Honor the source. Carry the values with care.
Share Aloha Now builds its five-value framework from the ALOHA formulation shared by Pilahi Paki and reflected in Hawaiʻi law. This page documents that foundation without claiming ownership of Aloha or inventing a lineage the evidence does not establish.
Pilahi Paki and the ALOHA formulation
In a speech delivered on January 23, 1984, Pilahi Paki presented ALOHA through five values: kindness, unity, agreeableness, humility, and patience — each paired with a way it should be expressed.
Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §5-7.5, enacted in 1986, contains the same five-part formulation within its definition of the “Aloha Spirit.” The law asks specified state officials to give consideration to the Aloha Spirit while exercising their public responsibilities.
The statute documents the formulation. It does not endorse Share Aloha Now or any commercial product.
What “lineage” means here
It means documenting the source this project relies on, preserving the words carefully, and remaining accountable when the practice drifts.
What it does not mean
- A claim that this project represents all Hawaiian understandings of Aloha
- A claim of formal succession from Pilahi Paki
- A claim that every respected Hawaiian figure belongs to one direct teaching chain
- Authority to separate the values from Hawaiian language and context
The five ALOHA values
These five value-and-expression pairings provide the foundation used throughout Share Aloha Now.
Akahai
Kindness to be expressed with tenderness.
Lōkahi
Unity to be expressed with harmony.
ʻOluʻolu
Agreeableness to be expressed with pleasantness.
Haʻahaʻa
Humility to be expressed with modesty.
Ahonui
Patience to be expressed with perseverance.
About the symbols used by Share Aloha Now
Ak and Ah are Share Aloha Now teaching symbols used to distinguish Akahai from Ahonui while preserving the A-L-O-H-A learning structure. They are not presented as part of the historical formulation itself.
The triangle is also a Share Aloha Now practice symbol. It means ALOHA Pause: pause and consider all five values together before responding. It does not represent Lōkahi alone.
Source references
Readers should be able to inspect the sources behind the project’s central attribution.
Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §5-7.5
The official statutory text defining the “Aloha Spirit” and listing the five values.
Read the Hawaiʻi statutePilahi Paki’s 1984 speech
A published transcript of “Words Are Seeds of Life,” including the ALOHA value formulation.
Read the speech transcriptA note on historical scope
This page is not a complete history of Aloha, Hawaiian values, or the many people who have protected Hawaiian language, knowledge, land, healing, and community.
Earlier versions of this page grouped several important Hawaiian figures under “Torch Bearers” without documenting direct relationships to this five-value formulation. That list has been removed until each connection can be researched, sourced, and described accurately.
Future additions should distinguish direct source, historical context, influence, and contemporary interpretation rather than placing them into one implied lineage.
From source to practice
Share Aloha Now uses the five values as the foundation of a contemporary learning and reflection practice.
The die, Teaching Mode, Practice Mode, reflection questions, scenario packs, and ALOHA Pause are tools created for this project. They should not be confused with the historical source itself.
Keep the distinction clear
Documented foundation:
Akahai, Lōkahi, ʻOluʻolu, Haʻahaʻa, and Ahonui with their value-and-expression meanings.
Share Aloha Now practice layer:
Ak / Ah symbols, the die, ALOHA Pause, Teaching Mode, Practice Mode, scenarios, and reflection prompts.
Carry the source forward responsibly.
Cite what is documented. Distinguish the source from the practice built around it. Name what remains uncertain. Keep the work open to correction.