- In this episode of "Fly Brother", we find magic and fun in the aloha state of Hawaii.

We start off on the Island of Oahu, where we learn a few of the moves and meanings of hula before going full Beach Boy on the sands of Waikiki.

We then hop over to the Island of Hawaii to get a little mix of food, culture, and nature before getting the real tea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

It's story, lava, and, mana in the islands of Hawaii.

Let's get fly.

(upbeat music) I'm Ernest White II, a storyteller, explorer, I feel like Indiana Jones.

I believe in connecting across backgrounds and boundaries.

(upbeat music) Join me and my friends.

(upbeat music) And discover that no matter the background, no matter the history, the whole world is our tribe.

(upbeat music) Come with me.

(upbeat music) "Fly Brother".

- This is Mayor Ras J. Baraka, welcome to Newark.

(upbeat jazz music) We are Newark, one family, brick city.

- [Announcer] Courageous Conversation Global Foundation, promoting racial justice, interracial understanding, and human healing.

Additional funding provided by the following.

(uplifting ukulele music) - [Ernest] Hawaii, a state and Queendom interrupted.

Encompassing an archipelago of islands, officially part of Polynesia.

Here, vast lava flows, stunning beaches, vibrant cities, tropical breezes, rich traditions, and a resilient culture conspire to create paradise on earth.

Visitors from around the world are drawn to the islands by the spirit of aloha, a word that defies exact translation but an experience you feel in your heart.

The Island of Oahu is called the gathering place.

Home to the capital and largest city, Honolulu, Oahu is where we begin our journey into one aspect of Hawaiian culture, hula.

(beautiful hula music) In the verdant shade of Oahu's Nuanu Valley Park, Kumu Hula Nalani Keale carries on the tradition of the ancestors as a Master Hula teacher for young and old alike.

- Yeah so all good, as I'm thinking kind of, yeah okay.

Fingers together, hands on hips.

Everyone look to your right, check your line.

Look at everybody's hair.

So nice and long.

And remember keep your chest up, nice.

- And this morning I'm honored to be invited to learn a move or two.

- Ernest!

- Aw.

Aw, thank you.

- Aloha brother, welcome.

Just in time!

- Just in time?

We have a space ready for you.

So we're going to have you dancing some hula today, yeah?

We're just going to throw you in.

- There's no preparation.

- No preparation, cause you want to be able to feel, feel that mana, that energy from the ground.

- All right.

- There you go, right there.

Hands and fists.

On hip.

Nice, stand straight.

So you want your posture to be nice and rigid, but you want to be relaxed, if that makes sense.

(Nalani laughs) (Nalani speaking in Hawaiian) You ready?

(Nalani speaking in Hawaiian) (class answering in Hawaiian) (Nalani drumming) Hello, right foot.

Right, left.

(Nalani singing in Hawaiian) (Nalani singing in Hawaiian) You actually did a lot, a lot better than I thought you were going to.

I'm so sorry.

(Nalani laughs) You did so well!

- Shade.

Mahalo.

- Thank you, thank you.

- No, thank you man, thank you.

When I arrived.

You gifted me with this beautiful fragrant lei.

- Yes.

- What's the story behind them?

- The lei is really an endearing gift that you would present to someone.

It shows, respect and love.

When you're giving the lei to someone it's really, you're giving them not only this garland of flowers, but the time that it took to make the lei, to go and picking the flowers, to stringing them up on a piece of string.

So when we're making a lei, we're stringing this lei with happy thoughts, all that love and mana and a lot of mana, which we call like energy, good energy and power, and aloha is strung in this lei.

And then it's a piece of me that's been given to you.

So lei's are a very big thing in our culture.

How better for us to welcome you or welcome someone to come into our islands than to gift you a flower garland with love.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- No, I'm serious.

I felt that, I felt that man.

- Yes.

- So thank you.

- [Ernest] The Polynesian dance form hula, uses movement as language conveying story and meaning.

There are many different styles of dance, as well as varied regalia, instrumentation, and chanting reflecting centuries of history and tradition.

Hula is sacred and beautiful.

- I grew up dancing hula with a lot of people here in Hawaii who are born and raised.

I think the dancing hula part from a young age, really not only gives you a respect for the island as you grow up and you grow up loving the place, but you're learning these things that have been passed down through generations, because like you said, we are, we're storytellers.

And Hawaii, we have this oral culture where all these things are passed down.

So with hula, it started as a dance in communication to the gods.

And then as time moved on and it's changed and its forms have moved, it still remains like a library to our past.

- I love that concept.

- The kids that you saw today, we're keeping this, we're keeping the library open.

- We're keeping the library, the library is open.

How would you explain the spirit of aloha, the concept of aloha to those of us that are not from the island.

- Okay to put it like in the super, super, most basic way, it's like the golden rule.

- Okay, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

- That's it so simplified.

(Ernest laughs) But when we talk about aloha it's really, it's a deep thing for us.

And a lot of people feel it, they don't know what it is, it feels good.

So what you experienced today and the vibe that you're getting, you're getting buckets of aloha just poured on you.

- I receive, I receive, I'm bathing in it.

- So aloha, brother.

(hands clasping) Hawaii is the only US state outside North America, with its own time zone and two official languages.

It's also the only state completely made up of islands, 137 of them, in fact.

With fiery volcanoes, lush rainforests, and cliffs that tower above miles of beautiful beaches.

And with more multiethnic families than anywhere else in the US, the aloha state is also one of the most diverse places in the world.

Celebrating a vibrant mix of cultures with art, music, dance and food.

(camera snapping) (lively electronic music) On the Southern shore of Oahu, along world famous surf haven, Waikiki Beach is Duke's.

Named for Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimmer who first popularized surfing over a century ago.

Duke's is where we meet with my buddy Dylan Ching for a quick fill up.

- You never want to go out in the water on an empty stomach.

- All right, let's do it.

- Yep.

(food crunching) - This.

- This is the ahi.

- I'm an east coast-er over here.

I'm working on it, you all.

- This is called namasu here, whatchu want first?

- My fork.

- Okay.

- Okay?

(Ernest laughs) - You got it, you got it.

(Ernest laughs) - Watching the carbs.

- Yeah.

- Oh, it's so tender.

Magic.

Dylan, Waikiki is one of the world's most famous beaches but as a native Hawaiian, what does that mean to you?

- There's a reason why Waikiki was a place where Kings and Queens visited.

There's a place right down the beach here called Queens, because of the area the Queens love to surf there, they loved to, had a house there.

Waikiki special because of its geographical spot.

It doesn't get a lot of rain, it's nice, it gets the nice trade wind breeze, the bay is protected.

And then also there's a stream, a natural stream of water that was diverted to have Waikiki be where we're at now.

But that stream, you know water, it goes where it wants to go still.

- It goes where it wants to go.

- And so the original stream flows right under this building called the Apuakehau Stream.

And that comes from the mountains and it comes out and empties out into the surf behind us.

And Waikiki means spouting water.

And that's that spouting water that you can feel when you're out in the ocean.

And I think there's lots of people that say, "I don't know what it is "but it feels really being out in the ocean."

And when you get in that water, you feel rejuvenated and Waikiki is really special.

And it's a place for everyone.

Expert surfers can surf here, brand new first day surfers.

You can get families on canoes, there's catamarans.

You can swim, there's a sand bar where you can walk out so it has something for everyone, and I think that's what Waikiki brings everybody together and gives them a great time.

- I love it.

So you talked to us about where the Queens used to surf nearby over here.

You're a direct descendant of surfing royalty.

Wouldn't you say, yourself?

- Yeah, I would have to say that.

My mom and her brother were world champion surfers.

- Nice.

- And my mom, she significantly was one of the first women to be on the professional stage.

- [Ernest] Okay.

- And she was the first woman to surf against men, especially for money.

- [Ernest] Wow.

- So she was a pioneer in the surfing world and she grew up right on this beach.

- [Ernest] Okay.

- It's a legacy that I'm really proud to be part of.

- That's beautiful.

Ladies, killin' it.

- Yeah.

(relaxing tones) - Dylan takes me out to the beach to work off all those calories we just scarfed down.

At Aloha Beach Services run by Didi Robello beach boy and third generation Kahanamoku, we pull out the oars for a little outrigger canoeing.

How important is canoeing to Hawaiian culture?

- That's how we got here.

(Didi laughs) Came by canoe, doesn't get any more important than that.

- That's right, that's right.

Let's do it.

Didi gives me a few lessons to get me back in the habit.

During my university days, I rode port in four and eight man crew units but never surfing over ocean waves.

- It's been 20 years since I rode in a boat and I'm excited to be back out here.

(men exclaiming) (men exclaiming) I loved it.

(upbeat electronic music) A late afternoon takeoff offers stunning views of Honolulu and iconic Lahi A-K-A Diamond Head.

And we land just a few minutes later on the Island of Hawaii, the massive island that gives its name to the entire archipelago.

After the two main islands of New Zealand, Hawaii island is the third largest in Polynesia with an area of over 4,000 square miles.

Arid in the west and humid in the east.

(uplifting music) And on the eastern side near the town of Hilo, sits the Haleolono Fish Farm operated by the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, which supports restorative aquaculture projects like Haleolono.

Here, educator and caretaker Luka Mossman, educates me on the power of the pond.

- Our ancestors had recognized the productivity that the estuaries would naturally have.

And it was so productive in algae and microorganisms, which attracted more herbivore fish, which then attracted more predator fish.

And so they realized how productive these brackish water environments can be.

- Salt and fresh water- - Salt and fresh water mixed together.

And so they realized that, "Hey, we can create our own estuary type system "and create more places like this "and make it more abundant along the coastline."

- And this was something people were doing for hundreds of years, thousands of years.

- Yeah, thousands of years.

And in order to kind of create that same environment, they found the fresh water outputs that go into the ocean and they created these rock walls or these kuapa.

Not to stop the fresh water from going into the ocean, but to kind of slow it down so that the water can allow time for mixing so that production of microorganisms could be created.

- So it's a wonderful way of kind of harnessing that nature and creating an incubator, if you will.

- Loko ea.

Loko ea is the native Hawaiian term for these types of places.

- Loko ea.

- Yeah, loko ea which is "ea" meaning fish and then "loko" means pond or to enclose, or within.

- Loko ea.

- Yes.

- Alright, I'm speaking Hawaiian you all.

(both laughing) So as visitors, as Malihini.

- Malihini, got it.

(Ernest laughs) - As Malihini, what do you want us to bring with us when we come to visit this place?

- For decades, Hawaii has been misrepresented in terms of how everybody has, that misinterpreted term of aloha.

A lot of people misinterpreted it as just being very hospitable.

aloha is "alo", which is to stand in front and "ha", which is your breath is meant to exchange.

And so when you really kind of interpret that word, aloha is to have a reciprocal relationship with whoever it is you're trying to share with.

When new people come here or if you want to learn about a place, of course, we're always going to show aloha to you but understand that we kind of expect that same nature, that same attitude, that same respect when approaching these types of places.

- It's how you show up when you visit anywhere.

- Yeah you show up- - You show up with respect.

- With the right intention.

And we want them to kind of take that same lessons of aloha back to wherever they go.

Always come the right intention, always come with the right mutual respect of someone.

(lively music) - Volunteers are always welcome to help maintain this and other fish ponds.

And in the spirit of respect and giving back, we put in a little elbow grease and sometimes heavy lifting.

Yes, my hands got dirty but for a good cause.

- This loko ea or this fish pond, it doesn't just feed the fish in here but it also, all of that production of microorganisms and all of that freshness of the brackish water feeds into the near nearby coastline.

And it also feeds all of the fish that's out there on the reef.

Attracting more and more herbivore fish, attracting more and more predator fish to this specific coastline because of the loko ea.

And therefore the fishermen benefits from fishing on this coastline because of a healthy fish pond.

- Sure, it's like any good drop of water.

- Yes, yeah.

- It ripple has a ripple effect.

- Yes, yeah.

(upbeat funk music) - Way over on the west side of the island in Kailua Kona, we visit The Feeding Leaf Kitchen and Okazuya.

Where owner Tracey Apoliona and business partner, Chef Bright, give us a taste of all the diverse cultures of Hawaii.

How is that cultural diversity reflected in the food?

- It's like a thread, it all kind of ties us together.

It's like sewing a lei together and the influence just follows.

We're doing a coffee dish today, and the coffee came from the hills up above here.

And the people that we get the coffee from are friends of ours.

And so you hear their stories and you hear about how they pick their coffee, and you know that they genuinely care about their food and how they produce it.

And so when we treat it and we cook it, we try and kind of share that love through that food.

- Well, I'm excited to really kind of get to know a little bit of the culture here on Hawaii through the food.

- Yeah.

- What are we going to have?

- So we're going to start off with okazu foods.

Okazu is Japanese hand food.

So I'm part Japanese, I was raised in a plantation.

- [Ernest] Okay.

- And so my grandfather took okazu every day for lunch.

So what it is, it's food you can eat with your hands.

- Okay.

- So there's a rice ball, I'm sure you know Hawaii is synonymous for spam?

- Yes, I've heard that.

- You're going to have spam today.

- All right.

- Spam musubi is the most popular of the dishes here that local people eat.

- Okay.

- We do as a little different, we do it spam katsu.

So it's like chicken katsu if you've had, it's breaded.

- Alright, like a schnitzel?

- Kind of, sort of.

- Okay.

(Ernest laughs) - Yeah, schnitzel spam.

(both laughing) And then we put on, there's an unagi sauce that we put in that.

- Okay.

- And then there's a sweet potato tempura, there's furikake shrimp and then our house Korean chicken.

And there's some pickles in there.

That's what we're going to start with.

That's just the- - The starter?

- Yeah.

That's the, if you were going working outside, this would be your lunch.

- All of that would be my lunch.

- All of it.

(upbeat funk music) And then we're going to step into a Hangover Saimin.

So the first dish is kind of our history, it's our past.

- Okay.

- The Hangover Saimin is kind of the present, it's now.

It's a spicy bowl of ramen noodles.

We do it with chicken and there's a sunny egg inside.

And the third set we're bringing out is pork belly two ways.

So I did the Kona coffee brazed pork belly.

He did Lechon.

So it's that crispy fried pork belly.

- Yes.

Tell me a little bit about the history of Japanese food, Japanese culture in Hawaii.

- Yeah so the, the Japanese came to work on the plantation.

They brought not just good work ethics but they bought good food is what they did bring.

And so this kind of food is very representative of just small tastings.

And usually it's like the leftovers is what it would be.

- This is delicious by the way.

- Is it good?

- Yes, I'm... - Right?

- Please continue.

- And then they would pack it in the lunches and then that's what the plantation workers would eat in the field.

So there's a lot of Japanese influence here.

Not just sushi food, I think that's what people think when they think of Japanese food.

- [Ernest] Sure.

- It's this stuff too.

It's the hand food, it's the saucing, it's a lot of soy, a lot of vinegar.

- Very flavorful.

- There's a huge Asian influence here in Hawaii.

- Yes.

- So it's not just Japanese.

I mean, you're going to get some Filipino food later down the line.

So, and there's Korean cause this is Korean chicken that's Korean sauce.

So there's a lot of other Asian influences.

- I've not had spam a lot in my life.

- You're going to eat spam 44 more times while you're in Hawaii.

- Spam, oh, spam.

- Spam schnitzel.

- Spam schnitzel.

I love it.

So we're making jokes about spam, but why is it so prevalent in the Hawaiian diet?

- Back in the day, when it was tough to get food, we actually got a lot of canned food brought in.

And so in Hawaii you heard, we hear everybody joke about it all the time about it being Hawaiian steak, instead of eating bacon or sausages- - Or steak from cows.

- Right, we couldn't afford it and so you ate spam.

And then over the years, it just became a staple as part of what we eat.

I mean every little kid eats a spam musubi.

- When all else fails... - Spam!

(Ernest laughs) - With five separate shield volcanoes on the Island of Hawaii alone, the land is literally being made with every eruption.

(inspiring music) In Hawaiian tradition, the Deity Pele is the very lava herself.

A primal force of divine creation and at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to the southeast, the massive Kilauea Caldera, stands as testament to the power of constant terraformation on the planet.

And while "liquid hot magma," isn't always visible here, the energy remains.

(energetic electronic music) Kumu Hula and educator, Kapuaokalani Ka'au'a tells us about the most recent eruption of Kilauea and about the power of Pele.

- This explosion happened around two years ago at the Merrie Monarch Festival time.

And we were here at the time doing our protocols to Pele and giving, paying homage back to our Tktk who lives here.

- And Pele is the Goddess of Fire?

- Pele is the actual lava.

And so we look at her as a huge female entity in our cosmological way of spiritually moving as a people.

We left and she exploded.

And so this is my first time back here.

- Wow.

- So it's really nice, it's beautiful.

- Okay this is my first crater, well that I knew of.

I've never actually seen the results of a recent volcanic event.

So it there's a power here.

There's a definite kind of, I mean, I can't even talk it's indescribable.

- There's an absolute mana here, which is that mana you can feel it.

And you can see it when you look at, it's tangible.

It's a tangible type of power.

I believe that's that kind of, that relationship we have to that specific energy as humans to know that there is something greater than us and can take us out.

(both laughing) You know?

- Yeah and does.

(Ernest laughs) - In layman's terms.

- Yes.

Not to be played with.

- That's that actual power is why we, or mana or we activate our praises to specific areas such as Halemaumau, and give her and give this entity the space it needs to thrive.

- Sure, sure.

Received and respected.

- Absolutely.

The cycle of her erupting and calming, and being calm and erupting and being calm, and that whole cycle of re-birthing.

- Yes.

Divine feminine energy.

- Absolutely.

Absolutely important for our land that regeneration process of the Pele (speaking in Hawaiian) reminds us that she's still alive and so are we.

- Sure.

- Yeah.

- Well and as we say back home, "If mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

- You got that right.

(Ernest laughs) And run.

- And run.

(Ernest laughing) A guardian of the culture and a master storyteller, Kapu recites the story of Pele and her sisters finding home in Hawaii.

(Kapuaokalani singing in Hawaiian) (Kapuaokalani singing in Hawaiian continues) - [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by... - This is Mayor Ras J. Baraka, welcome to Newark.

(upbeat music) We are Newark one family, brick city.

- [Announcer] Courageous Conversation Global Foundation, promoting racial justice, interracial understanding, and human healing.

Additional funding provided by the following... To join the Fly Brother Travel Community or to order your own copy of this episode, visit flybrother.com.

(uplifting strings music)