanani Burgess is a Zen Buddhist priest, poet and community mediator from Wai‘anae, O‘ahu. Puanani Burgess was once a committed protestor and resister. She developed her skills as a law student to become what she calls a “dragon feeder” – someone able to navigate the complex rules of a large system like government or the DOE the way one might negotiate with a stubborn dragon.
She is also a process designer and facilitator for Building the Beloved Community, a community-building and conflict transformation process based on bringing people face to face for ceremony, storytelling, and healing circles of trust and respect.
Watch Long Story Short, a recent interview Aunty Pua did with Leslie Cox for PBS.