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Koa Ell Joins Hilo Outreach Office
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| Aminta Danette Kahalelaukoa Kaahanui Omphroy Ell |
Kahalelaukoa (Koa) Ell has worked on Mauna Kea in some capacity
for seven years. In May she joined IfA's Hilo-based Office of Science
Education and Public Outreach (SEPO) as the community outreach assistant.
She sees herself as a bridge between the Native Hawaiian community and
the astronomers who work on Mauna Kea. "Hawaiians have always been
kilo hoku (stargazers)," she explains. "Now we
have an opportunity to do it with modern technology." For her, the
astronomy being done on Mauna Kea is an honor and is sacred in its own
way.
Ell was born in Panama to a Hawaiian mother and a Panamanian father. She
grew up in New York and later Los Angeles, where she studied hula and learned
about Hawaiian culture. A pivotal moment in Ell's life occurred when
she attended a winter
solstice ceremony on Mauna Kea in 1998. She experienced for the first
time a deep spiritual connection with the mountain and its gods, and with
her ancestors. She also met Doug Arnott, owner of Arnott's Lodge
and Hiking Adventures, and soon began leading tours of Mauna Kea for his
company.
It was while she was working for Arnott's Lodge and driving Subaru
astronomers and telescope operators up from their Hilo base facility to
Hale Pohaku that she first came to know some of the astronomers and
operators who worked on the mountain. They "helped me to understand
that the astronomers were good people" who happened to have expertise
in astronomy. Five years ago, she started working as a guide for
the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station, and in January 2005, she began
giving planetarium shows with Gemini Observatory's portable planetarium.
In March, she joined the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center on a Women
in Technology internship sponsored by the Hawaii Island Economic
Development Board. She created an interactive presentation to teach students
over the Internet about both the sacredness of Mauna Kea and the scientific
work being done there.
Ell calls the sacred mountain Mauna O Wakea, mountain of Wakea. According
to the traditional Hawaiian religion that she embraces, Wakea is the sky
father (god of the heavens). He and Papa (the earth mother) are the progenitors
of the Hawaiian people. She also honors the four goddesses associated with
Mauna Kea, Poliahu (snow), Lilinoe (mist), Waiau (Lake Waiau),
and Kahoupokane (lightning and the master maker of tapa cloth).
Since Ell joined the IfA staff, over 1,500 people, including schoolchildren,
Hawaiian elders, teachers from the U.S. mainland and American Samoa, and
people in Canada, New Mexico, and Arizona, have heard her presentation
about Mauna Kea. Her talk begins with her reverence for Mauna Kea. She
explains the numerous ancient sites used by the Hawaiians and talks about
the many uses, both past and present, of this sacred mountain. The subjects
she covers are geology, archaeology, the flora and fauna, and how the ancient
Hawaiians navigated using the stars. She also shares information about
modern astronomy and explains the similarities between the traditional
Hawaiian culture and what the astronomers are doing today. Finally, she
explains why it is important to her that everyone work together toward
the common goal of learning more about the heavens, for as a Hawaiian proverb
says, "Pupukahi i holomua" (Unite to move forward).
If you are interested in having Koa Ell speak to your group, you may contact
her by phone (808-932-2399) or by e-mail (kell@ifa.hawaii.edu).
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/hilo/Outreach
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