Ke Aloha ‘Āina | Kane Tee - green

100% Organic cotton | Standard tee | Designed in Hawaiʻi nei | Made in the USA

Pukui & Elbert: "aloha ʻāina n.v. Love of the land or of oneʻs country, patriotism; the name of a Hawaiian-language newspaper published 1893-1920; aloha ʻāina is a very old concept, to judge from the many sayings (perhaps thousands) illustrating deep love of the land..." Aloha ʻāina has always been with us, though our expressions of it have evolved over time. From the pre-contact era when the lifestyle of our ancestors embodied this concept, to the time when this phrase became a rally cry against the overthrow and illegal occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom (that persists today!), to the many 20th century struggles fought by our mākua to protect various ʻāina (Kahoʻolawe, Mākua, Sand Island, the list goes on). In these struggles, kanaka risked and even lost their lives in the spirit of aloha ʻāina; to protect not just the land, but all that which nourishes our bodies, minds and spirits. Times may change, but aloha ʻāina is a part of us that will never go away. We remain kūpaʻa in our love for our place, which is challenged all the time by things that are not in the interest of the land or the people. More than a century of occupation may have produced a lot of confusion, but it can never break our aloha ʻāina. So no matter how different our political persuasions, paths of learning, or chosen ʻoihana may be, we must never forget that aloha ʻāina is our common bond. *We have chosen to not use diacritical marks on Ke Aloha Aina to keep in the style of the Hawaiian-language newspaper by this name.