Ke Alaka'i - May 2021

THE LEADER

MAY 2021

54 KEEPING HAWAIIAN AGRICULTURE ALIVE How Kualoa uses ancient farming techniques

52 LEAVE YOUR MARK Students become a permanent part of the new science building

40 PIECES OF THE PAST

Learn the histories and uses of the artifacts at the University Archives

M AY 2021 1

MAY 2021 • VOLUME 129 • ISSUE 1

LeeAnn Lambert ADVISOR

Abbie Putnam COPY EDITOR

Emily Hendrickson ART & GRAPHICS

Xyron Levi Corpuz MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Hailey Huhane EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sydney Hyer COPY EDITOR

Karren Chang ART & GRAPHICS

Lauren Goodwin MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Mark Daeson Tabbilos PHOTOGRAPHER 2 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Emmalee Bazar CONTENT MANAGER

Katie Mower ART DIRECTOR

Serena Dugar Ioane COPY EDITOR

Micheal Kraft COPY EDITOR

Sadie Madriaga ARTS & GRAPHICS

Lisi Tiafau MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Anna Stephenson MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Alexandra Clendenning MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Ulziibayar Badamdorj PHOTOGRAPHER

Uurtsaikh Nyamdeleg VIDEOGRAPHER

LET T E R FRO M THE CONT ENT MANAGER Sometimes our culture, or differences, can seem scary.Whether it be the color of our skin, accent, words or way of life, it just seems in a foreign place they can be something that makes you stand out in a negative way. I remember two years ago, walking the streets of Kiribati with giddy children following, yelling, “I-matang, I-matang,” the term for white person.

I remember a more surreal experience a month ago, seeing a video of an Asian women attacked on the streets of NewYork City and feeling afraid for my future children, as my husband is Filipino.

But I also remember my first experiences at BYU–Hawaii, bonding over curry, hearing legends of Menehune constructing mysterious walls or Japanese hiding their stomachs during a thunderstorm (pg. 38), laughing over how terribly I shake my hips in island dances and just talking for hours about my friends’ experiences and cultures in their home countries.

For me, I never felt like my culture was unique or “cool” until I came here. Especially when I got married, I realized where I came from defined my very perspective on life and how grateful I was for my different upbringing. Intercultural marriages aren’t easy, but I’m so grateful for my husband’s upbringing and culture that has made my life full of love and spirit, showing me different foods, clothing (pg. 12), experiences and expressions (pg. 10).

Our University in this town is so diverse and unique (pg. 22) and rings out as a beacon in my life for how I wish to see the future, by experiencing it not only through my upbringing, but also through the eyes of others who bring value and spirit through their cultures, just like the shining Ellisa Edeyaoch, who shares her culture and something as unique as Kool-Aid ramen (pg. 8).

So whether you’ve just come to Laie to go to college, like Jean Okimoto did (pg. 48), or have lived here your whole life, I hope you read this issue and appreciate the many cultures that come together here through Christ, just like the Lopis family (pg. 24). • Emmalee Bazar - content manager

Emmalee Bazar

NEWS CENTER BOX 1920 BYUH LAIE, HI 96762 Print Ser vices

Editorial, photo submissions & Distribution inquiries: kealakai@byuh.edu.

To s u b s c r i b e t o t h e R S S F E E D or to view additional ar ticles, go to

CONTACT Email: ke a l a k a i @ by u h . e d u Phone: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 6 9 4 Fax: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 4 9 1 Office: BY U – H awa i i A l o h a C e n t e r 1 3 4 ON THE COVER AND BACK: The taro fields at Kualoa Ranch are pictured with the Koolauloa Mountains in the background. Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

kealakai.byuh.edu.

ABOUT The Ke Alaka‘i began publishing the same year the University, then called Church College of Hawaii, opened. It has continued printing for more than 60 years.

The name means “the leader” in Hawaiian.What began as a monthly newsletter, evolved into a weekly newspaper, then a weekly magazine and is now a monthly news magazine with a website and a social media presence.Today, a staff of about 20 students work to provide information for BYU–Hawaii’s campus ohana and Laie’s community.

© 2021 Ke Alaka‘i BYU–Hawaii All Rights Reserved

M AY 2021 3

C O N T E N T S

Table of

4 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

6 Art submission 7 Campus Comments 8 Country Highlight

EMBRACING CULTURE 10 Gestures in cultures 12 Meanings behind cultural clothing 14 The singers of SION

18 20 22 24 26 29 33

34 38 40

Hello in 20 languages Embracing a new culture Being part of the Laie community Legends around the world Honoring intercultural roots Pullout poster Recipe: Chickpea spinach curry

Wedding traditions Adjusting to cultures on the mission Hawaiian artifacts at the archives

43 44

History of the hibiscus Dating in different nations

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY 46 48 52 54 58

S.O.S. - Save our snails Living in the shadows of the temple Leave your mark signing event Keeping Hawaiian agriculture alive

MAY 2021

Feature: Videographer Emilio Valenciano

M AY 2021 5

C R E AT I V E W R I T I NG/AR T/ PHOTO S UBM I S S I ON

“Identity”

By Emilio Valenciano, a senior from the Philippines studying exercise and sport science Share your art, photos, or creative writing with us to share it in our next issue.

E-mail us your high-resolution photo or work with a caption at kealakai@byuh.edu

FOL LOW US A ROUND T HE W EB

K E A L A K A I . BY UH . E D U

6 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

CAMPUS C O M M E N T S Wha t do you l ove m os t a b ou t you r cu lt u re ?

BY A L E X A ND R A C LE ND E N NIN G I nd i go Te t u aa p u a, a s op hom o re fro m La ie st u dying p o lit ic a l sc ienc e, sa id she grew up i n th e L a ie c om m u nit y. O ne t h ing t ha t is v ery imp o rt a nt a b o u t her c u lt u re, she s ai d , i s th e c e le b ra t ion of f ir s t b ir t hd a ys. “ W hen p eo p le c a me t o t he H a w a iia n I sla nds, there was di se a s e g oing a rou nd . S o t he b a b ies so met imes w o u ldn’ t ma ke it t o t heir first bi r thd ay s . If th e y liv e d t o 1 , it wa s a hu g e c eleb ra t io n, a nd t ha t t ra dit io n is st ill c a r ried o n to thi s d ay.”

Ana Fe in g a, a s e nior f rom Ton ga st u dying p o lit ic a l sc ienc e a nd TES OL, sha red fami l y i s a bi g d e a l in Tong a n c ult ure . On her missio n, she sa id she sa w ma ny ho meless p eopl e that sh e ha d ne v e r s e e n in Tong a . “ I f o ne o f yo u r fa mily memb ers do esn’ t ha v e a home, i t’s y o u r re s p ons ib ilit y t o t a ke t he m in,” Feinga ex p la ined. “ To nga n c o mmu nit y is ever y where an d is a lwa ys re a d y t o we lc o me t ho se a ro u nd t hem. Onc e yo u t ell so meo ne you’re To n g a n, t he c onne c t ion is ins t a nt , a nd t hey w ill help yo u .”

C r y s ta l Tan ia, a s op hom ore f ro m I ndo nesia st u dying c o mmu nic a t io ns, sa id t he pr i mar y re l i gi on in I nd one s ia is M us lim, so t he ma jo rit y o f t he p o p u la t io n c eleb ra t es Ra mad an, w h i c h re q u ire s t he m t o f a s t f or a w ho le mo nt h. “ To sho w resp ec t fo r t heir t ra di ti on, al l the re st a u ra nt s c los e d u r ing lu nc h t ime. S o met imes, t hey ju st c lo se t heir c u rt a ins so peopl e c an ’ t s e e t he m e a t ing . ”

Si lv ia Ta taf u , a s op ho mo re fro m New Z ea la nd st u dying so c ia l w o r k , sai d her a nc e s t or s v e nt u re d f rom To nga t o New Z ea la nd t o p ro v ide mo re o p p o r tuni ti es f or f u t ure g e ne ra t ions. She p ra ised BY U –H a w a ii fo r a llo w ing her t o ga in more und e r s t a nd ing of he r To nga n herit a ge a nd la ngu a ge. She sha red a t BYUH s he ha s le a r ne d a b ou t m ent a l hea lt h a nd w a s insp ired t o help t he p eo p le i n Tonga. “ Af t e r I g ra d ua t e , I want t o go t o To nga a nd help p eo p le t here w it h gai ni ng more m e nt a l he a lt h re s ou rces,” she sha red.

Lo rasia Tav u to , a j unio r fro m Fiji st u dying p o lit ic a l sc ienc e, sa id b a c k home, re s p e c t is one of t he m o st imp o rt a nt a sp ec t o f her c u lt u re. S he sa id, “ One thi ng H a wa ii a nd Fij i ha v e in c o mmo n is sho w ing resp ec t t o t he elder ly.” S he ad d ed b e c a u s e of BY UH , s he ha s b een a b le t o lea r n a b o u t dif ferent c u lt u res, whi ch has he lp e d he r g row a s a n indiv idu a l. “ I ’ m a lw a ys o p en t o new t hings in life and to b uild ne w f r ie nd s hip s ,” she sa id.

Graphics by Katie Mower. Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

M AY 2021 7

COUNTRY HIGHLIGHT: The Federated States of Micronesia One of only two students at BYUH from the Federated States of Micronesia says her country is known for its hospitality

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

M

ost Micronesians in Pohnpei make a unique snack by mixing KoolAid powder with Ramen noodles or fruits, like unripe papayas and takuan, a picked radish comparable to kimchi, explained Ellisa Hadley Edeyaoch, a student from Palikir, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. “It’s so unhealthy, but it’s so good.”

Edeyaoch, majoring in Pacific Island Studies, said she is one of only two students from her country at BYU–Hawaii. She said she wishes more people from her country could attend, but most Micronesian high school graduates either choose to attend local colleges in FSM or start working to support their families instead of pursuing an education.

“BYUH is a blessing and one of the greatest experiences of my life. [Coming] from a small island and to experience the mix of cultures has been exciting. I have learned so much from my instructors, and I have been inspired by the cultures around me,” she added.

includes islands such as the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Kiribati, Edeyaoch explained.

“My country is the Federated States of Micronesia, or FSM, and it gets even more [complicated] because FSM consists of four main states. There’s Pohnpei, Kosrae,Yap and Chuuk.

I’m from one of the states called Pohnpei.”

What is the difference between Micronesia and the Federated States of Micronesia?

What is your country known for?

The Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia regions make up the Pacific. Micronesia

8 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

What is it like to attend BYUH as a student from FSM? Edeyaoch and her brother are the only students representing FSM on campus.

“Honestly, it’s kind of lonely because I can’t really connect to someone from home.”

She shared she has grown since attending BYUH. “I have learned there is no growth in comfort, and constant hard work pays off in ways one cannot comprehend. To be a Pohnpeian in a sea of a variety of cultures can be intimidating, but it is a great opportunity for me to serve as a representative of my country,” she commented.

“I love how we’re known for our hospitality.

We tend to show our kindness by offering food a lot. So, even though you’re a stranger, we love to say, ‘Oh, come eat.’ When we see someone walking by our house, we say, ‘Oh,

come eat. There’s food,’ even though we’re not sure who they are.”

She said they typically eat taro, kasava, reef fish, chicken, rice, boiled banana and yam. They commonly cook their food with coconut milk and dip it into sele, a chili pepper mix.

“We love to dance. … A lot of people I know from home love to dance. We can be really shy people, but once there’s a party, we love to show energy. We are just kind of party people in a sense.”

The choice of music depends on the taste of the individual, she said. “For me personally, I love dancing to the music made from our local music artists. The music back at home is almost the same as what we listen to here in Hawaii. There’s a lot of reggae and RNB,” she added.

What are some unique cultural practices there?

Edeyaoch described the sakau ceremony.

“Sakau is known as kava in other islands. We use it to serve our traditional leaders.” She said the ceremony is unique because it is also used on special occasions to gather families together.

“For example, if one person offended another family, they have the sakau ceremony to unite the family. It’s also used for engagements

[and] for anything that needs unity. It serves as a way to bring people together.”

She also noted the ceremony is not only held to ask someone for forgiveness, but can also be used to ask for one’s approval, like asking one’s hand in marriage.

In terms of the weather, they only have two seasons: the typhoon season and the hot season,which is especially humid. It also rains every day no matter what the season, she added.

What is a big holiday in your country and how do you celebrate it?

Pohnpei is also home to the mysterious archaeological site of Nan Madol, an ancient city built on water. “It’s an interesting place because, to this day, no one can really figure how this city was made. … The Nan Madol is made of stones and columns. Just picture blocks of stone stacked high on each other. There’s no carving to explain its origin except the legend to remember the people, called the Saudeleur, who ruled the island for more than a millennium.”

She said March 31 is Micronesia Cultural Day. People who live in Pohnpei can be Chuukese, Kosraeans or Yapese, she shared, so this is a day to celebrate these different cultures. Then, they show their talents, serve traditional dishes and wear traditional attire.

She said the Micronesia games, although not considered a holiday, is one of the coolest events they have on their island. “All the islands in Micronesia come together and compete in sports, [like] paddling, weightlifting, basketball, volleyball and sometimes husking [and throwing] coconuts.”

What is your country like geographically?

She said it is beautiful and mostly green, with waterfalls, beaches and mountains.

Rather than having large buildings, she said her country is filled mostly with small villages.

What is a fun fact about your country?

What is the main sport you play in your country?

Their main sport is called yakiyu, which has the same rules as baseball. She said it’s so popular you are “out of the circle” if you don’t play it. “I am terrible at the sport because I wear glasses, so [playing] it was a struggle.”

When they’re not playing yakiyu, they play volleyball, she added.

What is your favorite food from your country?

“My favorite food is called wihs piyaya, crushed or smashed banana with coconut milk.”

People usually bring it to parties, she said, and eat it as a snack or sell it on the side of the road.

What’s the meaning behind your country’s flag?

“Our flag is a blue flag with four white stars. Each star represents the states. The blue represents the ocean and how we’re [all] together.” • Ellisa Hadley Edeyaoch waves the flag of her country, the Federated States of Micronesia.

Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

M AY 2021 9

UNDERSTANDING cultural practices BYUH students share the practices unique to their culture as well as the meanings behind them

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

T

he diversity at BYU–Hawaii can make for unique communication situations students might not experience anywhere else. Students said learning about appropriate cultural gestures and the meanings behind them is important in order to have harmony in such a culturally diverse campus.

Tyger Wasson, a sophomore from Hawaii majoring in political science, stressed the importance of learning what is disrespectful and what isn’t in different cultures. Knowing those differences can help everyone live in harmony, he said. He invited students to ask questions and do their part in learning about each culture.

Iliana Sua’ava, a senior from Hawaii majoring in business management and human resources, said she was raised in Hawaii, but visiting the mainland helped her realize the contrasts of Hawaiian culture and mainland United States culture.

Growing up in a family where members hug often, Sua’ava said people on the mainland may get offended by people touching them.

Hugging is a common and normal thing they do at her home in Hawaii, she said. However, when she hugged people on the mainland, they would tense up, Sua’ava commented. She said in order for her to avoid crossing boundaries with people, it was important to learn the correct way to approach people.

10 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Sabrina Lin, a Spring 2020 music graduate from Taiwan, said table manners in her culture are more than simply being polite at the dinner table.

She said, “If you put your chopsticks in the bowl, it’s bad. But if you put them to the side or lay them on top of the bowl, that’s fine.”

She explained putting chopsticks upright inside the bowl is seen as impolite to other guests because it looks like incense. It’s a sign of bad luck because incense is linked to spirits, and the act is believed to invite spirits.

She said she still follows this tradition out of respect for her elders. “I remember when I was young, I used to do that and was scolded by my grandmas and aunties.”

Sua’ava explained her mother is from Mexico and her father is from Samoa, so she has learned appropriate behaviors for both cultures. Sua’ava said in some cultures, eating and chewing with mouths open shows you like the food. But in Mexican culture, it’s rude.

Melenaite Samani, a junior from Tonga majoring in accounting, explained in Tonga, a woman’s hair is precious. She said girls refrain from cutting their hair and do everything they can to keep it healthy and beautiful. She explained keeping their hair long is a sign of respect for their fathers.

“At my father’s funeral, to show my respect and love for him, I will let my aunt, his sister,

cut my hair. But she’s the only one that could do it,” Samani explained. She said cutting her hair is a symbol to others of the love she has for her father.

Samani continued, saying, “That’s how it’s always been, and I’m always reminded to be super respectful.” She said showing respect to her parents by respecting their space and to her father by not cutting her hair is something she takes very seriously.

Tula Taumoepenu, a junior from Arizona majoring in human resources, said it is considered impolite to be on the phone at the dinner table. She explained, “My family loves spending time together, so being on your phone when we’re together is disrespectful.”

Samisoni Taumoepenu, a sophomore from Tonga majoring in information technologies, said it is considered discourteous to eat food while standing up or walking around. He explained, “When you’re walking with a mouthful of food or someone tries to talk to you with a mouthful of food it’s disrespectful.”

Samisoni Taumoepenu said the Tongan culture is based on mutual respect among people. He explained respect is a vital part of every culture, but in Tongan society, respect is really a big deal. He said Tongans are taught from a young age to respect their parents, elders and even tourists. That, he said, is why Tonga is known as the friendly islands of Tonga.

Sua’ava shared in Samoan culture, respecting your elders is very important and she was taught to always address the elders in the room. She was taught to say, “Excuse me” to elder people, even if she wasn’t in the way, to acknowledge them and to say hello, Sua’ava added.

Taumoepenu, whose grandparents are Greek, said, “Every time my grandfather sees us, he says hello in Greek. We have to say hello back in Greek, otherwise, he won’t talk to us.” She asserted this was a custom her family

shared to show respect not only for their grandparents, but also for their culture.

Wasson said greeting people in Hawaii is important because it spreads the spirit of aloha. He said a shaka could mean thank you, a gesture of love, a way to show respect and even can be used to apologize. He said spreading the feeling of aloha is important in understanding the Hawaiian culture.

Wasson shared, “Greeting people is really important, especially in social settings, to show your kindness to the group.”

Making sure to go up to each person in the group and giving them a hug and kiss on the cheek shows kindness to the group, he said. “If you don’t, people usually assume you aren’t friendly.”

Taking off your shoes when going into someone’s house is also a sign of respect, Wasson explained. He said Hawaiians adopted this gesture from the Japanese and said it shows the family you respect them and their home. •

Graphics by Emily Hendrickson and Katie Mower.

M AY 2021 11

More than

material BYUH students share the meaning and significance behind their culture’s traditional clothing

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

B

YU–Hawaii students said the traditional clothing and accessories from their home countries reflect a piece of who they are and where they are from. They shared wearing their favorite pieces makes them feel proud of their culture, motivating them to share who they are with others.

Tongan kiekie and ta’ovala Lesieli Noema, a sophomore from Tonga majoring in accounting and computer science, said growing up in Tonga, she was taught to have a strong sense of respect for her culture and those around her. Noema said wearing humble clothing is a key part of her personality and is a way to show respect.

Noema said girls in Tonga usually wear a kiekie, which looks similar to a belt and is made from plants, like the hibiscus tree bark or mulberry tree bark. The kiekie is worn at

12 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

formal gatherings or church meetings. She explained women wear these as a sign of respect to those around and for the occasion.

People who work for the government must wear them as well, she added.

Joshua Cocker, a senior from Tonga majoring in communications, said wearing the clothing of his culture defines his identity, status and history. He explained Tongan clothes are traditionally made from plants usually woven or knitted into a sash or mat. Cocker said a ta’ovala is one of the most important pieces of traditional clothing and is worn by Tongan men.

Cocker said wearing ta’ovala is a sign of respect, so they wear it for special occasions.

He explained the bigger the ta’ovala, the higher the status of the person in society. At funerals, bigger ta’ovala represents a close relation to the deceased person.

Mongolian deel Davaasuren Myagmarjav, a junior from Mongolia majoring in accounting, said Mongolian traditional clothes reflect their history of nomadic lifestyle. She explained Mongolian clothes can be worn all day long and are designed to be comfortable because they have to labor and move a lot, such as when riding a horse.

She clarified that nowadays, urban Mongolians wear modern clothing, but the countryside

herders still keep to the nomadic lifestyle and wear traditional clothes.

Serena Dugar Ioane, a Winter 2020 alumna who majored in communications, said the most significant piece of Mongolian traditional clothing is deel, which looks like a long dress with sleeves and a collar.

Myagamarjav shared the sleeves and the collar of deel have specific and intricate designs that show what tribe individuals are from.

Ioane said Mongolia has four seasons, including an extremely cold winter, a windy spring, a hot summer and a rainy fall. As a result, Mongolians have various deels for the different seasons, chores and occasions.

“Winter deels are made of thick and warm materials, such as cashmere, wool and other animal skins to help us survive the winter coldness. Summer deels are much thinner and colorful,” she commented.

She shared it was a tradition for mothers to sew new deel for their family members on traditional holidays, like the Lunar New Year, Naadam or Independence Day, as well as other special occasions, such as weddings and hair cutting ceremonies. Deel is usually worn with a belt, she added.

“Almost every Mongolian wears deel on traditional holidays nowadays. Holiday deels are very fashionable and are made of expensive, fancy materials, such as silk,” Ioane explained. “Silks have different designs,

patterns and prints on it, and it has special meaning behind it.”

Myagamarjav asserted the designs relate back to their nomadic lifestyle and nature, such as clouds, mountains, flowers and so on. Having these parts of their culture still in practice reminds her of her ancestors as well as her home, she said.

Mongolian shanh Bazarragchaa Byambanorov, a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in psychology, said her favorite piece of traditional clothing is actually an accessory. It’s called a shanh, she explained, and it is a head decoration for women. Historically, it is only worn by princesses, queens or other high ranking officials’ wives and daughters, she explained.

Traditionally, it is made of precious metals, like gold, silver or pearls and precious stones, which she said represents wealth or the social rank of the family. She explained the shanh has come back into modern fashion and is worn at holidays, weddings or other special occasions.

Mongolian celebrities even wear it at concerts or in music videos, Byambanorov added.

Wearing this headpiece is a representation of her culture and means a lot to her because she said she is able to display her culture in such a

beautiful way. “I love wearing it because I am proud of my country and culture, and it also compliments my beauty.”

Indonesian sarung batik Jonathan Lopis, a senior from Indonesia majoring in cultural anthropology, said a traditional piece of clothing Indonesians adopted from Sri Lanka and India is the sarung batik. A sarung is a long piece of cloth that is wrapped around a man’s waist to make a skirt that reaches his ankles, he said.

Lopis said a batik is a traditional Indonesian technique of wax-resistant dying applied to the entire cloth so it can be different colors, depending on what province you are from.

He shared the sarung batik’s complex design symbolizes their culture.

He said the different colors of the sarung batik mean different things. For instance, the base color is usually brown to symbolize the land or a message from their ancestors, he clarified. The designs on the sarung, he added, are complicated and are a specific message from one generation to another.

Lopis shared traditionally the sarung would be handed down from generation to generation. However, more recently, people don’t pass down their sarungs but rent them for events, like a wedding, because it is traditionally worn for special occasions. •

From left to right: Jonathan Lopis wearing a sarung batik, Joshua Cocker wearing a ta’ovala, Bazarragchaa Byambanorov wearing a shanh and Davaasuren Myagmarjav wearing a deel. Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

M MAY AY 2021 2021 13

the Singers of

Sion

14 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Reflecting on the year long ‘Mongolia’s Got Talent’ competition, members say they were true to their name by coming together, despite deaths and trials along the way

BY SERENA DUGAR IOANE

The BYUH band toured Mongolia in 2008, Odgerel Ochirjav said, inspring them to start a Mongolian choir. Photo provided by Odgerel Ochirjav.

M

ongolian students part of the SION choir band that reached the semifinal of “Mongolia’s Got Talent” said the experience helped them grow as individuals. Members of the choir said their time on the show provided a way to share the gospel through their music.

Odgerel Ochirjav, a CES coordinator of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints in Mongolia and a former stake president of the Ulaanbaatar West Stake, said, “I see how united they were during their hardships. Some of them lost their parents and many other challenges they faced, but

they were one just like their name and [they] overcame everything together.”

According to the Church Newsroom, the combined Ulaanbaatar Mongolia East and West Stake choir reached the semifinals of “Mongolia’s Got Talent” in December 2016.

Nomungerel Enkhtuvshin, an alumna from Mongolia who graduated in psychology in Fall 2020, said they named their band SION, which means Zion in Mongolian and is also a Mongolian acronym which, in English, means united by heart, faith and mind.

Ochirjav said “Mongolia’s Got Talent” continued for over a year, so it was very

challenging and required a lot of time from each member. The choir started with 35 members, but along the way, two went on their missions and four left for BYUH. Enkhtuvshin said focusing on winning the competition became too stressful, so they decided to focus on their journey, which helped them enjoy their practices.

“For example, we do gift exchanges, wear color matching clothes to each practice, celebrate each other’s birthdays and mission call openings and so on. It helped us to be united and create many memories.”

M AY 2021 15

Above, left to right: Otgontuya Tumursukh, Janlavtsogzol Battulga, Bayartsogt Lkhagvajav, Onon Dalaikhuu, Bolor Odgiiv, Nomungerel Enkhtuvshin. Photo by Ulziibayar Badamdorj. Right: The SION band. Photo by Odgerel Ochirjav.

Otgontuya Tumursukh, a senior from Mongolia majoring in TESOL, shared participating in the show was time consuming.

“Besides preparation for our songs, the TV host called us many times for different broadcasts, such as New Year’s Eve shows and a Lunar New Year show. ... Some evenings we had to stay up until 2 a.m., 3 a.m. to record our voices.

“We all had our own lives. Some of us were full-time employees or students, so spending that much time was hard for us. Some of us even lost jobs, but in the end, it was all worth it. All of us were blessed so much. My blessing was coming to BYUH,” Tumursukh commented.

Ochirjav said soon after the show finished, many of them came to BYUH. So far, 14 of them are currently studying and three of them are graduated. More of them are preparing to come to BYUH, Ochirjav added.

Bayartsogt Lkhagvajav, a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in human resources, said many of the choir members dreamed of coming to BYUH to obtain an education. “I believe that God saw how hard we worked for this project, so He bestowed upon us our dream to study at BYUH.” Odgerel Ochirjav said BYU–Hawaii’s Concert Choir toured Mongolia in 2008, inspiring the Church leaders in Mongolia to establish a similar choir.

16 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Eventually, he said the Mongolian multistake choir was created and even participated in the second season of the nationally televised show “Mongolia’s Got Talent.” He said the choir performed the annual Christmas choir concert and did a concert tour around Mongolia in 2015 that prepared the them to attend “Mongolia’s Got Talent.”

According to the Church Newsroom, Seminary and Institute students ages 14 to 28 comprised much of the choir, with the exception of a few young married adults.

Approximately half of the choir members were returned missionaries.

Janlavtsogzol Battulga, a senior from Mongolia majoring in accounting, said none of the members were professional singers or musicians and didn’t even know how to read music notes. “We had to memorize every song automatically, so it required so much patience and effort from each member and our choir leaders,” she added.

Sharing the gospel through music Enkhtuvshin said it was a great experience for her, saying she always adds it to her resume.

“I was in charge of the music, so I helped to choose the songs and contacted a BYU music professor to help us improve our songs. This

project helped me to gain confidence in my leadership skills.”

Bolor Odgiiv, a freshman from Mongolia majoring in social work, said being a part of SION choir taught her a lot about being disciplined and working in a team. “We didn’t use any music, so we sang all our songs acapella. We made all the beats, melodies and songs by ourselves. Making 35 nonprofessionals into an acapella choir required so much from each member and our leaders.”

Odgiiv continued, saying, “I also learned how important a contribution of a single member to the team’s success. It’s a memory that I will cherish for my whole life.”

Tumursukh shared, “I was amazed when I found out that so much work is required from many people just to prepare five minutes of singing and broadcasting. Especially uniting many people’s voices and preparing their costumes, makeup and hair requires much more time than one person’s performance.”

Working with so many people was another challenge, Tumursukh said. “Sometimes we disagree, fight, offend, cry, reconcile and some of us fall in love with each other. From this experience, I saw that establishing Zion is a hard and long process. It requires so much patience, tolerance and cooperation from each member.”

Lkhagvajav said, “Some of us had four kids and were pregnant at the time. Some of us lost our loved ones, but none of us gave up in the middle of the way. When we had hard times as a group and as an individual, we always prayed and gained a strong testimony of the power of prayers.”

Lkhagvajav said he sees this project as his second full-time mission because it was an opportunity to preach the gospel through their voices. “God blessed us to reach the semifinal of the show because Mongolians see how the Church influences Mongolian youth to be better people. So, it was definitely mission work.”

Onon Dalaikhuu, a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in communications, was one of the committee members who organized the project from the very beginning. She shared the project provided them many opportunities to improve, and said she was able to sharpen her leadership and organizational skills.

Ochirjav said he and other priesthood leaders were given an assignment to find ways to increase the Church’s reputation in Mongolia from the Asia area leaders. “So, we came up with an idea to put our choir in the nationwide televised show that reaches every family,” he added. “After the show, SION band became very famous. The band has several music videos

as well. When we introduce our church, we talk about SION and everyone knows about it.”

Enkhtuvshin said the judges of the competition said they were an example to Mongolian youth. “They were amazed by how united and organized we were even though we were [from] different occupations, ages and not professional singers. They said we were literally shining bright.”

Dalaikhuu said after the show, the SION band was all over the press and social media.

“People received us very positively. We received hundreds of supporting messages and comments. It was very encouraging.”

Battulga explained Mongolians think only poor people go to Christian churches to receive help, so this choir changed their perspectives.

“My relatives watched it and were amazed by our good examples and how our free time can be effectively spent among people who have similar aspirations in the Church.”

Tumursukh said, “I admired how dedicated our church leaders were. President Ochirjav cooked for us so many times. Our choir conductor, Unurjargal Purev, never missed a single practice even though she lived very far and had to drive for hours to come. I gained so much respect and love for them.”

“

Changing perceptions Odgiiv expressed the SION band was also a big contribution to choir culture in Mongolia.

“The judges of the show told us SION pulled up the Mongolian acapella choir growth into the next level. It was such rewarding news to hear for us,” she added.

Battulga explained many Mongolians see choirs as old-fashioned. “When we say choir, Mongolians think that people just stand still and motionless and all sing the same song. But we broke that norm and showed how creative and fun choir can be. Now, they see that choir doesn’t have to be boring,” she said.

Dalaikhuu said Mongol TV has continued to work with them. They did a back vocal for The Voice show for two years and for several other established artists. “We also sing for New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year concerts.

The TV employees love us because they think of us as talented young people who are reliable to work with.”

Ochirjav said they even received an invitation to sing the national anthem on the 100th anniversary of the Mongolian revolution.•

My relatives watched it and were

amazed by our good examples and how our free time can be effectively spent

“

among people who have similar aspirations in the Church.

- Janlavtsogzol Battulga

M AY 2021 17

20

hello in different languages

BY ALEXANDRA CLENDENNING

1. Hello (English) 2. Marhabaan (Arabic) 3. Привет [Privet] (Russian) 4. Talofa (Samoan) 5. Halo (Indonesian) 6. Kamusta (Filipino) 7. Hallå (Swedish) 8. Malo e lelei (Tongan) 9. 你好 [Nǐ hǎo] (Chinese) 10. Bonjour (French) 11. สวัส ดี [S̄ w ạs̄ dī] (Thai) 12. γεια σας [geia sas] (Greek) 13. Aloha (Hawaiian) 14. Сайн уу [Sain uu] (Mongolian) 15. Xin chào (Vietnamese) 16. こんに [Kon’nichiwa] (Japanese) 17. Tena koutou (Maori) 18. Hallo (German) 19. Hola (Spanish) 20. 안녕하세요 [annyeonghaseyo] (Korean)

18 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Graphics by Katie Mower.

M AY 2021 19

Embracing a

new culture Narantsatsral Ganzorigt, the winner of Russian and Korean dance competitions, is the first Mongolian dancer in PCC’s Huki show

BY SERENA DUGAR IOANE

N

arantsatsral Ganzorigt, a sophomore from Mongolia, said dancing at the Polynesian Cultural Center’s Huki show helped her learn about Polynesian cultures while helping her overcome her fear of dancing on water and screaming loud, “Cheehoos.” Her friends said she is a persistent, talented and soft-spoken person with a big heart.

Ganzorigt, an exercise and sport science major, said she got her bachelor’s degree in dance and choreography from the Mongolian National University of Cultures and Arts.

While there, she said she earned many awards, including valedictorian. In 2013, she

20 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

said she was deemed the best solo dancer in the Asia and Pacific Region Professional Dancer’s Competition held in Ulan Ude, Russia. In 2016, she won third place in the International Professional Dancer’s Competition in Seoul, Korea.

Before attending BYU–Hawaii, she said she worked at the Capital Ulaanbaatar Theatre as a dancer for four years. “I learned proper selfconduct on stage, [how to do] artistic makeup, wear costumes properly and many more things,” she commented.

Ganzorigt said what she learned there helped her as a professional and also as an individual. Because she usually worked with

other professional dancers in a team, she said she learned to work with people and solve communication problems effectively.

She dances traditional Mongolian, Latin American, Polynesian, hip hop and modern dances. She said she likes to dance because it makes both the audience and dancer feel good.

Nomungerel Enkhtuvshin, a Fall 2020 graduate from Mongolia who majored in psychology, said Ganzorigt choreographed and taught the culture night performances for the Mongolian Club. Enkhtuvshin said she admired Ganzorigt’s willingness to bless others with her talent.

“She also can do many different types of dances,” she shared. “In one of my classes, I

was required to do research on Stravinsky’s, ‘The Rite of Spring,’ which is a very dramatic, modern dance that requires a high level of professional skills. Ganzorigt performed it when she was working for the Ulaanbaatar theatre, and that was pretty impressive.”

First Mongolian Huki dancer Being the first Mongolian to perform in the Huki show at the PCC, Ganzorigt said she is grateful for Uncle Jon Mariteragi for embracing her talent without discriminating.

“Uncle Jon told me I was the first Mongolian who danced at the canoe show.

Even though I was the only Mongolian, and even the only Asian there, I never felt lonely,” she explained.

Ganzorigt said the Huki show is very unique and said she never expected to dance on a canoe in water. In the beginning, she said she had a fear of dancing on the water because it’s constantly moving.

“Uncle Jon showed me my first day video and it was very funny,” she explained. “I was trying to hide my fear, but my legs were not moving. Only my hands were dancing. But later, I overcame that fear and enjoyed dancing on canoes.”

Although dancing requires so much energy and effort, she said she still has enough energy to fulfill her obligations as a wife, a mother of three and a full-time student. “When I do my favorite job, it inspires me to have strength to do all my obligations and always be happy.”

After dancing for almost a year at the PCC, Ganzorigt said she changed her job because she got pregnant with her third child. However, she wants to dance at the Huki show if it starts again, she added.

Batbaatar Norjmaa, Ganzorigt’s husband and a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in information technology, said, “My wife is a very persistent person. She is a mother of three and always busy but never skips her dance practices. When she faces difficult dance movements or techniques, she practices until she masters them. I always admire her talent and persistence.”

Indigo Bopp, a sophomore from Laie majoring in political science, said she met Ganzorigt while working at Huki. “We often danced on the same canoes and walked

together. She’s a hard worker and strives for perfection in all the dances she does. When she first joined, I could tell she was trying her best in practices.

“I witnessed how her Hula and Tahitian [dance] skills have grown dramatically over time. I am also amazed by how well she can mold herself into a new style of dance. I have many fond memories with her, but watching her grow and flourish within the dance culture is one of the best adventures I’ve been on with her,” Bopp shared.

Josephine Al-Angel Matafeo, a junior from Samoa majoring in accounting, said they became friends while taking dance classes. “She is an extremely talented dancer and a caring and mature mother,” Matafeo shared. “Tsatsa is confident in her decision making, considerate of different situations and adapts quickly.”

Matafeo said sometimes Ganzorigt brings her children to dance class and is able to multitask between practicing and taking care of her children. Matafeo said she stays flexible, skilled and healthy, despite her busy schedule.

“All the memories I have of her are special because she inspires me as a dancer, a mother and a woman. She is an amazing person.”

Learning cultures through dancing Ganzorigt said dance is a big part of many cultures because it is an artistic form of expression. “Dance is a language that helps people to understand each other. For example, PCC’s Hā: Breath of Life and Huki are not just entertaining shows, but they are also artistic expressions of historical stories.”

She said dancing at Huki helped her learn six different island nation’s cultures. “I learned that island lifestyles are very free spirited.

When you are dancing, you can smile, scream and move freely.

“In Mongolian culture, we forbid yelling loud, so I rarely make loud noises. However, as a [Polynesian] dancer, I was required to scream ‘Cheehoo’ and it was tough for me.” She said she used to be afraid of screaming awkwardly or people making fun of her.

Ganzorigt said dance costumes tell a lot about the country’s climate and lifestyle.

For example, most Mongolian dance costumes are fully covered and have hats and shoes, she said, while Polynesian dance

clothes are more revealing because of the hot weather.

Dance movements, she said, also reflect the country’s social and religious rituals, people’s behaviors, natural phenomena, animals, daily chores and other cultural elements.

According to Ganzorigt, traditional Mongolian dances usually reflect herding livestock, making dairy products, Buddhist rituals and war preparations. She said, “For instance, shaking shoulders is a common movement in many Mongolian dances, which is imitating how we look when we ride a horse.”

On the other hand, she said many of the Polynesian dances represent ocean waves, breeze, aquatic animals, plants, warrior training and more.

Goals and dreams Because exercise is an important part of being a dancer, Ganzorigt said she loves exercising and understanding physical movements on a scientific level. Because of these interests, she decided to study exercise and sport science.

After her graduation, she said she wants to blend dance and exercise and sport science in a program to help people have healthier lifestyles. Her goal is to use her knowledge and experience to help her people in Mongolia become healthier.

Ganzorigt said growing up in an artistic family ignited her passion for the arts, especially dancing. Her mother, Darisuren Dondov, is also a professional dancer who taught her to dance as a young child.

Her father, Ganzorigt Tserendondog, is a musician who plays piano, guitar, drums and the horse head fiddle, a traditional Mongolian music instrument. Her older sister, Naranchimeg Ganzorigt, is a professional singer, and her identical twin sister, Narantuya Ganzorigt, is a pianist, she added. •

Narantsatsral Ganzorigt dancing at the PCC’s Huki Show. Photo by Munkhbayar Magvandorj.

M AY 2021 21

PART OF SOMETHING

BIGGER

BYUH students say being a part of the Laie community has taught them to be more selfless

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

B

YU–Hawaii students said living in Laie has taught them to be more independent and to appreciate the small things. By being a part of the strong Laie community, they also said they feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

Embracing kindness Joana Chibota, a senior from Zimbabwe majoring in biology, said she felt Laie wasn’t much different than what she experienced back home.

However, learning to accept people’s kindness was something she had to get used to, she clarified.

“It’s culture shock, but in a good way.”

She explained she had to get used to the idea of people being kind, giving her gifts or food without expecting anything else in return. Chibota said the kindness she felt from people on campus and in the community made her feel welcome.

Chibota asserted, “I have learned how to be on top of issues that I have. I’ve learned to be more independent and self-reliant.” She said she strives to take charge of her life through the kindness that she feels from others.

Sierra Gunnell, a freshman from Utah majoring in exercise and sport science, said what is most noticeably different in Laie than back home is the lack of competition and the need to be better than everyone around you. She said Laie is more focused on the people in the community, rather than what the community has.

She said, “[In Utah], everyone cares about how big their house is or how fancy their car is.

But [in Laie], it is such a simple life.” Gunnell said 22 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

she appreciates the residents of Laie who don’t get caught up in comparisons or competitions.

“Everyone [in Laie] is doing their own thing, and no one else is worried about what others are doing that much. Everyone has their own life and their own struggles, but residents’ happiness doesn’t come from material things,” she noted.

Kelly Beazer, a sophomore from Arizona majoring in psychology, said she has learned to be more giving with the people around her and has learned to share what she has. She explained, “People here are so inviting and there isn’t competition between people.”

Beazer said she had to get used to being invited to activities with people she just met which, she said, made her to feel like part of a family despite being far away from home.

Raised in a town with little racial diversity, Beazer said it was refreshing coming into a community with people from many different countries and cultures.

She said respecting and learning about other cultures is a better way to get to know someone. Observing others and learning about their language and customs by asking questions and being involved is crucial in understanding people within the community, she added.

Ashley Howell, a senior from California majoring in biomedicine, said being a part of the Laie community has shown her communities can come together and be one big family.

Growing up, Howell said she didn’t have a community that emphasized unity and togetherness. She said, “I’ve never been a part of something that is so focused on people and a

community that really comes together to help and provide for others.”

She added, “When I got home, I realized how much I appreciate a community like Laie, simply because it’s so unified, either from the Church or just the feeling of aloha.” She explained being a part of the Laie community and going to school at BYUH makes her feel like she is a part of something bigger than herself. •

Graphics by Katie Mower.

part r been a “I’ve neve so ing that is of someth and n people focused o ally nity that re u m m o c a help gether to comes to ers.” ide for oth and prov well

-Ashley Ho

Laie, Hawaii

“People he re are so inviting, an d there competitio isn’t between p n eople.”

-Kelly Bea ze r

Graphics by Katie Mower

M AY 2021 23

Superstitions & legends BYUH students say their country’s stories and superstitions teach principles like unity, safety, and respect for fathers

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

B

YU–Hawaii students said legends and cultural customs have a part in shaping who they are. Students raised on their country’s stories and superstitions said they will pass them on to their own children as they teach important moral principles.

Buyanbat Dagvadorj, a junior from Mongolia majoring in psychology, said Mongolia has many legends, but one of the most popular legends is about the wise queen, Alungoo, who united her five sons.

According to the legend, Dagvadorj said the queen had two sons with her first husband before he died, and three sons afterwards with the light spirit.

Dagvadorj explained, “One day, one of the older son’s asked how she gave birth to the three other sons after their father died.

She told them that the brightly shining spirit man came to her and touched her belly which made her pregnant.”

When the sons were young, they often fought, so their wise mother taught them about unity. She gave them each a singular arrow and asked them to break it in half. Each son broke the arrow easily. Then, the queen collected five arrows, bound them together

24 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

and asked them to break the set of arrows, according to Dagvadorj.

He continued saying each son tried to break the bundle, but failed. The queen explained if they are united, they won’t be defeated easily, like the bundle of arrows.

Dagvadorj said this legend is written in “the Secret History of the Mongols,” the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language, which tells the history of Genghis Khan’s life, his ancestors and descendants.

“At the time, Mongols were not united into one empire yet, so there were so many wars and conflicts happening among the different tribes. Therefore, being united [as] a family and tribe was vital for their survival,” Dagvadorj explained.

He continued, “That is why the mother taught the importance of unity and working together. … Her youngest son is one of the forefathers of Genghis Khan, so this is a legend from true history.”

Sugarmaa Bataa, a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in marketing and graphic design, said this legend inspires Mongolians to be united as a nation, as organizations, teams and as individual families.

Bataa shared, “Many Mongolian mothers used this legend to teach their children about unity for hundreds of years. My mom would always tell this story to us because me and my siblings used to fight a lot. It showed me to be more patient and work with them, rather than fight.”

As a mother of three, Bataa said she will teach her children this legend. She explained the Secret History of the Mongols has thousands of history-based legends teach moral principles in simple and easy to understand ways. Bataa added historical legends taught them about their ancestors and gave them a better understanding of their identity.

Hiromi Ogata, a freshman from Japan majoring in education, said some legends in Japan could be considered superstitions in the United States. She shared Japanese people hide their thumbs in their palms when they see a hearse to protect their fathers.The thumb symbolizes the father, and when you hide it in your palm, it shows respect for him, she explained.

Ogata clarified, saying each finger symbolizes a different part of your family, and the thumb is the only finger they hide when they see a hearse. She said, “It is a custom of Japanese people, so everyone knows what it is,

similar to the peace sign in America.” She said the custom started in the 19th century when the Japanese government began using hearses to bring the deceased to their graves.

Yoshihiro Ogata, a freshman from Japan majoring in accounting, said another common custom is to hide your stomach with your hands during a thunderstorm. He said it is believed the god of thunder, Raijin, would take the person’s soul if they didn’t cover their stomachs.

He added people were scared they would die, so to protect their children, they would instruct them to cover their stomachs from a young age. Ogata said many people in Japan still follow this custom to protect themselves and their families from the god of thunder. He said, growing up, he was told by his parents to follow this custom as well in order to ensure his safety. • Graphics by Sadie Madriaga.

M MAY AY 2021 2021 25

Honoring

intercultural

roots Respect, living the gospel and choosing unconditional love are the keys to a successful relationship, says an intercultural BYUH couple

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

A

n intercultural couple from BYU–Hawaii said they named their son “Jawaii Shen Lopis” so he would remember he was born in Hawaii with Indonesian and Taiwanese roots.

Jonathan K. Lopis, a senior from Indonesia majoring in cultural anthropology, said one does not have to fully understand their partner’s culture to have a successful intercultural marriage. He said respect of the other’s culture is what’s most important.

Kierra Shen Lopis, a senior from Taiwan majoring in TESOL, said when she was still dating her husband, she felt the love of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father because of the way he treated her.

The pair met while attending classes at BYUH and while working at the Polynesian Cultural Center together. They spent a lot of time with each other, they said, and eventually married in the Laie Hawaii Temple.

Their friend from Taiwan, Zoe Chang, a Fall 2020 alumna with a degree in biochemistry, said the couple taught her the meaning of love.

The Lopises hold their son Jawaii, who turns 1 this year.

Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos. Graphics by Sadie Madriaga.

26 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Raising a child with intercultural roots Kierra Lopis said she and her husband try to speak Mandarin, Taiwanese, Bahasa Indonesian and English to their son, who turns 1 this year.

Their son understands what they are teaching him, Jonathan Lopis said. ‘Come’ in Bahasa Indonesian is ‘sini,’ and in Mandarin it is ‘lai.’ He said their son responds well to both languages.

“Jawa is the main island in Indonesia and also where I’m from, and [since] he was born here [in Hawaii], we combined Jawa and Hawaii [to make] Jawaii,” Jonathan Lopis explained.

He said this is their way of respecting their ancestors and a way to remind their son he is a Jawanese boy who was born in Hawaii, he added.

“His middle name is Shen. That’s my wife’s family name. Lopis is his last name and also my family name. So, with these names, we hope that he will always remember who he is. Indonesia and Taiwan are his roots,” he said.

In terms of traditions and culture, Jonathan Lopis said they want to teach both Indonesian and Taiwanese culture to Jawaii because they do not want him to settle on one culture. They want him to recognize his ancestors from both countries.

In Indonesian culture, children are not allowed to ask a lot of questions, he explained, so they want to help Jawaii be more open with his feelings and inquiries. “We are more passive than active in school [back home].”

He said asking questions is considered unintelligent in Indonesia, so he said he struggled to ask questions when he arrived at BYUH. It is similar in Taiwan, Kierra Lopis commented. “Either in school [or] in the family, children have no right to speak out,” she said, adding they want their son to be more expressive with his emotions because it will be good for his mental health.

An intercultural marriage Jonathan Lopis said when he started dating his wife, he respected her because he also wanted to be respected. While a spouse may not understand everything about the partner’s culture, but they must respect it, he commented.

At the beginning of their marriage, Kierra Lopis admitted she was afraid of the language barrier because they both speak different languages. Although they had struggled to communicate in English in the past, she said it has been smooth sailing so far.

Jonathan Lopis said there are still some instances where they find it difficult to express themselves, especially when they are emotional or angry.

Even though they are both from different cultures, he said what helped them have a stronger relationship was their similar personalities and before they got married, communicating frequently about their future goals.

Kierra Lopis said their relationship is also strengthened because her husband seldom complains in their marriage.

For Chang, the secret to intercultural relationships is living the gospel and fostering love for the other person. “Because [the Lopis Family] loves the gospel so much, they both have the highest respect and perfect love

for each other all the time. These two elements are definitely the key to an intercultural relationship.” Chang also said she learned the meaning of love from the Lopis couple.

“I have seen how much they love each other [because they] support each other when one of them is going through a hard time.” She said the couple is always willing to sacrifice for each other.

Finding the one Jonathan Lopis said a couple in an intercultural relationship is going to face a lot of adversity because of cultural differences. However, he said those challenges can be overcome.

M AY 2021 27

He said being married to his Taiwanese wife taught him to accept cultural differences instead of questioning them. “Find someone who can respect you and your family,” he emphasized.

Kierra Lopis said even if a person finds a partner from their country of origin, there still might be differences because they are from different families. “There are many things they have to get used to with each other,” she explained.

To those looking for a partner, she advised, “You really need to find someone you feel comfortable being with and who you can express your emotions to. Follow your heart, and [remember] you have to know yourself well when you fall in love.”

Crazy coincidence Jonathan Lopis said when he arrived at BYUH in 2018, a friend of his showed him a photo of Kierra Lopis and he thought she was beautiful.

“When the semester started, [Kierra and I] were classmates,” He said, adding it was a “crazy coincidence” that they were both working at the PCC Guest Services Department at the time.

“We worked at the same department on the same shift. She was a Chinese tour guide, and I was a canoe pusher.” He said they felt like they had known each other for years, even though they had just met. From that point, he said they started to hang out often, even attending the temple together every Thursday.

Kierra Lopis said she thought he might be interested in her because he always helped her carry her heavy groceries from Foodland to her hale. However, she said he told her he only did that because he thought of her as family. Because he also treated his other friends the same way, she said she thought she was maybe overthinking their relationship.

As the pair spent more time together, they said they eventually became comfortable enough to share their feelings for each other and started dating.

Chang shared, “In Asia, people believe in something called ‘couple face,” which is when people look similar.

“They are so matched to each other. Of course they are a cute couple for sure.”

Jonathan Lopis said, “On Sept. 21, 2018, I proposed to her on a canoe at [the] PCC … [and] on Dec. 15, 2018, we married for time and all eternity in the Laie Hawaii Temple.” •

28 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

M AY 2021 29

Chana palak masala (Chickpea spinach curry)Recipe by Deirdre Gilna

BY ALEXANDRA CLENDENNING Enjoy a dish full of flavor all the way from India. This curry made with chickpeas and spinach pairs perfectly with rice or naan bread.

This recipe can feed up to six

people.

INGREDIENTS 3 tbsp. sunflower or canola oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 inch ginger, finely grated 1 tbsp. ground dried cilantron (coriander) ½ tbsp. turmeric ½ tbsp. cumin ¼-½ tsp. cayenne pepper or chiliflakes 1.5 cups tomato puree (crushed canned

tomatoes 400g) 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas (400g) ½ cup vegetable stock (120 ml) 1 cup frozen chopped spinach or 100gm fresh

or frozen chopped spinach ½-1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. garam masala 1.5 tbsp. lemon juice OPTIONAL: ¼-½ cup full-fat coconut milk (50-100 ml) 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves (coriander)

The finished dish. Photo by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

INSTRUCTIONS Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion.

Make sure they are golden before continuing.

Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger and cook for one to two minutes. Stir until the garlic doesn’t smell raw anymore.

Mix in ground coriander, turmeric, cumin and cayenne and toast for two minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable stock. Turn heat to high and boil. Then, lower to medium-low to maintain a simmer for 10 minutes and continue to stir.

Add ½ tsp. salt, sugar and spinach. If the spinach is frozen, increase the heat until the curry is bubbling. Simmer for five minutes.

Add the garam masala, lemon juice and coconut milk and stir. Garnish with the chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot over rice. •

30 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

M AY 2021 31

32 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Chana palak masala (Chickpea spinach curry)

Recipe by Deirdre Gilna

BY ALEXANDRA CLENNDENNING Enjoy a dish full of flavor all the way from India. This curry made with chickpeas and spinach pairs perfectly with rice or naan bread.

This recipe portion can feed up to

six people.

INGREDIENTS 3 tbsp. sunflower or canola oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 inch ginger, finely grated 1 tbsp. ground dried cilantro (coriander) 1/2 tbsp. turmeric 1/2 tbsp.cumin 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or chili flakes 1.5 cups tomato puree

(crushed canned tomatoes 400g) 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas (400g) 1/2 cup vegetable stock (120 ml) 1 cup frozen chopped

spinach, or 100gm fresh

or frozen chopped spinach 1/2 - 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. garam masala 1.5 tbsp. lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion.

Make sure they are golden before continuing.

Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir until the garlic doesn’t smell raw anymore.

Mix in ground coriander, turmeric, cumin and cayenne and toast for two minutes.

OPTIONAL: 1/4-1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (50-100 ml) 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves (coriander)

Add the crushed tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable stock. Turn heat to high and boil. Then, lower to medium-low to maintain a simmer for 10 minutes and continue to stir.

Add 1/2 tsp salt, the sugar, and the spinach. If the spinach is frozen, increase the heat until the curry is bubbling. Simmer for five minutes.

Add the garam masala, lemon juice and coconut milk and stir. Garnish with the chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot over rice.

M AY 2021 33

WEDDING TRADITIONS from around the world

BYUH ohana share the unique traditions they incorporated into their special day

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

R

ecalling heartfelt memories of their wedding day, couples shared how they incorporated cultural traditions from home into their special day. They said learning about their partner’s traditions allowed them to better integrate culturally significant traditions in their ceremonies.

Ellisa Hadley Edeyaoch, a sophomore from the Federated States of Micronesia majoring in Pacific Island studies, said it is common for men in Micronesian culture to ask for the woman’s hand in marriage with his clan or his family and to bring a sakau, a special plant drink. “It serves as a peace offering, and if the girl accepts, they are considered married in the eyes of society,” Edeyaoch explained.

34 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Due to COVID-19, Edeyaoch said they weren’t able to follow all of the Micronesian wedding traditions on her wedding day. She explained usually they invite a nahnwarki, or leader, that helps advise the couple. She asserted due to the current circumstances, they weren’t able to go home even though she wished she had a traditional wedding.

Kaytano Edeyaoch, a junior from the Republic of Palau majoring in information technologies, agreed with his wife, saying he wished they could have held a traditional wedding. He explained men are supposed to collect traditional stone money along with paper money to give to the bride’s family.

“It shows the wife’s family what kind of family the daughter is marrying into. It shows

Far left: Zhang Zhi Yun and Rahul Chinna Mungamuri participating in an Indian wedding tradition.

Photo by ADB Productions.

Middle: Sydney Sears and her husband Forest Hauck in their wedding attire. Photo by Pakalana Nakayama.

Top right: Kaytano and Ellisa Edeyaoch on their wedding day. Photo provided by Fernanziah Peseta.

Bottom right: Zhang Zhi Yun dressed in traditional Indian attire. Photo by ADB Productions.

M AY 2021 35

that she is going to be in a stable family,” he explained.

Zhang Zhi Yun, a sophomore from Taiwan majoring in art, shared in her home country it is common for weddings to be fairly westernized. However, she said the groom must get the parents approval in order to marry their daughter. In Taiwan, she said the man must bring gifts to the girl’s family in order to marry her. He also needs to have a house, car and good education to prove that he can provide for her.

Yun said both her and her husband’s cultures traditionally expect a big wedding ceremony, but due to COVID-19, they were not able to go back to their home countries and were not able to invite a lot of people, including their parents.

Rahul Chinna Mungamuri, a sophomore from India majoring in business management, said they covered themselves in turmeric powder, which is a common wedding tradition of India called haldi.

He explained they did this before the wedding ceremony in order to cleanse themselves.

He explained, “Haldi is a tradition in India that is believed to clean and purify our bodies.

It is also believed to prevent evil spirits.”

Mungamuri said it is a Hindu religious tradition and is followed by most people in India.

In traditional Indian weddings, he added, the bride and people in attendance will do mehndi, a tattoo on the hands using henna. “The bride’s hands and all her friends get it on their hands.”

He asserted the paste is associated with good spirits, good luck, health and prosperity.

Traditionally, the bride’s designs are the most intricate to set her apart from the rest of the bridal party, he said. Mungamuri said he and his wife wish to return to India to have a more traditional reception.

Clarissa Tekeiaki, a Spring 2020 graduate and EIL adjunct faculty from Nevada, said they were able to incorporate both American and Kiribati traditions into their engagement and wedding.

She explained in Kiribati culture, wedding rings aren’t common. Instead, the bride receives gold earrings to wear leading up to the wedding. She said, “I got my ring and I wore the earrings that were given to me to incorporate both of our cultures.”

Clarissa Tekeiaki said traditionally, American cultures focus on the aesthetic and the decorations. “I wanted to make it an experience, so we decorated really fancy and had lights and chandeliers and had a very romantic vibe.”

36 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

She said her husband’s family from Kiribati didn’t pay much attention to the decorations, but said the food and the reception was much more important to them. Being able to incorporate both cultures made it enjoyable and special, she added.

Timeon Tekeiaki, a senior from Kiribati majoring in accounting, shared weddings from his home town are usually a big celebration.

A week before the wedding, the families get together to prepare the food, he explained. He expressed gratitude to his brother and his wife who were able to go back to Kiribati to get traditional foods to have at their reception.

During the reception, he shared, they do a cake dance where someone dances with the cake to a Kiribati song as they bring it to the bride and groom’s table. He explained other traditional dances done by guests are out of respect for the couple and show their support for them.

Sydney Sears, a junior from China majoring in marketing, said for both her and her

husband, a lot of traditions surround food. She said they tried to give their wedding a tropical feel with both the food and the decorations.

Although COVID-19 didn’t allow them to have a long guest list, they still had a lot of food from both Asia and Samoa, she asserted.

She said, “From my side, we had curries and egg rolls, and for my husband’s side, we had palusami, chop sui and kalua pig.”

Sears said she was grateful to have a more intimate wedding because it made her ceremony seem more relaxed and put less pressure on her to appeal to high expectations.

Saane Hullinger, a senior from Tonga majoring in social work, said Tongan traditional weddings have a lot of dances, including a tauolunga, which is usually performed by people related to the bride and groom. She explained the last dance is usually performed by the bride and the motions are beautiful and graceful.•

All colored photos: Preparations for the Mungamuri’s wedding, including tumeric powder, drawing mehndi, a tattoo on the hands using henna, and Zhang Zhi Yun in traditional Indian clothes. Photos by ADB Productions.

Left in black and white: Clarissa and Timeon Tekeiaki on their wedding day. Photo by Christian Salenga.

Right in black and white: Sydney Sear’s husband Forest Hauck dancing at their wedding celebration.

Photo provided by Sydney Sears.

M AY 2021 37

ACCEPTING THE UNEXPECTED Returned missionaries adjusted to new cultures by losing themselves in the Lord’s work

BY LISI TIAFAU

T

hree returned missionaries at BYU– Hawaii spoke of the importance of understanding culture in missionary work. They noted respecting and learning a new culture on their missions helped them feel happy and shared stories and gave advice for prospective missionaries at BYUH.

Called to serve Seniloli Komaisavai, a junior from Fiji majoring in intercultural peacebuilding, was called to serve in the Australia Adelaide Mission in 2015. He admitted that, at first, the location did not excite him and he did not want to work in Australia.

A few years before receiving his call, Komaisavai and his mother worked in Australia.

Eventually, Komaisavai said he discovered their manager had underpaid all of his employees.

“Seeing my mother struggle for hours in the sun on several acres of land day after day, only to be scammed in the end, was such a demoralizing experience for me,” he said.

Disappointed and discouraged he said he vowed to never fly to Australia again.

After receiving his call, he said he went straight to his room and complained to Heavenly Father because the farm his mother had worked on was in his mission.

“I didn’t realize why the Lord had called me there until much later,” Komaisavai said. He recalled feeling the Lord wanted him to return to the farm and work as hard as he did in the field. “He called me to serve, and I accepted it whole heartedly.”

Dalvin Keil, a junior from Western Samoa majoring in computer science, said he felt excited and overwhelmed when he

38 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

was called to serve in the New Zealand Auckland Mission in 2018.

Growing up, he said New Zealand was on top of his “must visit” list. When he was called to New Zealand, he was overjoyed and excited to preach the gospel, he said.

Being familiar with the food and serving in his native tongue made him feel like it would be the best two years of his life. “And it was,” he said.

Immanuel Susi, a senior from Oregon majoring in hospitality and tourism management, was called to serve in the Philippines Cebu-East Mission in 2016. “When I opened my mission call, I was overpowered by the Spirit,” Susi said.

He explained his parents were born and raised in the Philippines. “When I was called to serve in my parents’ homeland, it was a blessing and a miracle I did not expect.”

Susi stated he was the first member of his family to be baptized in the Church and the first to go on a mission. “It wasn’t even a full year after my baptism that I got my mission call. The only thing I knew was that I was called on by God to serve as a missionary, and I was super excited,” he shared.

His parents were disappointed with his decision to join the Church and serve a mission, he said, but knowing there were people waiting to hear the restored gospel message motivated him. “I wanted to find those families who wanted to be eternal.”

He prayed every day for his parents’ hearts to soften and for them to embrace the gospel, Susi recalled. “To finish off my missionary journey, I was able to be sealed to them for all time and eternity in the Philippines Cebu Temple.”

Be prepared to adjust “Growing up, my parents would always try to teach me Filipino culture through language, food and stories, but it wasn’t until I was in the Philippines that I could experience everything firsthand,” shared Susi.

A family they were teaching invited Susi and his companion over for dinner during a Christmas holiday and spent all of their money and food to provide them dinner, he recounted.

The dinner was simple, but meaningful, he said. “There was only one candle in the middle of the room, and it was the only source of light in the house.”

He would never forget the time he spent with them, he said. “They were not even members at the time, but they went out of their way to make us missionaries feel welcomed.

That night, I saw the light of Christ in their eyes and the Spirit was very powerful.”

Komaisavai remembered when he was called to serve among the Aboriginal Australians and their communities in the heart of Australia, also known as “the Bush,” he shared, “Everything was new and unfamiliar.”

Eventually, he said he fell in love with the people and their culture. “You learn so much from them because their culture is so rich. We did everything together, from hunting for food and eating together, to talking story under the stars at night.”

Keil stated it took him two or three months to adjust to Maori culture in New Zealand.

He attended Maori institutes and marae, or meeting houses, he said. “I got to hear

the people speak their native language and witness their traditions, their culture and their ancestors’ genealogy.”

Despite not understanding everything about the culture, Keil said he would always respect and admire it.

Susi said he appreciated the Filipino community’s sympathy and willingness to share.

“People in the Philippines are always giving,” he explained. “Giving snacks, rides, time and energy to strangers and the people they love. They are so willing to give anything they own if they believe it will make someone happy.”

He said it was amazing how everyone was always willing to contribute to ensure that everyone was fed. Susi said serving guests and making sure they’re satisfied and happy comes first in Filipino culture.

Keil shared learning the tika tonu haka, or war dance, and knowing its roots is something he still treasures today. “The haka is performed for those who are about to embark on a journey,” he explained. “I enjoyed performing the haka because it helps me feel the spirits of our ancestors and allows me to connect with them.”

Through his mission, Keil said he learned people don’t need much to live a good life or to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. He cherishes the culture and the people of New Zealand because they made him feel like family and at home, he recounted.

Komasavai said sometimes people tell themselves they are not good enough or their life choices disqualify them from something worthwhile. “That isn’t true. Even at night,

the moon is outshone by the thousands of stars, implying that even the major setbacks in our lives will always be overshadowed by the many decisions we have yet to make,” Komaisavai explained.

Advice to future missionaries Susi said the most valuable piece of advice he could give someone considering serving is to be ready now, not tomorrow. “If you are thinking about serving a mission, do it.” He said it is important to be prepared to preach and invite others to accept and live the gospel.

Komasavai advised, “To those who are considering serving a mission or making a major life decision, let go and listen to the Lord.”

Keil said, “Learn to accept your mistakes and learn from them. Most importantly, lose yourself in the work. There is no greater joy on the mission than to do the Lord’s work, no matter where you serve.” •

Top left and far right: Seniloli Komaisava served in the Australia Adelaide Mission. Photos provided by Komaisava.

Above left and middle: Immanuel Susi served in the Philippines Cebu-East Mission. Photos provided by Susi.

Left middle and bottom: Dalvin Keil served in the New Zealand Auckland Mission. Photos provided by Keil.

M AY 2021 39

Pieces of the

past

BYUH Archives housese many Hawaiian artifacts including a stick made for nobility and a weapon made of shark’s teeth

The feathered kāhili The feathered kāhili, Haderlie explained, was made by collecting a number of feathers, either from chickens or other birds, that were woven or sewn together and put onto a stick to indicate that a chief or chiefess was coming. He said the plumage on the kāhili was an indicator of rank or status of the individual based on the rarity of the feather.

Walk stated, “[A kāhili] is a feathered standard that has a functional purpose, like moving away bugs around the chief, but they are also a representation of their status as a royal.”

Walk said kāhili can be different sizes, some reaching 10 feet tall, adding that the short kāhili would be made for the ali’i, or chief.

BY LAUREN GOODWIN

B

YU–Hawaii faculty members said learning about the history of the Hawaiian artifacts housed in the school Archives helps people understand the complexities of Hawaiian culture.They affirmed each artifact has its own unique purpose that contributes to Hawaiian history.

The McGuire Collection

Brooks Haderlie, the University archivist, said most of the archives BYUH has and preserves are from the McGuire Collection. Out of about 1,500 total artifacts, most of them are Hawaiian and were donated in behalf of James W.L. McGuire, he clarified. Haderlie explained McGuire was born in Kona on the Big Island and his mother was a direct descendant of King Kamehameha the Great and was considered a minor chief, or minor ali’i, due to that ancestry.

Haderlie added, because of McGuire’s ancestry, he was an attendant to Queen Kapiolani and Queen Liliouokalani. As their attendant, he was able to accumulate artifacts of cultural significance to Hawaiians all across Hawaii, he said. The Honolulu Star Bulletin published a piece on McGuire and through that article, Haderlie said he was able to learn the history behind the collection and the man who preserved it.

Haderlie said McGuire joined The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints in 1921. When he passed away in 1941, he wrote in his will that all the artifacts he owned would be donated to the Church. After being given to the Polynesian Cultural Center, the artifacts were given to the Church College of Hawaii in order to properly care for and preserve the artifacts, Haderlie said.

Kamoa’e Walk, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, said, “Over the years, these artifacts have been accessed by a good number of people, either scholarly or … [by those who] have connections to them genealogically.”

40 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Nose flute Haderlie shared the early Hawaiians didn’t have a lot of musical instruments other than drums made from gourds and one-string instruments. He said there is a misconception that the ukulele originated in Hawaii and clarified it was introduced by the Portuguese when they came to the island.

The nose flute, he said, was an air instrument made from bamboo that would be held up to the player’s nose. There are also three finger holes that would change the pitch of the note.

Haderlie said string or wind instruments were only used to make sounds or music, while percussion instruments were used in hula.

Pandanus basket

Turtle bone scraper and the kapa pounder

The pandanus basket, made from the leaves of the pandanus tree, was a common basket used to carry material for everyday use, Haderlie shared. The leaves were carefully woven together to create the latch, strap and basket to form the beautifully woven purse, he added.

Haderlie said the condition of the basket is wonderful, considering it is around 100 years old.

Haderlie said another interesting artifact is the turtle bone scraper, used to get to the core of the mulberry tree. He said the bone of a turtle was smoothed out on one side by volcanic stone to get past the outer bark of the mulberry tree.

Haderlie stated the core of the mulberry tree is very pliable and would be made into kapa cloths. He said the kapa pounder would then be used to make the clothes, blankets or mats. Hawaiians would take the inside of the mulberry tree and use the kapa pounder to flatten the piece together into a large cloth. He shared the women would use the kapa pounder, which had ridges on each side, to add designs like a stamp or watermark on each blanket.

Poi pounding platter

Above: Kapa pounder. Below: Turtle bone scaper.

Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj.

Walk said the wooden poi pounding platter was carved and shaped in order to make poi. He added poi was a staple food for Hawaiians and was eaten at every meal, and they would make several hundred pounds of poi every week. He shared they would make enough to feed their entire family, which was multigenerational.

Walk said poi making was a communal effort and would be done mostly by men, adding when they came of age, every young man would learn the art of making poi. Walk said pounding the poi helps preserve it and allows it to ferment, bringing out its preferred sour taste.

“There is a multilevel resurgence of learning about cultural things that were deemed backwards and a good number of Hawaiians who are realizing this is a good practice on personal, cultural and nutritional levels.” He said going through the process of physically pounding out the poi, rather than buying it from a store, has obvious health benefits because it hasn’t been processed through a machine.

M AY 2021 41

Shell lei and large decorative shell

Coconut cup

Haderlie held up a shell lei that would have been worn by someone of great importance. Walk said shell leis were made in different styles and usually had a woven core where the shells would be sewn into. He said this would have been laborious and tedious work that required a lot of patience from the artisan.

He stated the shells would be hand punctured in the exact same spot to make the small holes for the cord to be strung through and then laid perfectly in line with the ones before it. Walk said, “Royalty was able to retain the artisans to make these kinds of ornate things for them.” He asserted it would take an artisan around 200 hours to gather materials, poke the holes and then make the lei.

Haderlie said the large shell could have been worn by a kupuna because of its size and the small hole in the center of the shell. However, according to Walk, the large decorative shell could have simply been a decorative piece. Haderlie stated there wasn’t a lot of information about the artifact, but said the shell was customized to expose the mother pearl underneath and noted the edge of the shell was scalloped.

Haderlie said the coconut was an important part of Hawaiian culture because every part of it was used. The shell of the coconut was used as a cup to either hold poi, drink water or act as a scraper, he shared.

Lei o mano Haderlie asserted one of the most interesting artifacts was a lei o mano, shark teeth that could be worn on the knuckles. He explained, “It has three loops of cord that you would put your fingers through and the shark teeth would rest in your palm.”

The lei o mano would be concealed to the opponent and they would come up behind them and slash their opponent across the stomach to disembowel them, he stated. This artifact was one of the many weapons that were made with shark teeth to either use in battle or in personal arguments.

Emma Ward, a freshman from Utah majoring in business management and the archives assistant, said she has learned a lot about Hawaiian culture as an employee there. Ward said, “Seeing the actual artifacts and learning what they were used for or what the story is behind them helps me have more of a deep respect and understanding for Hawaiian culture.” She said learning the stories behind the artifacts made them feel real and helped her gain a greater respect for Hawaii.•

42 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

history of the hibiscus The colorful flower and symbol of Hawaii is good for more than just decoration

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

H

awaii does not have the fields of flowers mainlanders may think of when considering the humble wildflower. But the islands are nonetheless covered in wildgrowing flowering plants. The Hawaiian yellow hibiscus, or ma‘o hau hele, is Hawaii’s state flower. However, the University of Hawaii’s Native Plant Propagation Database says there are seven native species of hibiscus dotting Hawaii, five of which are native to the islands.

According to the website, the ancient Hawaiians used hibiscus as decoration and to make leis. Hibiscus leis are beautiful, but due to the delicate nature of the flower petals, they only last a day before wilting.

More than just being pretty though, the website says the hibiscus flower was used as medicine. The buds and leaves are a gentle laxative suited even for children. Mashed into a juice and mixed with other plants, it was believed hibiscus could “purify blood” and eating the seeds would make a weak child strong.

Nowadays, hibiscus makes for a popular herbal tea. According to Healthline, hibiscus tea may help lower high blood pressure and reduce oxidative stress or damage done to the body by harmful chemicals and pollution. According to teaperspective.com and simplelooseleaf. com, its flavor also pairs well with a variety of healthy ingredients like berries, fruits, ginger, turmeric, rosehips, lavender, chamomile or prickly pear cactus.

Dr. Esprit Saucier, assistant professor in the Faculty of Sciences who teaches botany at BYU–Hawaii, said the Hawaiian red and white hibiscus flower is also a prominent wildflower in the islands. This flower is also known as the koki‘o ‘ula or koki‘o ke‘oke‘o.

Hau hele, a pink-colored hibiscus, can be found growing in the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast and Central and South America, the University of Hawaii website says. Hau, which is a light yellow color, is believed to have been introduced to Hawaii by Polynesian settlers, which makes it a “canoe plant.” Nearly half of

Hawaiian hibiscus species and subspecies are endangered, including the yellow hibiscus.

The hibiscus is a common sight for Hawaii residents, the website says. Chinese hibiscus is a popular ornamental plant that has also spread to the wild areas of Hawaii. The flower is even hybridized with Hawaiian hibiscus to create a dazzling array of color far wider than either Hawaiian or Chinese hibiscus could achieve on their own.

Many of these specially-grown flowers, or cultivars, have special names which can be found in a checklist maintained by the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Hibiscus cultivars include Molokai White, Shy Girl, Kanani Kea, Velvet Sunset, Oahu Red and Hawaiian Flag, among others. •

Photo by Heather Morse on Unsplash.

M AY 2021 43

g n i n fi e D

From top moving clockwise: Atsushi Sano, Yoonjoo Park, Alexis Breanne Clement and Jimboy Mojica Fajardo. Photo by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

44 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

I T A D

G N

BYUH students share dating customs unique to their country, including who makes the first move and PDA do’s and don’ts

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

D

ating customs from around the world include couple rings, rental dates, sharing a meal and hanging out shared BYU–Hawaii students from Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Nevada.

Modern dating customs Atsushi Sano, a senior from Japan majoring in accounting, said the Japanese have adjusted to dating during a global pandemic by using handpicked rental boyfriends and girlfriends. The person must pay for the date and for the meal they will eat, he explained.

Japan Today explained renting partners, as well as family members or friends have become increasingly popular in Japan and is not classified as an adult-oriented service. Celebrity stars such as Conan O’Brian even rented a family for a day on his visit to Tokyo, it said.

Yoonjoo Park, a junior from South Korea majoring in graphic design, said in her country, “We usually buy couple rings when we are in a relationship, even though it’s not that serious.

There are even some places we can design and make our own couple rings.”

Sano said in Japan they hang out more than they go on dates. When people go out for lunch or shopping, it is not considered a date unless the person clearly asks the other one out. For Japanese people, going on a date is a serious thing, so men and women get nervous when they date, he said.

In general, older people focus more on the financial status of the person, Sano said, but someone from the younger generation may care more about looks.

Park said in South Korea the word “dating” refers to the relationship status, not the act of going on a date. Thus, people who date

should stick to one person, she added. The only time dating happens before the couple is in a relationship is right before they become official.

Otherwise, it’s just hanging out, she said.

“In Korean culture, when we date a lot of people at once, we [say], ‘Oh, they’re raising a lot of fishes in one bowl,’” she shared.

She said men in her country are required to serve in the military for one and a half to two years. This causes the couple to be separated from each other and may lead to breakups. It still depends on the couple, though, she explained.

Jimboy Mojica Fajardo, a sophomore from the Philippines studying graphic design, said millennial dating in the Philippines is all about getting to know the other person by hanging out first before moving into the courting stage.

In the old ways of dating in the Philippines, men would make an effort to be closer to the women, Fajardo said. “They believe in sticking with one person when you date,” he added, saying you would be judged by others if you dated several people at once.

Alexis Breanne Clement, a freshman from Nevada majoring in elementary education, said dating is getting to know somebody and refers to the act of forming a relationship, rather than being in a relationship.

“At least where I grew up with the Church, most of the kids would casual date. They date other people, ask different people out on dates, and it wasn’t supposed to be romantic. Mostly it was just casual dating as friends,” she added.

Who makes the first move?

Sano said the men usually approach the women first in Japan, however, on Valentine’s Day, the girls have the chance to confess their feelings by giving chocolates or other gifts to the guy they are interested in or attracted to, he added. During White Day, a holiday that takes place every March 14, the boys respond by giving a gift to the girl, he said.

In South Korea, Park said the men used to be expected to make the first move. However, people are now starting to accept girls approaching the guys first.

In the Philippines, it’s the men who show interest first, Fajardo said. Filipinos in general are conservative. Even though they are interested in the guy, they will not show it. This trait is called pakipot in Tagalog, he shared.

Clement said in the United States anybody can show interest first.

PDA: Yay or nay?

Sano said, “When compared to the other countries, Japanese [people] are more serious about kissing or holding hands. I’d say most of the Japanese would kiss [only] after they became boyfriend and girlfriend.” Kissing in the early dating stages is rare, he commented.

Couples can be seen holding hands in public, but not hugging, he said. “You know, in Japan, we don’t really hug each other, even in business or church. We just shake hands.”

In South Korea, public displays of affection are extremely rare, Parks explained. “It’s okay to hold hands or hug [in public], but when someone kisses in the street, that’s kind of awkward,” she shared.

Fajardo said the conservative nature of the Philippines means PDA is also rare for them.

Like in South Korea, it’s okay to hold hands or hug, “but kissing in public is a really big no.”

Clement said PDA is fairly common in the United States. In fact, she said when she was in high school, she would typically see more than six couples hugging or kissing in the hallway when walking to class.

Common dating activities In Japan, sharing a meal together or going to the movies is a common first date activity. When a couple gets closer to each other, they might go on a date to Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea. “It’s a dream for [many] Japanese people to date in Disneyland,” Sano said.

In South Korea, they also usually watch movies or go to cafes, Park shared. They have room cafes where they can go watch movies, play board games and eat food, she added.

South Koreans also go to escape rooms where the couple will go into a locked room and have to follow clues to get out, she added.

In terms of who pays when they go on dates, Park said the older generation thinks men should pay for everything. “These days, I think most of the couples just pay half and half or when someone earns more money they pay a little bit more.” She also said some couples create a dating bank account they both contribute to.

Fajardo said eating is a huge part of Filipino dating culture. “Filipinos [like] eating. Eating will not be missed on any date.” Other activities in the Philippines include going to the mall, watching movies and eating street foods at the park. In the United States, Clement said people will also go out for dinner or watch a movie. • M AY 2021 45

S.O.S.

save our snails

The Hawaiian tree snail and the Kamehameha butterfly are close to extinction, but all hope is not lost

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

S

aving endangered snails and butterflies in Hawaii requires raising them in the safety of a lab, releasing them into carefully crafted environments where they can thrive without getting eaten by predators and then surveying them using tiny field cameras, explained biologists in the Snail Extinction Prevention Program and Pulelehua Project.

Despite biologists’ best efforts, the coordinator of the SEPP said they sadly lost the last remaining snail of the species Achatinella apexfulva. His name was George.

“George was … the last descendant of a handful that were found in the Ewa Forest Reserve [near Pearl City] about 30 years ago,” said David Sischo, the coordinator of the SEPP and the Pulelehua Project. He said George and other snails were brought to the University of Hawaii. He explained, “Prior to those founding individuals being discovered, the species were thought to be extinct. These were the last known individuals.

“A pathogen or parasite that came through the lab caused mortality in all the individuals except for George. He was the last known individual and passed away in 2019 on New Year’s Day.” Sischo said the cause of death was likely old age.

When an endangered species is down to one individual, as was the case with Achatinella apexfulva, the species is functionally extinct because they have no one to breed with.

However, there is still a chance for their genes to live on. George was planned to be bred with a snail from a closely-related species,

46 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Achatinella concavospira. Unfortunately, Sischo said the breeding never came to pass.

“It was unlikely to work anyways,” said Sischo. “It was kind of a last-ditch, Hail Mary effort. ... By the time we received approval to make that happen, he passed away. He may have been too old to reproduce anyway. We don’t really know.”

Because all Achatinella species are considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act, he said any actions involving captive breeding must be approved by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forest and Wildlife, which oversees the protection efforts.

“The Hawaiian Islands had about 750 distinct species of snails that existed nowhere else in the world,” he explained. “About half our snail species have been lost already, and about 100 species are likely to go extinct soon without prevention.” Hawaii’s delicate ecosystem has been hard hit since European contact, and the Hawaii Invertebrate Program officials say it is working to reverse this.

Sischo describes SEPP as a shield against extinction. Its lab on Oahu is a captive-rearing facility housing close to 40 species of snails, he said, all of whom are extinct in the wild. The endangered snails were gathered to the SEPP lab in order to grow and breed them safely away from predators and other threats.

Major threats to the snails include invasive predators the snails never evolved a defense against, such as rosy wolf snails, rats and Jackson’s chameleons, Sischo explained. All

three species find the slow-moving, colorful snails to be a tasty and easy-to-get treat.

At the program’s small lab complex on Oahu, there are a few trailers and gardens where several dwindling species of native invertebrates are carefully maintained. In the hopes of one day repopulating the Hawaiian Islands, Sischo said the snails are watched after in small but stable breeding populations.

On both Oahu and Maui, captive-bred snails are released into special patches of land that have been searched inch by inch to remove predators, Sischo explained. They also have a predator-proof fence erected around them.

The released snails, from that point, will only face the threats naturally found on Hawaii, such as heavy rain or competing with other native snails for food. Under these circumstances, the snails can thrive like they once did, Sischo said.

These patches of land, called exclosures, require maintenance, which is one of the duties of SEPP intern, Lilly Thomey. She said she lives in Halawa and began working for SEPP through Kupu and Americorps. She also works to restore native habitats and survey the habitats snails were once recorded living.

“A favorite story of mine is when I first camped in the northern Koolau mountain range for an overnight snail survey,” Thomey shared.

“My co-workers and I spent the day working in a snail exclosure, performing upkeep duties and then set aside time to watch the sunset over the Waianae mountains with the silhouette of Kauai in the background. Once it was sufficiently

David Sischo, the coordinator of the SEPP, said the Hawaiian Islands had about 750 distinct species of snail that existed nowhere else in the world. Half of them are already lost.

Photos by Lilly Thomey.

dark, we piled on some layers, turned on our headlamps and went back to the exclosure to perform a night-time snail count.

“While looking high and low for Achatinella lila and Achatinella sowerbyana, a moonbow lit up the landscape, casting shadows across Poamoho Summit and Kaneohe Bay. We paused our survey and a solid 10 minutes of our time was dedicated to absorbing as much as we could of the scenery. I felt so fortunate to be in that place with the snails in those conditions.”

Sciencemadefun.net says, “A moonbow is a rare natural atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when the moon’s light is reflected and refracted off water droplets in the air.

Moonbows are much fainter than rainbows made by the sun and often appear to be white.

This is due to the smaller amount of light reflected from the surface of the moon.”

According to Thomey, if Hawaii lost all of its snails, the ecological consequences would be dire. Native plants that co-evolved with native snails need the snails to survive.

Without the native plants, she said Hawaiian landscapes would lose their nutrients.“Working with these Hawaiian land snail species is an uphill battle, but being able to release snails back in the wild or see a population bounce back in the lab makes all the effort, time and brain muscle power worth it,” Thomey said.

For some snails, their natural defenses against predators make it difficult for SEPP to even get them to the lab in the first place, Thomey explained. She said her favorite species, Laminella sanguinea, are found on the Waianae mountain range on Oahu.

“A behavior of theirs is to cover themselves in debris, such as dirt and snail feces, so they can hide their deep, red-colored shell. Though this cryptic adaptation was once meant to deter native bird predators, this camouflage makes it hard for us to find them in the wild when we need to [move them] or evacuate populations,” Thomey explained.

Jana Maravi, who lives in the Punchbowl area near downtown Honolulu, is also a Kupu intern placed with HIP by Americorps, but she works on the Pulelehua Project. Maravi said pulelehua means butterfly and is used to refer to the Kamehameha butterfly called Vanessa tameamea.

This butterfly is a rare and endangered Hawaiian insect and one of only two endemic species of butterfly in Hawaii, Maravi explained.

The Kamehameha butterfly is threatened by predators, but at the Pulelehua Project, Maravi said they’re still trying to figure out what predators these would be. Right now, all they know is that something is eating their butterflies.

Caterpillars carefully raised in the HIP labs are released only to disappear, she said.

“My job is to put out cameras in the field and systematically deploy these caterpillars.”

She said she has a background with scientific camera work, which is how she ended up with the Pulelehua Project. “We have these little field cameras that run on constant video 24/7 out in the field. Every other day, we take a big battery down with us and swap out the battery and the memory cards.

“These tiny cameras can focus … on the caterpillars, as opposed to other field cameras that normally focus on deer. They’re special for our invertebrate project. We just sort of attach them to different branches, and the caterpillars feed on maki, a native plant here. They hang out on the leaves in front of the camera, and we can see what predators come and take them.”

In addition to releasing and monitoring the caterpillars, which Maravi readily described as “adorable” with their fat green bodies and tiny nubby legs, she said the Pulelehua Project also plants native plants and eliminates invasive species.

“There’s a lot of introduced butterflies and insects [in Hawaii]. So, it’s really cool to be able to work with something there’s only two [species] of,” Maravi said. “It’s really unique here. It’ll be great to see them naturally in the area we’re working in again one day.” •

M AY 2021 47

Top left: Jean Okimoto was part of the first group of students to attend the Church College of Hawaii, now BYUH. Photo provided by Curt Okimoto.

Top right: The temporary buildings that made up the CCH campus in 1955. Photo provided by BYU–Hawaii Archives.

Bottom: Old Laie. Photo provided by Hawaii Reserves.

48 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Living in the shadows

of the temple Jean Okimoto, 83, says she and her classmates who attended CCH during its first year in 1955, are pioneers of BYUH

BY ABBIE PUTNAM

W

hen Jean Okimoto first stepped foot on the BYU–Hawaii campus, she described the close-knit community as a few small portables for gatherings and learning, full of lively weekend activities. In the Lanihuli House where she lived, Okimoto taught her roommates how to make sushi she had previously learned to make from her mother’s restaurant in Kauai.

From flooding that led to canceled class and boogie boarding in the streets to a dorm mother cooking their meals for them, Okimoto said she fondly remembers her days at CCH. She said she felt like she was part of a family.

Okimoto, born in Hawaii in 1938, was part of the first group of students to attend BYU–Hawaii, then the Church College of Hawaii, in 1955.The BYUH website says only 153 students were enrolled that year.

“Let’s say we were the pioneers.We were the very beginning of the CCH.We had a lot of challenges, but we had a lot of happy experiences. …

We were really the foundation.We started from the basic,” Okimoto said.

Cherished memories Okimoto remembers a dorm mother, Sister Enos, who would cook for the students who were living in the boy’s dorm, which was on a nearby street. She said she would even teach others, especially the cooks in the cafeteria and other dorm mothers, how to make the meals. “She was a good cook,” Okimoto said. She made stew, spaghetti, hamburgers and stir fry. “She’s a good cook so she can fix anything,” she said.

Riley Moffat, retired BYUH geography professor and senior librarian, also knew Sister Enos. He said, “Mom Enos, as she was known

by all, was a wonderful lady. I was able to be her bishop during her last years. I wish they would name the new dining facility after her: ‘Emily’s Place’ or ‘Mom Enos’ Place.’ She was like an institution here for about 20 years.”

Okimoto said Sister Enos was also a talented musician. “Mom Enos played the piano really well, and so they had a dance” and she played instruments.

“We had some very outstanding professors, teachers and a wonderful president, and they were always willing to help students. Because it was a small enrollment, you could get to know them personally,” she shared.

Some of the professors would even take in some students to live with them, she said, because they were looking for housing on their own once they moved out of the dorm. “I even lived with a professor and their family later on. It was nice. I would introduce some of the island kinds of food [to them.]” She said while living there, she would help with the housework and pay rent.

Okimoto said she has memories of associating with many different students because they all lived and studied together. “I remember so

The 1956 “Na Hoa Pono” yearbook records Sister Agnes Kanahele and Sister Emily Enos working cheerfully at the Kakela Boys Dormitory. Photo provided by BYU–Hawaii Archives.

M AY 2021 49

many people because it was a small group that you meet with. … We got to know almost everybody.” She said some of the students would go visit family or friends on the weekend. While some would stay, and they would do activities together.

She told her roommates that growing up, her mom had a restaurant on Kauai, so she learned to make sushi by watching her make it. One weekend she said she offered to make her roommates sushi. “It was a fun time because we had to keep ourselves busy on the weekend with things to do and fun places to go,” she said.

Okimoto said she worked throughout her college career so she could support herself. “But when I graduated, I made sure I saved money for my mom. I bought her a plane fare and had her come up for my graduation.”

There was a store close to the Lanihuli House that had a big fountain in the front, she said, where you could order ice cream. She also remembers a post office near the store, another building for Sunday school and one with benches outside where they could watch movies or spend time with other students.

Okimoto described how the boy’s dorm was on a nearby street. It had a concrete slab out in the front they often used for school activities, like dances, such as a preference ball where the girls asked the guys, she said. They also enjoyed Halloween parties, crab hunts and movie nights.

She remembers that area being decorated for the activities.

Additionally, she said the community would occasionally throw out fishing nets and see if there was any fish for the tourists, but they would only occasionally have fish.

The students used to enjoy field games on the grassy area near the boy’s dorm house. Okimoto said it was mostly the boys who participated at that time, and they would play basketball and volleyball, with tennis coming later on. “We were so active,” Okimoto said of her and her classmates.

“We even sang for the Church College of Hawaii,” Okimoto recalled.

“We had a choir, and we sang at the [Honolulu] tabernacle in town. It was kind of fun because from the country you go into the city.” She said they would travel to different places to sing.

“We also had some fun luaus and parties in Laie while we were there.” Okimoto said these luaus, which were fundraisers, were in a green building by Hukilau Beach and were the beginnings of the Polynesian Cultural Center. She said these parties were attended by community members, tourists and students. They sold plate lunches, pounded poi and had singers and hula dancers put on shows.

Okimoto said there was a variety of classes offered at CCH, such as business, psychology, music, choir, math and physical science.

She recalled a friend of hers who said the students tried to make a C behind the school, similar to the Y on the mountain at BYU in Provo, but she is not sure exactly where it was or if it is still visible.

Moffat said this white block letter C was located “on the hillside to the south toward Hauula.” He said several years later, around 1970, some students turned the letter into a peace sign and the hillside where it is located used to be a good place for sliding on ti leaves after a rainstorm.

50 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

Looking to the temple While Okimoto attended CCH, she lived in the girl’s dormitory called the Lanihuli House. One of her most cherished memories of living there was when she could see the temple as she walked up to the dorm. “It was so beautiful because the temple would always be lit up. …

Living in the shadows of the temple was so inspiring.

“Somehow you feel closer to the Lord being so close to His house, His temple.”

She advised current BYUH students to stay strong in the gospel of Jesus Christ and said attending a church college offers great opportunity to increase spirituality. “That’s what’s going to build your foundation.”

She said living near the temple helped her feel the Holy Ghost more in her life as she looked forward to going to and getting married there.

Additionally, Okimito said the education she received at CCH helped prepare her for her future as a teacher because she had the opportunity to meet students from different places around the world, including the different islands of Hawaii. She said this interaction helped lay “a good foundation” for her and her classmates to be able to graduate and then go on to serve others.

Pioneer days Describing her experience as the first group to attend CCH, Okimoto said, “It was in the pioneer days. It was growing pains.” One of the biggest signs of these growing pains was that campus was composed of temporary buildings called portables.

Okimoto said the biggest difference between CCH and BYUH today is the temporary buildings became permanent structures, which allowed a much larger enrollment. She said later on, they also built dorms down by the new college buildings to accommodate more students, most likely freshman, while the upperclassmen stayed in the Lanihuli House.

She said these growing pains also came in the form of frequent flooding of campus. Okimoto said, “When it rained a lot, we got flooded. We had to walk in the water to get up the stairs into the building. When it floods, we had to be very careful [and] carry our shoes or lift our clothing to walk around.

“Sometimes the water would go up to the third step, there was maybe five steps. Then school was called off because of the flooding. And then the boys would come with their bodyboard or little surfboard or boogie board, and they would go floating around because it’s flooded in that area.”

She said the Lanihuli House was located on a corner close to a chapel, which was in the back leading towards the temple. There is a faculty home now on the site of the old house. From the inside of the house, the roof was very high. She described the house as big and round.

The inside of the Lanihuli House had four bedrooms. The bedroom Okimoto slept in was “a bigger room with several beds and a lot of people.” She said despite there being about four girls per bedroom, living there did not feel crowded. She said there were people from both the mainland and from the Hawaiian Islands.

The house also had a dining area. She said the showers were in a separate building in the back of the property along with temporary wooden housing that reminded her of military barracks.

They used to have class in the chapel near the house, Okimoto explained. “Next to the chapel, they used to have a nice grassy area where they used to have some activities for the students.”

The college campus had a registrar’s office, classrooms and a library.

To get into the library, students had to walk up some steps and across a porch area. She also described an egg farm nearby.

Okimoto said the most difficult part of living in the Lanihuli House was that it was far from town. She said if she wanted to go to Kaneohe, she would have to take the bus or catch a taxi. She said there was a guy on campus who would offer to take people to and from town so they could shop and visit the city. However, when she was reminiscing with a friend, she said she realized they had so much fun living there they really didn’t mind the difficulties.

She recalled a friend she had in Honolulu who would come pick her up.

She said she was grateful because it would give her a chance to see him, his family and her other friends and go to church at the downtown tabernacle.

According to the Ensign Peak Foundation, the Lanihuli House was torn down in 1958 because of termite damage to the home and to make room for the expansion of BYUH. Okimoto later went on to attend BYU in Provo where she received a degree in education and met her husband, Howard Okimoto. They were married in 1960. Jean Okimoto went on to work as a teacher in various places, such as Murray, Utah, at the Kahuku school, in Kauai and in California.

She now resides in Kaneohe with her husband. She has three children, two sons and a daughter. One of her sons has three children, all boys, and the other has four children. Her daughter, who unfortunately passed away in 2007, while giving birth to her last child, has seven children. The Okimotos have 14 grandchildren who live throughout Hawaii and the mainland.•

The Lanihuli House, once located near the temple, served as the first girls dormatory for the Church College of Hawaii.

Photo provided by BYU–Hawaii Archives.

M MAY AY 2021 2021 51

Leave your

mark

BYUH ohana become a permanent part of the new science building at the Leave Your Mark signing event

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

T

he Leave Your Mark event gave people an opportunity have their names become part of the campus infrastructure and to celebrate the progress made on the new science building, as listed on BYU–Hawaii’s University Events website.

Students and staff signed a beam that was placed in the rafters of the new building, allowing students to become a permanent part of the BYUH campus.

The event was organized by James Brown, the director of Design, Planning & Construction, and was a take on a construction industry tradition known as a “topping out ceremony,” he explained.

This ceremony takes place when a building reaches its highest point, normally a Christmas tree or flag is placed on the top beam and the workers share a toast or a meal, Brown explained. “In this instance, we wanted to include students in a way a small tree on top would not,” he said.

“It is our hope that all who have signed the beam will always feel a part of the structure and BYUH.” He also hopes to include students in this way in other construction projects around

52 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

campus and has even proposed installing a time capsule. Brown emphasized the investment the Church and University are making in the students and faculty here, especially with the recent construction.

“Each of these structures represent the faith and sacrifice of the full membership of the Church and represents the hope and love of their Savior, whose church this is,” he said.

New structures, he explained, such as the improved science building, will help attract and serve people from around the globe to uplift and educate one another at BYUH. Industrial I-beams, so named because of their resemblance to the shape of the letter I, are usually not decorated.

However, the beam propped up in front of the Academic Advising building on March 23, 2021 was covered in a thick, smooth coat of dazzling white paint. Sharpies stood at the ready for students. Anyone passing by could write down whatever they wanted on the beam.

The beam will not be visible to students or visitors after it was installed the day after on March 24, 2021, according to Laura Tevaga, assistant to the president. While it will be exposed, the area of installation is not

one with public access. Brown said the beam is installed at the highest point of the new science building.

Student Life representatives were present for part of the day during the signing and passing students and staff were able to contribute.“I was here for lunch,” said Samantha Hanson, a senior marine biology major from Florida. She wrote her name and her year in school on the pole before leaving. She said the opportunity to write on the beam was fun.

Other students were quite thoughtful about the event. Sateki Vaenuku, a senior hospitality and tourism management major from Tonga, said, “This is my last semester. … [The science building] is a new building for new students, so it’s pretty cool to have your name on one of the beams.” In a way, he said it will make him a part of the campus, so he can continue being a “living student.” He wrote his name and drew the flag of Tonga on the beam.

The writings on the beam consisted of signatures, dates, drawings and encouraging messages in many languages. The building is not expected to be completed until 2022, according to Orange Cone, which tracks construction around the BYUH campus. •

Above: BYUH President John S.K. Kauwe signs the I beam.

Top right and bottom: Additional members of the BYUH ohana sign the same beam that was placed at the top of the new science building. Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

M MAY AY 2021 2021 53

KEEPING NATIVE HAWAIIAN AGRICULTURE ALIVE Kualoa Ranch uses oysters to organically clean its fishpond and newspapers, banana and coconut leaves to grow taro with less weeding

54 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

BY ANNA STEPHENSON

F

armers and researchers are using oysters in a more than 800-year-old loko ia, or fishpond, on Kualoa Ranch, blending Hawaiian heritage and modern innovations to overcome problems pre-contact Hawaiian farmers didn’t face. The problems include not having enough fish to eat pond algae, explained Kualoa Ranch employees, and a lack of banana and coconut leaves to help grow taro better by keeping down weeds.

In fact, according to Kuuipo Mccarty, fishpond caretaker and “oyster maiden” at the ranch, Kualoa Ranch has become home to Hawaii’s only loko ia that can sell the oysters used to clean the water in the pond as food.

“There are projects in Hawaii using native oysters to clean contaminated water.You shouldn’t eat those oysters.” The oysters Mccarty raises, however, are “delicious and sweet,” she explained, because so many years have gone into cleaning the water of the ranch’s loko ia. At some point, carnivorous fish were

introduced to the loko ia, she said. Thus, so many herbivorous fish were being eaten there wasn’t enough fish to eat the algae that grows in the pond.

Soon, the loko ia had nearly three quarters of its surface covered in a thick mat of algae, preventing sunlight from reaching much of the pond. Because this was not a problem the ancient Hawaiians would have encountered, she said there was no age-old wisdom on how to combat it.

Mccarty credits former Kualoa Ranch employee, Bruce Anderson, with the new addition to restore the loko ia to its former function. By adding oysters to the pond, the algae began to clear up.

“An adult oyster can filter-feed about 25 gallons of water a day, on average,” Mccarty said, holding the palm-sized shell of one in her hand. “They feed on the nutrients the algae would eat.”

Dr. Anthony Mau works as the diverse agriculture manager and oversees food production at Kualoa Ranch, including the

growth of taro. He received a doctorate from the University of Hawaii with a specialized background in aquaculture. Mau said aquaculture often gets a “bad rap” because aquaculture projects in the past have polluted nearby waterways with excess fertilizers and nutrients. Oysters, however, actually improve water quality. While the water in Kualoa Ranch’s loko ia already passes a stringent 15-series quality test set by the FDA to allow the ranch to sell its oysters as food, the water at other locations around Hawaii is still in the process of being cleaned, Mau explained.

He also came up with a way to preserve ancient Hawaiian tradition, while making adjustments to suit available resources to grow taro. “It’s not just for show,” Mau said of their loi kalo, which are rectangular ponds with mud heaped into long “mo’o” or “lizard-style” mounds planted with a row of taro. According to Mau, growing the taro in this way maximizes yield. “It’s authentic, and it makes sense to be authentic. This is what’s meant to grow here. …

When planting, you need to listen to what the climate is saying.”

Traditionally, Mau said after the taro were planted, banana and coconut leaves were placed around the stems to prevent weeds from sprouting and water from evaporating. Banana and coconut leaves were a plentiful resource in pre-contact Hawaii, but not so much today because coconut and banana trees no longer grow as plentifully. However, without them, the mo’o quickly become covered in grass, impeding the growth of the taro as they suck up nutrients.

Left: Pictured are Dr. Anthony Mau and Kuuipo Mccarty, both employees at Kualoa Ranch.

Middle: Taro is at the forefront of Hawaiian agriculture, said Dr. Anthony Mau. Right: Kualoa Ranch’s loko ia passes a stringent 15-series quality test allowing the ranch to sell its oysters as food. Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

M AY 2021 55

Mau’s solution to the problem, he said, was inspired by a common practice in Japan where gardeners use old newspaper as mulch.

By covering the mud with a thick layer of newspaper before adding the banana or coconut leaves, the same effect can be achieved with less leaves. Following this practice allows Kualoa’s farmers to stretch their supply of leaves further.

Additionally, Mau said newspaper is plentiful and actually improves the quality of the soil by adding carbon back into it as it breaks down.

“There used to be over 300 varieties of taro, but many of them have died out,” Mau said. “A lot of the loi were converted into rice paddies when the Chinese and Japanese immigrants came, but nowadays a lot of people are growing taro [in those places] again. … Taro, along with sweet potato and ulu, [or breadfruit], is at the forefront of Hawaiian agriculture.”

Kualoa Ranch’s popular Taste of Kualoa tour reopened in April and takes visitors through its agricultural sections and allows them to sample what is being grown and harvested.

Ahupuaa system For thousands of years, native Hawaiians used a agricultural system called ahupuaa, which covered everything from the mountains to the sea, to sustain a population similar in size to the one in Hawaii today, Mau explained. Although

56 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

much of this old land has now been developed, he said, the agricultural techniques the native Hawaiians used to grow food still work best.

Amy Campbell, who lives in the town of Volcano on the Big Island, has a degree in sustainability and works for a large conservation group. She studied the ahupuaa systems on Maui and said they are incredible.

“When I first started studying systems, I was shocked at how intricate it was,” she said. “They used the water flow that naturally occurred to irrigate a number of fields.” She said the taro was typically kept at the top, with other crops, like ulu, at the bottom. According to her, people are typically shocked when they learn how much food the ahupuaa system produces. She said precontact Hawaiians and those who maintain the practices today are “incredible botanists.”

The loko ia, or fishpond, is traditionally built where the ahupuaa meets the coastal plain, Campbell explained. “If I was going to scientifically go in and design the ideal fishpond, I don’t think I could match what they did,” she said. “They were ingeniously designed.”

Fish enter the loko ia while small and grow large within its walls by eating algae. Because of this, she said Hawaiians ate almost exclusively herbivorous fish that were low on the food chain.

To harvest the fish out of the loko ia, she said they used a plant called ‘ākia to stun them. It’s

just poisonous enough to the fish to temporarily immobilize them, but completely harmless to humans. After the harvest, the fish that weren’t eaten were released back into the ocean, where the ‘ākia wore off and the fish “came magically back to life. That plant was endemic and only found in Hawaii, so they learned about that and used it,” Campbell said.

While using a loko ia to collect fish is no longer a common practice, restoring them is a hot topic among preservationists.

In Haleiwa, people at the Malama Loko Ea Foundation work tirelessly to restore the Loko Ea fishpond.

On its website, it describes Loko Ea as “a sacred space for the community of pae ‘āina o Hawai’i” because it’s a place to practice culture, share heritage and celebrate community.The website says the group has two sand-dune ponds in Waialua connected to the ocean through a stream or ditch.

“Connected physically through the streams and freshwater springs, they are also spiritually connected, as both are the home to Laniwahine, the mo‘owahine female water guardian of the two fishponds. Together, they make up the third largest existing wetland on the island of Oahu.”

The Malama Loko Ea Foundation runs community workdays every Saturday between 9 and 11 a.m. Under current COVID-19

protocols, participants must pre-register groups between three and 10 people on its website.

Other aspects of the ahupuaa system, such as the loi kalo or taro fields, are also actively preserved around Oahu and on the BYU–Hawaii campus.

One such example is a community nonprofit in Hakipuu Valley, Ho‘āla ‘āina KŪpono.The Hakipuu loi kalo has been tended using traditional techniques for hundreds of years without interruption, says the Ho ‘āla ‘Āina KŪpono website. According to the Trust for Public Land, more than $1 million was raised in 2016 in order to preserve the loi kalo.Today, the nonprofit is still growing taro and the space is an outdoor classroom for students of restorative agriculture.

BYUH also participates in restorative agriculture by growing various native plants using traditional techniques in the Hawaiian studies garden. A similar arrangement can be observed on a visit to Waimea Valley.

However, restoration isn’t the only way to keep native Hawaiian agriculture alive. Other places where modern farming techniques are combined with tradition, allowing farmers to grow both native and introduced plants, include Kahuku Farms and the farms at the Polynesian Cultural Center. • Left: Dr. Anthony Mau uses traditonal Hawaiian farming practices. Right: Floaters used to grow oysters.

Photos by Mark Daeson Tabbilos.

M AY 2021 57

Telling stories through pixels Content creator with a passion for storytelling recalls spending over 100 hours on a five-minute video

BY ALEXANDRA CLENDENNING

E

milio Valenciano said he prefers making videos over photographs because he likes to tell stories and create an emotional connection with the audience.

Valenciano, a senior from the Philippines studying exercise and sport science, is an avid content creator who tells inspirational stories and captures beauty through film and photography.

His wife Sarah Valenciano, an alumna from Colorado who is also a photographer and videographer, said she admires her husband’s talent for interacting with the people and the things he films. He knows how to portray them very well, she said, adding she has learned a lot from him.

Emilio Valenciano said he loves to connect with his viewers and enjoys hearing how his videos and photographs have touched them. He expressed it brings him joy to know his hard work is giving people the emotional experience he strives to create.

order to convey his messages with ease. He recalled dedicating over 100 hours of work on a five-minute video about a BYU–Hawaii student’s weightlifting journey, titled, “Lifting Burdens Short Film.” He explained the process of creating good content consists of starting with an idea, finding the inspiration and talent and bringing the idea to life.

One unique aspect of his process is first recording the audio and syncing it with the music in order to create a vision and layout for his video. He said, “I like to put things together with the music and audio before I even start filming because I want to listen to the audio, listen to the music and just imagine what the final product will be.”

He said he asks for feedback from his fellow videographers and photographers while in production in order to improve the video’s quality and to have a fresh set of eyes critique his film. He often asks his wife for advice, he said, since she is also versed in photography and videography.

The creative process

Passion over everything

Emilio Valenciano said it takes many hours to produce great videos. He expressed he tries to make high-quality work with precision in

His friend and fellow creator, Harold Pedroso, a senior from the Philippines studying hospitality and tourism management, shared

58 KE AL AK A‘I 2021

how much passion and drive Emilio has for creating and telling stories through his work.

He commented, “Whenever he is feeling burnt out, he always comes up with these crazy ideas that we should do, which always brings back my motivation to keep creating.”

Pedroso noted Emilio Valenciano often does jobs for fun and as a creative outlet, rather than doing it for money or praise because of his pure passion for creating.

“He doesn’t think about being paid when taking on a project. He cares about if the film is going to impact a lot of people and how he’s going to do that.”

Sarah Valenciano shared, “He has a bolder view of life that definitely reflects his personality through his work. He’s a go-getter. He dreams big, which is shown through his works.”

Emilio Valenciano said he first discovered his passion for creating videos and photographs when he arrived at BYUH three years ago. He recalled marveling over the beauty, colors and sunsets, and said he felt inspired to capture the beauty through his camera.

Valenciano said there are so many places to find inspiration for creating. “I really love the saturation and the colors of Hawaii, especially underwater when I’ve gone diving. I love the

feeling of freedom and life underwater. It is so blue and one of the most beautiful places. It feels almost like flying,” he remarked. He added inspiration can be as simple as going for a walk or swim at the beach.

Valenciano urged beginning creators to follow their passions with a simple word of advice: repetition. “The best way to master it is repetition. I can see the difference between my first shot to my shots right now. Editing is one of the main factors that affects how beautiful a photo can be. It took me hours of editing, tons of tutorials and tons of going to the beach and diving and taking photos to create my images today,” he commented.

He also said it takes practice to “find good timing, the best shot, best angle and the position as well. If you’re in the wrong position then obviously you’re not going to get the best shot possible.”

He added aspiring creators should get outside and enjoy what they have in front of them while here on the island. He stated, “Give yourself a break, go have a walk, watch the sunset and enjoy nature.” •

“ Give yourself a break, go have a walk, watch the sunset and enjoy nature.”

Emilio Valenciano

Photos by Emilio Valenciano.

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