Watch: Documenting Our Ahupua’a Restoration

To fully understand the massive scope of our work, we invite you to watch the video feature below. Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison recently journeyed to Hawai’i to investigate and document the hands-on ecological and cultural restoration work being done by the Independent Sovereign Nation of Hawai’i.

Your donation directly funds the restoration of land, water, and food systems at Puʻuhonua O Waimānalo. Help us grow food forests, build sustainable infrastructure, and share our story with the world through this film project. Every dollar supports Indigenous-led solutions.

Donations are organized by Aloha First a 501(c)3 non-profit (EIN 99-0328810) and are tax deductible. As a nonprofit organization, all donations are considered final and non-refundable.

Ahupua’a Restoration: Rebuilding the Nation of Hawai’i at Pu’uhonua O Waimanalo

The Nation of Hawai‘i is actively dedicated to the Ahupua’a restoration project, a vital step in reclaiming our national sovereignty and healing the environment. Prior to the illegal overthrow, the Native Hawaiian people thrived in a highly organized, self-sufficient, and subsistent social system based entirely on communal land tenure. Today, restoring this traditional watershed-scale agricultural system is essential for the future of our people and our planet.

The Village of Pu’uhonua O Waimanalo

The village of Pu’uhonua O Waimanalo serves as the very first land base of its kind for the developing sovereign Hawaiian nation. Born out of both struggle and hope, this village is like fertile soil for the ancient seed of sovereignty that lay dormant for over a century.

Here, we are actively implementing traditional indigenous land management practices. We are rebuilding the traditional Ahupua’a, restoring the ecosystem from the tops of the mountains, down through the valleys, and all the way to the traditional fishponds built below the estuaries in the ocean.

Why Indigenous Ecological Restoration Matters

Modern, conventional environmental efforts often rely on “pop-up restoration” techniques that impose outside goals and ignore local histories. However, true ecological healing requires listening to indigenous voices.

By returning to the Ahupua’a system, the Nation of Hawai’i prioritizes a holistic, cultural-ecological equilibrium over land exploitation. Our indigenous food systems and historic stewardship practices are the most effective ways to maintain ecosystem health, safeguard biodiversity, and adapt to climate change.

Support the Ahupua’a Restoration Campaign

Our mission is to restore, maintain, and preserve the sophisticated religion, language, and culture of the Native Hawaiian people. We are fiercely determined to preserve, develop, and transmit our ancestral territory to future generations in accordance with our traditional beliefs and practices.

However, we cannot achieve this massive ecological and cultural restoration alone. By supporting the Pu’uhonua O Waimanalo Ahupua’a restoration campaign, you directly contribute to sustainable, ʻāina-based nation-building.