A beautiful Family Portrait Session in Kauai published on Wilding Magazine Vol. 10
Aloha aina means “Love of the land; to nurture and care for the Land.” Kaleo and Heather Chandler live with their children Kauai in Hawaii. A place that is affectionately referred to as the Garden Isle for its lush tropical rainforest that covers most of the island.
As Kaleo comes fromm a Hawaiian upbringing, this husband and wife have taught their children many traditional Hawaiian skills to not only care for the land they call home, but also to thrive off the land. They’re a family who fishes together, hikes together, and even hunts together. The kids, Kahlea and Lopaka, already know how to hunt. They also catch fish on their own and make poles out of bamboo sticks.
From Heather Chandler:
It is incredibly important for us to teach our children about Hawaii’s ecosystem and how they can protect it. We fish off the reefs of Kauai and hunt in the mountains, where there are delicate ecosystems and nature plants. We need to instill those values in our children. It is a vital part of their culture.
When we fish we are constantly teaching our kids how to use caution to protect the delicate reef and walk on it ONLY when fishing for food. They get to see the reef fish, sea slugs, turtles, cranes squid everything! They can see how alive it is and we show them we are walking on their home. If we do not be careful they won’t have a home, and we won’t be able to fish for food. Also, if we put trash in our ocean, they will eat it and be very sick. Then we will catch and eat sick fish, which is not good. We also try to teach them about what we use on our bodies, like sunscreen an how it affects the ocean.
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