Honoring AAPI Impacts: Living Aloha Online – A Hawaiian language message of cyber community
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are proud to share this cybersecurity message in the Native Hawaiian language. We offer it as part of our celebration of the many cultures and voices within the AAPI community, and as a small contribution to the preservation and understanding of the Hawaiian language. By presenting this message in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, we recognize that cybersecurity is not only about technology, but also about people, relationships, responsibility, and the cultural values that shape how we care for one another.
Ke Kuleana Kikohoʻe: Ka Mea e Aʻo Mai ai nā Waiwai Hawaiʻi Maoli iā Kākou no ka Palekana Kikohoʻe
Hoʻonui au i koʻu noʻonoʻo ʻana i ke ʻano o ke ao pūnaewele a kākou e kūkulu nei. E like me ka lehulehu, ua hoʻohālike ʻia koʻu nānā ʻana i ke ao e koʻu moʻomeheu, koʻu hānai ʻia ʻana, a me nā wahi a me nā kānaka nāna au i hoʻokumu.
Noʻu iho, ʻo ia ka ulu ʻana aʻe i Hawaiʻi nei a me ka paʻa ʻana i nā waiwai Hawaiʻi Maoli.
ʻO ka hapanui o kā kākou launa ʻana i kēlā me kēia lā, ma nā pale nō ia e hele ai. Hana kākou ma nā pale. Aʻo kākou ma nā pale. Mālama kākou i ke kālā, kamaʻilio me nā mea kūʻai, nānā i ka ʻohana, a kaʻana i ka ʻike ma o nā mīkini a me nā paepae e hoʻāmama ai i ke ola, akā, hiki nō ke hoʻolilo i ke ola i mea pili ʻole i ke kanaka. ʻO ka nui aʻe o ka neʻe ʻana o ko kākou ola i ka pūnaewele, ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi o ke poina i kēia ʻoiaʻiʻo maʻalahi: aia nō he poʻe maoli ma kēlā ʻaoʻao o kēia mau launa ʻana.
He mea nui kēlā.
He mea nui ia no ka mea, ʻaʻole nō he mea e mālama wale ai i nā ʻōnaehana ka palekana kikohoʻe. He mea ia e mālama ai i nā kānaka. He mea ia e mālama ai i ka hilinaʻi, ka hanohano, ka pilikino, a me nā pilina e paʻa ai nā kaiāulu. I loko o kekahi ao e hele nui ai kā kākou kamaʻilio ma waena o nā kamepiula a me nā mīkini ola ʻole, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka hana kūpono a me ke ʻano kanaka.
Maʻalahi ka lilo ʻana i mea mālama ʻole ma ka pūnaewele. Maʻalahi ka holo wikiwiki loa. Maʻalahi ke kaomi me ka noʻonoʻo ʻole. Maʻalahi ka pane me ka hoʻomanawanui ʻole. Maʻalahi ke poina he hiki i kekahi leka uila, leka, palapala kaʻana, a i ʻole hana kikohoʻe ke hoʻopā i ka hana a kekahi, ka ʻohana a kekahi, a me ka mālie o ka manaʻo o kekahi.
ʻO ia kekahi kumu aʻu i manaʻoʻiʻo ai he mea koʻikoʻi ka mea a nā waiwai Hawaiʻi Maoli e aʻo mai ai iā kākou no ka palekana kikohoʻe a me ke ola ma ka pūnaewele.
Noʻu iho, hoʻomaka kēia me ke kuleana.
Ua wehewehe pinepine ʻia ke kuleana ma ke ʻano he hana pono, akā, ʻike ka mea maopopo i ka ʻuhane o ia huaʻōlelo, ʻoi aku ka hohonu ma mua o laila. ʻAʻole ia he hana wale nō. He kuleana ia i paʻa i ka pilina. Hōʻike mai ia, he hopena ko kaʻu hana ma luna o nā poʻe ʻē aʻe, a no laila, he pono koʻu e hana me ka mālama.
Pēlā nō koʻu noʻonoʻo ʻana i ke ola kikohoʻe.
ʻAʻole nō he pilikia pilikino wale ka ʻōlelo huna nāwaliwali. ʻAʻole nō he kuhihewa pilikino wale ke kaomi mālama ʻole. ʻO ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka ʻike wahaheʻe, ka lawelawe hewa ʻana i ka ʻike pilikia, a i ʻole ka nānā ʻole i nā hana kumu o ka palekana, hiki ke hānau i ka pōʻino e holo aku ana ma ʻō aku o hoʻokahi kanaka. I loko o kekahi ao i pili pū, holo aku kā kākou mau koho i waho. Pēlā pū ma kekahi ʻaoʻao. ʻO hoʻokahi hana noʻonoʻo pono, hoʻokahi manawa makaʻala, a hoʻokahi ʻanuʻu hou e hōʻoia ai a e mālama ai i kekahi mea, hiki ke pale i ka pōʻino no nā poʻe he nui.
ʻO ia ke kuleana kikohoʻe. ʻO ia ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana he kuleana like ka palekana ma ka pūnaewele.
A laila, aia nō ka mālama.
ʻO ka mālama, ʻo ia ke nānā pono a me ka pale ʻana i ka mea i waiho ʻia mai i ko kākou lima. Manaʻo au he wahi ko ia waiwai i kēlā me kēia kūkākūkā no ka palekana kikohoʻe. ʻAʻole kākou e hoʻoponopono wale ana i nā mīkini a me nā moʻokāki. Ke mālama nei kākou i ka ʻike, ke komo, nā pilina, a me ka hilinaʻi. Ke mālama nei kākou i nā mea waiwai i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe.
I kekahi manawa, ʻike ʻia ka mālama ma nā mea maʻalahi loa a hiki ke hana. Ka hoʻohou ʻana i nā ʻōnaehana. Ka pale ʻana i ka ʻike pilikino. Ka nānā pono ʻana i nā leka kānalua. Ka kōkua ʻana i kekahi e ʻike i kekahi hoʻopunipuni ma mua o ka lilo ʻana i mea i hoʻopunipuni ʻia. Ka hoʻēmi wikiwiki ʻana i hiki ke hōʻoia he mea kūpono ia ma mua o ka pane ʻana.
He mau mea liʻiliʻi paha kēlā i ka nānā mua, akā, he nui nō ko lākou waiwai. Ma nā wahi kikohoʻe, nui ka hopena o kahi mālama iki. ʻO ka palekana maikaʻi, he mālama wale nō ia i ʻike ʻia ma ka hana.
Manaʻo pū au he nui ka mea a ka laulima e aʻo mai ai iā kākou ma kēia wahi.
Kūkākūkā pinepine kākou i ka pūnaewele ma ke ʻano he kumu pilikia, a he ʻoiaʻiʻo nō kēlā. Akā, he wahi pū ia e hui pū ai nā kānaka e kūkulu i nā mea e kōkua ai i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe. He laʻana ikaika nā kaiāulu polokalamu open-source no ia mea. Hāʻawi nā kānaka mai nā kihi a puni ka honua i ko lākou manawa, ko lākou akamai, a me ko lākou ikaika no ka hana ʻana i nā pono hana e hiki i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe ke hoʻohana, e hoʻomaikaʻi, a e hilinaʻi ai. Hōʻike kēlā ʻano hana i ka hilinaʻi, ke kākoʻo, a me ka hoʻāʻo pū. Hōʻike ia i ka ʻuhane o ka laulima.
Pēlā pū me kekahi waihona ʻike a puni ka honua i hoʻoponopono pū ʻia, e like me Wikipedia. Hana ia no ka mea, hāʻawi nā kānaka, hoʻoponopono, nānā hou, a hoʻomaʻemaʻe i ka ʻike i hiki i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe ke aʻo. ʻAʻole ia he mea hemolele, akā, he laʻana ikaika ia o ka mea hiki ke kū i ka wā e koho ai nā kānaka e kūkulu pū ma mua o ka hoʻohana wale ʻana. Mahalo pū au i ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, he aʻa Hawaiʻi ko ka huaʻōlelo “wiki.” He mea koʻikoʻi kēlā iaʻu. He hoʻomanaʻo ia, he mea nō kā ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a me nā ʻano noʻonoʻo Hawaiʻi e hāʻawi ai i ke ola kikohoʻe o kēia au.
Hoʻomanaʻo mai ka laulima iā kākou, ʻaʻole pili wale ko kākou hilinaʻi kekahi i kekahi ma ka pūnaewele i ka pale ʻana i ka pōʻino. Pili pū ia i ka hana pū ʻana i kekahi mea waiwai. He mea nui ka palekana, akā, he mea nui pū ke aʻo pū ʻana. Pēlā pū ka hāʻawi ʻana. Pēlā pū ke kūkulu ʻana i nā wahi kikohoʻe i pono, i mahalo ʻia, a i paʻa i ka hilinaʻi.
A laila, aia nō ka pono.
Noʻu iho, pili ka pono i ka kū pololei a me ka ʻoiaʻiʻo. He mea ia no ka hana ʻana i ka mea kūpono, kaulike, a hanohano hoʻi. Ma ke ola kikohoʻe, ʻoi aku kona nui ma mua o nā manawa ʻē aʻe, no ka mea, ʻaʻole na ka ʻenehana iho e hāʻawi mai i ke ʻano maikaʻi. ʻAʻole na ka mīkini e hānau mai i ka loina kūpono. Na kākou nō ia e lawe aku.
No laila, he mea nui ke ʻano o ko kākou hōʻike ʻana iā kākou iho ma ka pūnaewele. He mea nui ke ʻano o kā kākou kamaʻilio ʻana i nā kānaka. He mea nui ke ʻano o kā kākou lawelawe ʻana i ka ʻike. He mea nui ka haʻi ʻana i ka ʻoiaʻiʻo. He mea nui ka mahalo ʻana i ka pilikino. He mea nui ke kumu e hoʻohana ai kākou i ka ʻenehana: no ke kōkua anei, no ka hoʻopunipuni anei, no ka paipai anei, no ka hoʻopōmaikaʻi ʻole anei, no ka hōʻike ʻike anei, a i ʻole no ka hoʻokaʻawale anei.
I ka wā e hele nui ai kā kākou kamaʻilio ma waena o nā mīkini, maʻalahi ke nalowale ko kākou manaʻo kuleana. Maʻalahi ke nānā aku i nā kānaka me he inoa hoʻohana lā, me he helu leka uila lā, me he moʻokāki lā, a me he hana kūʻai lā paha, ma kahi o ke ʻike ʻana he kanaka maoli lākou. Akā, ʻo ia nō ke kumu nui e koʻikoʻi ai ka hana kūpono. ʻO ia nō ke kumu nui e koʻikoʻi ai ke ʻano kanaka. I loko o kekahi kaiapuni i kūkulu ʻia e nā kamepiula ola ʻole, pono kākou e hoʻoikaika hou aku i ka hoʻomanaʻo ʻana he poʻe ola nō ma kēlā ʻaoʻao.
E lokomaikaʻi.
ʻAʻole ia he mea kaʻawale mai ka palekana kikohoʻe. He ʻāpana nō ia o laila.
Hoʻolohi ka lokomaikaʻi i ko kākou hana ʻino ʻana. Hoʻomākaukau ia iā kākou e hōʻoia ma mua o ka hoʻopiʻi ʻana, e hōʻailona aku i ka pōʻino i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe, e pale i ka mea no ke kaiāulu, a e noʻonoʻo ma waho aʻe o kākou iho. ʻAʻole palupalu kekahi moʻomeheu kikohoʻe mahalo a kanaka hoʻi. He ikaika ia. Kūkulu ia i ka hilinaʻi, a ʻo ka hilinaʻi kekahi o nā ʻano palekana koʻikoʻi loa e loaʻa i kekahi kaiāulu.
Noʻu iho, pili pololei ia i ka ʻuhane aloha.
Pinepine loa, manaʻo nā kānaka he hua hoʻokipa wale nō ka aloha. Akā, ʻoi aku ka hohonu o ka aloha ma mua o kēlā. Hōʻike ia i ke ʻano o ko kākou lawe ʻana iā kākou iho i waena o nā pilina me nā poʻe ʻē aʻe. Hōʻike ia i ka noho piha ʻana i kēlā wā, ka mahalo, ka mālama, a me ka ʻike he hoʻokahi ko kākou ʻano kanaka. ʻAʻole pono e nalo kēlā ʻuhane i ka manawa koke a kākou e komo ai ma ka pūnaewele. ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻoi aku nō kona pono ma ka pūnaewele.
ʻAʻole makemake ke ao kikohoʻe i ka wikiwiki hou me ka noʻonoʻo ʻole. ʻAʻole makemake ia i ka hiki komo hou me ka kuleana ʻole. ʻAʻole makemake ia i ka kamaʻilio hou me ka mālama ʻole. ʻO ka mea e pono ai, he nui aʻe nā kānaka i mākaukau e lawe pū i nā waiwai i loko o kēia mau wahi. Nā kānaka i mākaukau e noho me ke kuleana, e mālama, e hāʻawi me ka laulima, a e hana me ka pono.
ʻO ia ke ʻano kaiāulu ma ka pūnaewele aʻu e makemake ai e lilo i lālā.
Kahi e nānā ʻole ʻia ai ka palekana kikohoʻe ma ke ʻano he pale wale nō, akā, ma ke ʻano he mālama kuleana. Kahi e lawelawe ai ka ʻenehana i nā kānaka, ʻaʻole na nā kānaka e lawelawe i ka ʻenehana. Kahi e hoʻomanaʻo mau ai kākou, ma hope o kēlā me kēia leka, kēlā me kēia moʻolelo i kākau ʻia, kēlā me kēia hana kūʻai, a me kēlā me kēia moʻokāki, aia nō he kanaka kūpono i ka hanohano a me ka mālama.
Pili loa kākou i kēia manawa. Ua ulana ʻia ko kākou ola ma ka pūnaewele i loko o ko kākou ola i kēlā me kēia lā. ʻO ia hoʻi, he mea maoli nō ko kākou kuleana kekahi i kekahi ma laila pū.
No laila, ʻae, e pale i kāu mau moʻokāki. E makaʻala. E hoʻohana i ka noʻonoʻo pono. Akā, e hoʻomanaʻo pū i kēia: e hana kūpono. E noʻonoʻo pono. E noho kanaka. E ola i ka ʻuhane aloha, ʻoiai ma ka pūnaewele.
ʻOi loa aku ma ka pūnaewele.
Digital Kuleana: What Native Hawaiian Values Can Teach Us About Cybersecurity
I spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of online world we are building. Like many of us, the way I think about the world is shaped by culture, upbringing, and the places and people that formed me. For me, that includes growing up in Hawaiʻi and being grounded in Native Hawaiian values.
Most of our daily interactions now pass through screens. We work through screens. We learn through screens. We manage money, communicate with clients, check in with family, and share information through devices and platforms that can make life feel efficient, but also impersonal. The more our lives move online, the easier it becomes to forget a simple truth: there are real people on the other end of these interactions.
That matters.
It matters because cybersecurity is not only about protecting systems. It is about protecting people. It is about protecting trust, dignity, privacy, and the relationships that hold communities together. In a world where so much of our communication is filtered through inanimate computers, decency and humanity matter even more.
It is easy to become careless online. Easy to move too fast. Easy to click without thinking. Easy to respond without patience. Easy to forget that an email, a message, a shared document, or a digital transaction can affect someone else’s work, someone else’s family, and someone else’s peace of mind.
That is one reason I believe Native Hawaiian values have something important to teach us about cybersecurity and digital life.
For me, this starts with kuleana.
Kuleana is often translated as responsibility, but anyone who understands the spirit of the word knows it carries more than that. It is not just a duty. It is a responsibility rooted in relationship. It recognizes that what I do affects other people, and because of that, I have an obligation to act with care.
That is exactly how I think about digital life.
A weak password is not always just a personal risk. A careless click is not always just a private mistake. Sharing false information, mishandling sensitive data, or ignoring basic security practices can create harm that reaches well beyond one person. In a connected world, our choices ripple outward. The same is true in the other direction. One thoughtful act, one moment of caution, one extra step to verify or protect something can prevent harm for many others.
That is digital kuleana. It is understanding that online safety is shared.
Then there is mālama.
To mālama is to care for and protect what has been entrusted to us. I believe that value belongs in every conversation about cybersecurity. We are not only managing devices and accounts. We are caring for information, access, relationships, and trust. We are caring for things that matter to other people.
Sometimes mālama looks very practical. Keeping systems updated. Protecting private information. Taking suspicious messages seriously. Helping someone recognize a scam before they become a victim. Slowing down enough to make sure something is legitimate before responding.
Those may seem like small things, but small things matter. In digital spaces, a little care goes a long way. Good security is often just care made visible through action.
I also believe laulima has a lot to teach us here.
We often talk about the internet as a source of risk, and that is real. But it is also a place where people come together to build things that help others. Open-source software communities are a strong example of that. People from around the world contribute time, skill, and energy to create tools that others can use, improve, and rely on. That kind of work reflects trust, support, and shared effort. It reflects the spirit of laulima.
The same can be said for a globally edited knowledge base like Wikipedia. It works because people contribute, correct, review, and refine information so others can learn. It is not perfect, but it is a powerful example of what can happen when people choose to build together instead of only consume. I also appreciate that the word “wiki” has roots in Hawaiian. That feels meaningful to me. It is a reminder that Hawaiian language and Hawaiian ways of thinking still have something to offer in modern digital life.
Laulima reminds us that our interdependence online is not only about avoiding harm. It is also about creating something worthwhile together. Safety matters, but so does shared learning. So does contribution. So does building digital spaces that are useful, respectful, and rooted in trust.
And then there is pono.
To me, pono is about integrity. It is about doing what is right, balanced, and honorable. In digital life, that matters more than ever because technology itself does not supply the character. The machine does not create the ethics. We bring that part with us.
That means how we show up online matters. How we speak to people matters. How we handle information matters. Whether we tell the truth matters. Whether we respect privacy matters. Whether we use technology to help, deceive, encourage, exploit, inform, or divide matters.
When our communication happens mostly through machines, it becomes easier to lose our sense of accountability. It becomes easier to treat people like usernames, email addresses, accounts, or transactions instead of human beings. But that is exactly why decency matters. That is exactly why humanity matters. In an environment shaped by inanimate computers, we have to work even harder to remember the living people on the other end.
Be kind.
That is not separate from cybersecurity. It is part of it.
Kindness makes us slower to harm. More willing to verify before accusing. More willing to warn others about danger. More willing to protect what belongs to the community. More willing to think beyond ourselves. A respectful and humane digital culture is not soft. It is strong. It builds trust, and trust is one of the most important forms of security any community can have.
For me, that connects directly to the aloha spirit.
Too often, people think of aloha as just a greeting. But aloha is much deeper than that. It speaks to the way we carry ourselves in relationship to others. It speaks to presence, respect, care, and the recognition of our shared humanity. That spirit should not disappear the moment we log on. If anything, we need it even more online.
The digital world does not need more speed without thought. It does not need more access without responsibility. It does not need more communication without care. What it needs is more people willing to bring values with them into these spaces. People willing to live with kuleana, practice mālama, contribute with laulima, and act with pono.
That is the kind of online community I want to be part of.
One where cybersecurity is not just about defense, but about stewardship. One where technology serves people, not the other way around. One where we remember that behind every message, every record, every transaction, and every account is a human being deserving of dignity and care.
We are deeply connected now. Our online lives are woven into our everyday lives. That means our responsibility to one another is real there too.
So yes, protect your accounts. Be cautious. Use good judgment. But also remember this: be decent. Be thoughtful. Be human. Live the aloha spirit, even online. Especially online.
