Growing up in Hawaii with Aloha and Malama Aina
Bobby’s life journey began in a general store in a rural community on the Hāmākua Coast. He was nurtured in an extended family, including a close-knit sugar plantation community. The ancient Hawaiian perspective of mauka to makai (mountain to the sea) became apparent to him while conducting stream habitat recovery work with the west Kauai community after the disastrous Hurricane Iniki in 1992. He quickly learned that Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) existed way before western science came to the islands. The remaining sections of his book bridge TEK to science. Although Bobby’s biological roots are in Japan (Sansei, 3rd generation immigrant), his true cultural connection is to Hawai’i. Mahalo nui loa to the indigenous people of these islands for generously sharing their traditional cultural knowledge, which amplified his gratitude for Daishizen (Mother Nature).