Aunty Mālia Craver born June 1927, died October 3, 2009, at 82 years of age. Photo taken at 'Iolani Palace, Feb. 12, 2008 at the reenactment of King David Kalākaua's coronation. Photo by Blaine Fergerstrom.

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola Loa

Aunty Mary Mālia Kawaiho'ouluohā'ao Craver, a revered practitioner of the Native Hawaiian tradition of conflict resolution known as ho'oponopono, died on October 3. She was 82.

Craver was a beloved inspiration to generations of humanitarian leaders in Hawai'i and throughout the Pacific Rim. Members of the Native Hawaiian community as well as advocates of peace initiatives throughout the world join in paying tribute to the memory of the woman, who was widely recognized as an invaluable Hawaiian spiritual and cultural resource.

She died in the company of 'ohana on O'ahu.

"Aunty Mālia Kawaiho'ouluohā'ao Craver has passed from this life and, as our kūpuna say, she is 'moe i ka moe kau a ho'oilo' (asleep with the sleep that lasts through summers and winters)," said OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona.

"She leaves a tremendous legacy through her own work in Hawaiian language, composition, support of hula and the arts, teaching and practice of ho'oponopono, advocacy for Native Hawaiian rights and well-being, and service to Native Hawaiian children. Her career and service to Native Hawaiian families started with the Salvation Army and concluded with the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center.

Aunty Mālia sit's in St. Andrew's Cathedral for last December's OHA Investiture ceremonies. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

"The thousands of people and families touched by Aunty Malia's encouragement to work for peace in Hawai'i and the world feel a tremendous loss by her passing. Aunty would now expect that all those with whom she shared culture, values, and mana'o will now do their good work for peace in Hawai'i and the world … and leave a legacy of truth and goodness. Nou e ke aloha no nā kau a kau, e Kawaiho'ouluohā'ao (A fond remembrance and aloha to you for all times, Kawaihoʻouluohāʻao)," Apoliona said.

Craver was a social worker assistant on the staff of the Queen Liliʻuokalani Children's Center for 30 years. She returned to (QLCC) after retirement to serve as a cultural and spiritual advisor for family and community building activities. The soft-spoken kupuna, whose peace-making efforts started at the basic level of helping out 'ohana to resolve their crises, was known for exemplary humility, while she was also adamant about the need for Native Hawaiians to leave behind acrimony and to progress by adhering to traditional Hawaiian values of respect and harmony. She was fond of using this simple and direct phrase in admonishing young Hawaiians: "Do something! Leave a legacy."

Craver brought ho'oponopono and Hawaiian values to a global audience at the United Nations, where she delivered an address on international unity to the annual Non-Governmental Organizational Conference in August 2000.

In addition to affirming Hawaiian values for a new generation and a new global audience, Craver was also instrumental in reinvigorating the Hawaiian language and culture. A native speaker of the Hawaiian language, she applied her expertise to composing oli (chant) and mele (song). She infused the essence of Hawaiian culture into many organizations with her help in translating and teaching cultural protocol grounded in the rich oral history of Native Hawaiians.

In 2006, the OHA Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution of mahalo and congratulations recognizing Craver's lifetime of service to the Hawaiian community.

Craver was born in the rural community of Ho'okena in South Kona, Hawai'i Island to full-blooded Native Hawaiian parents James and Harriett Akoni. She was raised as the hānai child of her paternal grandparents Manu and Mālia Kama and her aunt and Uncle Annie and John Kauwē.

At the behest of her grandmother Mālia Kama, she began at an early age to learn the practices of ho'oponopono. In this Native Hawaiian practice of settling disputes through peaceful discussion, Craver later became a student of the eminent Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pūku'i. Craver was also mentored by Pūku'i in Hawaiian language and poetry.

Craver began her lifetime work of building harmony within the 'ohana when she took a position as a Senior House Parent at the Salvation Army Boys Home. In 1965, she became the first paraprofessional in social services at Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center. In her work with Hawaiian children, she became noted for effectively integrating the wisdom of her Hawaiian elders into western clinical therapeutic interventions. As a member of the QLCC cultural committee, she collaborated with Pūku'i in the publication of Nānā I Ke Kumu, two volumes of research used today by clinical professionals as the "gold standard" of curriculum in teaching culturally competent approach to improving well-being within the Hawaiian 'ohana and community.

Three years after retirement from QLCC, she returned to the agency to present cultural workshops in ho'oponopono and Hawaiian spirituality to various organizations—Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian.

Craver tirelessly advocated for the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture and language as key to Native Hawaiian well-being. She was a lifelong member of 'Ahahui 'Ōlelo Hawai'i and supported all those who studied the Hawaiian language. One of her best-known musical compositions is Pu'uhonua Nani. While at QLCC, she established the Kualoa Ancient Hula Competition; the competition's eventual sponsor -- the Kalihi-Palama Cultural and Arts Organization -- established a Hawaiian language trophy in her name. The beloved kupuna chose the name for the OHA radio program, Nā 'Ōiwi Ōlino (People Seeking Wisdom), which was later incorporated into a chant underlining OHA's hopes for Native Hawaiian self-determination.

Among her many accolades, in 2006, Craver received the Order of Ke Ali'i Pauahi from Kamehameha Schools. She was selected in 2007 as a Honpa Hongwanji Mission Living Treasure. According to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser, she declined to speak at the ceremony, saying she did not want to draw too much attention to herself. In preparing remarks for her 2000 address to the United Nations, she told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that she wished ho'oponopono to be used as a model for settling the massive conflicts that lead to war: "I am going to say (to the U.N.) that peace begins within. It is about aloha, love. It's honor and respect for one another. And it's about having a higher power you believe in, to guide and direct your ways."