He wa‘a he moku; He moku he wa‘a.

(The canoe is an island; The island is a canoe)

I have been thinking about the above saying a lot this past week. It is familiar among wayfinders and often spoken when discussing issues of sustainability. It serves as a reminder for us about how to live well on islands. It teaches us that the values, dispositions and skills needed to thrive and survive on a canoe during a deep-ocean voyage are the same ones we need for a healthy, caring and sustainable society on land, on Island Earth. We need to care for our relationships – those to our resources and to each other. Continue reading →