Kepuhinui, which means “the great one of Kepuhi Beach,” was born on Molokai during the COVID-19 pandemic and named by Kualapu‘u Charter School students. Kepuhinui did not have tags attached to his hind flippers, which is often done for young monk seal pups, so now his gifted Hawaiian name is an added identity. — Hawaii Marine Animal Response photo
A group of Hawaiian language immersion students from Kualapu’u Charter School has chosen a culturally meaningful name for a once-unnamed Molokai Hawaiian monk seal.
The second-graders named the 1-year-old male seal Kepuhinui, which means “the great one of Kepuhi Beach.” The seal was previously known only by his fading bleach identifier mark, L4.
The students participated in a haku inoa, or name weaving exercise, which uses environmental, geographical, astronomical and cultural information particular to a specific seal to weave together a unique name. In their talk story-style discussions, the students gravitated toward a popular nearby beach, Kepuhi, which is frequented by a number of seals. The students then added “nui,” which connotes an individual with regal or meaningful presence.
“When our kids get to name one of these rare animals, they elevate visibility for how unique each of these seals are,” said Hawaii Marine Animal Response Molokai Operations Manager Todd Yamashita. “I want our kids to know that this is their seal, that it’s Hawaiian like them, and something they can feel good about. Our kids already understand and practice kuleana (responsibility), so it’s cool to reflect back to them that they already play an active role in conservation and community building.”
A video of the naming event can be viewed at h-mar.org/ kepuhinui.
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August 08, 2021 at 12:10AM
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