Concrete actions

Honu means "turtle" in Polynesian.

This animal embodies what I love and what I stand for: longevity, wisdom, resilience, perseverance, and the unbreakable bond with the ocean.

That is why I chose it as the symbol for my brand, and in particular the leatherback turtle.

The connection between the work of associations dedicated to sea turtle conservation and the symbolism of my brand felt natural: on both sides of the world, women and men protect every day what Honu Handmade Jewellery represents.

Honu Handmade Jewellery has joined a solidarity partnership with the association Te mana o te moana, which has been working for more than 21 years on the Polynesian coasts to protect sea turtles and their environment.

The association Te mana o te moana

Founded by Dr Cécile Gaspar and Richard Bayler in 2004, the association Te mana o te moana, "the spirit of the ocean", has been working for more than 21 years to safeguard the Polynesian marine world, with a particular focus on sea turtles, through its work in discovery, education and protection.

Its work is built around two main areas

Research and conservation

Rehabilitation, scientific monitoring and concrete action to safeguard sea turtles.

Education

Creating educational tools, running programmes and educational projects to raise awareness of the richness and fragility of the marine world.

Today, Te mana o te moana is a recognised leader in marine conservation in French Polynesia.

Since its creation, the association has cared for more than 700 sea turtles and raised awareness among more than 153,000 children.

These actions are made possible by the support of its partners, donors, volunteers and institutions.

Based in Tahiti, the association cares for turtles in distress, runs scientific monitoring and photo-identification programmes, protects nesting sites and raises awareness among younger generations about the fragility of marine ecosystems and fights against poaching.

Its work relies on a comprehensive approach: rescuing, treating and releasing turtles when their condition allows; better understanding their movements, nesting habits and habitats; passing on to the public, schools and local communities the knowledge and practices needed to protect the ocean.

On Tetiaroa, its monitoring of green turtle nesting is among its most remarkable efforts. Since 2007, more than 8,000 nesting tracks have been recorded, more than 1,300 nests confirmed and more than 352,000 hatchling turtles have been born under the watch of the Te mana o te moana teams.

This patient work shows that sustained field action can produce real results.

The work of the Te mana o te moana teams is exceptional and remarkable.

It is this tenacity and genuine conviction that Honu Handmade Jewellery admires and wishes to support.

Find out more: https://www.temanaotemoana.org/

An evolving commitment

Honu Handmade Jewellery's commitment to sea turtles continues to grow with seriousness, consistency and transparency, always with the same intention: connecting artisan craftsmanship with the protection of the living world.

One jewellery piece, one responsibility

Today, every jewellery piece sold contributes directly to the protection of sea turtles and their ecosystem.

Your purchase	What Honu gives back
A jewellery piece from our collections	1% of the pre-tax sale price donated to Te mana o te moana
A jewellery piece from the Capsule Kalunga	5% of the pre-tax sale price donated to Te mana o te moana

The Capsule Kalunga

The Capsule Kalunga is dedicated to sea turtle conservation efforts.

It will be launched several times a year, around specific events and for a limited duration. It will feature unique pieces.

For every jewellery piece sold from the Capsule Kalunga, 5% is donated to the association Te mana o te moana and directly allocated to the protection of sea turtles and their nesting beaches.

Where worlds converge

There is a word, in the country where I grew up (the Republic of the Congo), and in the language of the Bakongo, for the exact place where the visible meets the invisible, where life touches the beyond and where the ocean becomes a passage.

That word is Kalunga.

In Kongo cosmology, Kalunga is the sacred line that separates the world of the living from the world of the ancestors. The ocean is its vastest manifestation, laden with memory and movement. The water spirits, the Bisimbi, guide souls from one world to the other. Every wave carries a memory and every current connects what we see with what we feel.

On the coasts of Congo, where the Atlantic greets the sand, sea turtles come ashore every year to nest. They cross thousands of kilometres of ocean and return to where they were born. They traverse Kalunga in both directions, carrying within them this eternal cycle of departure and return that the Bakongo have always known.

Honu Handmade Jewellery and Kalunga speak the same language: that of longevity, wisdom and the unbreakable bond between Humankind and the ocean.

Full transparency

Trust is built through evidence, so every year I publish here:

• The total amount donated by Honu Handmade Jewellery to Te mana o te moana (additional donations included)
• The actions that could be funded thanks to the donations passed on

Thank you to Te mana o te moana for the exceptional work they accomplish every day for these precious beings, who deserve as much care as a jewellery piece of great value.

And thank you to you: customers, friends, ocean lovers and champions of the Living, who make this initiative possible. Every Honu Handmade Jewellery piece you wear becomes a link in a greater chain: the preservation of the living world.

Isabelle Bénatouil
Jewellery Artist