[Please Note: This article expresses the intention to create a functioning land-based community in the future. At present, this is a dream we are working to manifest...]

Aloha! E Komo Mai! Greetings and welcome to the Makamaka community at The Shire. 

Say “Hoa” (“Friend”) and enter the world of Middle Earth:

Levels of Participation

Po‘e (Public):

This level of participation in Makamaka open to all people is free and expresses your awareness, interest, and support of our mission. Maka means eye in Hawaiian. Makamaka is two eyes, yours and mine, seeing eye to eye. Makamaka means those who are accustomed to giving to each other. You can connect with our mission and support us at the open level by liking our Makamaka page and joining our page for The Shire. 

The Shire farm stand is open to all people who show support and respect to our mission. Produce left after hours on our farm stand to display by the roadside is available for use by all who need it. Donations are always welcome to support our mission, of course, but the beauty of the sacred gift economy is that the restraint of contingency is released. 

On occasion, The Shire will also organize or host a free or paid entry agricultural event or festival open to the public. Tickets to paid events will be available for sale at select locations around the island.

Pono‘ī (Private): 

Bag End, as used in the Lord of the Rings films. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Participation in the private functions of the Makamaka is accessible for 21 lawful silver dollars per individual Life Membership. Your membership entitles you to participate in private Makamaka (member-only) and Makamaka a me Hoaloha (member plus beloved friend) guest events of the Makamaka community. Being invited to a private event at The Shire as a Hoaloha is typically one’s first introduction to the community and a natural entry point for those who may feel called to participate as a member.

As a member, in addition to regularly scheduled community functions and activities, your opportunities for higher orders of participation also include:

Malihini (Visitor):

Farm stay opportunities may be made available to members by invitation (e.g. artist in residence), or with the contribution of productive assistance, local Makamaka Hours, or other token value. The typical contribution is a few hours of help with farm projects, plus 10 or 20 dollars per day depending upon accommodations and resources utilized as well as individual budget.

Mahi ‘ai (Farming): 

A single week’s fruits and vegetables from community-supported agriculture share: peppers, okra, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, garlic, eggplant, squash. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mahi ‘ai means farming. Participation in our Community Supported Agriculture program provides participation in the access, caretaking, fruits, and celebration of the aina (land), plus the opportunity for active participation in the process of planting, cultivating, and harvesting your own food. CSA shares are available in increments of 20 dollars per month, and can also be obtained with local farmers market scrip or Makamaka Hours currency. Produce can be picked up by appointment at the Hilo Oasis, at The Shire farm stand in Pahoa, or can be harvested fresh personally at The Shire. CSA participants gain priority access to a broader array of farm produce that may not be in a sufficient supply to be available at the farm stand, or may not be a commercially viable crop, such as our tonic mamaki berries, tasty thimbleberries, and other delicate produce with a minimal shelf life, or the tiny medicinal Popolo berries (#2 Hawaiian herbal medicine: good for all stomach issues), due to the amount of handling required to collect a small volume.

Haumāna (Student Intern):

With funding of just 150 dollars per month, you can be fully engaged in the community while actively learning by caretaking your own slice of heaven on earth, and benefit from the opportunity to participate full-time or part-time in ongoing community projects, such as design, planting, cultivating, harvesting, farm market, crafts, construction with local and recycled materials, interactive arts, public education, research, while having your own personal, private retreat space for rest and relaxation. 

Students typically self fund the cost of their own internship at The Shire, but those with demonstrated financial hardship can apply for scholarship grant funding through Makamaka University, and once approved can maintain scholar status through successful completion of related scholarly pursuits including academic studies, practical research, and publishing of findings.

Alaka‘i (Leader) & Kumu (Teacher):

By funding 300 dollars per month, you can stay available for onsite leadership, helping orient and guide visitors and interns in learning the who, what, when, where, and how of farm life. You can best perform these crucial tasks by sustaining and supporting your own energy so you have more to give, leading by example, and sustain your efforts by keeping dry and comfortable with your own space at the same time! An example of a leader is Lennon, who coordinates WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) at The Shire.

The Kumu represents another form of leadership… By sharing your manao (mind, thought) and na‘auao (heart, wisdom), the teacher nurtures the community. As a multigenerational community, we value the know-how of our elders! They are the founders and backbone of the community…

Leaders and teachers are typically in a position to fund their own costs at The Shire, but for those engaging a vow of poverty or otherwise demonstrating need, an application can be made for scholarship support through Makamaka University on a graduate, post-doctoral, or another appropriate level.

An example of a Kumu is Dr. Glen (aka Glendalf), who offers practitioner apprenticeship training in accelerated self-healing through our Makamaka University (MU), an alternative approach to higher learning.

Hemolele (Angel):

Generous gifts by Angel grantors giving to make a better future for us all allow for the development of infrastructure as well as site expansion. Grants and gifts may be unrestricted or may specify a use for a particular purpose or project. Angels may appear by grace when called in by the divine plan through the coconut wireless, or grant writers may identify potential funding sources, such as a private foundation or an individual philanthropist whose goals match the mission of one of our projects seeking funding.

For those seeking a vested interest with their major contribution, the opportunity exists to establish an LLC for ownership of select infrastructure on The Shire property. The primary purpose is not for financial gain or for eventual sale, but simply to support and be a core participant in the community for ourselves and for future generations…

An example of participation at this level is kanaka maoli (native Hawaiian) grant writer Clifford Kapono currently seeking a grant source to fund a Hawaiian Healing Retreat Center at The Shire. Additional grant writers are welcome to join our team.

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We are the ones we have been waiting for… and now our wait is over. See you at The Shire!