Big Island Talk Story by Jan Wizinowich
  • Home
  • About Author
  • Resources
  • Talk Stories
    • Hamakua
    • Honoka'a
    • Kawaihae
    • Kiho'alu
    • Kona
    • Music
    • Paniolo
    • Puna
    • Travels
    • Wa'a
    • Waimea
  • Oral History
    • Oral History with Audio
    • Oral History with Video
    • Oral Histories with Text
    • Books Authored by Jan Wizinowich

Shine On: The Peace Poles of Hawai'i Island                                Ke Ola Magazine / Ianuali - Pepeluali

1/12/2021

0 Comments

 
PictureThe Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise installed a peace pole at the Innovations Charter School. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise.
Dark times call for light. This is the spirit behind the Peace Pole Project, a movement that is planting beacons for peace across the planet. Since its founding, the Peace Poles Project has spread worldwide with the first poles outside of Japan planted beginning in 1983. More than 200,000 peace poles have been planted in over 200 countries, many in sites of historic and ongoing strife. With the support of The Peace Pole Project promoted by The World Peace Prayer Society, as well as other groups such as Rotary Clubs, the movement continues to grow.
Seeking Peace
   The planting of peace poles emerged from the spiritual journey of Japanese philosopher and author, Masahisa Goi. His spiritual path emerged from the dark hours of post-World War II; he realized in the course of his healing work, that people needed help healing their emotional side as well as the physical. To that end, he sought a simple practice that could be done by anyone. 
   After completing a course of rigorous spiritual training, Masahisa Goi founded Byakko Shinko Kai, an international grassroots organization that transcends cultural, religious, and political boundaries with the vision of promoting world peace through the prayer: “May Peace Prevail Upon Earth,” the first Peace Pole with that message, was planted in 1955 in Hiroshima.
PictureHilo Rotary Club members hosted an Open World delegation from Russia and together they planted a peace pole in Kuhio Kalaniana'ole Park. Photo courtesy of Charlene Iboshi.
Putting Hawai‘i Island Peace Poles on the Map
   On Hawai‘i Island, a committee made up of five East Hawai‘i Rotary Clubs is shining a light on peace through several projects including peace poles. The vision of the Rotary Clubs’ Peace Committee “is not just avoiding conflict, but lifting the community and creating the opportunity for everyone to move forward,” said committee coordinator and Rotary Club of South Hilo member, Charlene Obashi.
   Five years ago, the committee, which is made up of members from Rotary Clubs of Hilo, South Hilo, Hilo Bay, Pāhoa, and Volcano, began their initial efforts with addressing homelessness. The first step was to give voice to the needs of the homeless in East Hawai‘i. This led to several projects such as working with Hope Services and other organizations to provide food, paint shelters, and plant food trees. “The idea of peace poles bubbled up out of our Peace Committee,” said Charlene. 
   Their peace work added an international element when, in the fall of 2019, an Open World (OW) delegation visited Hawai‘i from Russia as part of the Peace Committee’s “Let’s Work it Out” series. Along with visiting energy research labs and sharing knowledge, the OW delegation and Rotary Club members planted a peace pole at Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole Park in Keaukaha.
   Since beginning their program, the Peace Committee discovered many peace poles already planted on the island, some in need of refurbishment, and all in need of location and placement on a map, which became an ongoing committee project. 
   No journey away from home is complete for Bob Juettner, committee member and member of Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, unless he can verify another peace pole or two. Bob has faithfully been placing peace poles on the map with GPS coordinates that the committee hopes to use to create an app. When we spoke, Bob was off to West Hawai‘i on the trail of two new poles installed there; he also shared that a new peace pole was in the works for Kohala.
    “We have a dream that people will take a trip around the island and visit the peace poles and make a journey, internally as well as externally,” explained Tim Hansen, special programs director at the Hilo Prosecutor’s Office and Rotary Club of Hilo Bay member.
PictureAs part of the STARS program developed by the Hilo Prosecutor's Office, a peace garden and peace pole was installed. Photo courtesy of Tim Hansen.
Peace Poles around the Island
   Positive ideas, like sparks, can light fires. In 2018, when Al Jubitz, co-founder of the Rotarian Action Group for Peace, came to Hawai‘i Island to share some of the work being done nationally, he sparked island Rotarians into action.
   Since that time, West Hawai‘i Rotary Club members have planted peace poles at several locations including Innovations Charter School. “The kids are a good way to start,” said Nestorio Domingo, Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise member and past president. In addition, the club has also planted peace poles at the Old Kona Airport Park, the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, and Pālamanui Community College
   Probably one of the oldest peace poles on the island resides at Paleaku Peace Garden. A group from Japan brought a peace pole to the island, seeking a home here. Their journey brought them to the Paleaku Peace Garden in Captain Cook where it was planted overlooking the Kona coast, amongst the many other symbols of peace from a myriad of cultures and faiths.
   Peace poles have been planted for many different reasons as a symbol of awareness, a meditational focus for healing, to honor a loved one, or commemorate an event. In Pāhoa, now in the process of recovery from the 2018 volcanic eruptions, a peace pole, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pāhoa Sunset, was planted at the newly opened Puna Kai Shopping Center and displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight languages. 
   “The peace pole stands as a reminder to think peace,” said Deborah Nichols, Rotary Club of Pāhoa Sunset president. “The Rotary Club picked Puna Kai Shopping Center because it represents a new beginning for our little town,” she added.
   If you have occasion to visit the Prosecutor’s Office in Hilo, in the midst of daily human drama, you will find STARS Peace Garden planted with a peace pole, a memorial to the victims of homicide and their families.
   “When we established the garden in Hilo, we knew we wanted a peace pole. We wanted peace to prevail in our community and also in our hearts. The presence of the peace pole in the garden helps people who visit to center and focus. It’s not only to remember our loved ones who were killed, but it’s also for the community and the person who did that harm. It’s an individual journey, a community journey and a world journey,” reflected Tim.
   The peace pole at Tutu’s House in Waimea was planted in September 1995, the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Sophie Oki, then the director, invited Tyrone Rheinhart, who was in Hawai‘i with a delegation of 47 Japanese visitors, to plant a peace pole.
  The pole was replanted when Tutu’s House moved to their current location and the recipients of Medtronicʻs “Live On. Give On.” award (sponsored by Earl Bakken) created a garden around it. The following year when the award recipients came, the cap was taken off the top of the Peace Pole and they wrote messages of peace to be sealed inside.
PictureRotary Club members from Volcano and Hilo gathered to install a peace pole at the Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Photo courtesy of Charlene Iboshi.
Volcano Art Center: Community Hub
  Paul Field, president of Rotary Club of Volcano was contacted by Charlene about planting a peace pole. “The Volcano Art Center is the hub of the community so we decided to install it there. Mike Nelson and the art center jumped right in. We had a little ceremony with 10 people. We have a plaque under the pole that explains it,” said Paul.
   During the ceremony, artist Julie Williams shared her story. “Last year when I went to Hiroshima and saw the peace pole there, I thought it would be so great to have one at the Volcano Art Center [VAC] and then Paul told me that the Rotary Club would like to donate one,” explained Julie.
  But the VAC isn’t going to stop there. “This pole has inspired another project at the art center called the Positive Post Project. We are reaching out to six artists and other service clubs to do smaller posts that will have artwork and a positive statement and will be planted along the edge of the forest,” she added.  
PictureMembers of the Hilo Rotary clubs and the Russian delegation installing a peace pole in Kalaniana'ole Park, adjacent to Lili'uokalani Gardens. Photo courtesy of Charlene Iboshi.
Lili‘uokalani Garden: A Community Treasure
   Another peace pole was discovered in Rakuen, an area behind Suisan that is part of Lili‘uokalani Gardens. Landscape architect Kazuo Nakamura developed a waterfall that flowed into a pond that could be viewed from the Nihon Cultural Center, now the Hilo Bay Café.
   “At some point between the Nihon Cultural Center and Hilo Bay Café, the peace pole was installed. But the pathway and the pond and the grounds surrounding it have become overgrown and the pole text has been painted over. There's an effort to restore that area around the peace pole as well as the peace pole itself. It’s a real community treasure. You just put the word out that something needs to be done and people show up. The Rotary Clubs came out like gangbusters,” said K.T. Canon-Eger, founder and president of Friends of Lili‘uokalani Garden.
   The aloha spirit of Hawai‘i Island has rich resources for peace and so it’s no surprise at the number of peace poles here. Peace begins in the heart of the individual and is about making connections and creating communities that foster beauty and become beacons of peace amidst the chaos of our modern world.
0 Comments

Hawaiian Naming Traditions: A Cultural Legacy                           Ke Ola Magazine Sept / Oct 2020

9/15/2020

0 Comments

 
PictureHā`ena is the tern for a red-hot burning anger and is also the name of one of the playgrounds of Hi`iaka, Pele's favored sister. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
  According to Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language professor Dr. Larry Kimura, Hawaiian language was and still is a “treasure house embedded with the whole way of seeing the world. It adds to the whole richness of being on earth and approaching different concepts in different ways.” This is at the heart of Hawaiian naming practices. When a Hawaiian name is bestowed, a connection is made, a story told, history preserved, someone honored, a hope expressed.
Colors, Clouds, Rain—Names for All Reasons
   There are many different terms that describe colors. For example, Wena is the red glow of sunrise or the rosy glow in a cloud that can be associated with Pele. Hā‘ena is a red-hot burning, such as rage or anger and is also the name of a place in Kea‘au on Hawai‘i Island that is known as the playground of Hi‘iaka, favored sister of Pele.
   “Hawaiian language has more precise names for colors and nuances of color names. I see a yellow ti leaf but the word we use for that yellow is pala, not melemele. It is ripe or aged. It captures the peopleʻs perspective. How they see things around them,” explained Dr. Kimura.
   The basic word for cloud is ao, but there are dozens of terms for various clouds. Ao pua‘a describes a grouping of various sized cumulus clouds, resembling a pua‘a (mother pig) with her piglets gathered around her. Malu is Hawaiian for shelter and a ho‘omalumalu describes a sheltering cloud.
   Rains are a unique experience depending on one’s location. In Waimea there is a rain called uhi‘wai. Uhi can mean a covering, a veil or film, so uhi‘wai refers to a light misty rain that comes in the afternoon and feeds the crops. In Hilo the misty rain is kani‘lehua, because it quenches the thirst of the lehua blossoms.
Picture
Wena, the name for the rosy glow of the clouds at sunrise. photo by Barbara Schaefer
PictureHawaiian language and cultural scholar, Mary Kawena Pukui. photo courtesy of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
Naming People
   In Hawaiian language tradition, words have power; a name was a person’s most precious possession, a force unto itself. Or in the words of Mary Kawena Pukui, “A name became a living entity...identified a person and could influence health, happiness and even life span.”
   Hawaiian names also offer a glimpse into a person’s life. “As Hawaiian speakers, when we hear a name in Hawaiian, its meaning or significance is often apparent. The language carries meaning and the listener is impacted by the meaning and significance of a name,” explained Dr. Kimura.
   There are three types of names which refer to the relationship between humans and the spiritual world: Inoa pō, inoa hō‘ailona, and inoa ‘ūlāleo. Inoa pō is a name that comes in the night through a dream to a family member and given to a baby. Pō means night but in a larger sense, it means source, the time before the beginning, a connection with the ancestral world. 
   An inoa hō‘ailona, or sign name, was found when “a family member might have a vision, or see a mystic sign in the clouds, the flight of birds, or other phenomenon that clearly indicated.” An Inoa ‘ūlāleo, or voice name, might be found when someone hears “a mystical voice speaking a name directly or in an oblique message,” a voice on the wind.
   A name from one of these three origins must be given or risk sickness and death. Mary Kawena Pukui’s own birth illustrates this. After she was born, an aunt was given an inoa pō, but she did not bestow the name. Kawena became ill and during a ho‘oponopono the aunt revealed the inoa pō. The original name was ‘oki (cut, severed) and the inoa pō was given, restoring her to health.
PictureDr. Ka'iu Kimura, Director of the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center holds one of the charts with name suggestions. photo courtesy of 'Imiloa Astronomy Center
Inoa Ho`omanao: History Preserved
   Naming preserved shared history. Inoa ho‘omana`o are names that provide brief historical reminders of past events. “Let a grandmother call out to a child, ‘Come here, Keli‘ipaahana’ (“the industrious chiefess”) and everyone within hearing remembered Po‘oloku, the beloved chiefess who kept her people busy and prosperous, and even personally dug holes for planting bananas.” 
   Often a person or place has more than one name such as our own Hawai‘i Island, commonly known as the Big Island but also called Moku o Keawe. Why is that? The answer provides some island history. The name is derived from a 17th century chief, Keawe‘īkekahiali‘iokamoku, great-grandfather of Kamehameha I, whose reign over the island was peaceful and prosperous.
Inoa Kūamuamu: Reviling Names
   Some children were thought to need protection from harmful spirits and were given such names as Makapiapa (sticky eyes) or Kūkae (excrement). The hope was that the spirit would be disgusted and stay away from the child. After a few years, the reviled name was ‘oki (cut) and the child was given a new name.
   Inoa Kūamuamu were also a kind of negative commemorative name. This kind of naming was used when someone who lived close by had hurt or insulted the family. The family then gave the baby a name that would be a constant reminder of the offense.
Lineage, Prophesy and Tribute
   Names were also selected to show family descent, as in the case of ‘Umi-a-Līloa. “Līloa, 50th king in succession after Wākea, the traditional founder of the Hawaiian people named his son ‘Umi-a-Līloa, meaning ‘Umi, descendant of Līloa’.” 
   Family lines and migrations are also revealed in names, as well as tribute to the accomplishments of the bearer. “Defeated enemies gave Kamehameha I the name Pai‘ea (hard-shelled crab) as a tribute to their conqueror’s impenetrable courage and endurance.”
PictureHawaiian language students began the workshop with a symbolic ti leaf lei connecting them to ancestral sources of knowledge. photo courtesy of 'Imiloa Astronomy Center
Hawaiian Naming in the 21st Century
   Over the years, Hawaiian language retained fewer speakers with the influx of outside influences and a new social milieu. Naming traditions, which provide insight into the Hawaiian world view, changed as well.
   “Our language captures many aspects of traditional culture that we donʻt practice anymore,” said Dr. Kimura. “If youʻre raised in todayʻs world, itʻs hard to be comfortable about reviling names or commemorative names that may have peculiar meaning. The most common way people think about that kind of name is that itʻs negative or odd. They avoid it,” he added.  
   A serendipitous series of encounters and events created an opportunity to delve into Hawaiian naming practices and brought the Hawaiian language onto the world stage.     Initial plans were already underway to explore the possibility of giving Hawaiian names to astronomical objects discovered from Mauna Kea or Haleakalā. Then, in the fall of 2017 an interstellar asteroid entered our solar system.
   Dr. Kimura was asked by his niece, Ka‘iu Kimura, director of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, to name this unique new object. Aided by modern day technology, the process he went through mirrored traditional Hawaiian naming practices based in close observation and reflection.
   “It appeared to be like something thatʻs coming in to check us out. Some kind of a spacecraft from some outer planet, like a spy. Fairly quickly the name came to my mind: ‘Oumuamua, an advance guard, coming to check us out,” said Dr. Kimura.
   A series of informal meetings between Dr. Kimura and Doug Simons, director of the Canada-France-Hawai‘i Telescope, Alan Tokunaga, retired astronomer, and John Defries, a Hawaiian businessman who sparked the idea of using Hawaiian names for new astronomical discoveries, began in January 2018.
   This gave birth to A Hua He Inoa (calling forth a name), a program through the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. In October 2018 a weekend workshop was held to engage young Hawaiian speakers from the islands of Hawai‘i and Maui in Hawaiian naming traditions.   
PictureHawaiian Language students display the final names for the two asteroids. photo courtesy of 'Imiloa Astronomy Center
sing the Kumulipo, Hawai‘i’s traditional creation chant which is a masterpiece of evolutionary documentation, and other sources, they delved into the thought processes of the ancestors to initiate a reconnection and “call forth names” in honor of two designated discoveries made possible by Hawai‘i astronomy. They also peered into the world of astronomy, visiting ‘Imiloa Astronomical Center and the University of Hawai‘i Observatory on Mauna Kea, observing the behaviors of the asteroids.
  By the end of the weekend they had agreed on names for the two asteroids: 2016 HO3 was named  Kamo`oalewa, Kamo`o meaning a fragment or offspring that will now alewa, orbit on its own; and 2015 BZ509, was named Ka`epaoka`āwela, which is an asteroid near the orbit of Ka`āwela (Jupiter), but is `epa or mischievously moving in the opposite direction. 
   “This was a new opportunity. These Hawaiian speaking students never thought theyʻd be asked, let alone dreamt that they could use their Hawaiian language and cultural knowledge to name these kinds of objects,” reflected Dr. Kimura.
Since the initial A Hua He Inoa workshop, other astronomical discoveries have been given Hawaiian names, including most recently Pōwehi, (embellished dark source of unending creation), the first image of a black hole to ever be captured. 
   “We are reviving new generations of Hawaiian speakers, which requires the establishment also of our Hawaiian cultural identity by being involved in renewing this naming process so that someday it can become normal as before. One little way of reconnecting,” concluded Dr. Kimura.
 
Referenced work:
Nana I Ke Kumu: Look to the Source V. 1 Pgs 94-98
Hawaiian Dictionary. Mary Kawena Pukui / Samuel H. Elbert
papahanaumokuakea.gov/education/cultural_hawaiian_names_wind.html 
kumukahi.org
For more information:
larrykim@hawaii.edu
0 Comments

Hāmākua Jodo Mission: A Beacon for Peace                               Ke Ola Magazine May - June 2020

6/3/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Present Jodo Mission temple. Photo by Sarah Anderson
Like a guardian spirit, the Hāmākua Jodo Mission (HJM) sits on a slope above the old plantation community of Pa‘auhau, backed by the gravestones of the many generations of members who attended and contributed to the temple. With a one-time congregation of more than 600 worshipers, it is now sustained with just a handful of elderly members who endeavor to maintain the spirit and history of the Japanese in Hawai‘i.
Picture1918 dedication of the new temple. Photo courtesy of NHERC Heritage Center.
Origins
   In 1868, the first Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawai‘i to face harsh conditions in an unfamiliar land. They were forced to labor for long hours in sugarcane fields, with no traditional social structures such as the religious practices they left behind. This led to an untenable situation.
   The next group of Japanese workers, who arrived in 1885, were under government contracts between Hawai‘i and Japan, and were promised better conditions. Instead, the harsh treatment by the field bosses continued.
   Sometime in 1894, the Imperial Consulate General of Japan, Hisashi Shimamura, paid a visit to the Hāmākua Coast. During that visit, members of the Japanese immigrant community suggested the idea of building a home temple in Hāmākua. Mr. Shimamura was so pleased with the idea that he pledged $300 to get construction underway. 
   Temple founding members Tanikichi Fujitani and Shoichi Hino were instrumental in securing the pledge from the Japanese Consulate. The rest of the $3000 construction costs were raised by Mr. Fujitani and the founding Reverend Gakuo Okabe, who visited house-to-house, collecting donations.
   “When times were tough, they only ate bananas to survive in their tireless effort to obtain donations,” said youngest active temple member Sandy Takahashi. “Reverend Okabe was known to travel around carrying an Amida Buddha statue on his back. He would tirelessly walk around with it, spreading the teachings of Buddhism and raising funds to build a home temple,” she added.
   Opened in 1896, the original temple, which was named the Hāmākua Bukkyo Kaido (Hāmākua Buddhist Temple), renamed the HJM in 1951, was located in Pa‘auhau Mauka, the geographic center of the five sugar plantations.
   The oldest Japanese sanctioned Buddhist temple in Hawai‘i and possibly the United States, the 24 by 36-foot structure stood on an acre of land, surrounded by sugarcane fields, with another acre designated for the cemetery. When the current temple was built, this original building was converted into a kitchen and dining hall, which is still in use today.
Picture
It took Mr. Eizuchi Higaki, Mr. Tanaka and one other workman two years to finish two carved transomes. Photo by Sarah Anderson
PictureCurrent temple altar. Photo by Sarah Anderson
Temple Reborn
   In 1909, Reverend Ryoyu Yoshida became the fourth minister to serve at the HJM. It was under his leadership that a new temple, Konpondō (main prayer hall), was completed in 1918, under the direction of Umekichi Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka had moved back to Pa‘auhau in 1916, and had been trained by his father as a miyadaiku.
   Miyadaiku carpenters only build shrines and temples, use no nails or metal of any kind and are renowned for their elaborate wooden joints. The buildings they construct are among the world’s longest surviving wooden structures, which is certainly borne out by the 102-year-old HJM temple. 
   The Pa‘auhau plantation donated the materials, built a road to the site, and helped haul materials there; however, the construction was a community project with more than 270 people directly involved. With the efforts of several carpenters under the supervision of Mr. Tanaka, and only working weekends, the construction took two years.
   The plantation also gave permission for the removal of four koa trees from the forest, located at the back of the property. These were used to carve the two distinctive transoms guarding the altar and the altar piece itself.
   When the temple was finished, a lean-to was created for the koa logs. Eizuchi Higaki, whose youngest son George is a current temple member, was a plantation machinist. Mr. Higaki, along with Mr. Tanaka and another unknown carpenter, came to the temple every day after work for two years until the carving was finished. Each hand-carved transom depicts a fierce dragon a-swirl amidst an elaborate wave design, symbolizing a close connection to the oceanic world.
PictureGravestone of Katsu Goto. First grave in temple graveyard. Photo by Sarah Anderson
A Community Center and History Keeper
   The HJM served as a place of worship where immigrants could gather as a community and take refuge from the rigors of plantation work. Along with regular services, the temple offered Sunday school, kabuki-type plays, music, and traditional crafts such as shishu (Japanese embroidery) taught by Mrs. Yoshida (Reverend Yoshida’s wife).  
   The temple’s cemetery along with the stories of the many generations of temple members, tells the history of an island community that spans across the Pacific. One of the first graves, once the temple was built, was that of Katsu Goto, who arrived in 1885. Mr. Goto became a spokesman in a labor dispute between Japanese workers and the plantation, and in October 1889 was found lynched from a pole on main street Honoka‘a. When the temple was finished, members transferred his remains to the temple cemetery and erected a large gravestone. Revered in his hometown of Oiso, Japan, the municipal museum there has created a memorial exhibit honoring Mr. Goto. 
   The cemetery has an array of headstones ranging from carved marble, to carefully arranged boulders, to simple stones. The stones are the resting place of unknown immigrants whose families had perhaps returned to Japan. It is also the resting place for Japanese laborers whose graves were transferred from nearby Kukaiau.  
PictureLongest serving reverend Kogan Ekuan. Photo courtesy of NHERC Heritage Center.
Longest Serving Reverend Kogan Ekuan
   Reverend Kogan Ekuan served the community from 1937–1977 and is remembered fondly. However, his years of service were interrupted by a twist of fate that highlights the ongoing connection between Hāmākua and Japan, despite world events.
   Reverend Ekuan was in Japan tending to his ailing mother when the US entered World War II. Earlier in 1941, his wife Kimie had died while giving birth to twin daughters, along with one of the twins. Reverend Ekuan’s mother-in-law, Tome Oda, came from O‘ahu to take care of her newborn granddaugther and the Ekuanʻs other two young sons. During the time Reverend Ekuan was away, Tome kept the mission open as a community center and gathering place. Upon his return in 1948, services and temple activities resumed.
   Daughter Yoshiko remembered, “When my father came back, he started a Sunday school; we went down makai for services. At the temple we had the Hana-matsuri service to celebrate the birth of Buddha. And what was really cute was my father made a play, a shibai, where the Sunday school children would be the actors and actresses.”
PictureTemple president Masa Nishimori, and members Suye Kawahima, Sandy Takahashi and George Higaki, whose father carved the transome. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
A Beacon of Light
   The handful of elderly members continue to keep the temple in perfect working order, preserving their history and honoring their ancestors. Along with a contingent of elderly members who do an annual work day to prepare for Obon, church president Masa Nishimori is a constant presence.
   “Trimming trees, hauling filled wheelbarrows clear across the property and back, mowing the yard, raking leaves, and doing various handyman work are just some of the things he does, so that the property is kept in good condition,” commented Sandy.
   The future of HJM is uncertain, but it continues to be a regular destination for both Japanese and mainland visitors. The remaining members hope to see it preserved for future generations as a center for learning and remembrance.
   Every Buddhist temple contains a munafuda (dedication board), which is placed somewhere high in the rafters. Like a time capsule, along with a recording of the construction details including names of the people and funders, the Hāmākua Jodo Missionʻs munafuda also contains a prayer for the future:
May there be harmony below the heavens with the sun and moon shining
brightly.
May the wind and rain be timely and disasters and calamities not arise.
May nations be bountiful, people be safe, and armies and weapons not used.
Let us revere virtue and humanity and cultivate respect and humility.
For more information:
Historypin.org: Hamakua Jodo Mission
Visit: North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center’s Heritage Center
0 Comments

To Walk With the Ancestors:                                               Lapakahi and the North Kohala Coast                                       Ke Ola Magazine   March / April 2020

3/11/2020

0 Comments

 
PictureLooking north towards Mahukona from the south point of Lapakahi. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
 
  Lapakahi State Historical Park (LSHP), a significant cultural complex along the leeward coast of North Kohala on Hawai‘i Island, is a time portal through which we can glimpse the thriving life of Hawai`i’s early settlers and a touchstone for Hawaiian cultural practitioners. Once a thriving fishing village and upland field system, it is also the center piece of Kohala coast land preservation efforts.
  The Kohala district, a peninsula that points NW, is unique in that it is neatly divided between windward and leeward or i loko (inside) and i waho (outside). The leeward coast provided calm waters and rich fishing grounds and as the population grew, an upland field system.
Picture
A reconstructed house site built with bamboo and pili grass thatching. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
PictureSea water was poured into hollowed out stones, evaporating to leave pa'akai (salt). Photo by Jan Wizinowich
Evolution of an Ahupua`a
  Initial settlements were centered in the valleys on the lush windward side of the peninsula. But sometime in the 1300s, it is thought that a growing population expanded to the leeward side, creating settlements such as Lapakahi.
  Beginning in the late 1960s, Lapakahi has been the focus of a series archaeological excavations initiated by Richard Pearson and Roger Green who conducted one of the first studies of an ahupua`a in its entirety.  Ahupua`a generally run from the mountain to the ocean and were a functional organization in which `ohana could harvest and exchange resources.
Lapakahi began with Koai`e, a fishing village located on a small cove with a coral beach and a canoe landing. There is no way of knowing for sure, but related `ohana probably made their way overland or traveled by canoe to find a calm landing place to settle. Now a marine sanctuary, the reef provided and still provides an abundance of life sustaining food in the form of fish, shellfish and seaweed.
  Eventually, with the increase in population, the fishing village expanded upland into the dryland forest, which probably consisted of such plants as a`ali`i, iliahi and koai’a. Terraced fields were created and watered from the Kohala Mountain watershed, which they harnessed into auwae (irrigation canals).
  The population continued to expand and starting in 1450, the Lapakahi field system would be continuously developed and intensified and divided into smaller sections with permanent boundaries. House sites evolved from temporary shelters used during the growing season to permanent residences. It is estimated that food production in the ahupua`a peaked out towards the end of the 18th century and that most of the residents were gone by the early 1900s.
PictureEntrance to Lapakahi State Historic Park. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
A New Era
  Although Lapakahi was no longer an active community, it continued to be a place of healing and knowledge. Papa Henry Auwae, a noted Hawaiian healer born in the early 1900s, spent time at Lapakahi as a child studying with kahuna la`au lapa’au (traditional Hawaiian healers) there.
  “There were kahuna that dealt with mountain plants and those who dealt with coastal plants and some of the coastal kahuna lived at Lapakahi.  Papa also said that the water off the coast of Lapakahi was the water used for healing,” said Momi Naughton, who interviewed Papa for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1989.
  Lapakahi was also visited by local Kohala residents for fishing and recreation. “The Akonipule highway was not there. That was very significant for Lapakahi; it was very inaccessible for many people. The only people who knew about it and used it were Kohala people and ranch people. It was and still is very good fishing grounds,” recalls Fred Cachola.
  Fred, who was born and raised in Kohala, remembers trips to Lapakahi with his Boy Scout Troop in the 1940s and 1950s. “The plantation truck would pick us up at the scout hall in Hala`ula and take us to Mahukona. We’d bring canned goods and cabbage and onions. No coolers. We packed water in 5 gallon military surplus water cans. We walked the coastal road, fished, swam and earned merit badges,” said Fred. “At that time, it was choked with kiawe. It was so thick, the only way you could walk was on the trail,” he added.
  The kiawe was removed during the process of the archaeological excavations, which began in the late 1960s with the Koai`e fishing village. During a series of digs, archaeologists found the remains of a village complete with all the necessities of life.
  Koai`e Cove provided a launching area for canoes with the foundations of a hale wa`a (canoe house) nearby. Archaeologists also uncovered the remains of house sites that were lashed pole constructions, on rock wall foundations and thatched with pili grass. Salt was crucial and there are several pohaku pa`akai (salt making stones), large flat rocks with bowl like indentations that held the evaporating sea-water.  A well dug for fresh water was also found.
  With close connections to the spirits of the land, there are the remains of a heiau (place of worship) constructed on a promontory; Ku`ula, a stone fishing god, who received part of the fishermen’s catch, sits on the south point overlooking the ocean.  Archaeologists also found several burial sites.
  An extensive field system, which was part of the Kohala field system, was discovered in the upland portion of the ahupua`a. A network of trails connected the mauka (mountain) and makai (shoreline) areas, as well as providing access between field sections. The main stone-lined trails were also hollowed out, perhaps to collect rain water runoff.
  There are also upland house sites that evolved from temporary, seasonal shelters to established permanent homes, reflecting the evolution and settlement of the Lapakahi ahupua`a. It was in this upland area that kalo (taro) and `uala (sweet potato) were grown. These were shared with the shoreline fishing families in exchange for ulu, octopus, shellfish, various reef fish, seaweed and salt.
  In 1973 Lapakahi State Historical Park, which now consists of 279 acres, was established. In 1979 the park was extended to include a Marine Life Conservation District to protect the rich diversity of coral and fish along the coast. The restoration of native plants at Lapakahi such as ma`o (native cotton), milo, hinahina kahakai, `ilima and niu (coconut) provide an outdoor botanical classroom for la`au lapa`au practitioners and visitors.
  The park is a place where residents and visitors can get a glimmer of what life was like in pre-contact Hawai`i. But the healing spirit of the land lives on for members of Na Haumana La`au lapa`au o Papa Auwae (NHLLOPA) who meet there annually in October to share and perpetuate healing traditions passed to them from Papa Henry Auwae. The NHLLOPA has also been responsible for caretaking the park since 2010, initially through an agreement with the State Parks and now sponsored through the Friends of the Future.
Picture
Ku'ula, the fishing god where fisherman left a portion of their catch. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
PictureA rock shelter flanked by milo trees. The wood was used to make bowls and canoe paddles. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
Walking with the Ancestors
  Lapakahi is a pearl amongst a strand of settlements along the leeward Kohala coast, which has the most pre-contact historical, cultural archaeological sites in the State of Hawai`i. The spirit of the lands of Kamehameha I have called out to the hearts of the community, making the Kohala coast the focus of concerted land preservation efforts by several groups and agencies.
With the North Kohala Community Development Plan as guide, the non-profit corporation, Kohala Lihikai, made up of five land preservation groups, has been a driving force behind the efforts to preserve the Kohala coast as a, “…recreational and educational resource for future generations of residents and visitors,” according to Toni Withington, North Kohala community advocate and spokesperson for Kohala preservation efforts.
  The bulk of the funding for the purchase of coastal lands has come from the County’s 2% Open Space Fund and the State’s Legacy Land Preservation Program. In addition to that the Trust for Public Lands and Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, federal grants and private donors have also contributed.
  From 2010 to 2017, the efforts of volunteer groups and community members raised 20.9 million dollars and preserved 390 acres along the North Kohala coast, with many acres pending purchase. Just south of Lapakahi, Kaiholena, was acquired in 2016. According to the Hawai’i Island Land Trust (HILT), “Kaiholena was once a thriving community as remnants of heiau, massive halau, burial sites, and village complexes are still visible.  Kaiholena has been said to have numerous, pre-contact intact cultural and archaeological sites in Hawai‘i with over 200 sites that qualify for the National Historic Register found there.”
  Along with the acquisition of coastal lands, is the need to establish access by identifying and maintaining historic trails. Organizations such as E Mau Nā Ala Hele, the Ala Kahakai Trail Association (ATA) and the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail have added both financial and trail development resources to the preservation efforts.  
  The 2016 purchase of Kaiholena South by the ATA (with the support of numerous organizations and individuals), added to Kaiholena North and Central, provide a total of 10 miles of protected coastline and potential trail. Preservation efforts are ongoing with the ultimate goal being a North Kohala coastline free of development and with community access for recreation, fishing and historic preservation.
  Lapakahi is a window into the past, but also the beginning of the re-awakening of Hawaiian ancestral spirits who live on through the land and the voices of the Kohala community.

0 Comments

Tutu's House: Celebrating 25 years of Community, Health and Wellness    Ke Ola Magazine Nov / Dec 2019

11/11/2019

0 Comments

 
PictureEarl Bakken: A celebration of a life well lived. Photo courtesy of FOF.
   Nowhere is the aloha spirit of the Waimea and Hawai‘i Island communities more evident than at Tutu’s House. Dropping by on any given day, one can find a constant flow of activities where community members are making connections, building relationships, sharing new skills, and seeking health and wellness information.
   Tutu’s House has thrived for the last 25 years as the result of the heart/mind connections of a community of people who believe in the power of love. Based on Hawaiian values, Tutu’s House is a place of wisdom, knowledge, and acceptance.
   Tutu’s House was primarily the brainchild of Earl Bakken, who was encouraging North Hawai‘i Community Hospital to include a resource center in the hospital. Originally slated to be a part of the NHCH, by the time the hospital finally opened in 1996, Tutu’s House had been in operation for two years and had outgrown any purview or space that might have been available at the hospital. 
   Tutu’s House is a blend of western, complementary, and cultural approaches to health and wellness. At the time of its inception, Earl was on the board of the Friends of the Future (FOF) and had a special focus of health and wellness. The inventor of the implantable pacemaker, Earl was steeped in medical science but saw the importance of relationship beyond technology.
   “His idea was a combination of tech and love. He noticed that it [the pacemaker] worked better depending on who installed it. High tech and high touch need to go together,” said Richard Spiegel, who gave Tutu’s House its name. “We were all looking at how to manifest that and make it useful for individuals and the community,” he added.  
   Working within FOF, Earl and a handful of like-minded community members laid the philosophical foundation of a place where people could come for non-judgmental acceptance and the wisdom that only a tutu (grandmother) could provide.
PictureTutu's House participants can sample movement activities such as chair yoga. Although Zettelyss Amora has moved away from Hawai'i, she returns frequently and leads other activities. Photo courtesy of FOF
Program Leaders
   A gem with many different facets, Tutu’s House has been the beneficiary of a series of dedicated program leaders. When it opened in 1994, long-time community members Noni Kuhns, program leader, and Linda Kalawa, ‘ohana facilitator, were at the helm. 
   Having led cancer retreats using alternative therapies, Noni came to the attention of Earl, who enlisted her help to get the then-unnamed resource center underway.
   “When people saw their [Noni and Linda’s] faces, they really had a connection to them in the sense that if they were part of it, it must be a good place. They gave it its initial form, what it was meant to be, based on the importance of relationship and connection,” explained Susan Maddox, FOF executive team leader. 
   During the first seven years, the Tutu’s House calendar provided a range of classes to promote healthy living including vibrational healing, meditation, listening partnerships, sleep wellness, and biofeedback. These were enhanced by creative offerings such as hula and ‘ukulele.
   In 2001, the next program leader, Dana Moody, came to Tutu’s House. Originally a photojournalist, Dana approached Tutu’s House with an offer of a slide presentation of the around-the-world journey she took with her sister, Peggy, who also offered a series of communications classes.
   In the six years Dana was there, she guided Tutu’s House through two moves from the original tiny space in Parker Ranch enter to a larger space there, and finally to their current location in the rear building of the Kamuela Business Center.
   Dana continued to explore the intersection of medical fields and alternative approaches to health and wellness, adding yoga and women’s groups to Tutu’s House, including a women’s cancer support group. During her tenure, she also traveled to Washington DC to share the Tutu’s House story at a health and wellness conference.
   The current program leader, Lorraine Urbic came to Tutu’s House from a life of community service through the foster care system. Tutu’s House provided space for her to recruit and train foster parents and gave her a longtime appreciation of the programs available.
   “I was always intrigued by Tutu's House but with working and raising children, I couldnʻt come. What Iʻve tried to do during my 12 years here is to expand the program to have things scheduled after-hours and on weekends so that people who are 40-hours-a-week people can enjoy what can happen here,” explained Lorraine.

Picture
The Tuesday morning 'ukulele group gathers weekly to share music, laughter and lunch. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
PictureRunning for more than 10 years, Gretchen Geisler has led the knitting group with creativity and fellowship, here with January Heron. Photo courtesy of FOF
Offerings
  During those initial years, Tutu’s House, “continued to expand that definition of health and wellness. It took on a life of its own and it wasnʻt by design. There wasnʻt that notion that weʻre going to do this, this, and this, and we were going to work towards specific outcomes. It was allowed to unfold in the way it worked in the community and the way it was effective for folks,” reflected Susan. 
   Along with funding resources, Earl was a conduit through which Tutu’s House could be connected to the world community and such pioneers of mind/body medicine as Dr. Oz and Harvard professor Dr. Herbert Benson, to name just a couple.
   With a philosophy based on community connections and relationships, Tutu’s House has provided the space and support for community programs that are multifaceted and continue to broaden the concepts of health and wellness.
   “Every person who came into Tutuʻs House was a gift to me and my goal was finding out what that gift was. Either a story they shared or an experience and a learning lesson,” remembers Joan Campbell, Health Maps leader.
   The quilters’ group meets on a regular basis and has expanded to the dyeing of fabrics. FOF Resource Development Leader Michelle Medeiros asks: “What does a creative endeavor have to do with health? The longevity of a person can be predicted based on the number of social interactions that person has on a daily basis. Also, the quilting and knitting groups check up on each other, and the quilting group even created a driving schedule for a member that had to go to Hilo for chemo.”
   Space is open to anyone who has a passion for something that they want to share; credentials are not necessary. One of the most successful programs has been the writers’ group, began by the late John Holland. “He showed up week after week and sat in that room and wrote. Eventually one or two people came and now it’s grown in number and to professional levels of publishing and readings,” said Lorraine.
   The Tuesday morning ‘ukulele group is another longtime offering. Began by Aunty Elaine Loo and carried on by Aunty Margie Spencer, it continues, now led by a group member. Participants make joyful music, and share laughter and lunch.
PictureMaureen Garry shares approaches to Build a Better Brain twice a month. Photo courtesy of FOF
Nested Programs
Health maps and Earl’s Garage were additional dimensions of the program offerings of Tutu’s House, expanding the range of people served.
 
Health Maps
   Seeing the need for health education and information sources, Earl also guided an adjunct program called Health Maps in 1996 and hired public health specialist, Joan Campbell, to assist. The internet was really starting to grow and to make a dizzying amount of medical information available.
   “They would have a diagnosis where they were being challenged by their health and they wanted to learn more. Iʻd go online and help them find information about it,” explained Joan. 
   This was balanced out by the wisdom of Hawaiian health practices. One early mainstay was la‘au lapa‘au practitioner, Henry “Papa” Auwae. Papa offered many presentations on traditional Hawaiian healing, which blends spirituality with tangible plant medicines. “One of my favorite times was when Papa Henry Auwae would come in. He shared so much about Hawai‘i and healing,” said Joan.
   Although Health Maps focused on science, it was embedded in the Tutu’s House philosophy of love and connection. “Opening up and talking to people about your life, and sharing and taking the time to do that was super important, and part of the healing process. That was foundational for me,” remembers Joan.
 
Earl’s Garage
   Earl’s Garage is a program that was near and dear to Earl Bakken’s heart. Began in 1999 with help from Parker Ranch, it is a re-creation of sorts of the garage where, with only a few basic tools, Earl’s tinkering led to the invention of the implantable pacemaker. 
   Originally developed by Michelle Medeiros, who had arrived at Tutu’s House in 1998 as a volunteer and six months later was on staff, Earl’s Garage provides a place where kids can follow their curiosity, invent, and explore their world. Twenty years later, it’s still going strong. “It’s what Tutu’s House is all about. The sharing of our own gifts and passions. It helps kids recognize the gift of curiosity and how to develop it,” recalls Michelle. 
 
The Future
   For the last 25 years, Tutu’s House has touched the lives of many people and will continue to do so. What Tutu’s House will look like in the next 25 years will be guided by the reflections and inspirations of community members. “Because weʻre celebrating the 25th anniversary, I want to meet with people to ask them about their vision. Iʻd like to serve more people and have more variety. We are always changing because we have new participants,” said Michelle.
   While the world and our tiny community is constantly changing, Tutu’s House will continue to provide the conditions for positive growth, where Waimea residents and beyond can sink roots and strengthen each other.
 
For more information: tutushouse.org

Picture
Bernie Ohia, 'ohana facilitator, discusses the latest newsletter with Michelle Medeiros, FOF resource development leader. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
0 Comments

Waimea's Stories in Color    West Hawai'i Today / Oct. 1 2019

10/2/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
HPA mural artists and Estria Foundation staff
   Three key stories of Waimea were revealed on Sept 28th with the unveiling of a mural, spanning the makai exterior wall of the Waimea Community Center. With ti leaf and water from nearby Kohakohau, stream in hand, Kahu Danny Akaka, assisted by wife Anna, performed the blessing, buffeted by the ubiquitous Waimea uhi wai rain.
   This was followed by a chant and a gourd offering from Kumu Kuwalu Anakalea. “This gourd was grown right here at the HPA Village Campus and the water inside it is from Kohakohau, Manaua's (water spirit) river. And then you have the pa'akai (sea salt). Kane is the sun and Kanaloa the ocean water and they combine to create evaporation and the pa'akai. With this we're asking for all the stories to become firm and solid inside of us,” explained Anakalea.
   The result of over a year’s collaboration between HPA high school students and Mele Murals, the flagship program of The Estria Foundation (TEF), a non-profit co-founded by mural artist Estria Miyashiro, whose vision is to work with students to foster the creation of public art that explores and perpetuates the cultural stories of Hawaii’s communities.
   The process begins with the formation of a mural club, whose members are responsible for some of the funding and are integral to the process from start to finish. Guided by foundation staff and community cultural practitioners, club members go through a process of researching the history and stories, exploring and visioning and creating a template for the stories they will tell through art.
   The preparation process for this mural began with a hike to the top of Pu'u Hoku'ula, where Kumu Ku'ulei Keakealani shared the stories of the three significant pu'u that keep vigil over Waimea town. The title for the mural, Pali Kapu o nā li'i o Waimea refers to the collective name of the Waimea hills and is translated as the sacred hillsides of the alii of Waimea.
Picture
Kumu Keakealani flanked by Katie Benioni and Katie's mom, Barbara Robertson, whose mom was the source of the stories. Photo by Nancy Erger
   After the blessings there was a gathering of gratitude to acknowledge the many community contributions and to interpret the mural.
   “On the first day we hiked up Hokuula and got to do some meditation and hear some moolelo (stories), which inspired our mural. I learned a lot about my place and I made a lot of deep connections through this,” reflected Michi Wong.
   Those connections are reflected in the three mural sections. Kawehi Cabuzel explained the plover depicted in the left-hand panel.  
   “In the olden days people would go up into these mountains and “fish” for them, which is called lawaia manu. It was tradition to gather feathers for the capes of the alii and also the head pieces. The bird represents patience and stillness because the people had to wait patiently for the birds to come and had to sit still in the tall grass.”
The joyful face of the goddess Wao beams out from the middle section.
   “The face represents a Hawaiian goddess Wao, who lives among the hills. During meditation a lot of us kept seeing her face and her hair flowing into the water. She's known for being super happy and connected to the nature around her,” shared HPA student Naia Ayau.
   Keakealani adds: “Her eyes are peering upward. There's a god, who becomes her husband, Makuakaumana. When I look at that I see her looking up as her husband is coming down to meet her and propose. Knowing the story and seeing the wall, here is another way the story lives on.”

Picture
Kumu Kawalu with HPA mural artists
  Other important stories originate with Manaua, a guardian spirit and shape shifter depicted in the far right-hand section.
   “There’s a story of three lawaia manu who go to Anna's pond after fishing for birds. They asked her permission by putting a ti leaf in the water and if it floats, you have permission to go in, but if it doesn’t float you’re forbidden from entering. It floated and they went in, but then one of them disappeared. During meditation we kept seeing these big lizard eyes coming up out of the water,” related Natalie Klett.
   The mural’s stories are now part of our visual landscape and are alive in the hearts and minds of the students who worked so hard to complete it and will continue to perpetuate the tales of Waimea. “We're getting older and you will have to malama this place after us and pass these stories on,” concluded Miyashiro.
0 Comments

Kawaihae I: Bringing and Ahupua'a Back to Life                          Ke Ola Magazine Sept / Oct 2019

9/11/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
  During Kamehameha’s time the ahupua`a of Kawaihae fed thousands of people with its rich ocean resources and highly developed field system, irrigated from the abundant Kohala watershed. Now there are only remnants of that time within the arid, goat infested slopes and runoff that is compromising the shoreline waters and fisheries.
  But the spirit of the land is rising up to speak through the efforts of the Kailapa Community Association (KCA) and their many partners. The Kailapa subdivision, given its name by Kawaihae kupuna Aunty Lani Akau, began development in the 1980s. Located just north of Kawaihae within the Kawaihae I ahupua`a, Kailapa is now a community of 146 homes.
  Incorporated in 2004 the KCA acquired nonprofit status in 2010, when the association began moving towards creating the foundations for the development of a sustainable, resilient community based on Native Hawaiian values.
  One of their first steps was to gather to plan the construction of a multi-use pavilion that would be the piko of the community. “The pavilion was built by volunteers from the community. It just worked. It really brought the community together and now we have a place to gather,” said KCA Executive Director, Diane Kaneali`i.
  What came out of the pavilion planning process was the vision to work together to achieve self-sufficiency through traditional Hawaiian values. Now, essentially complete, the pavilion provides a place to share knowledge, traditions and practices.
PictureThe KCA meets to discuss the future of the ahupua'a in the new community-built pavilion. Photo courtesy of KCA
A Net Thrown Wide
  With the potential of 10,000 acres and limited water sources, creating a functioning ahupua`a is a tall order, but along with Kailapa community resources -- landscapers, heavy equipment operators, cultural practitioners, ranchers, la'au lapa'au and entertainers to name a few – KCA is receiving help from its connections to the broader community.
  In January 2018, the KCA was selected as one of two Hawai`i communities to participate in the Resilient Hawaiian Community Initiative (RHCI), a one-year program funded through the Department of the Interior, which seeks to combine a biocultural framework for resilience by using local/traditional ecological knowledge and cutting-edge science.
  Beginning in April 2018, the community met with Pacific Solutions and their team of specialists to ponder the question: What is important to you and what are your fundamental values in this? A massive amount of information was gathered and with the guiding vision of “`Ehuehu I ka Pono” (Thrive in Balance), the KCA developed a resilience plan that balances wai, `āina and kānaka.  Three core values emerged as a guiding framework: mālama `āina or resource management; noho kū`olo`a or self-sufficiency; and laulima or community cohesiveness.
PictureKCA community members and officials walk the watershed. Photo courtesy of KCA
First, Know Your Place
  In order to mālama `āina, one has to understand the land and what it needs and so for KCA, the first step is to get access to the entire ahupua`a. The Department of Hawaiian Homelands, which owns the entire ahupua`a, has leased out some upper sections to which KCA is in the process of gaining access. 
  “Once we get right of entry and we can get on to the land we can begin to understand the issues and how we mitigate those issues, how we care for the place before we start to put our needs onto it,” explained KCA Executive Director Diane Kaneali`i.
  Most crucial to feeding the land is access to water, which has, in recent history, been diverted for use by the ranches. Traditional irrigation brought water down from 5000 feet in a controlled auwai network, which in turn created a thriving field system. The Kehena ditch with its 16 inch pipe laid in 1968 is a potential major source of water.
  “We took a trip up there (Kohala watershed) with Tim Richards and water resource managers and yes the pipe is there and still intact to bring water down. Now the Commission of Water Resource Management, an agency in charge of all potable water in the state needs to put in gauges so we know how much water is coming out of there. There's plenty of water for everyone but we need to get our share of it,” said Diane.
  In the hoped-for scenario for Kawaihae I, water and power are inextricably linked. As the water flows down the mountain there is potential to generate power and will be captured in a series of reservoirs afloat with solar panels.
Picture
The zones of the Kawaihae I Ahupua'a. Photo courtesy of Diane Kaneali'i
PictureAn walker observing the remnants of an ancient auwai. Photo courtesy of Diane Kaneali'i
Discovering the Past in the Landscape
  KCA has also been able to get some outside help to understand the natural systems that were once at play and allow them to thrive again. “Dr. Michael Graves has been coming from New Mexico to study these fields. He’s taken soil samples and was able to document how the water came down because the old auwai system is still intact,” said Diane.
  Using traditional historic resources, information provided by Dr. Graves and topographic imaging provided through the use of Geographic Information System mapping, a clearer picture of the ahupua`a is developing. Also based on traditional knowledge the ahupua`a is divided up into zones that reflect their historical use.
  These zones have been given the term campuses as they will provide real world learning labs for KCA community members and their partner organizations, as well as future student groups. “Each campus will offer people, schools, general public opportunities to come learn and take in what the land has to give to them,” explained previous project manager Jordon Hollister.
  Beginning at the top, “The mauka portion is the wao akua where the aquafers are recharged and contains the rainforest, so that would be a campus to learn about those things,” said Jordon. “Wao Nahele, where Kahuā Ranch is leasing is another campus for people to learn about starting a new forest.”
  The next campus is wao kanaka, which holds the potential for lessons in sustainable ranching and agriculture. Wao `ilima, below that is an area that once held an extensive field system.
“There's a lot of agricultural fields that exist there that are very well preserved. It’s a place to learn about traditional Hawaiian agriculture and reinstitute the agricultural field system with adaptive reuse and reopen those fields,” said Diane.
  Below that is the oihana campus, which is traditionally designated for a profession or job and already contains a solar powered aquaculture operation. “This site would focus more on 21st century agricultures, aquacultures, solar farms. Whatever we can do to make ourselves more self-sufficient,” explained Jordon. 
  The Kahakai campus, which is 72 acres along shoreline across the highway from Kailapa will be a place to learn about managing shoreline resources. “Keali'i Maielua is our manager for this ocean front project. Keali'i and his wife Pualani, who is on our board, are part of Na Kalai Wa'a so that's the part that called to them. They’re walking it to see what the land tells them, what the land needs,” said Jordon. “There's potential for a kai campus as well. There are fishing grounds out there and we'd like to keep alive the practices to mālama the fishing grounds,” he added.
PictureNā Kilo `Āina participants get hands-on lessons in reef life. Photo courtesy of Diane Kaneali'i
To Observe and Move Forward 
  Along with revitalized field systems and re-vegetated slopes to prevent erosion and runoff, fishing grounds, an essential food source, need to be managed. To gain an understanding of the management of this resource, the KCA along with partners Kai Kuleana and South Kohala Coastal Partnership, took a trip to Moloka`i to meet with Uncle Mac Poepoe to learn about managing community fisheries.
  Service learning was interspersed with explorations of the north shore of Moloka`i and the proposed Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area. Upon their return, the groups gathered to record what they had gleaned and to create a picture of what an ocean fisheries management plan for Kawaihae might look like.
  For the last seven years KCA, looking towards future generations, has sponsored the Nā Kilo `Āina ocean camp, led by Pelika Andrade. Kilo are traditional watchers and observers of the land and ocean to guide resource management. For one week in October, students gather to observe and study their environment. Participants come away with a sense of the connectivity between the natural processes that are crucial to a healthy ahupua`a.
  “They study the opihi and observe moon and spawning cycles, examine gonads and make comparisons in take and no-take areas, matching science with kupuna knowledge,” explained Diane. 
A New Ahupua`a in the Making
  The KCA has set a solid foundation of goals, values and intentions that will help the island community see the potential for a sustainable future and perhaps lead the way for other ahupua`a. With the guidance of traditional Hawaiian values in combination with adaptive re-use using the available technology, Kawaihae I has the potential to provide renewable resources that reach beyond its boundaries.
  “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to take on this role to create a thriving sustainable ahupua`a. Thousands of people were fed off these lands and I believe that we can do that again. These are huge opportunities that we are trying to create and bring to fruition but it's not something that's going to be done overnight,” concluded Diane.
0 Comments

Makali'i Mahalo

9/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Keala Kahuanui and Chadd Paishon, land crew program coordinators beam with gratitude. Photo by Kapulei Flores
  Last Monday evening the Ohana Makalii gathered at the Kahilu Theater to mahalo and celebrate with all those who made her upcoming voyage possible. When she embarks on her latest voyage in June to Mokumanamana, the northern most Hawaiian island, Makalii will be carrying provisions provided by 10 island school gardens and five community groups.
  The theater lobby was filled with participating school staff and students, community groups, community members and crew members and their families. With the call of the pu we gathered chanting “Malana Mai Kau” as we made our way into the auditorium, led by cultural practitioner Pua Case.
  The voyage is a focal point of the Hanauna Ola (To Sustain the Generations) program, funded through a 2016 Administration for Native Americans grant. The idea for the program was inspired by a question asked by Chadd Paishon eight years ago: “Can our island provision one canoe as our ancestors did?” Looking to the past and into the future, the Hanauna Ola program, whose purpose is to restore and perpetuate cultural practices that support our island community’s physical, spiritual, and psychological health and well-being, was the catalyst that energized 10 school gardens and five community groups into action. 
Picture
Lehua Ah Sam with a gathering of canoe families. Photo by Kapulei Flores
  This visionary program has three components: canoe crew training, provisioning and cordage and hanai waa, which is the spiritual element that underpins everything. 
  The canoe crew met for regular trainings with Pwo Navigator, Shorty Bertelmann to learn the many skills involved in sailing the canoe, including non-instrument navigation, which all crew members learned. “There were 50 crew members trained, representing all the districts on this island, Kauai, Molokai and every generation from the very beginning of Makalii’s voyages,” said Lehua Ah Sam, Na Kalai Waa staff member.
  Bertelmann’s choice of Mokumanamana as a destination grew from a desire to discover the origins of the ancestors. There is evidence that Mokumanamana could be where the first Polynesians began their migratory path to Hawaii Island.
  “We want to try and take a look at Mokumanamana, to look back to our past to find out more about who we are. Aunty Pualani Kanaka’ole Kanahele will be on board. She has done research over the last 10 years to gain ancestral, cultural, scientific knowledge that we can pass on to our children,” said Bertelmann.
  The “land crew” was an essential element to the success of the program. “We went island-wide and asked: Would you be willing to be on board with this? And they all said yes and threw everything they had into it,” said program coordinator, Keala Kahuanui.
  Coordinated by Paishon and Kahuanui, the land crew worked together to grow and preserve food that will provision the 14-person rotating canoe crew for the 30-day voyage. Not only did the school gardens grow the food, but they also learned techniques for food processing and preservation such as dehydration, freeze-drying, pickling and canning.
  “We put 16 pounds of ulu (breadfruit) in the dehydrator and we came out with four pounds. For a cook on the waa, that is just amazing,” said Kahuanui.
  The results have been stunning with a variety of creative and delicious foods to sustain the crew on their voyage, a sampling of which is on display in the Kahilu Theater lobby as part of the Waimea Educational Hui’s art exhibit.
But Hanauna Ola goes beyond provisioning the canoe. “With Hanauna Ola, we can put food on the shelves and feed the kids. The schools are doing it in that sense beyond the voyage. That's the exciting thing. Young kids can create things and feed their own families with what they create,” said Paishon.
  The other focus area for the land crew is cordage which literally and metaphorically connects everything together. Crews learned about growing and processing hau, hala, niu and laʽi. “The cordage connects our moku, our waa and our kupuna (elders) islands together, but these tools, these skill sets will be applied beyond the voyage,” said Kahuanui. 
  Hanai waa, the third component of the program means to foster, sustain and connect and it is that spirit that was very much present at the gathering.  At the heart of hanai waa voices are raised in chant, a conduit to the deep spirit that connects everything and is the manner in which voices are sent out on the wind when a canoe leaves the shores.  “Chanting is huge, an integral part of everything that we do. A chant might ask permission for a canoe to begin its journey, announce the arrival of a canoe to the welcoming land base, or recite the genealogy of its creation. Hanai waa is to chant with all your heart with a complete understanding of the intention and purpose,” said Case.  
  Kahuanui calls out the names of the people who have contributed their time and efforts over the last three years to be acknowledged. The celebration is infused with joyous chanting as the crew and their family gather on the stage, voices flow, meet and connect.
  The Hanauna Ola program has glimpsed the past to move on into the future. The Polynesian voyagers accomplished the amazing feat of crossing the Pacific Ocean to discover and settle the most isolated land mass on earth through the combined efforts of the community and when they made landfall those principles enabled them to thrive.
   Now we have Makalii to teach us what we need to do for a sustainable future for generations to come. Hanauna Ola may have been a three-year program, but it has become a way of life and will continue on in our island communities. 
0 Comments

A Dream of the Heart: Island Artists Jane and Linus Chao         Ke Ola Magazine: July / August 2019

7/8/2019

0 Comments

 
In the most positive sense, the Chinese saying: “May your life be interesting” certainly applies to Jane and Linus Chao, island treasures who have been creating and teaching art for the last fifty years.  Primarily watercolor artists on silk and paper, art has always been at the center of their lives, which they have shared with our island community.
Picture
Jane at work at Studio Mountain View. Photo courtesy of Jane Chao.
PictureThe young artists in Taiwan
A Journey of the Heart
  Jane and Linus came separately to Taiwan, like lotus seeds arising from the murky chaos of post-World War II mainland China, to blossom into the artists they have become. Their journeys from northern China, to Japan to Taiwan and finally Hawai`i Island have been steeped in art and multicultural experiences.
  Jane spent her early years in Harbin, but lived in Japan from the time she was four years old until she was 12. While in Japan her talent was recognized.
  “When I was in Japan in elementary school the art teacher liked my work and that encouraged me. I was sent to a Japanese lady who paints Chinese paintings called Nan Ga, South Song Dynasty painting style. The Japanese came to China and brought that back to Japan,” said Jane.
  Upon her return to Harbin Jane resumed her art instruction with a Chinese teacher. When the war ended and with her father imprisoned in Siberia, Jane and her mother fled to Taiwan, where she met Linus. “I met him because I love art. He was in the normal university in Taiwan art department and he had an art show and I fell in love with his art and I married him. That's how we started,” recalls Jane.    
PictureLava Falls Into the Sea. By Linus Chao
Linus, who grew up in Qingdao, China, started a career in art at an early age.  “I’ve loved art since I was a young boy. Second year elementary, some naughty boys didn't like to draw and when the teacher went to the office all the people asked me to draw for them,” remembers Linus.
  In 1949 as the communists were taking over, Linus was sent to Taiwan, where he completed his last year of high school. But it would be two years of teaching elementary school art before he was to enter the university where he met Jane. With a chuckle he recalls: “I wanted to be a navy officer but my math, physics, chemistry was bad.”
New Dimensions
  While water colors have been his main media, when in 1959, Linus was selected to study animation in Japan, he joined the Tōei Studio in Tokyo and was introduced to a multi-media, collaborative process.
  After a year in Japan, Linus returned to Taiwan and came to the attention of Father Phillip Bourret, who sent Linus to Disney Studios to continue his animation work with the caveat that when he returned he would teach animation and make educational films.
  “At first I worked on Mary Poppins and after that they transferred me to Hana-Barbera and I worked on the Flintstones and Yogi Bear,” said Linus. Upon his return Linus established the Kuangchi Program Services animation department, training personnel and gathering the necessary equipment to create animated films. “He is called the father of Taiwan animation because he was the first one to make animated films in Taiwan,” said Jane, who assisted Linus with the animation work.
Picture
Waterfall Entering into the Sea. By Linus Chao
When Jane arrived on Taiwan, bringing her background in Nan Ga and Chinese Gungbei style brush painting she was looking to reconnect with art and took a class from a friend of Linus. “During this running around (before coming to Taiwan) I didn't do any art and then I met this guy and took a class from one of his friends and I developed my own style,” recalled Jane.
Picture
Lotus Pond by Jane Chao
Hawai`i Bound
  A change in U.S. immigration law that welcomed artists along with other professionals, opened a portal for the Chaos to come to the United States. A desire to be in a multicultural setting and the advice of friends from Hawai`i they had met in Taiwan, decided them on Hawai`i Island.  
  “We applied and within two months we got permission for the whole family, four children, to come to the United States. I knew Hawai`i was a beautiful place, singing, dancing. That's the place I wanted to go,” remembered Jane. 
  The rich colors and welcoming culture of Hawai`i inspired the Chaos and their distinctive artworks reflect their love of the natural surroundings of their island home.
  “My own style; it's not Japanese, it's not Chinese, it's not Western. Chinese and Japanese art is very serene. Not too much colors but after I came here I saw so much color and I said never mind, I'll just paint the colors,” recalled Jane.
  Jane’s watercolors on silk and paper create a world of serene beauty rendered in deep intense color. To look at one of her paintings is to feel as though one has found the way into the inner life story of Hawai`i’s natural world, so realistic it’s almost surreal.
Picture
Obake by Jane Chao
Direct Link From the Heart to the Page
  For the Chaos, art is a spiritual endeavor that has guided them in creating beauty and meaning in their lives and those around them. Not long after they arrived in Hilo, Linus was invited to teach art at Hawai`i Community College where, along with several international guest lecturer posts, he was a Professor of Fine Art for 33 years.
  Along with raising four children, Jane continued to paint and opened a gift shop on Banyan Drive where she exhibited both hers and Linus’ artwork. She had her first art exhibit in 1976 at the Hawai`i Preparatory Academy Gallery. After eight years and with her children off to mainland schools, Jane closed her Banyan Drive gift shop.
  Living in a neighborhood surrounded by schools, she began teaching after school art classes. “Now when I go out, I see an old man, bald and he says, ‘Mrs. Chao, how are you?’ And I say, ‘Do I know you?’ And he says, ‘I was your student when I was 8 years old’," recalls Jane.
  When Linus and Jane moved to their “Studio Mountain View” home, they designed and built, Jane taught art classes there and is still teaching. “I have a class of about 10 ladies, all my age, and we have a lot of fun,” said Jane.
Picture
Volcanic Symphony by Linus Chao
PictureCreating beauty in nature.
Studio Mountain View, named for its awe-inspiring view of Mauna Kea, rests on four acres that include a large fish pond, tea house and a smaller lotus pond.  In its entirety, Studio Mountain View and its surrounds are a philosophical metaphor, a testament to the deep connection to nature felt by the two artists. 
  “I carry a child-like heart full of confidence as I experience life in art. One example is the creation and construction of our home and garden. I am experimenting with three-dimensional art by combining traditional Chinese garden landscaping with art using the practice of feng-shui and the balance found in western aesthetics, with harmony and caring for the environment,” reflected Linus.
Unexpected Divine Inspiration
  Linus has gathered experiences in a semiotic that combines learned techniques and theories with memories and experiences creating a sense of divine connection to his subject. “There is much multimedia knowledge and work experience from photography and motion picture production that I have borrowed to apply in fine arts and the creative process of painting,” reflected Linus.
  His paintings range from impressionistic renderings of hidden Hawai`i treasures through memories of his childhood in wintry North China and travels in North America.
Picture
Village by Li-River by Linus Chao
“I have lived in Hawai`i over forty years; everywhere I look in the beautiful nature I see subjects worthy of being painted. But what is unforgettable for me is still my childhood homeland, Shandong; the silvery winter snow often calls to me in my dreams.”
  One of Linus’s paintings, “Lotus in Winter” is a metaphor for his life. “My pond outside here has a lot of lotus. I feel sorry about the winter, my age getting old. It comes from the mud. The mud is dirty but the lotus grows up over the water and becomes beautiful. A poor boy from a poor family, still has a chance to go higher.”
  His artwork ranges from dream images to capturing and communicating the essence of his subjects. Having previously done a portrait of John A. Burns, Linus was commissioned in 2017 to create a series of portraits of all the Deans of the John A. Burns Medical School.  These portraits reflect Linus’s careful study of his subjects to capture the spirit of the man.
Picture
Jane and Linus with Linus's John Burns portrait.
Open Hearts
  The Chaos have thrived in the inclusive spirt of Hawai`i and have a cadre of fellow artists who join them in their many exhibitions. Over the past alternating years they have mounted a “Linus and Jane Chao and Friends” exhibit at the Wailoa Center, as well as taking collaborative art shows on the road to Honolulu, Japan and Taiwan. Through their artwork and generosity of spirit, Jane and Linus have enriched the lives of all whom they have touched.
0 Comments

The Journey of a Raindrop:                                                Waimea Educational Hui's Annual Art Exhibit

5/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Hō`ala e nā Piko" by E. Kalani Flores.
Picture
As raindrops we begin the journey. Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
  Under heavy skies and pelting rains, we gathered at the Kahilu Theater lobby gallery for the opening of the 2019 annual Waimea Educational Hui (WEH) art exhibit. The hui was formed in 2007 with representatives of all Waimea schools and cultural practitioners with the goal of unifying Waimea schools through programs that perpetuate the history and culture of our community.   
  This year’s theme is: “Ka Wai E Ola, E Ola Nō A”; Water is sacred, Water is our responsibility, Water is Life. The artwork of Waimea students, family and community members graced the walls with the story of a raindrop, that most important first element of life, each piece, like one of many raindrops, blending together to tell the story of life, ola wai.
  We gather on the threshold of the makai lobby gallery and as the rain drums out a tattoo, cultural practitioner Kalani Flores journeys ahead, chanting into the far reaches and offers a pikai, a clearing, cleansing and blessing. We gather close as Pua Case, our guide, asks us to imagine ourselves as a single drop of rain to begin our travels from the highest mountain to the deepest sea through the eyes of Waimea artists.
  “The exhibit will take us as a drop from the sky to the mountain to the hillsides, from rainfall to waterfalls to waterways of Waimea, down to the seaside, fish ponds and finally to the far reaches of the ocean,” reflected Pua.
  This great connection with water is built into the Hawaiian language in the most fundamental question: O wai kou inoa? What is your name? Or more accurately: Who is your water? Who nourishes you? But we are all nourished by Kāne and for this exhibit the question is: Aia i hea Ka Wai a Kāne? (Where is the water of Kane?)

Picture
Monuments of sacredness. Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
The first answer is the start of the day with the sun’s rays striking the water from the east.
Out there with the floating Sun,
Where the cloud-forms rest on Ocean’s breast,
Uplifting their forms of Nihoa,
This side the base of Lehua.
 
We enter the spiritual realm of all those who have gone before seeking knowledge and understanding of their world. Together we ponder beginnings and the sacred monuments humans have built that connect us to the sacredness above. 
On Hawai`i Island that connection is received through Mauna a Wākea and the exhibit begins with a photo by Kapulei Flores in celebration of the constant presence of Poliahu in her mountain realm. This is followed by “Power of Mana” by Amy Gordon and “Snow on Mauna Kea” by Shelly Stimac, both community artists.
Picture
Photo by Kapulei Flores. "Poliahu is found in the snow on the mauna, as well as her other forms such as ice and water. Without the snow, ice, and water that Poliahu provides, the mauna would not be the same."
Picture
Look to the heavens. Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
PictureAnghor Wat by Brayden Jadulang.
  The theme of monuments to the sacred is woven throughout. Many of the artists in this section, who have delved into Archaeoastronomy with Waimea Middle School 6th grade social studies teacher Ms Yohon, have created renderings of the monuments built to connect with and understand the great beyond.
  Moving east, we travel to Cambodia and the mysterious Anghor Wat, a massive temple to the Hindu god Vishnu and later a Buddhist place of worship. Built to represent Mt. Meru, the home of the gods, some of its towers line up with the sunrise at solstice.
PictureTop: photo of Pua's journey to Stonehenge. Below: "Pua at Stonehendge" by Tina Yohon. Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
  Abu Simbel, in Nubia, upper Egypt, a desert land where the preciousness of water was understood. A monument to the Ramses II, the axis is positioned so that on 10/22 and 2/22, thought to be birth and inauguration dates for Ramses, the rays of the sun penetrate and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall.
  We travel further east and north, to Stonehenge, an ancient astronomical site in England, as well as a place of worship and healing, and the destination of a spiritual journey for Pua Case, who brought waters from Mauna a Wākea to Stonehenge as an offering and was gifted waters in return.
  North of England in the Orkney Islands stand the Ring of Brodgar. There are many unanswered questions about this monument, but it stands as testament to early worshipers.
PictureAhu Akivi by Goddess Gonsalves.
  Understanding the natural world and its many cycles was important to the survival of the ancients. Across the sea to Wyoming finds us standing on a mountain top in the middle of an astronomical calendar, called the Big Horn Medicine Wheel, a mountaintop astronomical calendar.
   Sweeping south we are at Kukulcan in Chitchen Itza, Mexico, an early observatory containing sight lines for 20 different phenomena such as eclipses, equinox and solstice.
  Also in Mexico in the area called Dzibilchaltun is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, where there is evidence of the recording of the vernal equinox, as well as Cenote Xlakah, a pool whose secrets have been a window into the past.
  South to Peru where we find the Intihuatana Stone, an ancient Incan ceremonial site for winter solstice, whose name means, “Place to tie up the sun”. (painted in acrylic by Waimea Middle School 6th graders Jusani Dickens and Mikayla Pesta.)
  And the last stop before returning home is Rapa Nui, where we find Ahu Akivi (by Goddess Gonsalves, Waimea Middle School 6th grade). These standing stones, or moai, are aligned to note the equinoxes and are believed to represent the ancestors, kings and important clan leaders of the original indigenous people.
At the next station as raindrops gather on the mountain top, we find Wai a Kāne:
Yonder on mountain peak,
On the ridges steep,
In the valleys deep,
Where the rivers sweep.
Picture"Womb of Mystery" by Kira DeGaetano Souza.
  These pieces point to the varied and sometimes hidden realms of water. The “Womb of Mystery” an acrylic painting by Kira DeGaetano Souza, is perhaps a metaphor for us climbing from the watery world and returning to it as well.
  “The Gift of Life” by son, Joaquim Souza, shows us the heart of the mauna and how it holds the waters of life for us.
  The Flores / Case `ohana created a photo essay that tells the story of their connection to Manaua, the sacred rain rock of our Waimea where the community from child to elder bestow gifts of leis to ask for rain and leis to offer in gratitude when the elements provide. Another image is of the `ohana gathered at a sacred place where sacred waters have emerged to form a pond among the rolling green landscape. 
Yonder, at sea, on the ocean,
In the driving rain, in the heavenly bow,
In the piled-up mist wraith,
in the blood-red rainfall
In the ghost-pale cloud form;
PictureThe many guises of water. Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
The group of pieces that follow are ethereal images and wild rainbow colors, exploring the many faces of place. Collages celebrate water in all its many guises and sources.
Up on high is the water of Kāne,
In the heavenly blue, in the black piled cloud,
In the black cloud,
In the black mottled sacred cloud of the gods;
There is the water of Kāne.

This section contains the waterways of Waimea, an array of watercolors, acrylic, colored pencil and explores the patterns of water that surround and support us, showing an awareness of the seen and unseen water pathways, each piece a raindrop that forms a cloud of understanding.

Picture
Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
 
Deep in the ground, in the gushing spring,
In the ducts of Kāne and Loa,
A well of spring water, to quaff,
A water of magic power – The water of life!
Life! O give us this life!
Images of the sustaining power of water, flowing from the mauna, the pu`u to feed and replenish the land. Fishponds thrive and life is given to the land. It is there before us, under us and around us.
Picture
Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
Traveling to the eastside gallery picks up from where we left off from the fishponds and seaside to the breaking waves. The chant Hohola Ke Kapa announces that a voyage will be taking place for Makaliʻi led out to sea with food and rope prepared by area schools for the voyage of Makaliʻi to Mokumanana in early June.
Picture
Photo by Kapulei Flores, Kapzphotography.
The waʻa carrying the tiny drops of rain, now the fresh water on board, is the ancient ocean connection as witnessed by art pieces such as a diorama depicting “umu”, a pile of rocks used to trap manini. Models of great voyaging canoes and kites, the first sails used by humans, fly aloft. Graphite pencil drawings of canoe plants by 'Auli'i Case, photography and digital art, experiments with watery visions cover the walls. And the cycle is complete and the voyage begins. He inoa nō Kana.
Picture
"Reflection in Time" by O. Sarsona.
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    March 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Categories

    All
    2% Open Space Fund
    Adaptive Reuse
    Administration For Native Americans
    Adoption
    Aha Punanaleo
    Ahu Akivi
    Ahualoa
    Ahupuaʻa
    Aina Based Education
    ʽĀinakea
    Ainamalu
    Ai Pono
    Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
    Ala Kahakai Trail
    Ala Kahakai Trail Association
    Alapa'inui
    Alethea Lai
    Alo Kehau O Ka Aina Mauna
    Amanda Rieux
    Amaury Saint-Gilles
    Anaehoomalu
    Anaehoʻomalu Bay
    Andy Anderson
    Angel Pilago
    Anghor Wat
    Animation
    Anna Akaka
    Anna's Pond
    Annexation
    Aric Arakaki
    Armstrong Yamamoto
    Art And Sol
    Artists
    Artists Cooperative
    Audrey S. Furukawa Scholarship
    Audrey Veloria
    Aumakua
    Auntie Genoa Keawe
    Aunty Agnes Aniu
    Aunty Betty Webster
    Aunty Lani Akau
    Auwai
    Baby Steps
    Barbara Haight
    Barbara Nobriga
    Barbara Robertson
    Barrie Rose
    Barry Rose
    Battery Storage
    Before The Flood
    Bernie Ohia
    Bertelmann
    Betty Jenkins
    Betty Meinardus
    Big Horn Medicine Wheel
    Big Island Giving Tree
    Bill Sproat
    Birth Stones
    BISAC
    Bishop Museum
    Blue Planet Energy Lab
    Blue Planet Research
    Bobbi Caputo
    Bonaire
    Boys To Men
    Bryan Watai
    Bryce Groark
    Build A Better Brain
    Bullying
    Canada France Hawaii Telescope
    Canoe
    Canoe Garden
    Caribbean
    Catalina Cain
    Catherine Morgan
    Cathy Lowder
    Cathy Morgan
    Cattle
    Chadd Paishon
    Chair Yoga
    Charlie Campbell
    Chelsey Dickson
    Cherry Blossom
    Chiefess Hoopiliahue
    Children's Advocacy Center
    Chris Hawkins
    Christina Richardson
    Ciro Podany
    C. Kalā Asing
    Clarence Mills
    Clay Bertelmann
    Clem Lam
    Cliff Johns
    Cody Dwight
    Cody Pueo Pata
    Collage
    Commission Of Water Resource
    Connect For Success
    Conservation
    Cordage
    Counseling
    Craig McClain
    Croatia
    Dalani Tanahy
    Dana Moody
    Daniel Legler
    Danny Akaka
    Dave Allbee
    Dave Reisland
    David Gomes
    Department Of Hawaiian Homelands
    Descendents
    DHHL
    DHS
    Diane Kaneali'i
    Dickson
    DLNR
    Dolly Loo
    Dorrance Foundation
    Dot Uchima
    Dr. Isabella Abbott
    Dr. Michael Graves
    Dr. Noenoe Silva
    Drug Treatment
    Dr. Wasan
    Dry Forest
    Dry Forest Conservation
    Dryland Forest
    Dryland Forest Hui 'Ohana
    Earl Bakken
    Earl's Garage
    Earl Veloria
    Edith Kawai
    Edwin Lindsey
    `Ehuehu I Ka Pono
    Eileen Lum
    Electrolyzer
    Elijah Rabang
    Elizabeth Lee
    Elizabeth Lindsey Kimura
    Elizabeth Woodhouse
    Elliot Parsons
    Elmer Lim
    Emalani Case
    E Mau Na Ala Hele
    Emily Weiss
    Energy
    English
    Environmental
    Environmental Education
    Environmental Monitoring And Control Center
    Estria Foundation
    Estria Miyashiro
    Europe
    E. Woods Low
    Fair American
    Fairwind
    Feather Lei
    Fern White
    Fig's
    Figueroa
    Firehouse Gallery
    Floria Shepard
    Food Forest
    Four Seasons Resort
    Franz Solmssen
    Fred Cachola
    Friends Of The Future
    Fuel Cells
    Gary Eoff
    George Fry
    George Hook
    Ginny Bivaletz
    Gino Amar
    Gourds
    Green Technology
    Gungbei
    Gwen Sanchez
    Gwen Yamamoto
    Haia Auweloa
    Hale Kea
    Hale Wa'a
    Hamakua
    Hamakua Coffee
    Hanai Waa
    Hanauna Ola
    Harbin China
    Harold Craig
    Harry Buscher
    Harry Kim
    Hawaiian Ancestors
    Hawaiian Civic Club
    Hawaiian Cultural Practices
    Hawaiian Stilt
    Hawaiian Studies
    Hawaii Community Foundation
    Hawai'i Handweaver's Hui
    Hawaii Island Land Trust
    Hawai'i Island School Garden Network
    Hawai‘i Ponoʽī
    Hawai'i Public Seed Initiative
    Hawaii Sailing Canoe Association
    Hawaii State Art Museum
    Hawai'i State Mental Hospital
    Hawai'i Theater
    Hawi
    Hawi Christmas Lu'au
    Health And Wellness
    Health Maps
    Heather Sarsona
    HEEA
    Hee'ia
    He'eia Stream
    Helen Cassidy
    Helen Lincoln Lee Kwai
    Henk Rogers
    Herb Sigurdson
    High Chiefess Wao
    Highways Act Of 1892
    Hilo
    Hiroki Morinoue
    Hisao Kimura
    History
    Hohonu Journal
    Hokukano Ranch
    Hokulea
    Hokule'a
    Hokuloa Church
    Hoku'ula
    Holistic Learning
    Holistic Teaching
    Holly Green
    Holly Sargent-Green
    Homeless
    Honokaa
    Honokaa High School
    HPA
    Hualalai Cultural Center
    Hula
    Hulihe'e Palace
    Hydrogen Fuel
    Ieie Fiber
    Ike Hawaii
    Ili'ahi
    Indiana Jones
    Indigenous
    Innovations Charter School
    Integrated Curriculum
    Ipo Kahele
    Isaac Davis
    IUCN
    Jack London
    Jade Bowman
    James Fay Kaaluea Kahalelaumamane
    Jane Chao
    Janice Gail
    Japan
    Jared Chapman
    Jay West
    Jean Boone
    Jen Lawson
    Jenny Cheesbro
    Jim Frasier
    Jim Jarret
    Joan Campbell
    Joe Sigurdsan
    Joe Souza
    Johanna Tilbury
    John Hoover
    Jordon Hollister
    Julian Fried
    Jun Balanga
    Kahalu'u Bay Education Center
    Kahekili
    Kahiki
    Kahilu Theater
    Kahilu Theatre
    Kaho'olawe
    Kahua Ranch
    Kaiholena
    Kai Kuleana
    Kailapa
    Ka'iulani Murphy
    Kalaemano
    Kalahuipua'a
    Kalani Flores
    Kalani Schutte
    Kalaoa
    Ka Lei Maile Alii
    Kalepa Baybayan
    Kaloko-Honokōhau
    Kaluna Henrietta Ha'alo'u Kainapau
    Ka Makahiki Pule Aina Holo
    Kamana Beamer
    Kamana'opono Crabbe
    Kamehameha Park
    Kamehameha Schools
    Kamehameha Statue
    Kamehameha V
    Kamiki
    Kanaka'ole
    Kanak'ole
    Kanani Kaulu Kukui
    Kane
    Kane'ohe
    Kanile'a 'Ukulele
    Kanoa Castro
    Kano O Ka Aina
    Kanu O Ka Aina
    Kanu O Ka Aina Academy
    Kapa'au
    Kapakai
    Kapulei Flores
    Kapzphotography
    Karen Eoff
    Karin Hazelhoff
    Kar Tow
    Katie Benioni
    Kauai
    Kaʽūpūlehu
    Kawaihae
    Kawaihae Canoe Club
    Kawaihae I
    KCA
    Keakealani
    Keala Kahuanui
    Kealakaʽi Knoche
    Kealakekua
    Kealakekua Bay
    Keali'i Maielua
    Keanuiomano Stream
    Kehena Ditch
    Keiki Surf For The Earth
    Kekelaokalani
    Kekuhi Kanaka'ole Kanahele
    Keku'iapoiwa
    Ke Kumu Aina
    Kenneth Barthel
    Keoki Freeland
    Keoki Manu
    Keomailani Case
    Keoni Kuoha
    Keoua
    Kiho'alu
    Kiholo
    Kilauea Plantation
    Kilo
    King Kamehameha
    Koa Forest
    Koaia Corridor
    Koaia Tree Sanctuary
    Koai'e Cove
    Kohakohau
    Kohala
    Kohala Center
    Kohala Coast
    Kohala Elementary
    Kohala High School
    Kohala Hospital
    Kohala Hospital Charitable Foundation
    Kohala Lihikai
    Kohala Middle School
    Kohala Mountain
    Kohala School
    Kohala Sugar
    Kohala Sugar Co.
    Kohala Village HUB
    Kohala Watershed
    Kohanaiki
    Kohanaiki Ohana
    Koh Ming Wei
    Kona
    Krisin Souza
    Ku
    Ku Aina Pa
    Kue Petition
    Kūhiō
    Kuhio Village
    Kukuihaele Landing
    Kukuku O Kalani
    Kulolo
    Kumukahi
    Kumu Kuwalu Anakalea
    Ku'ula
    Ku'ulei Keakealani
    Ku'ulei Kumai-Ho
    Lanakila Learning Center
    Lanakila Mangauil
    Lani Aliʽi
    Lanikepu
    Lanimaomao
    Lapakahi
    Laulau
    Laupahoehoe Public Charter School
    Lawaia Manu
    Leandra Rouse
    Leesa Robertson
    Legacy Land Preservation Program
    Lehua Ah Sam
    Leila Kimura Staniec
    Lei'ohu Santos-Colburn
    Leiola Mitchell
    Leo Mills
    Leonetta Mills
    Lester Kimura
    Lili'uokalani
    Lim Family
    Linda Kalawa
    Lindsey House
    Linus Chao
    Lio Lapaʻau
    Lisa Ferentinos
    Lisa Hadway
    Lithium Ion Phosphate Batteries
    Liz Moiha
    Lo'i
    Lokahi Giving Tree
    Lokahi Treatment Centers
    Long Ears Coffee
    Lono
    Lono Staff
    Lorenzo Lyons
    Lorraine Urbic
    Louisson Brothers
    Luakini
    Luana Zablan
    Mabel Tolentino
    Mahiki
    Mahiloe
    Mahina Patterson
    Makahiki
    Makahiki Moku O Keawe
    Makahiki Run
    Makaiole
    Makalii
    Makali'i
    Makali'i Bertelmann
    Makuakaumana
    Makuakuamana
    Mala'ai
    Mala'ai Culinary Garden
    Malaai Garden
    Malama Ahupuaa
    Malama Honua
    Mallchok
    Maly
    Māmalahoa
    Manny Veincent
    Mao`hau Hele
    Marcia Ray
    Margaret Hoy
    Margaret Waldron
    Mariechan Jackson
    Marie McDonald
    Marine Life Conservation District
    Marseille
    Mary Ann Lim
    Mary Kaala Fay
    Mary Sky
    Mary Sky Schoolcraft
    Matt Hamabata
    Ma'ulili
    Ma'ulili Dickson
    Mauloa
    Mauna A Wakea
    Mauna Kea
    Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project
    Mauna Lani
    Maunaua
    Mau Piailug
    Mealani Lum
    Meg Dehning
    Meisner Technique
    Mele Murals
    Melora Purell
    Mentoring
    Micah Komoaliʻi
    Michelle Suber
    Mid Pacific
    Mieko Fujimoto
    Miloli'i
    Mindfulness Training
    Miriam Michaelson
    Mission Blue
    Mokumanamana
    Mokuola
    Molly Sperry
    Moloka'i
    Momi Naughton
    Mo'okini Heiau
    Mormon Church
    Murals
    Music
    Nae'ole
    Nahaku Kalei
    Naha Stone
    Na Haumana La'au Lapa'au O Papa AuwaeAuw
    Na Kalai Waa
    Na Kalai Wa'a
    Namaste
    Nancy Botticelli
    Nancy Carr Smith
    Nancy Redfeather
    Nan Ga
    Nani Svendsen
    Nan Pi'ianaia
    Na 'Ohana Holo Moana
    Na Opio
    Na Pali Coast
    National Parks Service
    Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation
    Nature Conservancy
    Navigation
    New Zealand
    NHERC Heritage Center
    Nita Pilago
    Niuli'i
    Noe Noe Wong-Wilson
    Noni Kuhns
    Nonprofits
    Nora Rickards
    North Hawai'i
    North Kohala
    North Kohala Community Development Plan
    North Kohala Community Resource Center
    Off Grid
    OHA
    Ohana
    Ohana Makalii
    'Ohana Wa'a
    Ohio State
    Oiwi T.V.
    Ola Ka 'Aina
    Olana
    Oliver Lum
    Opae Ula
    Opai
    Oral History
    Pacific Island Culture
    Pacific Studies
    Paddling
    Paishon
    Pakulea Gulch
    Palau
    Palila
    Palmyra Atoll
    Pana'ewa Zoo
    Paniolo
    Papahana Kualoa
    Papahanaumokuakea
    Papa Henry Auwae
    Paradise Postal
    Parker School
    Pat Hall
    Patrick Ching
    Patti Soloman
    Pelekane
    Pelekane Bay
    Pelika Andrade
    Pete Hackstedde
    Photovoltaic
    Pilina Kaula
    Pine Trees
    Pit River
    Plein Air Art
    Polani Kahakalau
    Pololu
    Polynesians
    Pomai Bertelmann
    Ponoholo Ranch
    Pono Von Holt
    Predators
    Prince Kuhio Kalanianiole
    Printing
    Provisioning
    PTSD
    Pua Case
    Pua Kanaka'ole Kanahele
    Puako
    Puako: An Affectionate History
    Puako Community Association
    Puako Historical Society
    Puako Sugar Mill
    Pualani Kanahele
    Pualani Lincoln Maielua
    Pua Lincoln
    Public Art
    Pukui
    Puna
    Punahou
    Punana Leo O Waimea
    Purell
    Puʻuhonua O Honaunau
    Pu'u Hulihuli
    Pu'ukohola Heiau
    Pu'u Pili
    Puʽuwaʽawaʽa
    Puʽuwaʽawaʽa Forest Bird Sanctuary
    Pu'u Wa'awa'a Ranch
    Pu'uwa'awa'a Ranch
    Qingdao China
    Queen Emma Land Co.
    Quilt
    Rain Gardens
    Rangoon
    Rebecca Most
    Rebecca Villegas
    Reef Teach
    Reforest Hawaii
    Reggie Lee
    Renewable Energy
    Requiem
    Resilient Hawaiian Community Initiati
    Rhonda Bell
    Richard Elliott
    Richard Pearson
    Richard Smart
    Ric Rocker
    Robbie Hines
    Roger Green
    Royal Order Of Kamehameha I
    Run Off
    Ryon Rickard
    Sacred Waters
    Sailing Canoes
    Salt Making
    Samuel Gruber
    Sam Wilbur
    Sandlewood
    San Francisco Call
    Sarah Kobayashi
    School Gardens
    Scot Plunkett
    Scott Kanda
    Sea Of Hope
    Shaelynne Monell-Lagaret
    Shorty Bertelmann
    Silk Painting
    Sir Pua Ishibashi
    Ski Kwiatkowski
    Solar
    Soloman
    Soloman Kapeliela
    Sony
    Sooty Tern
    South Kohala Coastal Partnership
    Star Compass
    STEM
    Stephanie Lindsey
    Steve Bess
    Steve Evans
    Stonehenge
    Storks
    Student Art
    Susan Alexy
    Susan Maddox
    Susan Rickards
    Sustainable
    Sustain Generations
    Sweet Potato Cafe
    Sylvia-earl
    Taiwan
    Tatoo
    Tesla
    The-nature-conservancy
    The-pod
    The-queens-women
    Thomas-metcalf
    Thomas Westin Lindsey
    Tiger-esperi
    Tina Yohon
    Tommy-remengesau
    Tommy-silva
    Tom-penny
    Travel
    Travels
    Trish Ryan
    Tropical-conservation-and-biology
    Tsugi-kaimana
    Tutu's House
    Tyler-paikulicampbell
    Uh-hilo
    Uhiuhi
    Uh-manoa
    Uh-west-oahu
    'ukulele Class
    Ulu-garmon
    Ulu-laau-nature-park
    Ulupalakua Ranch
    Uncle Mac Poepoe
    University-of-hawaii-sea-grant-college-program
    Verna-chartrand
    Victoria-university
    Vincent-paul-ponthieux
    Virginia-fortner
    Volcano-art-center
    Voyaging
    Waa
    Waa7c86374d5e
    Waiaka
    Waianae-mountains
    Waikoloa
    Waikoloa-canoe-club
    Waikoloa-dry-forest-initiative
    Waikoloa-stream
    Wailoa Center
    Waimea
    Waimea Arts Council
    Waimea-christmas
    Waimea Civic Center
    Waimea Educational Hui
    Waimea-hawaiian-civic-club
    Waimea Middle School
    Waimea-ocean-film-festival
    Waimea-school
    Waipi699o
    Waipio
    Waipio-valley-community-circle
    Waiulaula-stream
    Wao
    Wao Akua
    Wao Kanaka
    Wao Nahele
    Warren Noll
    Water
    Watercolor
    Watercolors
    Waterworld
    Wdfi
    Weaving
    Wendi Roehrig
    Wendy-hamane
    Whales
    Wh-rickard
    Wilds-brawner
    Wiliwili
    William Miller Seymour Lindsey
    Willy-mcglouthlin
    Women699s-work
    Women-artists
    World War II
    World-wide-voyage
    Ymca
    Yutaka Kimura
    Ywca
    Zettelyss Amora

    RSS Feed

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Jan Wizinowich.
  Oral History  |  Talk Stories  |  About  |  Home