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

6/3/2020

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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.

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

3/11/2020

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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.
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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.

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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.


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

11/11/2019

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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.


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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


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Bernie Ohia, 'ohana facilitator, discusses the latest newsletter with Michelle Medeiros, FOF resource development leader. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
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Waimea's Stories in Color    West Hawai'i Today / Oct. 1 2019

10/2/2019

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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.
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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.”

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

9/11/2019

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  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.

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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.
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Makali'i Mahalo

9/5/2019

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

7/8/2019

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

5/10/2019

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"Hō`ala e nā Piko" by E. Kalani Flores.
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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?)

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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.
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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."
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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.

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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.
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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.
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Kamehameha’s Birthplace and the Many-Layered History of                             Kokoiki, Kohala                                                     Ke Ola Magazine  May/Ju

5/9/2019

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PictureThe "birthstones" of Kamehameha, although only the placenta was birthed here.
  Kamehameha’s birth was a legacy that ultimately unified the islands, but that legacy began many generations before. His birth stones, located in Kokoiki, lay next to Mo`okini Heiau, built in 480 A.D., on the NW tip of the peninsula that comprises North Kohala district.
  If you walk along the coastline there, you will sense mana. Everything is motion and power. The kalāhuipa`a winds sweep down Kohala Mountain to tease the surging sea crashing onto the boulders below. A beckoning Maui sits shrouded on the northern horizon and Mo`okini heiau appears in glimpses, a darkness looming behind the brow of a hill.

PictureThe wild Kohala coastline.
  Heiau were built as a way to connect with greater beings and give tribute to and call upon the gods for assistance. With Hawi to the north and Lapaka`i to the south, Mo`okini, dedicated to the war god Kū, was a center of power where the lives of the people were both protected and sacrificed.
  Mo`okini Heiau was built by Kuamo`o Mo`okini, whose family heiau tell the story of their journey across the Pacific. “We always built on the north end of the island to have a commanding view. This heiau was built in one day and the walls were six feet high. There were 150 people sacrificed at that time,” related Mealani Lum, descendent and current heiau guardian.

PictureMealani Lum, lineal descendant and guardian of Mo'okini.
  Throughout the centuries, Mo`okini descendants have continuously acted as its guardian / priests. Currently, Oliver Lum and his daughter, Mealani are the guardians and before them Oliver’s mother Leimomi Lum, her father Dewey Lum and her uncle Heloke.  
  Just outside the entrance on the right is the foundation of the house of mu. The mu was instructed as to how many human sacrifices were necessary and he would go and collect people. Although the human sacrifices were mostly prisoners of war, the mu had the authority to take anyone necessary to make up the numbers, making the area a dangerous place to be.
  “Because of human sacrifice, nobody lived near the heiau or dared to walk through here. They either were on a canoe or walking up mauka and if you were on a canoe you had to lower your sails when you passed,” explained Mealani.

Turning Point
  Late in the thirteenth century, Pa`āo, a priest from Tahiti arrived. He left and returned with Pili, a chiefly ancestor of Kamehameha, who was to be the new ali`i nui.
Although he constructed three other heiau on the island, Pa`āo centered himself in North Kohala, where he was given permission by the Mo`okini family to extend the heiau from a height of six feet to 30 feet.  
  As many as 18,000 men in a line from Pololū, passed stones to construct the towering walls that would shield the ali`i and their ceremonies from the maka`āinana. A luakini class heiau, Pa`āo rededicated Mo`okini to the war god Kū, instituted a stricter kapu system and increased human sacrifice, the ultimate gift of mana to the gods.
Picture
Entrance to the heiau. The house of the mu was on the right, just out of the frame.
Kamehameha’s Birth
  Fast forward to the mid-18th century. Alapa`inui was high chief of Kohala and Kona and there was war between Hawai`i Island chiefs and between Hawai`i and Maui. When Kekuʻiapoiwa, wife of Keoua became pregnant with Kamehameha, the kahuna, perhaps seeing the need for a unifying force, prophesied that he would be a great unifying king and a killer of chiefs. On hearing the prophesy and fearing for his position, Alapaʽinui, decreed that the infant should be killed at birth.
  There is much mystery surrounding the year of Kamehameha’s birth as well as his paternity. According to S.M. Kamakau, Kamehameha was born in 1736 during Alapa`inui’s reign. However this date has been challenged by the claim that a bright and beautiful star, thought to be Halley’s Comet, appeared the night before Kamehameha’s birth, which would put his birth year at 1758.
  It’s been suggested that the king of Maui at the time, Kahekili was his biological father and indeed, Kamehameha was born on a canoe on its way from Maui, according to Oliver Lum, as related to him by his great Uncle Heloke Lum.    
  With winds howling, waves crashing and pelting rain, one can only imagine the skill of the men who sailed the canoe across the channel that stormy November night. But it was imperative that Kekuʽiapoiwa get to a luakini class heiau in order that her ali`i child could receive his birth rituals. By the time the canoe landed at Kapakai in Kokoiki, Kamehameha was already born and he was taken immediately to the heiau.  
  “You have to have birth rituals because the mana was in the blood and in the piko. You had to have birth rituals and you had to have priests of a high enough order you could trust to put those secrets away, never to be told,” explained Oliver.
Picture
Where the canoe on which Kamehameha was born landed.
  Kekuʽiapoiwa was taken to the birth stones, where she birthed the placenta. “She was having trouble with the afterbirth so they brought her on shore and she used the rocks. She laid down and put her feet up on the flat rock and that worked,” related Mealani.
  The great warrior, Naeʽole was selected by Kekuʽiapoiwa to be kahu for the child and immediately after the rituals were completed, he whisked the infant away with Alapa`inui’s forces following soon after. On their way to Awini, an easily defensible plateau three valleys past Pololū, he enlisted the help of the entire Kohala populace in what Fred Cachola calls the “grand Kohala conspiracy” to protect the infant. (see: “To Celebrate the King: Kamehameha Day and Kamehameha’s Legacy of Aloha” / Ke Ola, May/June 2017).
  Kohala and the Mo`okini heiau comprised a spiritual home for Kamehameha. “Our family was here for Kamehameha’s birth and afterwards when he came of age, he came to worship. That’s what’s been passed down through our generations,” explained Mealani.
  Eventually, Kamehameha built Pu`ukoholā heiau and transferred his war god Kuka`ilimoku there, but Mo`okini Heiau, under the guardianship of the Mo`okini family, continued as a place of worship and a center of mana for the North Kohala district.
Picture
Just inside the entrance, facing the main altar at the far end. The curved area in the foreground was where various priests and participants gathered to wait.
A Place of Historic Preservation and Learning
  The Kokoiki birthstones and Mo`okini heiau remain a constant, a place of mana, protected by generations of the Mo`okini family. The land surrounding the heiau has changed from forest to sugar cane to grassy slope, but the heiau and the birth stones have remained as portals to the past.                                                               
  In 1963, through the efforts of Uncle Heloke, Mo`okini was designated as Hawai`i’s first National Historic Landmark. Uncle Heloke also acted as guardian for the birth stones. For a time during the plantation era, the stones were obscured by tall sugar cane. “There was cane right up to the wall line. Uncle Heloke worked for the plantation and he worked really hard to make sure they didn’t move the rocks,” said Mealani. 
  In 1977 upon the death of her father, Dewey, Leimomi Lum became the next Kahuna nui and in 1978 she lifted the kapu and opened it for educational purposes as a way to share Hawaiian history and culture with the children of the community.
  Both the heiau and the stones are part of the Kohala Historical Sites State Monument, created by the Hawai`i State Legislature in 1992. Through a collaboration between Hawaiian Civic Club, the Royal Order of Kamehameha, DLNR and Kamehameha Schools, the area around the birthstones was cleared of weeds and a protective wall built and in 2005, Kamehameha Schools purchased the land around the heiau and the birth stones in an effort to protect the sites from any possible future development.
  Mo`okini heiau and Kamehameha’s birth stones stand in testament to the enduring Hawaiian culture and the stories of this land.
Picture
The area of the heiau was made an historic site through the efforts of Heloke Lum.
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Art at the Heart of Waimea: The Waimea Arts Council                     Ke Ola Magazine  March / April 2019

3/19/2019

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PictureWAC members Irina Place and Anna Sullivan work with young artists making collage at the 2017 annual Healthy Keiki Fest. Photo courtesy of Julie McCue, WAC
  At the intersection of Mamalahoa Highway and Kawaihae Road is a cluster of small buildings at the heart
of old Waimea and the home of Waimea Arts Council (WAC). With its double doors flung wide open, inviting passersby into a world of beauty and whimsy, the Firehouse Gallery, housed in the old Waimea firehouse, has long been a beacon of the creative spirit of our North Hawai‘i community. The oldest organization of its kind on Hawai‘i Island and second oldest statewide, WAC has endeavored to enrich the lives of North Hawai‘i residents through the arts.

PictureMural by Kathleen Kam and students, 2006. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
Beginnings
As WAC’s mission states, it’s “a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the arts, the encouragement of artists, and providing a forum for art-related community events” that began in 1974 with a group of local residents whose awareness of the importance of art inspired them to create a venue for art and artists and a way to connect people through enrichment offerings.
  For the first few years, WAC sponsored exhibits and sales in Kahilu Hall (also known as Barbara Hall and the main Parker School building), festive affairs where around 35 artists from Hāmakua to Kawaihae shared their talents. Along with visual art, jewelers, and weavers, there was a bonsai workshop demonstration by Yutaka Kimura, hula provided by Kumu Stephanie Lindsey’s halau, and music by guitarist David Gomes. 
  The 1978 art sale saw a visit from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA), which purchased the creations of three artists: Pat Hall, Floria Shepard, and Margaret Waldron, for the Hawai‘i State Art Museum.
  Along with the annual artists’ market in 1979, WAC also sponsored a needle arts clinic and a David Gomes concert at Thelma Parker Library. During that year it became the vision of Helen Cassidy (then-president of WAC) and Mariechan Jackson to create a center that would provide lessons, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and activities related to arts and crafts.
  Serendipity came into play when the fate of the original Waimea firehouse and bunkhouse, vacated with the construction of the new Waimea Civic Center at its current location, came into question. Through much discussion and wrangling on the part of WAC members, a county lease was obtained for the Firehouse Gallery and the adjacent bunkhouse, now the WAC office.
  Firehouse Gallery opened in 1980 with a six-week summer session that included artist faculty G.G. Garida, Jean Boone, Helen Cassidy, Margaret Waldron, Amanda Raleigh, and Marcia Ray. Jo Diatalevi taught theater arts and Dolly Loo provided hapa haole (part Hawaiian and Caucasian) hula classes. Winter classes included weaving, visual arts, batik, feather lei, quilting, ‘ukulele, folk and jazz dancing, and stained glass making.  

PictureFirst place 2017 Nā `Ōpio entry, "Colors all Around Me" by Parker School 9th grader Gracelyn Jardine. Photo courtesy of Julie McCue, WAC
  While focused on the arts, WAC has endeavored to reflect and draw from the diverse community it serves. In an effort to “provide something of value for everyone,” in 1980 WAC also sponsored a historic tour by Mollie Sperry and Momi Urbic (Naughton) and a slide lecture on China by Linus Chao. In 1983, along with a lecture and a lei demonstration by Marie McDonald and a slide presentation on Bonsai by Yutaka Kimura, there was a presentation on coins, “From Croesus to Kamuela” by Bernard von NotHaus.
  In 1984 WAC sponsored a Karin Hazelhoff presentation on her studies of the effect of color and light on the human environment, a lecture by Rene Racine, then-director of the Canada-France-Hawai‘i Telescope, entitled “Explorations of Inter-galactic Phenomena,” and a lecture by local architect Clem Lam. There was also a classical guitar concert by Franz Solmssen, an exhibit of basketry of the Pacific and Turkoman rugs, and a presentation by photographer Warren Noll. That year, May was declared “Art Month” by then-mayor Matayoshi and WAC responded with continuous art displays that included children’s art shows.

PictureKanu students creating the mural that is shown below. Photo courtesy of Scot Plunkett
 Fostering Art and Artists
According to current WAC Board Vice President Amaury Saint-Gilles, “We’re really an incubator for art and artists. We provide a safe place for artists to hang their work and, we hope, a start for a career in art.” To that end, young artists are showcased with the annual WAC Nā ‘Ōpio art show in March, where North Hawai‘i students, grades 6-12, get the opportunity to display their artwork and experience a juried show.
  Long-time WAC member and retired Parker School art teacher Wendi Roehrig has seen many artists launched through the Nā ‘Ōpio show. “It’s a really great place to begin an art career. I have a list of kids that are practicing artists today; they got their start through this. If you want to sell your things at a gallery, you have to show that you’ve shown some place and this is a good start.”
  An all-volunteer organization, the 30-plus membership of dedicated artists create and exhibit their exceptional artwork while also acting as docents for the Firehouse Gallery, and provide other services as needed. Through this exchange, WAC provides a rich life-long learning environment for artists. “I wanted to learn about hanging shows. I didn’t know anything about framing, mats. I wanted to learn what it takes,” shares Jay West, a longtime member and current WAC board president.
  Always looking to grow their membership, the WAC year begins with a show to welcome new artists in January, which includes beginning artists or those who are returning to the arts. Membership costs just $50 annually plus four volunteer docent hours per month, and entitles artists to participate in ongoing Firehouse Gallery art shows and small solo shows in the back gallery.
  The two WAC buildings are adorned with donated murals by long-time member Terry Bensch and WAC-sponsored murals created by students. The latest mural, completed in November 2017 by Scot Plunkett and his Kanu o ka ‘Āina students, is a tribute to the canoe culture of our island community, and also a venue for his students to see the broader world of art as well.
  “When Amaury came to me to ask me about the mural, what was interesting to me as an artist was to have the opportunity to communicate a message of the younger generation connecting with the elders, but I also wanted students to expand their minds and to have an appreciation for the great things out there, so we included the Gauguin women,” explains Scot.

Picture
Completed mural by Kanu o ka `Āina students. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
Picture
Community Connections
Recognizing the integral nature of art, over the years WAC has developed programs that have become annual traditions, and mounted shows that reflect the spirit and endeavors of the island community.
  The WAC calendar provides a dizzying array of constantly rotating shows in both the front main gallery, as well as mini shows in the smaller back gallery. The first weekend in February is always Cherry Blossom Festival time and since its inception in 1994, WAC artists have been providing brochure cover art along with themed art shows in the Firehouse Gallery.
  April shows in the Firehouse Gallery encompass environmental awareness in connection with Earth Day. The 2015 show, “Our ‘Āina,” featured recycled art and Hawaiian landscapes, plants and animals. The 2018 exhibit was focused on an ocean conservation theme.
  Also in April are exhibits focused on Hawaiian culture, highlighting the Merrie Monarch Festival. The April 2016 show entitled “Legends of Madame Pele: Earth, Wind and Fire” was followed in 2017 with art inspired by Hawaiian royalty, hula, and significant island places.
  One day in 2015, then-WAC Board President Amaury met Aunty Betty Webster at the KTA bakery counter and was intrigued by her ever-changing flamboyant sunglasses and her intention to get her 1500-plus collection entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. What followed was a WACsponsored week-long photo shoot where community members were invited to get their photos taken wearing some of Aunty Betty’s sunglasses that led to a Guinness record for Waimea.
  Other shows inspired by the island community have included an exhibit in celebration of tea and coffee, and a 2016 Humane Society fundraiser where the owners of rescued pets were invited to have their pet’s character sketch done by WAC artist Janice Gail. In October, artists have the opportunity to participate in the annual “Helen Cassidy Memorial Show,” now “The Founder’s Show,” which is juried and began in 1985 with the passing of
Helen Cassidy, a driving force of WAC.

PictureWAC Board member and past president, Amaury Saint-Gilles shares some of the current art displays. Photo by Jan Wizinowich
Keeping the Arts Alive
  With the closure of many art galleries, WAC and its Firehouse Gallery provide much-needed opportunities for artists to display and sell their art. The WAC board also seeks to provide avenues of inspiration with conceptually-themed shows such as “Egg” and “Squared Away.”
  Starting in March, as this issue of Ke Ola Magazine is published, will be the annual “Nā ‘Ōpio Art Show” and in April the “All Hawai‘i Art Competition” whose theme will be “Portal,” inviting artists to explore its multiple meanings through art. This is a juried show that will include a visit from representatives from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, who will be previewing the entries with an eye to select art for display in the Hawai‘i Art Museum, as well as other public buildings.
  Although a tough economic climate sometimes places constraints on art purchases, WAC will continue to foster island creativity through their ongoing programs and collaborations with other programs to create a fertile nest for art and artists on Hawai‘i Island.

For more information: waimeaartscouncil.org

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