We are continuously looking for more information about manta ray significance in Hawaiian culture to share with others in the Manta Naturalist Course. If you know of a story, an expert, or have your own family story, please let us know.
In 2014, Manta Pacific Research Foundation partnered with the Sheraton Kona to develop the Manta Learning Center. The purpose of the Manta Learning Center is to share knowledge about manta rays to people who come to the Sheraton Kona. The goal of the center is to enrich the experience of those that visit the resort.
Lily Dudiot, Cultural Director at the Sheraton Kona, has worked with cultural practioners in the community such as Roxanne Stewart to create the cultural plaque at the Manta Learning Center. This plaque was placed in the Manta Learning Center during Manta Week 2015.
Below is what the plaque reads.
KANALOA
We acknowledge the Kupuna (ancestors) and all they have given us here in Keauhou. One of these gifts is our connection to the kai (ocean) and all that is within it. Not only has Keauhou fed the people for generations with the great schools of akule but it has welcomed the hahalua.
The hahalua connect us to the mo'olelo or stories and mana (energy/power) of Kanaloa, the spiritual entity of the sea. We consider the respect for Kanaloa when we care for the hahalua. In our respecting and caring for the hahalua we are respecting the kai, we are respecting the Kupuna, and we are preserving and protecting for the future.
So many of us are captivated by the great Kanaloa forms such as whales, dolphins, sharks and rays, yet how often do we pause to think about why they captivate us on so many levels?
When we delve into the realm of Kanaloa, it is a realm of deep thought and reflection and we emerge to the surface of our consciousness we are enlightened by what we see, hear and learn from the awe-inspiring journey into the deep. These are the makana (gifts) from our Kupuna.
Enjoy your journey as you learn and experience the magnificant hahalua.
----- Information from the cultural plaque at the Manta Learning Center at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou. -----