Ōpū Weuweu | Unisex Tee - peach

100% Organic Cotton | Unisex tee | Designed in Hawaiʻi nei | Made in the USA 

Ōpū Weuweu

He wao kanaka a he wao akua ko ka ‘āina, pēlā ka māhele ‘ana o nā kūpuna, a he ha‘awina waiwai loa ko loko o ia māhele ‘ana, ‘o ia ho‘i, ‘a‘ole e hana wale aku ke kanaka e like me kona makemake ma nā wahi a pau, a no ka mea ‘a‘ole ia i ‘oi a‘e ma luna a‘e o nā mea a pau. He mana‘o nui ko‘iko‘i kēia e ho‘omā‘ike‘ike ana ‘oko‘a ka no‘ono‘o o ka po‘e Hawai‘i a ‘oko‘a ho‘i ko kekahi o nā lāhui no waho mai. Ke ho‘ohui pū ‘ia ia mana‘o nui me ka mo‘okū‘auhau, akāka mai ho‘i ke kumu e make‘e wale ai kākou i ka ‘āina, a he pili hemo ‘ole ho‘i ia aloha i loko o ke kūnewa ‘ana o nā kau a me ka hala ‘ana o nā hanauna. Aloha nō ka ‘āina, nā kulāiwi ho‘i o ko Hawai‘i pono‘ī. Mai nā pali hāuliuli o nā ko‘olau a nā kula waiho kāhela i ka wela o nā kona, ke loli nei ka ‘āina, ke piha nei i nā hale a ke noke mau mai nei nā maka hou i ka ho‘oili ‘ana mai i nā ‘ano o ko lākou nohona ma luna o nā kapa kahakai o ka pae ‘āina aloha. ‘O ka mea a kēia lau nei e kono nei i ka po‘e e no‘ono‘o, ‘o ia ho‘i ke kūkulu hale ‘ana ma Hawai‘i: Ma hea kahi kūpono e kūkulu ai i ka hale? No wai ka nui o nā hale e kūkulu ‘ia nei? He aha nā hi‘ohi‘ona o nā hale o kēia au? ‘A‘ole ‘o ka hale nunui hiehie loa ka mea e ola ai ke kanaka. ‘O ka ‘āina momona ka mea e ola ai. No laila, ‘o kā mākou e pai a‘e nei ma ‘ane‘i: I wahi ōpū weuweu no kākou. A love and respect for the land, sea and the resources therein is an important and enduring part of Hawaiian identity. A deep appreciation for open space is in our very DNA, as our geneaologies tie us to the land and all its life forms. For many of us, development is hard to stomach, especially the kind that creates exclusive spaces for the highly wealthy and ignores the needs of everyone else. Many new homes are nothing like the humble "plantation style" houses we know and love. Agricultural zoning used to be for actual farmers, but now high-priced parcels with lavish homes and a token banana patch or citrus grove somehow slide through as "ag lots" with cheaper water and lower tax rates. This is a far cry from the rural, agricultural lifestyle that is part of our collective history. Where is the balance point? This design asks landowners, developers, and policy makers to prioritize affordable housing and diversified agriculture, and balance this with our need for open space (think about the 36,000 acres of A&B lands on Maui that used to be sugarcane). This design also invites people building their own homes to think about what makes Hawai‘i unique and to strive to maintain that. I wahi ōpū weuweu no kākou - Let us have a small clump of grass (a humble home).