“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
Mission
The mission of Na Liko Kupukupu O Ka ʻĀina Foundation is to preserve, protect, and perpetuate traditional Hawaiian cultural knowledge and Indigenous wisdom systems while advancing environmental stewardship, community wellness, and sustainable living for the benefit of present and future generations.
Through cultural education, land stewardship, traditional arts, plant medicine, and community-based programs, the foundation nurtures the living relationship between people, culture, and the natural world. By supporting intergenerational learning, ecological restoration, and culturally grounded wellness practices, the foundation strengthens resilient communities rooted in respect, responsibility, and ancestral knowledge.
Our work ensures that traditional practices, including hula, chant, storytelling, plant medicine, traditional agriculture, ecological design, and land-based learning, remain living, accessible pathways for healing people, restoring ecosystems, and sustaining cultural identity worldwide.
Why This Work Matters:
Around the world, cultural knowledge, ancestral land stewardship practices, and traditional healing systems are disappearing at an alarming rate. At the same time, communities are facing increasing environmental challenges, social disconnection, and health crises.
Indigenous wisdom offers time-tested solutions for sustainable living, community resilience, environmental balance, and holistic well-being. Protecting and revitalizing this knowledge is essential not only for cultural survival but for the future of our planet.
Na Liko Kupukupu O Ka ʻĀina Foundation exists to safeguard this knowledge and ensure it continues to guide humanity toward a more balanced and sustainable future
Our Core Values:
Cultural Integrity
We honor and safeguard traditional Hawaiian cultural knowledge and Indigenous wisdom with deep respect, ensuring it is transmitted responsibly with the guidance of elders, cultural practitioners, and knowledge keepers.
Stewardship of the Earth
We believe that caring for the land is inseparable from caring for people. Our work supports ecological restoration, regenerative land stewardship, sustainable agriculture, and environmentally responsible building practices.
Intergenerational Knowledge
We are committed to ensuring ancestral teachings are passed to future generations through education, mentorship, cultural training, and youth leadership development.
Community Healing
We support holistic health and wellness by offering trauma-informed, culturally grounded programs that address mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Access and Equity
Our programs are designed to serve communities broadly through low-cost, sliding-scale, scholarship-based, and grant-supported participation to ensure cultural education and wellness opportunities remain accessible.
Collaboration and Reciprocity
We work in partnership with cultural practitioners, Indigenous communities, educators, environmental organizations, and institutions worldwide to strengthen collective knowledge and shared responsibility.
Protection of Sacred Knowledge
Cultural teachings and ancestral practices are held in trust for future generations. We are committed to protecting them from misuse, misappropriation, and commercialization that violates cultural values.
A Vision for the Future
Na Liko Kupukupu O Ka ʻĀina Foundation envisions a world where ancestral knowledge, cultural traditions, and ecological wisdom guide how communities live, build, heal, and care for the Earth.
By supporting this work, donors help preserve irreplaceable cultural knowledge, restore ecosystems, strengthen communities, and ensure that future generations inherit both a thriving planet and the wisdom to care for it.