The NiU NOW! Aha Niu International Coconut Summit was a conference experience with local and international colleagues dedicated to the care and production of coconuts and uluniu -coconut groves - throughout ʻāina moana. It was held on June 12-13, 2024, at the Hawai’i Convention Center, Room 301, 1801 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, Hawai'i.
During this conference, we delivered three lectures:
How farmers and gardeners can better conserve, breed, and use their traditional own coconut varieties. By Bourdeix, R., Pilotti C., Johnson, V. B., Ellacott, W. & Chant, H. (2024).
Spiritual and symbolic perception of the coconut palm outside of the
Pacific Region.
By R. Bourdeix, R. (2024).
Creation of optimized perennial plant barriers to mitigate coastal erosion on coral and sandy soils. By Bourdeix, R. & Cilas, C. (2024).
If you wish, you can use these links to embed the videos on your websites or social networks.
Here are these lectures in the reference format for citation :
Bourdeix, R., Pilotti
C., Johnson, V. B., Ellacott, W. & Chant, H. (2024). How farmers and gardeners can better conserve, breed, and use their
traditional own coconut varieties. Lecture presented at the Aha Niu
International Coconut Summit. June 12-13, 2024: Hawai’i Convention Center, Room
301, 1801 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, Hawai'i. Link to the video: https://youtu.be/qO2TvCV7hm4
Bourdeix, R., (2024). Spiritual and symbolic perception of the coconut palm outside of the
Pacific Region. Lecture presented at the Aha Niu International Coconut Summit.
June 12-13, 2024: Hawai’i Convention Center, Room 301, 1801 Kalākaua Ave,
Honolulu, HI 96815, Hawai'i. Link to the video: https://youtu.be/4R8tgYZQX04
Bourdeix, R. & Cilas,
C. (2024). Creation of optimized perennial plant
barriers to mitigate coastal erosion on coral and sandy soils. Lecture
presented at the Aha Niu International Coconut Summit. June 12-13, 2024:
Hawai’i Convention Center, Room 301, 1801 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815,
Hawai'i. Link to the video (without sound): https://youtu.be/irqrSkc_h0Y
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Aha Niu International Coconut Summit (June 12-14, 2024) @ Hawaiʻi Convention Center, and Ike Niu Workshops with Reimatau - People of the Sea (June 6-15, 2024) @ Pau Hana Place
Kupu ka niu kupu ke kanaka. When coconuts grow, humanity flourishes.
We are living in mythic times! Prioritizing the care of land and people, the returning of fresh waters, and the remembering of cultural foods is awakening within Hawaiʻi-nei. One such food tree is the kumu niu (coconut tree). Niu Now, a grassroots movement dedicated to the rejuvenation of kumu niu, began in 2017 at UH West Oʻahu and has developed 13+ Niu Nurseries, gifting over 2,000 niu keiki (30+ varieties of coconut seedlings) to various communities throughout Hawaiʻi. We envision niu as a relationship rooted in community and aloha ʻāina. Niu Now works to rejuvenate the ancient Hawaiian uluniu system (coconut groves) and has worked with private, local, state, and federal friends, programs, and agencies to plant 25+ uluniu. Niu Now is reaching out to all Hawaiian Islands and currently working with Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, and Hawaiʻi Island to bring awareness to all areas of ʻike niu - coconut knowledge. FESTPAC 2024 is time for us to deepen this coherence with shared intentionality - and to grow this movement!
Two pivotal events coinciding with FESTPAC 2024 were hosted:
Aha Niu: International Coconut Summit (June 12-14, 2024) @ Hawaiʻi Convention Center. This is a three-day summit at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center where we will dive into technical and spiritual niu issues, taking a deeper look at cultural rejuvenation, food security and ecological practices. You’ll be hearing from world renowned niu experts and cultural practitioners like Roland Bourdeix, Pūlama Collier, Indrajit Gunasekara, Nat Tuivavalagi, Aulii Mitchell, Vilsoni Hereniko, Manu Aluli Meyer, Noa Lincoln, Saʻilemanu Lilomaiawa-Doktor, Mahi LaPierre, Malyntha Haleyalpiy, and many more. On the third day, will have a huakaʻi (fieldtrip) to two uluniu and one niu nursery. The summit is free and open to the public. Registration is now open. We are planning for 150+ participants. (please register!)
Ike Niu Workshops with our Oceanic Cousins (June 6-15, 2024) – Come to engage in niu practices! The ʻIke Niu Workshops (Coconut Knowledge) are happening at the Pau Hana Place at the muliwai of the Ala Wai. It’s a week-long sharing of ʻike niu from the People of the Sea coming from Hawaiʻi, Samoa, Fiji, Rotuma, Kiribati, Tahiti, Tonga, Saipan, Guåhan, and Reimatau & Chad er Belau. We will be weaving, sharing mo’olelo (storytelling), songs, coconut oil making and other forms of connecting through kumu niu. Niu Now workshops are free and open to the public from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm daily, except during the ʻAha Niu. All are welcome to learn more about this tree of life! (Please see attached flier) Please contact: Faʻi Lowe saofai@hawaii.edu or Malyntha Haleyalpiy meh4@hawaii.edu