Catching the Activism Wave

Ha'a Keaulana's name means joyful, dancing sea and that tracks

Apr 07, 2021

Hi friends and hello new faces! Happy Wednesday! I feel like everyone is coming out of hibernation and posting all their spring pictures on Instagram (sorry to all my allergy sufferers out there). In DC you can’t scroll without seeing the cherry blossoms and magnolia trees. I wanted to highlight some great visual images this week including the amazing photographs of our woman of the week! *tiny airhorn sound*

Today we are learning about Ha’a Keaulana who is a surftographer, model, and advocate for Hawaii. Makes mental note to learn more about native Hawaii.

Ha’a Keaulana

The first thing you need to know about Ha’a is she’s a native Hawaiian and proud of it. Ha’a is part of the Keaulana family, which can be traced back to King Kamehameha. Her family has lived in Mākaha on O’ahu for several generations. Because of this, Ha’a has a deep connection to both Hawaii and the ocean. I don’t just mean she loves the ocean, she is literally connected to it. Let me explain. When Ha’a was a baby, her dad made a traditional offering (ho’okupu) to the ocean using Ha’a’s umbilical cord (piko). He placed it on a reef where he often surfs. Because of this offering, Ha’a is now one with her ancestors and Mākaha. So, basically, you literally couldn’t be more connected to the ocean unless you sprouted fins.

Ha’a grew up in Hawaii in Mākaha on the Westside of O’ahu. Both her grandfather and father were revered watermen aka men who were excellent surfers and lifeguards. Even though some cultures tend to be patriarchal about young girls doing “dangerous” things like surfing, Ha’a never experienced that because there were just as many waterwomen who were idolized.

“We were all raised by badass waterwomen like Auntie Rell, Aunty Pua, Auntie Kathy Terada… they knew women were fully capable of smoking them in the waves and in diving, so they viewed women as their equals.”

Ha’a grew up surfing and says her playground was the ocean. She surfed her first wave when she was three. I was watching endless Wishbone re-runs when I was three, but potato potato. The above picture is Ha’a running across the ocean floor while carrying a FIFTY-pound boulder. Imagine if the Tinder bros holding a fish saw that! You’re probably wondering why she’s carrying an obscenely heavy boulder while running underwater. Simple. Her dad teaches his surf students this is the best way to train for a four-wave hold down when you wipe out while surfing a big wave.

Ha’a works as a professional surf and lifestyle photographer and aims to show the “real” Hawaii, not the cookie-cutter Americanized version. She takes a lot of her photos in the water and says she wakes up every day thinking “am I going to surf or am I going to shoot [her camera]?” Recently, Ha’a has become more involved in native Hawaiian activism as construction tears up sacred, native land and indigenous Hawaiians are being pushed out. Her Instagram is a mix of beautiful ocean photography and spreading awareness for causes dear to her heart like saving Mākaha Surfing Beach. We salute a surfer girl who stands up for herself and her people.