USA Today Press Feature

Caring for the land

Ramiro Leon's family learned about growing Hawaiian taro the traditional Native Hawaiian way with Hoʻomau Oʻahu Tours.

Ramiro Leon of Riverside, California likes to visit Hawaii a couple times a year, but he hadn’t really learned much about Native Hawaiian culture until a trip with Hoʻomau Oʻahu Tours, a Native Hawaiian-owned company whose mission is to “cultivate, educate, and perpetuate our history and culture to all who inhabit and visit these islands.”

“When I would travel, prior, to Hawaii, it was more as a tourist, doing the stuff that's at the hotel, at the resort, and this time was more actually understanding,” Leon said.

On a circle tour of the island, he and his family learned about the history and cultural significance of various places. On a separate hands-on Mālama experience at a kalo or Hawaiian taro patch, they learned about the root’s importance and how it’s traditionally and sustainably farmed.

“Actually being able to see it being made, tasting it fresh, you're able to appreciate what it does, what they use it for,” he said. Kalo is what’s used to make poi, a staple dish.

In Hawaiian, mālama means to care for, preserve or protect, and Leon said he was struck by the way Native Hawaiians cared for the land and “how they use the resources of the land to make ends meet, for the longest time.”

He’s already planning his next trip back and said he would definitely look forward to other Native-led travel experiences.