Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell, the widely respected and cultural icon of kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) stated that a traditional way for kanaka to greet each other was to say, "Pehea kou piko?" The piko that he is referring to is the belly button- the connection to our mothers through the umbilical cord- as well as our connection (even emotional connection) to the current world that we are living in. Dr. Blaisdell is quoted as saying, "The gut in the tradition of kanaka maoli is the seat of all learning, knowing and feeling."
In Elizabeth Weingartenʻs article "20 questions to ask instead of ʻHow are you doing now?ʻ" She points out, "When we keep asking the same question (How are you?), or no questions at all, we lose out on a chance for deeper connections with our conversation partners, who also happen to be the people we care most about. We are tricked into believing we know how they’re feeling or what they’re thinking, when we haven’t even scratched the surface."
Maybe a question we should ponder asking during this COVID-19 pandemic is "Pehea kou piko?"
*In the up and coming weeks, I will be featuring amazing community partners who are answering the kahea (call) and responding to communities in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like to share what you/your community network is doing to serve our communities in need please post a blog or message me. Thank you for all that you are doing!
Danny
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