THE MEANING OF ALOHA

Aloha is an overarching principle, much more than a greeting or salutation. Like most Hawaiian words, it has many meanings. Aloha is a way of life, a mind set and an attitude. Aloha is an action, not a reaction. It is a natural response of respect, love and reciprocity.

 

Aloha is to be in the presence of life, to share the essence of one’s being with openness, honesty and humility. It is a commitment to being real. It is a commitment to accepting others and giving dignity to who they are and what they have to offer. Aloha is a spiritual principle that conveys the deepest expression of one’s relationship with oneself, the creative and life-giving forces, one’s family and community, and with one’s friends and strangers.

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For this painting we collaborated with Wide Garcia for the exhibition REACH OUT 2018. The purple haired 83 year young eloquent poet, outspoken peace activist and multifaceted social artist introduced us two years ago to the legacy of Pilahi Paki, known as the “Keeper of Secrets in Hawaii”. He passionately shared Auntie Pilahi’s vision of the deeper meaning of ALOHA, which was officially recorded in 1986 in the Hawaii Revised Statutes as the ‘ALOHA SPIRIT LAW’. According to the law all Hawaii citizens and government officials must conduct themselves with ALOHA SPIRIT. In our collaboration with Wide we explored the deeper meaning of Auntie Pilahi’s prophecy, delving beyond the actual written words, discovering one of the greatest gifts from the people of Hawaii to the world.