Page 6 - MidWeek Windward - Jan 5, 2022

6 JANUARY 5, 2022
Murals Instill Morals For Younger Generation At Kailua Intermediate School
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and projects in Hawaiʻi, in- cluding Mele Murals.
“Mele Murals is a program that promotes youth develop- ment, arts education, cultural preservation and community building through the creation of large-scale murals,” says Mike “Bam” Tyau, project manager and art teacher with Estria Foundation.
The inspiration comes from Estria Foundation’s Water Writes mural series, during which communi- ty organizations and youth came together to support a movement about water is- sues around the world. The process and community work that was established from the series carried over to Mele Murals. Now it is the foundation’s most popu- lar program and works with Hawaiʻi Department of Ed- ucation schools, Hawaiian community organizations and local musicians.
location to be their wahi pana (legendary place). Kai- lua Intermediate was able to raise funds to complete the Mele Murals project through a grant from AARP Hawaiʻi. Mele Murals first took stu- dents on a field trip to a lo- cal Kailua taro patch farm led by Kauluakalana, where kūpuna explained how spe- cial the land in Kailua is in growing kalo (taro). Here, keiki learned that the kalo leaves could water the sur- rounding vegetation around them, symbolizing how we
also need to take care of each other in our communities. Water flowing from leaf to leaf, and the similarity with human hands are depicted in the mural.
such as Kāneʻohe Elemen- tary and Kaimukī High; and also Keauhou Shop- ping Center, Sheraton Kona Resort and Kahilu Theater. The program has several campuses lined up for the coming year, usually paint- ing up to 10 schools in a year. Mele Murals is also planning an art camp for spring break and more sum- mer art and culture camps.
Each mural design focuses on Hawaiian mele (song or chants) that explore moʻole- lo ʻāina (stories of place), and why they consider their
“Our intention is to help the keiki learn about who they are, their past, their an- cestors’ traditions and their family values so that they can be the future artists, sto- rytellers and caregivers of tomorrow,” says Tyau.
For more information, or to commission Mele Murals for a school project, visit estria.org.
(Top left and above) Members of Estria Foundation, along with students and teachers from Kailua Intermediate School, work on the Mele Murals program piece Mālama kekahi i kekahi. (Below) The completed mural on campus is scheduled to be unveiled on Jan. 12. Its title translates to “take care of one another.”Water moving from leaf to leaf in a Kailua kalo (taro) patch and its similarity to human hands are shown in the mural.
PHOTOS COURTESY CLAIRE OGDEN AND JILL LABOI
Mele Murals has com- pleted nearly 50 murals in Hawaiʻi including schools