Malama Aina Hawaiian Culture Shirt - Aloha Tee, Hawaii Heritage Gift, Pacific Islander

Mālama 'āina. Care for the land. Two words that contain the entire Hawaiian relationship with this place.

Mālama means to tend, to guard, to look after with attention. 'Āina means land — but in Hawaiian, the word carries more than dirt and acreage. It comes from 'ai, to feed, because the land is what feeds the people. To mālama 'āina is to take care of what takes care of you. It is the practice behind the ahupua'a system, where each district was managed from mauka to makai as a single living unit. It is the principle behind every modern Hawaiian effort to protect the reefs, the watersheds, the kalo lo'i, and the upland forests from harm.

For locals, this design wears a kuleana that doesn't end — it just gets passed down. For visitors, it is a souvenir of the most important Hawaiian instruction: take care of the place that took care of you.

Soft unisex tee. Multiple sizes and colorways available.