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Mālama (MAH-lah-mah)

When we mālama the land, the land feeds us.

Literal meaning: to care for; to protect; to preserve

Cultural meaning:
In Hawaiian culture, mālama describes the act of caring for something with attention, respect, and responsibility. It reflects the understanding that when people nurture and protect the things around them — land, animals, water, and community — those things will continue to sustain life in return.

One of the most important Hawaiian values is mālama ʻāina, meaning to care for the land. The phrase expresses a reciprocal relationship: when people care for the land, the land cares for them.

Practicing mālama means acting with awareness, gratitude, and responsibility toward the natural world and toward one another.