Aloha ʻĀina, which literally means "love of the land",[1] is a central idea of Native Hawaiian thought, cosmology and culture.
Many practitioners, however, assert that Aloha ʻĀina is not itself a political term but rather a tenet of spiritual and cultural understanding which "drives one into action" (George Helm, 1977).
Land struggles were the locus of this movement, which brought together ecological principles, ancient practices, historical interests, demilitarization/peace concepts and Hawaiian Sovereignty claims.
[7] Kahoʻolawe had been used as training area for the military since World War II, and was still an active bombing practice range for the U.S. Navy at the time.
"[8] A group of activists, kupuna (elders) and cultural practitioners led by Kawaipuna Prejean and George Helm, a lauded Hawaiian singer, musician and speaker from Molokai[7][9] reached the island by boat, but were later arrested.
Helm, who had become the group's leader and a hero to many, paddled the 7 miles from Maui on a surfboard, along with Kimo Mitchell in an attempt to return to Kahoʻolawe.
Later issues of concern for the Aloha ʻĀina movement include the hotly contested creation of a genetically modified taro variety and the proposed arrival of 240 Stryker tanks to Hawaiʻi.
[14] Pedagogies of aloha ʻāina implemented by educators in Hālau Kū Māna, have allowed students to cultivate meaningful relationships with the places they are visiting and working on, while at the same time examining and studying the natural world.
[14] As part of the holistic practice of aloha ʻāina in Hālau Kū Māna, educators engage students with contemporary Hawaiian politics, to allow them to confront controversial social issues.
[16] The teaching, learning, and mastery of reading, writing, and printing for Hawaiians has enabled them to capture and preserve older knowledge forms that would have been lost.