“The Life” Cel ebrat ing t he a r ts, cu ltu re, a nd s us t a inabilit y o f t he H awa iia n I s la n d s Hawai‘i Island Edition
May–June 2013 • Mei–Iune 2013
Kama Lei The Ultimate Lei
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“The Life” Celebrating the a r ts, culture, a nd susta inabilit y of the Hawa iia n Isla nd s
May–June 2013 Mei–Iune 2013
Art 19 Evelyn Musacchia Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market’s Little Old Rock Lady By Jessica Kirkwood
57 Hopper Sheldon Eastside Artist Brings Art and Fun to Keiki of All Ages By Barbara Fahs
Business 67 Managing with Aloha: Ho‘ohana By Rosa Say
Big Island Honda Kona supports the Big Island
Culture 23 “He Mo‘olelo kō ka Lei” A Story of the Lei By Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco
Youʼll see our company name attached to quite a few functions here on the Big Island. We believe in supporting local, quality events...like the 4th of July Fireworks, the Peaman races at the pier and tons of local school and community events. Please remember us when you are in the market for a new or pre-owned vehicle. Thatʼs all we ask... weʼll be there for you.
45 Aunty Elizabeth Malu‘ihi Lee Lifelong Weaver Seeks to Perpetuate Hawaiian Tradition By Cynthia Sweeney
Home 29 Vegetable Steel! Miracle Grass! By John J. Boyle
Land 39 Grace Under Stress Kona Orchid Society By Catherine Tarleton 49 Kama‘āina Land Child Barbara Kamilipua Nobriga By Denise Laitinen
61 In The Shadow of the Sandalwood The Plight Of The Wiliwili By Stig Lindholm
75 Ginger
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Music 69 Intent is Everything to Luthier Dennis Lake The Making of an Expert
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By Shirley Stoffer
Ocean 13 Then & Now: Hawai‘i, Maui, and the ‘Alenuihāhā By Pete Hendricks
People 35 From Provence to Puna Kalani Oceanside Retreat says “Mahalo” to Founder By Le‘a Gleason
Spirit 11 Kai A Ke Akua Na Kumu Keala Ching
PUNA MUSIC FEST
Ka Puana -- Refrain 82 Daughers of Fire By Tom Peek
Crossword Puzzle Island Treasures Farmersʻ Markets Hawai‘i Island Happenings Community Kōkua–Volunteer Opportunities Life in Business
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“The Life” Ce leb ra t i n g t h e a r t s, cu l t ure, a n d s u s t a i n ab i l i t y o f t h e Hawa i ia n I sla nds
UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘ĀINA I KA PONO.
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. [Its sustainability depends on doing what is right.] Proclamation by Kona-born King Kamehameha III in 1843. Later adopted as the Hawai‘i state motto.
Publisher, Marketing and Operations Barbara Garcia Bowman, 808.329.1711 x1, Barb@KeOlaMagazine.com
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Production Manager Richard Price
Ambassadors
Eric Bowman • Keala Ching • WavenDean Fernandes • Fern Gavelek
Ke Ola is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Ke Ola is a member of Hawai‘i Alliance for a Local Economy (HALE), supporting the “Think Local, Buy Local” initiative. Submit online at KeOlaMagazine.com (go to Contact menu) Community Kōkua volunteer opportunities Editorial inquiries or story ideas Hawai‘i Island Happenings submission form Request advertising rates Worldwide Delivery 808.329.1711 x3, order online at KeOlaMagazine.com, or mail name, address, and payment of $24 US/$48 International for one year to: PO Box 1494, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745. Subscriptions and back-issues available online © 2013, Ke Ola Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved
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Advertiser Index
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Please support these businesses! Their advertising is what brings these stories to life and keeps Ke Ola complimentary across Hawai‘i Island.
Accomodations Kalani 5 Kilauea Lodge 48 Waimea Guest House 26 Activities, Culture, and Events Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden 38 Aloha Performing Arts Co. 37 Big Island Eco-Adventures Zipline 52 Big Island Film Festival 68 Dolphin Journeys 14 Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides 10 Hilo Lei Day Festival 24 Hilo Orchid Show 40 Imiloa 68 76 Ka’u Coffee Festival Kohala Ditch Adventures 52 Kohala Zipline 42 Kona Boys 79 Lauhala Conference 56 Lyman Museum & Mission House 28 Palace Theatre 28 Volcano Rain Forest Tour 60 Volcano Pottery Sale 47 Art, Crafts, Jewelry 2400 Fahrenheit 58 Big Island Glass & Art Gallery 20 Blue Ginger Gallery 44 Cliff Johns Gallery 34 Cindy Coats Gallery 56 Elements Gallery 43 Donkey Mill Art Center 36 Dovetail Gallery & Design 34 Fabric Gift Shoppe 78 Fireshouse Gallery 47 Harbor Gallery 27 Hawi Gallery Art & Ukuleles 43 Holualoa Ukulele Gallery 34 Ironwood Custom Framing & Design 48 Island Edges Beads 28 Living Arts Gallery 43 Kailua Village Artists Galleries 56 Martin & MacArthur 52 Mountain Gold Jewelers 27 Pele’s Glass Creations 76 Pele’s Hokulele Gallery 3 Quilt Passions 62 Sassafras Jewelry 68 Showcase Gallery & Beads 44 Simple Elegance Gems 58 Studio of Sticks and Stones 59 Treasure Island Gallery of the Exotic 18 Trudy’s Island Arts 15 40 True Hawaii Blue Aprons Visions of the Tropics 47 Wishard Gallery 20
Automotive Big Island Honda 4 Lex Brodie’s Tire & Service Center 17 Precision Auto Repair 70 Beauty, Health, Nutrition Baily Vein Institute 50 Blue Dragon Bodywork 83 Douglas Dierenfield, DDS 25 Joan Greco, DDS, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery 46 Hamakua Hairbrush Co. 56 Health in Motion 42 Hilo Natural Health Clinic 78 Luana Naturals 51 Monica Scheel, MS, Dermatologist 54 NAET Hawaii 36 Natural Balance Acupuncture, Rolfing & Massage 46 Ohana Hearing Center 37 Randy Ressler, DDS 81 Swami’s Healing Arts 47 Studio B Salon 48 26 Vog Relief Herbal Capsules Building, Construction, and Home Furnishings Alii Woodtailors 18 Aloha Adirondack Chairs 31 Bamboo Too 30 Concrete Technologies 72 dlb & Associates 17 Garden Inspirations 73 Hawaii-Gardener.com 77 Hawaii Water Service Co. 70 HomeWorld Furniture 18 Indich Collection Hawaiian Rugs 12 Marcus Castaing Fine Furniture 30 Pacific Gunite 37 Plantation Living 16 Pro Vision Solar 79 Quindembo Bamboo Nursery 48 Statements 32 Trans Pacific Design 31 Water Works 65 Business and Professional Services Action Business Services 80 Aloha Business Services 66 Allstate Insurance, Steven M. Budar 12 Ameriprise Financial, Andrew Spitz 12 Entrepreneur’s Source, Kari Waldhaus 66 8 Great American Self Storage Insights Financial & Tax Strategies 81 Karen Rowland, Medicare Insurance Agent 80 Linda Meyer Web Design 66 Netcom 66 Red Road Telecom 66 Scott March, Attorney 66 63 Think Local Buy Local Initiative
Pets East Hawaii Veterinary Center 80 Keauhou Veterinary Hospital 22 Real Estate Arabel Camblor, RS, Clark Realty 34 Barrie Rose, Clark Realty 26 Cindy Griffey Schmidtknecht, RS, MacArthur & Co. 18 Coldwell Banker-Daylum Properties 33 Hawaiian Dream Properties 70 Lava Rock Realty 6 Lava Rock Vacation Rentals & Property Management 7 Paradise Found Realty 60 The Commercial Group 62 The Real Estate Book 36 Restaurants and Food Amici Italian Bar & Grill 44 Blue Dragon Restaurant 83 Gio’s Gelato 44 Holukoa Gardens & Café 34 Ho’oulu Farmers Market 64 K’s Drive In 28 Kaleo’s Bar & Grill 64 Keauhou Farmers Market 78 Kohala Coffee Mill 42 Mi’s Italian Bistro 51 Moo Bettah 3 Peaberry & Galette 3 South Kona Green Market 33 Sushi Rock 43 Retail and Gifts Aloha Kona Kids- Rentals 78 Aloha Kona Kids - Retail Store 15 Basically Books 28 Big Island BookBuyers 64 Buddha’s Cup Coffee 34 78 Golden Egg Cash Assets Hawaii’s Gift Baskets 24 Hawaii Loofah Farm 44 Kadota’s Liquor 28 Kailani Surf Co. 14 Kiernan Music 44 Keauhou Shopping Center 2 Keauhou Store 34 Kona Stories 3 Kona Rising Coffee Co. 44 16 Mi’s Wine & Cheese Shop Olivia Claire Boutique 43 Paradise Found Boutique 3 84 Queens’ Marketplace Sole Comfort Footwear 40 South Kona Macadamia Nut Co. 63 Sweet Wind Books & Beads 48 Travel Jet Vacation Travel Agency 65 Mokulele Airlines 25
This magazine is made possible by readers like you!
Barbara Garcia, Publisher
Ke Ola recognizes the use of the ‘okina [‘] or glottal stop, as one of the eight consonants of (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō [ā] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai‘i such as Pāhoa). Ke Ola respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses.
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From Our Readers...
Mālama Honua—Care for the Earth, March-April 2013
✿ Dear Editor, “I just got through reading Keith Nealy’s articles in the Ke Ola magazine. I enjoyed his talk story with Herb Kāne. What a great guy Herb was. Thanks for reminding us of the important role he played in the Hawaiian renaissance. That painting he did of Hōkūle‘a said it all for me. It allowed everyone to see the same vision of possibilities. Also mahalo nui for the article on the upcoming worldwide voyage and the inclusion of Chadd, Shorty, Pua, and the Makali‘i gang.” Norman Piianaia Na Kalai Wa‘a
Mahalo Nui!
We appreciate these advertisers who have been with Ke Ola since the first issue (Dec.’08/Jan.’09). Thank you for believing in and supporting the vision! Kelly Shaw Action Business Services Kiernan Music Aloha Business Services Kona Stories Aloha Performing Arts Paradise Found Realty Blue Dragon Showcase Gallery Dolphin Journeys Trans Pacific Designs Dr. Joan Greco Trudy’s Island Art Hawaii’s Gift Baskets
Kama Lei The Ultimate Lei Painting by Leilehua Yuen See story on page 23. The ultimate expression of a lei is kama lei—the child represents the intertwining of aloha between the parents. Happy Lei Day! Happy Mother’s Day! Happy Father’s Day!
Join us at the 9th Annual Lei Day Festival, May 1 10 am–3 pm at East Hawaii Cultural Center. LeiDay.net
It was brought to our attention that some text in A Brief History of: Whales in Hawai‘i was not credited to Kumu Charlie Maxwell who orginally wrote it. We apologize for this oversight.
Send us your comments, letters, and photos! We take email, snail mail, submissions through our website, or posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter! Editor@KeOlaMagazine.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Midway through our fifth year of publishing the Hawai‘i Island edition, we’ve noticed a theme. People are constantly raving about how much they love Ke Ola and all the stories it tells. There seems to be confusion, though, when it comes to understanding how these “complimentary copies” become complimentary. Our sense is that people “know” that the advertisers are making these “complimentary copies” free to the public, yet we’re not sure a connection has been made about taking responsibility for ensuring these advertisers feel supported so they will keep advertising. That is the only way Ke Ola can keep telling more stories—unless we were to switch our business model from free circulation to paid circulation, which we would prefer not to do. We are committed to an industry standard of never having more than 50% ads, and preferably closer to 40%. At times, we’ve had people mention that we have too many ads. It’s a conundrum. If we raise our ad rates so we can have less ads, we defeat our vision of providing an affordable means of advertising for the island’s businesses. Ke Ola is known as a micro-regional lifestyle magazine. Microregional because it’s just for this small “big” island—not for the whole state of Hawai‘i. It is a community magazine for people who live here and for people who love it here. It is your magazine. When you tell us you want more stories, we want to say yes, and have them ready to publish. Would you consider an investment in this community magazine by supporting our advertisers or by advertising your business? Take a look at the advertiser index to the left of this letter. These are all businesses that deserve to be acknowledged for sponsoring Ke Ola. If you are a business owner or manager, your name could be listed there as well. Borrowing from PBS, this magazine is made possible by readers like you. You have the power to help Ke Ola grow so we can tell the stories you want to read. Another way you can do this is to purchase gift subscriptions for your friends and family around the world. The subscription price covers postage and handling, the magazines are still free. This gives us a way to track how many magazines leave the island. Starting with this issue, we have changed the way we provide information for events on Hawai‘i Island. Due to the lead time for the printed version, we found that we often did not have complete or accurate information. On page 76, you will find a list of online calendars provided by other businesses and organizations. Our website KeOlaMagazine.com will have live links to this list. You’re also welcome to post events on our Facebook page. If you don’t use Facebook, you’ll be able to read the posts on the home page of our website. Aloha pumehana, mahalo nui loa.
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Kai A Ke Akua | Na Kumu Keala Ching
I ke aloha kapu o Kai a lua (I) Uka ala kahe ‘ale i Niumalu
Honor the sacred sea of duality (two currents) From above forceful movement to Niumalu
Hu‘a (ka) wai a Kāne, pili (ke) kai a Kanaloa Ola maila ke one malu ke Akua
Bubbling waters united at sea Here at the sands of a sacred place
Kapu Kai a ke Akua, kau uka ala Wahi pi‘o ke ala a ke Akua
Sacred sea of the Highest, placed with honor A path of the Highest Spirit
Pā ahe ka ‘Eka i kai (o) ka maka honu Hō maila ka wānana ‘ike pāpālua
Gentle ‘Eka breeze upon the sea of Kamakahonu Grant the vision of duality upon this sacred place
Kapu lua‘ole Kai a ke Akua Kapu lua‘ole ke kai a Kaialua e
Incomparable sacredness of Kai a Ke Akua Incomparable sacredness of Kaialua
Aia Kahi Kapu Ola | Na Kumu Keala Ching
Aia kahi kapu ola o ka la Pi‘i uka i ka lewa, kau i ka poli
A place of sacredness, the sun Rising high above, shining upon the bosom
Noho kapu i ke ola kai a ke Akua I ka ‘āina (o) ka maka honu kau maila e
Sacred place of life, Kai a ke Akua—Sea of God There on land is the eye of the turtle, rightful placed
Kahi ‘Ahu ‘ena‘ena malu i ke kapu Kapukapu o ka lae, Kūka‘ilimoku
A radiant temple of protected sacredness Honored point, Kūka‘ilimoku
Ho‘i mai e ka nani kahi kapu ola Ho‘i mai e ka nani kahi kapu ola
Return its beauty, a place of sacredness Return its beauty, a place of sacredness
There is an incomparable sacredness, Kai a ke Akua (Sea of the Highest Spirit) at Kai a lua (Two seas in one) in Kona. At Niumalu, a gathering of the freshwaters of Kāne and the saltwaters of Kanaloa, joined together at the Sea of the Highest Spirit. Knowledge of duality found and studied in the lives of old Hawai‘i. At Kamakahonu, a righteous place to foresee the possibilities as the bridge towards the Highest Spirit is honored. Honor the life of the spirit of righteousness for all to move forward with the knowledge of the past. Righteousness for the greater Hawai‘i! Honor the past to respect the present in order to inspire the future. Righteousness for the greater Hawai‘i to honor each otherʻs place respectfully found in the living order within divine guidance! Contact Kumu Keala Ching: kumukeala@nawaiiwiola.org
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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ia kahi kapu lua‘ole ‘o Kai a ke Akua i Kai a lua ma Kona nei. I Niumalu, hui ‘ia ka wai a Kāne me ke kai a Kanaloa a pili nō ma Kai a ke Akua. Aia nō ka ‘ike pāpālua i wānana ho‘i ka Hawai‘i ma mua loa. I Kamakahonu kahi kūpono i ka wānana ho‘i kekahi a pi‘o a’ela ke ola a ke Akua i kahi uka ala. Ho‘ohanohano i ke ola a ke Akua i kahi kūpono i ko kākou holomua ‘ana i kēia lā ola. Kūpono ka Hawai‘i ‘oi ala!
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Original painting of the Likelike Photo courtesy of the Blyth Family Collection
Then & Now:Hawai‘i, Maui, and the ‘Alenuihāhā
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downwind (and more pleasant), even though Honolulu is North and West from here. One of the rougher passages of similar width anywhere in the world, ‘Alenuihāhā channel was frequently traversed by Hawaiians in canoes even after they had ceased to travel far south across the Equator to and from their home islands. ‘Alenuihāhā both allows and impedes ocean travel between Hawai‘i and Maui. In the days of canoes, sail and paddle crossings had to coincide with the right weather. Even today, scheduled interisland commercial barge and shipping traffic can
‘Alenuihāhā Channel from NOAA chart #19004 Hawaiian Islands
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
revailing winds travel thousands of miles east to west across the vast Pacific Ocean in the latitudes of the Hawaiian Islands. These winds are known as “tradewinds” for their ability to push sailing ships around the world in the early days of Pacific and Atlantic commerce. Winds approaching the gap between Hawai‘i and Maui meet a 26-mile opening, with high mountains on either side and a passage more than 7,000 feet deep. The result is ‘Alenuihāhā channel, respected by mariners for its sometimes ferocious seas and even occasional suspension of commercial interisland traffic. The well-deserved literal translation of “‘Alenuihāhā” in Pukui and Elbert’s Hawaiian Dictionary is “great billows smashing.” On any day, even with an “average” 10-20 mph tradewind from the northeast through the islands, by early afternoon ‘Alenuihāhā becomes a formidable crossing toward Maui, and a much bigger challenge coming upwind from Maui to Hawai‘i. The United States Coast Pilot notes: “Strong trade winds usually prevail, causing the channel to be very rough and a current of one to two knots to set W. Passage is very difficult for small vessels, especially when going E.” In the mid-1800s, the crack sailing schooner Mary could make it to Honolulu overnight, but on one passage upwind from Honolulu to Kawaihae (1857), the Mary took 57 hours, with a good portion of that struggling to windward across the ‘Alenuihāhā channel. Some kūpuna still talk about “going down to Honolulu,” because that direction is
| By Pete Hendricks
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Wahines heading into Nu‘u Landing October 2004 Photo courtesy of Kawaihae Canoe Club
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be suspended when ‘Alenuihāhā shows its fiercest seas and winds. In early Hawaiian lore, Hi‘iaka, favorite younger sister of the goddess Pele, made one rare calm passage of the ‘Alenuihāhā in her canoe travels among the islands, and is said to have landed at Nu‘u, down channel from Hāna. Later, Umi, who ruled Hawai‘i island from 1600 to 1620, sent his trusted ali‘i Omaokamao to Maui to seek a wife. Omaokamao landed at Kapueokahi, near where the Ka‘uiki hill lighthouse stands today in Hāna. Pi‘ilani, the Maui ruler, agreed to the union, as did his daughter, Pi‘ikea, and the marriage was arranged, creating a familial and strategic link between the two islands. When Pi‘ikea sailed from Hāna for Waipio valley, about 400 canoes reportedly accompanied her on the upwind crossing. Umi, in support of his brother-inlaw, later returned to Maui with a large war fleet to defeat another of Pi‘ikea’s brothers. After one such canoe transit of ‘Alenuihāhā in 1778, the young ali‘i warrior Kamehameha I and his mentor Kekuhaupio arrived on Maui in support of Kamehameha’s ali‘i Uncle Kalaniopu‘u. The senior ali‘i was warring with his principal rival on Maui, Kahekili. The battles on Maui were bloody and costly to both sides. While on Maui, Kamehameha and Kekuhaupio encountered Captain James Cook and the Resolution at Wailua, on the windward channel side of Maui between Hāna and Kīpahulu. It was November of 1778, and Cook’s expedition had already been at sea since June of 1776, exploring Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the northwest coast in search of the sea passage east across America. Cook knew the position of his original
landfall, Kaua‘i, and wanted to verify the locations of other Hawaiian islands as well as winter over and provision in warmer waters and moderate climate. Bringing the Resolution close in to the windward Maui coast, Cook lay off the little bay of Wailua Iki. Captain Cook was cautious, as the Resolution was close to a “lee shore,” with winds generally pushing the ship toward the rocky coastline. At Wailua Iki, many canoes came out to the Resolution. The Hawaiians were curious, relations were friendly, and the ship was in need of water and provisions. Other ali‘i were fearful of the “great canoe,” which they called moku nui (great island), however Kamehameha took the opportunity to go aboard the Resolution and Kekuhaupio followed. Kamehameha was apparently not fearful of the thundering cannons demonstrated aboard Resolution, and reportedly said to Kekuhaupio: ”E Kekuhaupio e, do you understand the nature of this great canoe of the foreigner and of our little war canoes? Our canoes are like little pieces of wood alongside this great canoe of the foreigner. How shall we get a large canoe like this?” Kamehameha and his mentor stayed overnight on the Resolution as Cook took her offshore for safety during the night. The next morning, Kamehameha’s followers rejoiced at his return, as they thought he had been taken forever by the moku nui. Years later, in 1794, with the help of Captain George Vancouver’s carpenters, Kamehameha built his first western vessel at Kealakekua Bay, a 36 footer called Beretane (Britain). In 1791, Kamehameha had used the captured schooner Fair American in the only major sea battle of his campaigns, against the Maui ali‘i Kahekili off Polulū Valley, just southeast
Ua Noe ‘Alenuihāhā Channel Photo courtesy of Kawaihae Canoe Club
of ‘Alenuihāhā channel. Kamehameha went on to amass a fleet of hundreds of double war canoes, western “great canoes” and firearms in his eventual conquest of all the Hawaiian islands. Foreign ships and interisland traffic increased greatly during the 1800s, with the sandalwood trade and then whaling, with more than 500 whaling ships calling at mid-century in Hawai‘i. The “workhorses” of interisland shipping were schooner-rigged, two masted vessels carrying passengers, cargo, and mail among the islands. The captured schooner Fair American had been the beginning of Kamehameha’s combined Hawaiian battle fleet in 1790, and soon there were numerous similar vessels in the commercial fleet, some constructed by Hawaiian shipwrights and owned by Hawaiian ali‘i. G. D. Gilman describes the typical interisland passage on one of these early packets 25 to 50 feet
Rough start at Keokea, Hawai‘i, bound for Hāna, Maui Photo courtesy of David Barkley
long: “Coming from windward was a comparatively easy matter, sailing before the wind. A day or two out coming from either Maui or Hawai‘i could be endured, but it was the homeward passage when beating up against the strong tradewinds, with all the nauseating effluvia that comes from the mixture of molasses and salt water, with all of the disagreeable adjuncts attending a miscellaneous cargo that the trials began.” Cargo included pigs, poultry, cattle and horses, tightly confined. Economy class passengers stayed with their mats on deck, and for a few who paid more, a crowded, stuffy cabin and a few bunks below were not much better. Yet during these times, Hawaiian canoes, both double and outrigger, were still crossing the channels among the islands. A new era in speed, size, and comfort began with the arrival of such sailing vessels as the Maria, Kamoi, and later the Emma Rooke and Nettie Merrill. Emma Rooke, a handsome 97-foot long Baltimore clipper type, arrived in the islands in 1860, and on her maiden interisland voyage carried 60 passengers. Unfortunately, Emma Rooke was lost at Honoipu, North Kohala, in 1864, carrying a cargo of 600 kegs of sugar and 70 barrels of molasses, with no loss of life. Canoes were still lost too. On February 16, 1861, 27 year old Kalia Nahulanui Parker, who had lost her beloved husband Ebenezer Parker, an heir to the growing Parker Ranch six years earlier, set out in a canoe from North Kohala to visit her family, an ali‘i clan on Maui. Kilia was never heard from again. The landings on both sides of ‘Alenuihāhā channel tested the skill of schooner crews, who sailed in and out of these challenging spots in all weathers. Landings on the Hawai‘i side included Honoipu, Hapu‘u, and Keokea, and on the Maui side La Perouse, Nu‘u, and Hāna. Entering, offloading and loading passengers and freight were almost always risky. Losses of ships and lives were not uncommon. Steam began to supplant sail after the mid-1800s in Hawai‘i, although many vessels still kept their schooner rigs, which made them a bit faster, and also helped with stability in the rough channels. One example of the steam/sail schooner rig was the Likelike, a 592-ton wooden vessel built in 1877 for Hawaiian interisland service. Likelike also wrecked at Honoipu in 1897, from human error rather than weather. She was on a run across ‘Alenuihāhā from Maui to the Hāmākua landings under steam power and sail when she simply turned left too late to miss the North Kohala shore and proceed toward Hāmākua. Cargo and 1400 bags of Olowalu sugar were lost but no lives. Navigation among the islands is always a challenge, especially in heavy weather and at night. There were no lighthouses on either side of the ‘Alenuihāhā channel until 1897, when an open 40-foot tower with a lamp room on top was constructed and put
into service at Kauhola Point in North Kohala (somewhat central to the channel). The light could be seen at a distance of 10 miles. The current Coast Pilot states: “A dangerous reef, usually marked by breakers, extends 0.3 mile from Kauhola Point; passing vessels should give the point a berth of 2 miles.” Even today, the next light to the east is Kukuihaele, 14 miles away near Honoka‘a, and to the west at Māhukona, 11 miles down the coast from Kauhola. On the Maui side of the channel, a light was established on the islet of Pu‘uki‘i near Hāna in 1909, and just around the western, leeward end of the channel at Cape Hanamanioa in 1918, replacing an earlier light closer to Makena. As western vessels took over interisland travel and trade in the 1800s, fewer interisland Hawaiian canoes crossed the channels, and largely disappeared until modern times. With the rapid decline of the Hawaiian population from foreign diseases, and the suppression of Hawaiian culture and language, canoe use and travel greatly decreased. One bright spot was King David Kalākaua (1874-1891), and his strong support of Hawaiian culture, language, and ocean activities. Kalākaua encouraged all kinds of water sports, from rowboat races, to sailing and canoe races, from his boathouse, Healani, at Honolulu harbor. Outrigger paddling and surfing became somewhat popular again in the early 1900s with early tourism at Waikīkī and canoe clubs such as Outrigger and Hui Nalu. It was not until much later that canoe culture really grew
Likelike wrecked at Upolu Pt. Pacific Commercial Advertiser April 29, 1897
Contact writer Pete Hendricks: oldsaltp@yahoo.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
again, after the first modern outrigger crossing of the Moloka‘i channel in 1952, and the founding of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in 1973. Today, outrigger canoes paddle and sail all the Hawaiian channels, including the ‘Alenuihāhā. The first crossing of a wahine (women’s) crew was in 2004, when Kawaihae Canoe Club paddlers left from ancient Honoipu landing and arrived at Nu‘u landing on Maui. The Hawaiian Canoe Sailing Association conducts interisland outrigger sailing races annually across the channels connecting the islands. The ‘Alenuihāhā channel continues to challenge mariners as it has for centuries, and usually provides valuable, and sobering experience in heavy weather seamanship.
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Evelyn Musacchia
Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market’s Little Old Rock Lady |
By Jessica Kirkwood
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hen I first met Evelyn she was sitting behind a table of brightly painted rocks, her slight frame illuminated by sparkling green eyes and rosy cheeks. “Welcome to the teenie tiny Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market,” she said with a gracious smile as I glanced around to the no more than ten booths that made up the market. “Over there we have the sandwich lady and the card family, and over there, the spice lady, and the banana man,” she says, pointing to the vendors surrounding her. “We like to name them like that. I’m the little old rock lady,” she giggles. Evelyn’s sweet nature is as vibrant as the colorful art pieces displayed in front of her. With a steady hand and a fine brush, Evelyn Musacchia paints everything from houses, animals, underwater scenes and landscapes on a multitude of rock surfaces. Soon after she finishes a piece of rock art she takes its photograph and puts the picture into an album. Once the rock has been sold, she prints the name of the owner and where it will be living, and adds it to the album. “When I paint them they almost become a part of me. So I like to know where they are living in the world.” As we’re chatting, a woman passes by her booth, stops from a distance, and approaches. Her eyes are set on a particular rock. “This looks exactly like my mom’s dog!” she exclaims. She picks up the rock, while Evelyn asks for a mere five dollars for the gem. “You tell me where Shitzu is going,” requests Evelyn. “To Sally in Aurora, Illinois,” the woman replies. Evelyn takes out her notebook and jots down the rock’s new home and owner. What’s more, she names each and every one of her rocks, “The idea to name them makes them more loveable,” she smiles, flipping through one of her many albums. “This is Rolfe,” she says, pointing to the photograph of a detailed elephant, painted on a flat, seemingly smooth rock. “He lives with George right in my town of Pāpa‘aloa. I like that he’s so close by.” Evelyn has a vivid memory and a knack for remembering names. If you ask, she’s more than willing to share the history of every single rock. And some stories go deep.
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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Pulling out another album, she flips through its pages and stops at a photograph of Laupāhoehoe Point painted on a rounded, upright piece of basalt rock from the Point itself. “This woman came to my booth in Hilo. She just kept staring at this rock. Then she said, ʻI have to have that for my boyfriend.ʻ” Evelyn says. Unfortunately, the boyfriend’s daughter had been killed on the mainland, and he couldn’t attend her funeral. The couple had gone to the very spot painted on Evelyn’s rock, and had thrown lei into the ocean in her memory. “That rock held a special, special significance to them. Isn’t that just beautiful?” I notice a group of painted houses on oddly shaped, jagged, upright rocks. Then a group of what she calls, the “pick-ableup-ables”—smooth, rounded rocks where she’s painted bunnies, hamsters, and other “pet-able” furry creatures. “When I find a rock that I like, I can see almost immediately what is going to be painted on it by its shape, its color, its texture,” she says. Her favorite things to paint are animals, and she’s painted nearly every creature in the kingdom. From Travis, the bald eagle; to Magnus, the gecko; and Kingston, the chipmunk. Her best sellers are a collection of two painted frogs sitting side by side. “I call them the ‘famous pairs’ because I name them after wellknown duos,” she says. “People are intrigued by them.” The pairs include, “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Anthony and Cleopatra,” “Jack and Jill,” “Mork and Mindy,” and “Thelma and Louise.” Evelyn grew up in Pasadena, California in the 1930s. She eventually moved to Hawai‘i Island to work as a therapist with the Easter’s Seals Treatment Center between 1957 and 1977. Hawai‘i Island is also where she
rocks—rocks that hold such mana, such life force, such power? Legend has it that Pele, the Volcano Goddess, becomes so angered when her rocks leave the island that she exacts a downpour of bad luck on the rock’s taker. Evelyn respects the legend, “When you hold a rock you can absolutely feel its energy,” she says. This legend is a big reason she imports rocks from California. Evelyn’s rocks are priced between $5–$100. She doesn’t advertise her art, nor does she have a website. “I don’t want to make it any more than a cottage industry.” So you’ll have to mosey on over to the teenie tiny Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market early on a Sunday morning to meet the Little Old Rock Lady for yourself. She’ll be so pleased to meet you. ❖ Contact writer Jessica Kirkwood: jkirkwood23@hotmail.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
became interested in the Bahá’i religion, so much that after 20 years in Hawai‘i, she moved to their main headquarters in Israel where she lived and worked for seven years before moving back to California. Her first painting was done in her mid-60s on a large canvas: it was a bright orange bird of paradise, inspired by an art class at the YMCA in Hilo. It was her niece—and consequently the founder of the Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market—Arlene Hussey, who inspired Evelyn’s rock art. “Arlene painted me a rock with a Bahá’i quote on it that read, “The world is one country and mankind its citizens,ʻ” she recalls without a moment of hesitation. “I loved it. And I thought—I can do that!” Initially she took to painting the Bahá’i religion’s main symbol, the nine-pointed star, which represents perfection and unity. With an all-consuming devotion she eventually painted and sold more than $2,500 worth of nine-pointed stars, donating all proceeds to help pay for the Bahá’i center in San Clemente, California. Evelyn recently moved back to Hawai‘i to retire in Pāpa‘aloa. “Hawai‘i is the perfect place to live. I love the Hāmākua Coast. It’s cool up here. I love cool weather. And it’s country here. I love country,” she smiles. But what about painting on Hawaiian
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“He Mo‘olelo kō ka Lei” A Story of the Lei |
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would be given to the person, not placed on the person as it is today. It would have been considered disrespectful to put your hands above someone else’s head to place something on him or her. To give a lei to a highly honored person, the presenter would dip their knees into a crouch, and raise the lei with both hands so that it was on a level with the crown of the presenter’s head as they bowed their head and looked to the ground. In Hawaiian culture, Kuku‘ena is the goddess associated with lei making. An elder sister of the volcano goddess Pele, Kuku‘ena (Hi‘iakaikapua‘ena‘ena) was a critical figure in Pele’s
Crown Flower Lei
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
he very symbol of aloha is the lei. And the most cherished expression is that of a child, “He lei poina ‘ole ke keiki,” meaning, “A beloved child is a lei never forgotten.” A celebration and acknowledgement of love occurs every time a lei is given and received. Whether in flowers, seeds, feathers, words, or song, the lei is the circle of love, the woven expression of aloha, which is made so creatively in simplistic or intricate form. When one thinks about the lei, many immediately think of the fragrant flower lei that are so symbolic here in Hawai‘i. The beautiful pua (flowers) that grace our islands, woven together in a circle, never ending, the beginning and end invisible to the eye. And yet, the lei has such depth and meaning beyond this aromatic flower garland. From the 8th to 14th centuries, the lei creation and custom was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian voyagers who journeyed from Tahiti, navigating by the stars in sailing canoes. During this period of expansion, the lei across the Pacific were similar. However, soon the Hawaiians developed their own unique lei traditions. In the early days of Hawai‘i, the lei was created as an adornment and made mostly of garlands from local flowers, leaves, vines, seeds, nuts, shells, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals. The lei was used in sacred ceremony, along with social occasions of celebration. In Hawaiian custom, a lei was a symbol of respect and honor. Traditionally, the lei
By Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Pick your favorite to wear on Lei Day
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journey to Hawai‘i. She prepared the ‘awa for the protocols, she helped guide the family’s journey by reading the clouds, she brought the seeds and cuttings for plants used today in lei making and medicine. She is a healer, the goddess of lei making, and a guide to travelers lost in the wilderness. As even modern lei makers know, getting lost in the forest is an ever-present danger to those who make their living going out and harvesting the wild plants for lei; Kuku‘ena is appealed to as a guide of lost travelers. Kuku‘ena assists travelers back to the path or familiar ground and then disappears from sight. A prayer to her, in various forms, is used by lei makers, hula practitioners, and canoe carvers. It reminds the lei maker to put aside other concerns and to focus on the task at hand: being present with the foliage of the lei and the lei itself, so that the mana‘o (energy) of the lei is pure. Modernly, May 1 signifies Making Lei Hulu Lei Day here in the Hawaiian Islands. It is a day to honor the lei and the Hawaiian culture. The concept for Lei Day was originally created by poet and Honolulu newspaper columnist Eric Kosciuszko in the early 1920s. In 1927, poet laureate Don Blanding thought that Hawai‘i should have an official day set aside to celebrate and recognize the custom of giving and receiving lei. While working at the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Don discussed the idea with “Kamaaina Kolumn” columnist Grace Tower Warren. She enthusiastically embraced the idea and suggested that the day should be May
Day and coined the phrase, “May Day is Lei Day.” Inspired by their creation, Leonard “Red” and Ruth Hawk, composed May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i, a hapa-haole song that was originally done as a fox trot and later choreographed in hula. Looking back in history, before Lei Day, was May Day, a Celtic festival of Beltane and the German festival of Walpurgis Night. Traditionally, May 1 was the first day of summer and the earliest celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. Since the Christianization of Europe, a more secular version of the festival has continued in Europe and America. Today, May Day is well known for maypole dancing and the crowning of the Queen of the May, and Lei Day closely follows the tradition of celebrating flowers and the crowning of Her Floral Majesty, the Lei Day Queen. Lei Day has since been adopted by Hawai‘i state and local government and has taken on the sense of a general spring celebration. The first Lei Day was in 1927 and celebrated in downtown Honolulu with a few people wearing lei. From there, it grew and more and more people began to wear lei on May 1. In 1928, the first Lei Queen, Nina Bowman, was crowned by Mayor Charles Arnold in Honolulu. After a few years, Lei Day was expanded to each of the Hawaiian Islands. Around that time, the island mayors agreed on specific colors and types of lei to represent each island for parades and other pageantry:
Lei r lymorpha lo Co of d n Isla a Metrosideros po hu Le ‘a hi ‘O ii la (red) isia hillebrand m Hawai‘i ‘Ula‘u e rt A a in h a in a (silvery gray) H ope anisata Kaho‘olawe Hinahin (mokihana berry) Melic a an kih Mo a Hu (purple) liformis Kaua‘i Poni a Cassytha fi ‘o a n u a K ) i (orange inensis Lana‘i ‘Alan elani Rosa ch k o L ) k la (pin ana Maui ‘Aka urites molucc le A i u k u K ) ) oma‘o (green hells of Ni‘ihau (s Moloka‘i ‘Oma‘ u a h i‘i N o ū p Pū ke‘o (white) x Ni‘ihau Ke‘o ma Sida falla li ‘I ) w llo ye n de ol ehu (g O‘ahu Pala luhi
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Ni‘ihau Shell Lei by Mama Ane Kanahele and her son Kele Kanahele. Both were born on Ni‘ihau. Lei are Lei Kipona (mixed shells). Laiki, Momi, Poleho, and Kahelelani.
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Ni‘ihau is the only island with a shell, not a flower or plant as its lei, and Maui has the only lei made from a non-indigenous plant. For the past eight years, Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah have coordinated the Lei Day festival in Hilo. As cultural practitioners, Leilehua and Manu have dedicated their lives to the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture. Through the Lei Day festival, Leilehua and Manu want to help promote the diversity, precision, and depth of the Hawaiian language, storytelling, and lei making. Leilehua, a traditional storyteller, weaves a lei with her words as we sit to talk story about nā lei o Hawai‘i and the festival. Kumu Leilehua Yuen says, “A lei is not just flowers strung on a thread. A lei is a tangible representation of aloha in which symbols of that aloha are carefully sewn or woven together to create a gift. This gift tells a story of the relationship between the giver and the recipient. Many things can make up a lei. One can string flowers, seeds, shells, or berries into a lei. One can weave vines and leaves into a lei. One can weave words into a poem or song, which is then a lei. The ultimate expression of a lei is kama lei—the child which represents the intertwining of aloha between the parents.” The first Hilo Lei Day festival was started in 2005 by Aunty Nona Beamer and Leilehua Yuen. They had been talking about how the specialized terms in cultural arts were disappearing. Aunty Nona knew Cody King, Director of the Wailoa Art Center, and had learned that there was an opening for the Fountain Gallery show. Aunty Nona asked Cody if Leilehua could do the show featuring her own artwork, which uses the lei as a metaphor for different aspects of Hawaiian cultural concepts. The hope was that the show would help educate people in these traditions. The show ran through the month of April, and closed with a small Lei Day festival held on the lanai of the Wailoa Art Center. This event, known as, “He Mo‘olelo o nā Lei,” was the first celebration of what has become the Hilo Lei Day Festival.
For more information about Lei Day in Hilo: 808.895.0850, info@LeiDay.net, LeiDay.net Contact writer and photographer: Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco: gayle.greco@gmail.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
The festival then moved to the Mo‘oheau Bandstand to use the larger space. Three years ago, Ben Kaili, Director of the Big Island Music Festival and Dennis Taniguchi, at the time the Executive Director of the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, suggested moving the festival to Kalākaua Park, across the street from the Cultural Center. Historically significant, Kalākaua Park was the site of Hilo’s first community Lei Day festivals, in the 1930s. The offering to bring the Lei Day Festival back to Kalākaua Park and use the EHCC’s beautiful historic building was perfect synergy, and the festival has been here ever since. This year, on Wednesday, May 1, the celebration at Hilo’s old Town Square, Kalākaua Park, begins with the decorating of the kuahu lei for Kuku‘ena, goddess of lei making, the reading of the Mayor’s proclamation declaring May 1, “Lei Day in Hawai‘i County” and “May the Month of the Lei in Hawai‘i County.” It also includes Hawaiian music, hula, lei-making demonstrations, and features the heritage, history and culture of the lei. Lei Day Queen for 2013 is Hokulani “Aunty Sammi” Fo, Her Floral Majesty, who will preside over Hilo’s Lei Day festival. This year’s theme, “He Mo‘olelo kō ka Lei,” A Story of the Lei, was selected to help remember that each lei tells a story, perhaps of farewell, of return, or a job well done, yet always, the story is of love. Another event on May 1, celebrating the lei, is at the Palace Theater in Hilo with the weekly feature of Hawai‘iana Live! Learn about the lei, so emblematic of Hawai‘i. Special guests Stan Kaina and Pi‘ilani Rodrigues join Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah to share the meaning of the lei in Hawaiian culture and music, and a video on the crafting of the lei, Hawai‘i’s Hala Fruit Lei garland of aloha. During the many weekly events for Lei Day, be sure to stop by the Hilo Farmers Market, where the lei makers showcase their beautiful handmade lei. Strolling from booth to booth, you will see a variety of styles and compositions of lei. As Aunty Nona Beamer taught so many years ago, “Make a lei, wear a lei, give a lei.” Perhaps the next time you give or receive a lei, whether it be a flower garland, a song, or the arms of a loved one around you, you will recognize the mo‘olelo (story) of the lei. Mahalo nui loa to the ancestors who brought us this gift and to those who perpetuate its deeper meaning of Aloha. ❖
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Vegetable Steel! Miracle Grass! | By John J. Boyle
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to Taiwan and the study of Chinese brush painting—the art of rendering lines with hand ground ink. Often the brushes were of bamboo handles with horse or sable hair. This classical study embraces what is called the “Four Gentleman” or “Four Nobles,” which refers to mastering the images of chrysanthemum, plum, orchid, and bamboo. It was while learning an ancient art that he began to see inside the bamboo. Bamboo continues to hold its place in art, architecture, and now is moving into the world of sustainable housing construction materials. Perhaps David Sands signature achievement is how he learned to bend and grow in his persistence, in his pursuit of a building code approved structure consisting of bamboo. The research and development took him a decade and consisted of trials and tests amounting to a small tree’s worth of paperwork. “I developed patience and the willingness to do what is asked,” he said about passing paper to see it through the many processes of approval to certification. In 1994 he met the Irish visionary artist Linda Garland in Bali after seeing her homes in Architectural Digest. He describes her home as “outrageously gorgeous,” and they became friends and colleagues in a long process of bringing a vision to the American landscape. Garland is a sculptor and furniture maker who embraced Bali’s immemorial David Sands building material that
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
awake in the ‘ohana to cooing doves in an octagonal room in the low jungle of Kapoho, smiling about how warmly organic the structure is, how much like a finely worked piece of furniture and how immediately complementary it is to the ōhi‘a and papaya out the windows. Bamboo embraces painted sage walls between the many windows that invite the sunrise to fill the round bowl of a ceiling in my room. I have the feeling of being embraced rather than shunted in bed, and it is a really good thing. Surrounded with bamboo in its umpteen forms from flooring to trim, and also in the furniture and interior doors, this wonderful magical grass so gracefully obviates wood. Where wood was once an exclusive domain in construction, bamboo has risen to the need and is now machined into planking, veneers and woven in traditional and exciting new ways, which is why I came to meet with architect David Sands and talk about his work. David lives in his own work. Amongst a clutch of aficionados and a forested jungle of organic farmers, it makes a certain kind of sense. In beauty and grace, bamboo does not compete with the wilds of Puna; it compliments it. With a characteristic golden honey hued finish and hand worked nodes, the building has a soft, nurtured, and comfortable feel. Bamboo Living has graced the plains of Puna since 2011 when David Sands transported his center of operations from Pā‘ia, Maui where it all began almost 20 years ago as a dream of necessity, and he worked out a solution that is now spreading to all the Hawaiian Islands. While studying art and architecture, early on David was inspired and impressed with Asian designs, which led him
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culminated in her estate, Nyu Kuning in mountains of Ubud. With Columbian architect Simón Vélez, worldly bamboo re-entered western consciousness by way of international conventions of builders with whom he shared his huge pavilions and a burgeoning technology. He calls it “high tech from nature.” As an inspired and self-funded venture, Sands’ vision of sustainable bamboo structures has come true for Hawai‘i and the rest of the world via INBAR and the International Code Council (ICC), which writes the building codes for nearly all of the US. The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to improving the livelihoods of the poor producers and users of bamboo and rattan, within the context of a sustainable natural environment. INBAR connects a global network of partners from the government, private and non-profit sectors in over 50 countries. INBAR promotes sustainable development with bamboo and rattan by consolidating, coordinating and supporting strategic and adaptive research and development. Thanks to David’s work with INBAR and ICC, there now is a bamboo house building code that is approved throughout the whole country, which has, in a word, opened the door for other alternative and sustainable technologies to follow.
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Be Like Bamboo! Bamboo is the perfected being embodying growth, strength, resilience, flexibility
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Many of us recognize it in cutting blocks, chopsticks, and flooring, however bamboo is a truly brilliant world class plant with more than 1200 species: it can be food, shade, windbreak, erosion prevention, or a musical instrument and it is now being compressed into some construction material. Like wood, plastic, and metals, bamboo is strong in its ability to retain structure and withstand hurricanes and earthquakes precisely because it can bend—an admirable quality. For national building codes, our sensibilities of wood, steel and concrete-centric approaches
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
bend to the introduction and remembrance of beautiful bamboo. The poet Basho wrote, “Go to the pine if you want to learn about pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about bamboo. And in doing so, you must leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself.” David and his founding partner Jeff Trudeau had a vision that first came to fruition in 1995 with their first constructed home in Maui. Together they developed the processes of testing to determine strength of material, resistance to sun, wind, rain, and infestation with good results: they augmented an already beautiful plant with some stamps and nods. Boron, a naturally occurring mineral, was found to properly protect the bamboo in the form of borate. Years of development and communication globally have helped the team with a first off introduction with certifiably conclusive results. The decision to move to Hawai‘i Island was based on the number of homes going up on our island, now more than 30, with 150 throughout the state. In a world of planned obsolescence, bamboo is alone as a building material that redeems itself faster than it can be eaten by weather and time. It grows quickest as a forest commodity as a pulp, paper, or food. Unlike foresting trees, bamboo can be harvested as mature in three to five years, while not killing the plant. Bamboo is known as a carbon sink, since it absorbs more carbon than it releases, making it more than sustainable, and in its short lifetime to maturity, it constantly improves the environment. When pressed and joined with galvanized hangers and brackets, bamboo becomes treated as a wood. In an organic swaying and bending world, David Sands’ designs are a coup de grâce to wood mills and clearcutting. Bamboo is a beautiful
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building material that continues to suggest uses and designs when juxtaposed with other elegant materials like rock, cloth, paper, and glass. A grass that is hollow yet strong, bamboo is resilient in its shakuhachi and gamelan organic brilliance. Moreover, it behaves well, holds a straight line, or assumes a curve, and honors a finish. Warm underfoot and cool too, the invisible porosity accommodates many climates, breathes instead of sweats, and somehow speaks something to everyone it meets.
Meeting the Spirit of Bamboo
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
I had first met David on Maui in 1991 and immediately appreciated his clean vision and Wabi Sabi smile. We were on the same sustainable page of pulp: eco builder, writer. I
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had just arrived in the land of bamboo from the east coast. So naively, I was hacking the bamboo, boring it, burning it, and enjoying how it was between a tent pole and a small tree. For fun, I improvised structures, musical instruments, a bird feeder, and planters. Since then, bamboo has become a companion, showing up in random circumstances, for its availability and immediate lengthy strength in providing many quickly assembled coverings. With zip ties, geared hose clamps, hole saws, a sander, and drills, bamboo can be made to assume most if not all building timber properties. Our technology seems to have caught up with our resources, just in the nick of time. Since then, I have seen bamboo scaffolding building skyscrapers in Hong Kong, sake decanters in Japan, and comfortably at home on Hawai‘i Island. Bamboo Living’s technology leads to more and greater developments in materials cured for construction. The simple elegance of predictably repeating patterns of lines is a comfort. No one part seems precarious or fragile: it feels like a considerably solid support. Natural colors like honey, chocolate, gold and sepia, all feel like old friends, like wood only different; it is a grass that has a strength like steel.
Clean, Green, Sustainable
The challenge in transforming the material is that like wood, bamboo must be protected from insects. Through many years of testing, engineers have found a compliment in treating with borate (boron) as a chemical additive that bugs resist, fires resist, and augments the environment. Boron is an essential micronutrient for growth and development of healthy plants.
In small concentrations, boron compounds are used as micronutrients in fertilizers. In large concentrations, they are used as herbicides, algaecides and other pesticides. A naturally occurring element, familiar to us as Borax, boron is essential for maintaining a balance between sugar and starch and functions in the translocation of sugar and carbohydrates that are important in pollination and seed production. In many ways, one of the many beauties of Hawai‘i Island is its seat as progenitor on a great number of discoveries. There are things that happen here like nowhere else on earth. Since the quick and dirty exit of sugar cane, bamboo farming would provide a viable alternative commodity. We like the ease of David’s design, both its familiarity and its originality as it surprises our sense of structure. It’s like when the tree house worked because it was all about the tree or when the corners disappear and easy rounds breathe. As a woody thing in the west, it shows up with high ranks having
done time in salad bowls, chopsticks, furniture and floors and has begun to find its place as both manufactured composite and trim. In many ways, the technology of bamboo is eased into another millennia, with grace, promise and aplomb. It works. When under a woven and carefully organized roof, overlooking a south Puna sunrise, bamboo is a beautiful objet de vertu to wake within, the simple warm colors feel like being outdoors, under a tree or yet in a tree that is not a tree but an abundant species of grass. ❖ For more infomation: BambooLiving.com Photos courtesy of David Sands Contact writer John J. Boyle: jjjboyle2112@gmail.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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From Provence to Puna
Kalani Oceanside Retreat says “Mahalo” to Founder |
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“Earnest taught me about Hawaiian ‘ha,’ or breath, as in the word mahalo. We expressed mahalo for the miracle of each other’s love, for all of life, for the dance of each moment. Our love began to manifest an Richard and Ernest old car from my California brother, trips to the country solitude of northeast Pennsylvania, a garden on the roof. Along came personal growth opportunities, and Earnie, too, unfolded new freedoms as he invited me to join him in a grand leap to Paris,” says Richard. In a memoir, Richard would later write about their time in France, “We cherish most the evening walks hand-in-hand along a country lane tucked between fields of fragrant lavender. It is so easy to breathe the joie de vivre and forget that there might be any destination or goal beyond just being itself. Earnest and I have been loving friends for over two years now.”
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
tanding in the middle of the expansive lawn at Kalani Oceanside Retreat, Richard Koob waves down two passing guests. “Come join us for volleyball,” he grins, charisma and charm infectious. He hands each a puakenikeni flower to place behind their ears. A generous spirit and deep compassion marks this Minnesotan-turned-local who first stepped on to these 120 acres of untamed jungle 38 years ago, along with dance partner and companion Earnest Morgan. Richard recalls meeting Earnest and the love story that followed. “We met exactly a year after Stonewall—in June, 1970, when I was passing out flyers on Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village to get all the guys and gals to raise a ruckus in the first anniversary march from Sheridan Square to Central Park. New York, gay life across America, the streets, the bars, nothing would hereafter ever be the same. Nor would we. After less than a few months of dating I left my Brooklyn collective of eight men, and the underground press where I’d printed the rally flyers,” he remembers. Richard would soon cross the Brooklyn bridge to live with Earnest in a tiny apartment in Little Italy where the chirp of crickets in a terrarium, sips of jasmine tea, sweet songs on the tape player, and the sensuous surf of their waterbed were the best possible re-creation of Earnest’s Hawai‘i homeland.
By Le‘a Gleason
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L-R: Earnest Morgan, Richard Koob, and renowned Hawai‘i artist Juliette May Frazer 1982 grand opening of Kalani
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
While living in Provence, the two came upon an abandoned monastery up for sale, which they wanted to turn into a healing retreat. “We’d already had a couple bouts in Paris with bureaucracy, so I agreed when Earnest said, ‘let’s go to Hawai‘i and do it.’ Exactly what, where, when and how, we would ‘do it,’ we weren’t sure. But we’d stumbled upon the idea to create a retreat center. As much as in times past, the anxious world was again screaming its need for places of refuge. We wanted to touch and heal people with something we had found deep within ourselves and our experience,” says Richard. The pair were drawn to the beautiful and isolated Puna coast, a large conservation area they saw as the ideal environment for a center that encouraged visitors to embrace the vitality of nature.
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“Hawai‘i Island called, beckoning us to Hilo. The land, the ‘āina—literally that which nurtures us—had welcomed us. We were drawn to the rugged coastal beauty, the rare black sand beaches and clear deep blue sea, the botanic lushness, and the rich and alive cultural heritage. We never forgot our vision, birthed in Provence, to create an arts-focused retreat. We had searched many places for a location to realize our dream and Puna called to us on a profound level,” he says. In 1975 the two purchased the original 19 acres in partnership with Richard’s parents. “Earnest, beloved Maui friend Bill Biglow, and I teamed together to machete our way through thick jungle and build the property’s first cabin with three central ‘ōhi‘a pole supports symbolizing our loving friendship. Although I now live here on the Kalani campus in a newer home, just visiting that cottage still gives me ‘chicken skin’, ” Richard recalls. The property is also home to archaeological sites, including a heiau—a temple believed to be dedicated to Lono, the god of agricultural abundance—and a hālau, the Kama‘ili School, which was in active use until the early 1900s. Aunty Edith Kanaka‘ole was the first of many kumu hula who shared Hawai‘i’s cultural heritage with Richard and Earnest and encouraged them to recognize the presence of the native sites as indicators that the pair were being welcomed as stewards of the property. “Before taking on this all-engrossing life project I needed a deep and spiritual indicator. Clearly we were made to feel at home by the mana of the area and the aloha of its residents. We wanted to honor the traditional use of the land, and so we focused on providing opportunities for education, and for personal and spiritual growth,” says Richard.
Tragically, on May 9, 1992, Earnest Morgan died of complications with AIDS. “My sweet man punahele, squeezed my hand in a farewell to be forever free. Kalani’s cultural expression, its soul, is rooted in his dance. After Earnest’s ashes were sprinkled at Kalani, longterm loving friends continued to hold and help me with Kalani’s continuing rebirth. The arts keep blossoming, the facilities and annual income keep growing, and the healing keeps happening. Earnest inspired an enduring creativity and love in all his relations,” remembers Richard.
Intercultural Dance Fest at the 1982 Kalani Grand Opening reported as “The best party ever in Puna”
Today, Kalani has grown to become the largest retreat center in Hawai‘i, built over the past 38 years by volunteers from all over the globe, eager to help create space for creativity and healing while enjoying the atmosphere, accommodations, activities, and delicious healthy meals. Kalani also has the distinction of being the largest nonprofit organization providing services to the district of Puna, the poorest district in Hawai‘i, with all proceeds from guest stays going into Kalani’s community programming and services. “Our goal has never been profit or gain. Our goal was to create a space where people’s lives could transform, and that has extended into the surrounding district with our community programs,” says Richard. At Kalani, the sense of community is profound. According to Richard, the formula is simple: creating an environment of mutual respect, support, and appreciation for one another, in the spirit of aloha. “It is the sense of being joined in a community that really supports people to rise to their personal best. One of the most exciting things for me is to watch people’s lives transform in this environment. It’s about the person. My true hope is that as many people as possible can experience growth, transformation, and healthier models of living here,” Richard says. People in the community find it hard to believe that Richard—a bundle of energy to say the least—will actually retire, but he makes it clear that it’s true. “I like to say that I’m not stepping down, I’m stepping up, hopefully ever closer to what Kalani is all about: heaven!” he says.
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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Kalani—lush and peaceful—a bit of heaven on earth Richard will continue to draft Kalani’s second 30-year-plan and follow it through County and State permit processes, and then he looks forward to writing his second book. Taking Richard’s place at the helm is the talented and energetic Lester John Bates III, hand-picked from more than 75 applicants. “Can you imagine filling the shoes of Richard Koob?” quips L.J. “I’m honored to do so, and have made a commitment to lead Kalani responsibly, building upon Kalani’s history of transformation and community development.” Richard is thrilled with how L.J. has taken the reigns of Kalani thus far. “I feel so blessed to have talented people to whom I can pass the flame. L.J. is poised to steward Kalani with passion and precision. I can move into this next phase of my life knowing that Kalani is in very good hands,” he says. Soon, the community will join together to recognize the man who has contributed so much to helping it grow. “Our community will be out in full force to celebrate Richard. He is the living example of ‘thinking globally and acting locally.’ We are so glad to be able to honor his work,” says L.J. In honor of Richard’s 38 years of service to Kalani and to the district of Puna, celebrations will include a special feast and show July 6. The annual Ānuenue Freedom Festival will be held on July 7, featuring a celebratory Ecstatic Dance, as well as a 70s themed pool party with surprises to make it a bash everyone will remember. As for Richard, he’ll keep on inviting everyone to swim and play volleyball with a handful of puakenikeni and his warm, inviting smile, for many years to come. ❖ For events at Kalani: Kalani.com Contact Richard Koob: 808.965.0468 X104
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Contact writer Le‘a Gleason: lgfreelancehawaii@gmail.com
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“Spiral—Daina” by artist Richard Koob
Grace Under Stress
Kona Orchid Society |
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to people, and learning all about orchids.” Continuing the process, Lowe joined about 60 KOS members and guests— hardworking men and women of all ages who compared notes on elevation, Psychopsis Mendenhall discussed fertilization and pollination in-depth, spouted Latin nomenclature like college professors, and identified each other by “warms” and “cools.” A wide spectrum of brilliant blooms from glowing white to deepest magenta, flame orange, shy pinks and more elicited ooh’s and ah’s from casual hobbyists and professional growers alike during show and tell. Learning is much of what KOS is all about. New or potential members are warmly welcomed to monthly meetings at Hualālai Academy’s Bridge House. And KOS enthusiasts, like most gardeners, are generally eager to share tips, techniques, advice,
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
lder than the volcano, with roots in dinosaur days, orchids were alive and well as far back as 80 million years ago, according to the Harvard biologist who managed to date fossilized pollen from a now-extinct bee preserved in amber. Agelessly sexy, the word orchid comes from “orchis,” the Greek word for testicle (because of its root shape), and shares its moniker with a mythical rogue. Orchis was the son of a satyr and a nymph, whose lustful transgressions caused him to be killed by the Fates, but remembered ever after with a flower. From ancient Greece to modern Hawai‘i, orchids grow around the world, and on every continent except Antarctica. With over 22,000 species in 800 genera and 100,000+ hybrids, orchids are the largest and most diverse plant family on the planet. “There are 32 endemic orchids in Colorado, and the State Flower of Minnesota is an orchid,” said Zeller. “They pop up through the snow in the Himalayas and they grow underground in Australia.” Talk about thriving under stress. “Orchids need stressors,” said guest speaker Clayton Lowe at the March meeting of the Kona Orchid Society (KOS). Lowe, a longtime orchid grower in Kea‘au, said he’s learned that at least some orchids thrive and bloom their utmost under stress. “In 1984, I bought my first orchid from Akatsuka Orchids and shipped it home to Albuquerque,” said Lowe. “It took about six weeks for me to kill it. I spent the next year reading, talking
By Catherine Tarleton
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and keiki plants—along with their potluck supper. Like the beautiful flowers that captivate them, the beautiful people of KOS seem to be at their best when pressed. Maggie Adorme, for example, founded KOS in 1987 with her late husband Bob, and is the club’s longest-term member. At 78 years young, having retired from the Royal Kona Resort where she worked 30 years, she has three sons, 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and more than a 1,000 orchids. Adorme continues to work her two-acre coffee farm by herself and spends her spare time cultivating more orchids to cherish on her own or share with others. She and her friend and former past president Kathy Penwell are continually on the hunt for new and different orchid gems for their collection. “I grab her and go holo holo to the nurseries,” said Penwell, who teaches at West Hawai‘i Explorations Academy (WHEA). “I grow roses and orchids…they don’t talk back like kids do,”
Guest speaker Clayton Lowe
jokes Penwell. She has been working on orchid-related curricula in the classroom. “I’ve got 20 students doing orchid projects this year,” she said. Vice President Jan Rae is also an educator, a retired special education teacher from New York. “It was a labor Dendrobium Amabile of love,” said Rae. “There was never a day that I did not want to go to work, not in 25 years of teaching.” A fabulous septuagenarian like Adorme, Rae is another who seems to bloom under stress. She just finished co-producing “The Wizard of Oz” at Aloha Theatre with husband Joel Gimpel, music director. She’s also Vice President of the Bowling Alley Women’s Association and active with disabled children’s programs with Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawai‘i. “My life is music, flowers, and children,” said Rae. “And bowling balls.” Rae grew roses before she moved to Hawai‘i and fell in love with orchids. Her favorite? “Cattleyas. “Those are the big ones you get when you go to the prom or for mother of the bride,” said Rae, who also likes to eat the occasional blossom. “Dendrobiums are pretty tasty,” she added.
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worked with flowers his whole life. He developed a patented technique of preserving living Hawai‘i-grown orchids, other flowers, and tiny limu seaweed. The technique allows the blossoms to look surprisingly fresh and stay pliable for many years so they can be worn as pendants, earrings, hair ornaments, and other jewelry. Not an orchid but still worth mentioning is one of his more unique “designs,” the delicate naupaka, which looks like only half a flower. Made famous by the legend of two lovers separated by a jealous Pele, one variety of naupaka grows in higher elevations, and another down by the ocean. Sharing a printed copy of the story, Honeyman offers something of Hawaiian culture with every naupaka sale. Orchids are a natural part of Hawaiian culture, with three endemic Hawaiian species still in existence: Hawai‘i Bog Orchid (Platanthera holochila), Hawai‘i Jewel Orchid (Anoectochilus sandvicensis) and ‘Awapuhi-‘o-Kanaloa (Liparis hawaiensis). Dendrobium Speciosum ‘Zelda’ Their shyer blooms may have kept them out of the spotlight, and thus the family of missionary William Shipman is credited with bringing the first commercial orchids to the Kingdom and the Island of Hawai‘i, near the turn of the 20th Century. In 1940, William’s grandson and avid orchid grower Herbert C. Shipman registered a hybrid as Vanda “Clara Shipman Fisher” with the Royal Horticulture Society. Named for one of his sisters, a cutting of Pink Cattleyas the original plant survives at the family’s Reed’s Island property to this day, according to Hilo Orchid Society. (Interestingly, Herbert was also instrumental in saving the nēnē from extinction, by creating a nēnē sanctuary, now located within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.) ❖ To learn more about (and risk obsession with) the world of orchids, visit the Kona Orchid Society’s annual Mother’s Day Orchid Show and Sale at the Old Airport Park in Kailua-Kona. Admission is free and the event is open 9 am–6 pm on Friday, May 10 and 8 am–5 pm on Saturday, May 11. For more information: KonaOrchidSociety.org, KOS@konaorchidsociety.org Contact writer Cathey Tarlton: catherinetarleton@gmail.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Rae attributes her youthful spark to a life of hard work, and she continues to work hard, educate herself, and cultivate passion for orchids. Dendrobium Gatton Sunray “It’s a challenge,” said Rae. “I want to keep learning and doing better. I’m not nearly as good as most of these growers. We have some amazing growers in the Orchid Society, a few who really put me to shame. Their orchids are absolutely incredible.” KOS’ guest speakers, workshops and other activities, are funded for the most part by a two-day veritable “salad” of orchids, the Society’s annual Mother’s Day Orchid Show and Sale. Chaired by KOS member Bob Zeller for the last 20 years, the festivities include: juried orchid competition in 10 categories, plant sales, orchid supply sales, artists and crafters, free classes, and the specialized fellowship of orchid-lovers, like Zeller and wife Phoenicia. “My wife actually found an orchid on the land we were living on and wanted to know what it was,” said Zeller. “We went to an orchid meeting and became addicted.” The Zeller’s, who run Pele’s Island Plants in Ocean View, look forward to selling orchids for the rest of their lives. His favorite? “Beallara Marfitch Howard’s Dream,” said Zeller. “I just like purples.” Zeller said the Mother’s Day Show and Paphiopedilum Sale first began in the parking lot at Lanihau Center and then moved to Hale Halawai and added the crafts component. The present location at Old Airport Park allowed KOS to expand significantly, providing ample free parking, and more than double the number of vendors. A number of vendors will be selling orchid plants, herbs, water plants, day lilies, and desert roses. Other fun items are chocolates, ceramics, lava pots, hot dogs and homemade popsicles from Bubba’s Big Dogs, and all kinds of jewelry. Returning orchid jeweler Peter Honeyman with RealFlowerJewelry.com is a botanist from Central Africa who
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Aunty Elizabeth Malu‘ihi Lee
Lifelong Weaver Seeks to Perpetuate Hawaiian Tradition | By Cynthia Sweeney
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Hala trees at Hulihe‘e Palace
“We were taught to appreciate other people’s labor,” she explains. It was out of this notion of appreciation and respect for the person weaving floor mats that people removed their shoes before going into the house.” Aunty Elizabeth also points out, “A hat is not an umbrella. We should respect it. You want to wear something nice and clean. That’s respect for our head and where we put our brain.” Hōlualoa, where Aunty Elizabeth lives today, is known for its coffee farms and art galleries, and has been a hub for lauhala weaving for generations, largely due an abundance of the hala trees in Kona. She explains the time and effort that goes into weaving with lauhala. The leaves (lau means “leaf” in Hawaiian and hala is the pandanus tree) are collected dry, either from the ground or picked from the tree after they turn brown. The leaves are then sorted for matching color and hand cut with special tools for the desired width. The smaller the width, the more intricate the weave. To make the leaves pliable for weaving
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
rowing up in Kohanaiki in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Aunty Elizabeth never imagined that one day people would come to Kailua-Kona from around the world to learn lauhala weaving from her. “I never knew I would be this woman. But I got called to do this weaving,” she says. “I’m so thankful for the gift [of weaving] that I got.” Aunty Elizabeth Malu‘ihi Lee was one of 14 children. At a young age she and her brother became hānai (adopted) into her Aunty’s family. Here, only Hawaiian was spoken and lauhala weaving was the number one priority. By the age of six, she was ready to weave. Like her mother and brother, she began to weave lauhala into functional items like floor mats and mats used to sleep on, as was custom in pre-colonized Hawai‘i. They also wove baskets for picking coffee and hats for working in the fields. These items were used as currency and traded for material that went into making school dresses. “We didn’t use money at that time,” Aunty Elizabeth remembers. “We traded at the store and got 10 or 20 cents a hat.” Elizabeth proved to be adept at weaving. By age 10, she was making three or four hats a day, which were sold mostly to plantation workers. It was a challenge however, she admits, to sit night after night and weave, especially after a day of working the farm, raising taro, bananas, mango, and sugar cane that was planted by hand—a crop that was off-limits for them to eat. Elizabeth’s mother laid down the law and taught Elizabeth and her brother a keen sense of respect photo courtesy of she lives by to this day. Nancy Carr Smith
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special care is given to cleaning the leaves. Aunty Elizabeth uses a variety of cleaning solutions to get rid of bugs, droppings, and anything else that might be clinging to the leaf. There are no guarantees. Occasionally, something slips through the process and eventually you notice that a bug is eating through a hat. “When you see that, it hurts a lot,” Aunty says. “But [weaving] is something special. [We don’t know] what can happen and what cannot happen because there are natural things in the fiber.” Each family of weavers developed their own patterns and techniques. As she refined her skill, Aunty Elizabeth started selling hats for more money, up to fifty cents, which was “big money.” Her hats began being worn by judges, attorneys, ministers, and priests. Poorer people did not wear them, she explained. As the availability of cotton cloth, leather goods, and manmade fibers grew, however, the need for weaving declined, and some of the traditional weaving skills disappeared almost entirely. Aunty Elizabeth used her skill and ingenuity to help bring back the lost art of weaving with the makaloa leaf. Makaloa is a softer reed and more difficult to control than lauhala. When dried naturally, the reeds of the makaloa are red. When dried over a fire, they are bleached white. While Aunty says the bleached makaloa make beautiful hats for men, makaloa doesn’t last as long as the lauhala. To get a wet and warped woven hat Aunty back in shape, iron it with wax paper Elizabeth’s photo courtesy of Nancy Carr Smith work has been commissioned by and is on display at the Bishop Museum, Hulihe‘e Palace, and at the Merrie Monarch Festival. In 1993 she was bestowed the honor of Living Treasure by the Office of Hawaiian affairs. After that recognition, she felt compelled to share her knowledge with anyone who wanted to learn. Despite opposition from those who felt it was not right to share Hawaiian secrets, she created the nonprofit Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona in 1996 to perpetuate this traditional art from. The group holds an annual weaving conference in Kailua-Kona for anyone who wants to learn.
Conference information: Barbara Kossow, 808.938.0806 Contact Aunty Elizabeth: 808.938.4765 Photos by Gayle ‘Kaleilehua’ Greco, Renée Robinson Contact writer Cynthia Sweeney: sweeneywrites@yahoo.com
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
“Why can’t we teach this art?” she earnestly asks. “We teach Hawaiian language, Hawaiian culture, why not weaving? I want to share my knowledge. When God calls me home One of Auntyʻs favorite lauhala trees. I can’t take Not too long after this photo was taken, it with me so heavy rains caused the tree to uproot I’ll leave it to (it looked like a dozer crushed it). those who photo courtesy of Nohokula H. Kahananui want it.” Aunty generously shares her gifts over the four-day conference that draws people from all over the world: Japan, Canada, the mainland, even Greece. The days are filled with weaving classes for all levels, and concludes with a fashion show and lū‘au. Aunty Elizabeth is a hands-on instructor who easily shares her knowledge and experience. “I try to encourage students to start simple with a wide weave—baskets or mats. If you try do a hat the first time, the student will get frustrated and the teacher will get frustrated right away. Patience is a key.” These days, Aunty Elizabeth wears a fine, intricately woven hat with a deep blue and green peacock feather lei pāpale (hatband) wrapped around it. When asked how much the hat is worth, she removes it and sets it on the table. She points out the important features of this hat: it’s rare color, the fine, tightly woven rows of the brim, the geometric pattern on the crown, and the bands of felt inside to protect the hat from perspiration. Asked when she made this hat she smiles and points out a small label inside where 1968 is handwritten. Aunty’s hats now start at about $150. This particular hat, she said, would go for about $1,600, however $2,500 may be closer to its true value. At 84, Aunty Elizabeth is thankful for friends who help her get around and thankful for students who are interested in keeping her art alive. She still takes time to talk story at Kamehameha Schools, speaking in Hawaiian, sharing her gift of weaving, and reflecting on her humble beginnings. Aunty Elizabeth can’t imagine slowing down. “My body says ‘slow down’ but my brain says ‘go’,” she chuckles. “I try to stop because of my health, but I can’t get out of weaving.” Aunty Elizabeth’s artwork can be found at the Merrie Monarch Festival, craft shows, and the upcoming conference. This year the Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona conference will be held May 15-18 at the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Aunty emphasizes it is open to anyone, and there will be scholarships available to pay for classes. ❖
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Kama‘āina Land Child
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Barbara Kamilipua Nobriga |
It’s an impressive home that harkens back to the Hawai‘i of old filled with antique koa furniture and handwoven lauhala mats for area rugs. You won’t find Barbara resting, though. She’s on the phone with the vet about a donkey that requires medical attention. Then it’s off to the stables to check on horses. The ranch operates Holo Lio Trail Rides, offering twice-daily rides on the slopes of Hualālai. In the early afternoon, kids will start arriving for their horse riding lessons. Later in the day, her grandkids will practice roping cattle in preparation for an upcoming rodeo competition. Then there is the orchard of cacao trees her family is in the middle of planting—an effort to diversify their agricultural lands. In addition to all of this, Barbara is preparing for a talk she’ll give later in the week on the history of Keauhou. For the moment, Barbara is gracious enough to take a break from the organized chaos that is ranching life and talk about her saddle that was already old when she “borrowed” it from the saddle house 50 years ago. It remains the only saddle Barbara likes to use.
A trail ride with three Nobriga generations
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
ook up the word kama‘āina in the dictionary and chances are you won’t see Barbara Nobriga’s name and photo. You should, though. Literally translated, kama‘āina means land child. According to the hardcover edition of the Hawaiian Dictionary by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, kama‘āina is defined as “native born, one born in a place, host.” And that pretty much sums up Barbara Kamilipua Nobriga. She is the fourth generation to work the land granted to her family by Kamehameha IV—land that is adjacent to Pa Nui, built by Kamehameha the Great, and was the first cattle pen in the state. Her family members were instrumental in the building of Lanikila Congregational Church in the 1860s. A hotel on the property run by her grandparents was host to the Queen of Sweden and celebrities. Indeed, Queen Lili‘uokalani, King David Kalākaua, and author Jack London have sat around the massive koa dining table that is now used in her mountain retreat, located at the upper elevations of the property. A relative of Ikua Purdy, Hawai‘i’s most famous cowboy, Barbara is one half of the only mother-daughter duo inducted into to the Paniolo Hall of Fame (her mother, Kapua Heuer was inducted in 2000, and Barbara was inducted in 2004.) A 4-H leader, pā‘ū rider, rancher, Daughter of Hawai‘i, Kona Historical Society member, and head of the King Kamehameha Day Parade in June, Barbara is committed to perpetuating the paniolo culture of Hawai‘i Island. Over the years she has received numerous awards including Rancher of the Year by the Kona Soil and Water Conservation district in 1999. In December 2012, Barbara was named the Grand Marshall of the Kona Christmas parade. Four generations of her family rode in the parade, including 10 of her 14 grandchildren (two were competing in the World Series of Roping on the mainland). After decades of working the land, shoeing horses, branding cattle, mending fences, and raising a family, one wouldn’t blame Barbara for taking it easy and resting in her historic makai home built more than 100 years ago.
By Denise Laitinen
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“I myself ride nothing but a Hawai‘i tree [saddle]. It’s the most comfortable saddle out there.” Made of Neneleau tree, it’s very light, indeed. Her daughter says that at some point the saddle will have to go in a museum. “Not as long as I’m in it,” laughs Barbara. Paniolos on Hawai‘i Island date back to 1833 when three vaqueros—Spanish/ Mexican cowboys— arrived at Kawaihae Harbor to teach Hawaiians how to Hawai‘i Tree Saddle rope and herd cattle and ride mounted horses. Over the years paniolos developed their own style of saddle making, called a Hawaiian tree saddle, so named because cowboys went into the forests and cut the tree, which they carved into a saddle. (See Ke Ola magazine July/August 2011 issue, The Art of Noho Lio o Paniolo: Making Hawaiian Tree Saddles.) When people think of Kona, many think of coffee or fishing or the ocean. Most never go beyond the coffee belt to realize the agricultural nature of Kona. And it is that agricultural nature that is the very essence of Barbara. Her great grandmother, Eliza Roy, was granted land from King Kamehameha IV. At one time, it extended all the way from the 4,500-foot elevation to the ocean. The land is adjacent to Pa Nui, the famed wall built by King Kamehameha I. Encompassing 460 acres the wall was five feet wide and nine feet tall. The Great Kamehameha Wall is still pretty much intact and is used as a boundary wall. It can be seen during the trail rides through the ranch. It still is in some places, even though earthquakes, wild animals, and the passage of time have taken their toll.
Cattle were first brought to Hawai‘i in 1793 by British captain George Vancouver as a gift to King Kamehameha I. The king placed the cattle in the pen and declared them kapu—meaning they could not be hunted or killed. Multiplying rapidly, the cattle were able to sufficiently knock down parts of the wall to the point that they escaped and wreaked havoc on the countryside, tearing up gardens and terrorizing villages. Thirty years later, King Kamehameha III lifted the kapu and brought Mexican vaqueros to Hawai‘i to teach Hawaiians how to work the herds, tan hides, and make saddles. Barbara points out that Hawaiians already knew how to ride horses and cows by the time the vacqueros arrived. In the 1860s Barbaraʻs great-grandparents built their mauka home, named Waihou, on land bordering the cattle pen. It’s in an area named Lehuula, adjacent to Kainaliu located three miles above Māmalahoa Highway. Barbara’s daughter Lilinoe and her family now reside in the home they built on the old house site. The great-grandparents makai home, also built in the 1860s, was located on the mauka side of Māmalahoa Highway near Kainaliu. After her great-grandparents passed away, Barbara’s grandparents opened it as the Mahealani Hotel, also known as the Wall Hotel. It served people from all over the world from its opening in 1913 until it closed in 1932 when the Kona Inn was in full operation and patrons chose to stay near the ocean. Barbara’s daugher Kuulani and her family live in the home they built on the old hotel site. The house where Barbara and her husband Edwin live today was built in 1904 next to the hotel. Elsewhere on the family land their daughters, Manu and Buggins, and son Edwin have built
The Great Kamehmeha Wall
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
homes and are raising their families. Edwin handles the heavy equipment for land clearing and hauls water—for the ranch and for customers needing potable water. Barbara’s grandmothers and great grandmothers were pure Hawaiians who married men who came to Hawai‘i. Her mother’s grandfather, William Franklin Roy, came from Scotland, and her great great grandfather John Davis came from Wales. On the maternal side of her family, Barbaraʻs grandfather came to Hawai‘i at the age of 18. “He and his uncle Charlie leased thousands of acres of land upcountry near Umi’s Temple in Kanahaha, up on the flat lands of Hualālai, about 12 miles above what is now Māmalahoa Highway.” “My grandfather went to the mainland to study accounting and Uncle Charlie thought he wasn’t coming back so he sold the land to a French public health doctor, George Trousseau, who in turn sold it to W.H. Greenwell. That started the Greenwell ranching.” Over the course of generations land has been added and divided, and yet is still intact. Barbara and Edwin raised five children on this land. All of them attended college and each returned, building their own homes on the family property. Barbara’s great granddaughter, Makamae Jewell, is the seventh generation to live on the land. Although technology and modern advancement have changed some things—there’s no longer a need for a butter room—much of the paniolo way of life continues today as it did for Barbara’s ancestors in the 1860s. When talking about the future of ranching in Hawai‘i, and the west side of Hawai‘i Island in particular, she admits, “It’s challenging.” Kona has a history of weather not cooperating. Cattle were on the land until about 1898 when a lot of Kona, Hōnaunau, and Captain Cook became sugar cane agriculture. There was a railroad track to transport the sugar. (The railroad track is about two miles makai of Barbaraʻs house along the highway and ends at Hualālai Road.) Sugar cane only lasted until 1927, because Kona was being Kona—it rained when it wanted to rain—and the sugar was not getting enough water. Now the land has turned back into ranching again. Noting that parts of West Hawai‘i have been in a drought for 40 years, Barbara says, “It’s difficult to raise cattle in a drought.
Stockholm guests at the Mehealani: Princess of Sweden, Crown Prince of Sweden, Lady in Waiting, Master of the Royal Household
Contact Barbara Nobriga: bnobriga@hawaiiantel.net To schedule a trail ride: HoloLio.com To order potable water: LoaaWater.com “Waiting for the humans to finish lunch and talk story.”
Contact writer Denise Laitinen: wahineokekai@yahoo.com For King Kamehameha Day Parade info: KonaParade.org
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
You should be taking the cattle to the grass not the grass to the cattle. Hopefully we’re in the tail end of a cycle now, even though 2011 and 2012 went down in history as the driest years.” These days much of the cattle raised on their land is sold to cattle brokers who ship the animals to the mainland. “If you don’t have grass, you can’t fatten them so you have to sell the cattle when they are young.” She sees diversification as the key to survival. Through Holo Lio Stables, her ranch has offered trail rides for 40 years. They offer well-trained horses for beginner and advanced riders to ride upland through open pasture and native forest. The ranch also boards horses and rents the arena. “We’re planting an avocado orchard and an orchard of cacao trees. That’s what is going to carry us through. When one is slow the other will pick up.” “They [her grandkids] shouldn’t count on the ranch to make a living, but they could do it as a side business. I think that the people of Hawai‘i need to acknowledge the fact that we need to develop an independence to importing food from the outside.” “We certainly have the lands available to produce food here but [people] have to quit taking our ag lands and turning them into cookie cutter houses. We have a lot of waste lands that can be used for that, but stay out of our breadbasket.” Ranching is a participatory business—everyone pitches in. The horses all go to work whether it is trail riding or competing at a rodeo. “They have to earn their keep.” Even the cats and dogs have to earn their keep—catching mice and herding cows. All five of her children and her 14 grandchildren (three are in school on the mainland) live close by on family lands. Although her kids and grandkids do other work for a living, they all help out on the ranch. Once a month the entire family, about 30 people, gets together, “No excuses,” says Barbara. “It’s a work day—a family work day. We do anything from branding cattle to pulling weeds to building fences.” One final note that people should know about the ranch. “It’s all family owned. It’s historic. It has never changed hands and probably never will.” ❖
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Using New Technology to Detect Melanoma in Hawaiʻi Dermatologists have a new technology called MelaFind to help in the battle against melanoma. This state-of-the-art device is now available for the first time in Hawaii, on the Big Island. Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Monica Scheel, in Kailua-Kona, is the first and only doctor in the state of Hawaii to use MelaFind. She explained how the technology works.
MelaFind is the only FDA approved medical device that non-invasively sees into and under the skin to help dermatologists analyze suspicious moles and detect melanoma. MelaFind is only issued to Board Certified Dermatologists because a mole in question needs the scrutiny of a professional and must have one or more of the characteristics of the ABCDE’s of cancer screening.
“Once I have determined a mole is atypical we can scan it with the hand-held device. The procedure takes only a minute and is very comfortable for the patient,” Dr. Scheel said. “It’s like getting an ultrasound.” Developed from technologies created for rocket engineering, the MelaFind uses 10 different wavelengths of light to analyze and produce a 3 dimensional image of the atypical mole, giving dermatologists a non-invasive way to look at what’s under the skin to a depth of 2.5 millimeters. Until now dermatologists could just see the surface of a mole. Because MelaFind allows the doctor to see below the skin’s surface, Dr. Scheel may not need to do a biopsy or cut the skin unnecessarily. “The machine compares the mole to 9,000 known melanoma in the database and gives me information about the organization of the mole’s growth patterns,” explained Dr. Scheel. “This information makes a big difference to me and my patients when it comes to the decision to remove and biopsy the mole. It’s like having a second opinion right at my fingertips.”
When combined with the experience of a Board Certified Dermatologist, MelaFind was proven to have a 98.38% accuracy rate during trials. “I am so excited to bring this technology to the state of Hawaii,” said Dr. Scheel. “We all spend a lot of time in the sun enjoying our beautiful islands, which increases our chance for skin cancer. Melanoma is treatable if caught early. I hope this new, non-invasive device will encourage everyone to have their skin checked yearly.”
S kin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and instances of melanoma are increasing. While melanoma is not the most prevalent form of skin cancer, it is the deadliest. The American Cancer Society reports that every day, over 200 people are diagnosed with melanoma, and one person dies from melanoma in the United States every hour. When detected in its earliest stages, melanoma is highly curable. In fact, the average 5-year survival rate for individuals whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph node is 98%. The best prevention is to limit sun exposure, apply SPF 30+ sunscreen every two hours and have your skin checked yearly by an experienced dermatologist.
For more information, please visit Dr. Scheel’s website:
DrMonicaScheel.com Paid advertisement for m onica s cheel, m.d., d ermatologist
Crossword Puzzle | By Myles Mellor
This page is for Ke Ola readers to have FUN while learning about the Hawaiian culture and this wonderful island we call home. Some answers are in English, some are in Hawaiian. Some answers will be found when you read the stories and ads in this issue. Feel free to use the online Hawaiian electronic library. wehewehe.org Oh yes, you can find the answers on page 62. Your feedback is always welcome. editor@keolamagazine.com
Down 1 Hawaiian term for extended family 2 To picture 3 Hawaiian word for fence 4 Spa liquid 5 Improper or excessive mistreatment 6 ____ Koa 10 ____ do you do it? 11 Hawaiian word for fast and swift, ____wi 12 Manuka State Wayside is to the ____ of Hawai‘i Island 16 Place to stay 17 Poetic song 18 Shallow area in the ocean (2 words) 19 Hawaiian word for to work with intent and work on purpose 20 Hawaiian word for fragrance 23 Humorous short story in pictures 25 Hawaiian word for stem 26 Rainbow shapes 27 Hawaiian tree whose wood is used in furniture making 28 Man’s best friend on earth, according to Frank Lloyd Wright 31 Hawaiian word for teach
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Across 1 Hawaiian myrtle tree 3 Brand name for Dennis Lake’s Hawaiian guitars 7 Paa____, Hawaiian word for salt 8 Hawaiian word for canoe hulls 9 Weaving art taught by Aunty Elizabeth Maluihi Lee 13 Plant seeds 14 Hawaiian word denoting chiefly status 15 Hawaiian tree. Its wood is used for making surfboards 18 Hawaiian artist, Cheryl ____, whose hallmark is her “Magic Bus” 19 Hawaiian word for breath 21 Hawaiian word for nothingness 22 A lei goes around it 24 Native Hawaiian orchid, “Awapuhi-o-_____” 29 Wood now popular as a flooring; it’s a sustainable construction material 30 Place to sit 32 Hawaiian painter Evelyn Musacchia who paints on ____ surfaces 33 Kona Orchid Society, acronym 34 Hawaiian god who threw his calabash into the void of space, in legend
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Kailua Village Artists
GALLERY
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Original Art by Local Artists
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Plein Air Oils
Richard Rochkovsky
Wood Turner Dale Moore
Gouache Gail Yasin
Our New Gallery is Open Kona Marketplace Gallery 75-5729 Alii Drive, Suite C-110 Kailua-Kona ♦ Hawaii 96740 808-329-6653 ♦ kailuavillageartists.com open daily 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Hopper Sheldon:
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Eastside Artist Brings Art and Fun to Keiki of All Ages
The Long Road to Hawai‘i With the Magic Bus
The hallmark of Hopper’s art venture is her “Magic Bus,” which opened up her life as an artist. Before moving to Hawai‘i, she and her husband owned and ran a bar, restaurant, and bed and breakfast in the Southern California desert. “The bar was a hangout for motorcycle guys, so we had to be on top of things 24/7. Life was very stressful, and after a few years, I became seriously lost.” Then, in 2002 her husband bought her the 1971 Volkswagen van, which she would name “Dubie, the Magic Bus.” “Because I had always painted big things—holiday window displays, murals, signs—when the van came into my life,
I connected with it and immediately started painting it, using a lot of motifs from old rock and roll. In a very real sense, the bus saved my life.” But the joy and pride Hopper gained from her colorful bus was short-lived: after the painting was finished, Hopper parked it in front of the bar to display it, and on the first day, someone seriously vandalized it, destroying all of her hard work and filling her with despair. “A year and a half of work, gone in five minutes. That’s when we decided to give it up and move to Hawai‘i. We sold the business, packed everything up, sanded the bus and shipped it and ourselves off to Hawai‘i Island.” Because of the rock and roll subject matter that Hopper repainted on The Magic Bus, she expanded the theme to her art and named her first product line of T-shirts “Hopper’s Hippie Art.” “It was interesting to me at first because some people expected me to behave and do business as if I were a hippie, living in my bus,” Hopper explained. “When I followed through and proved to everyone that I would deliver as promised, I began to develop a strong customer base and a good reputation.” The Magic Bus has become famous in East Hawai‘i. Whenever you see it, you’ll know that Hopper is either behind the wheel, teaching a class nearby, or visiting one of the shops that sells her T-shirts and other products.
Art Uprising
Hopper calls her twice-monthly art event “Artday Saturday.” Its a mobile art enrichment program she holds at the Hilo Farmers Market on the first and third Saturday every month, from 1–3 pm. Admission is free, and adults as well as keiki of all ages are welcome to join the fun.
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
eeping pace with eastside artist Cheryl “Hopper” Sheldon can keep you on your toes. Her free “Artday Saturday” enrichment program at the Hilo Farmers Market attracts keiki of all ages, from 10 months to 88 years young. Her product lines include Honu Babies: apparel for infants, tie-dyed t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, eco-friendly tote bags, coasters, mouse pads, cards, and postcards—all sporting her whimsical, original art that are popular items at many island stores. “I love seeing art on people,” Hopper shared. “And when that art is unique, cute and colorful, it makes it even more fun to wear.” With all of this going on, you might imagine that she has little time for a personal life. However, she is the mom of twin teenage sons who attend University of Hawai‘i, she loves to cook, putter in her garden, and is very active in the Hawai‘i Island community that she has loved since moving here with her husband Steve and the twins in 2004.
| By Barbara Fahs
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“I’m really into recycled art,” Hopper shared. “At Artday Saturday, we often turn trash into treasure, making masks, using stamps and stencils, creating with clay, paintings, collages…you name it, we turn old, discarded stuff into things of beauty and the kids love it! Artday volunteers Jamie and Becky are amazing, and Artday could not happen without them. And we can always use more helpers and donations.” As part of Art Uprising, Hopper also offers her art enrichment classes at other locations, such as birthday parties, church groups, lū‘au, and other events. “Have Magic Bus, will travel,” is one of Hopper’s mottos. She provides all of the supplies needed to make it a fun, productive, and educational day.
Paradise Studio Tour
Hopper has been active in the Paradise Studio Tour event every December since its inception in 2006. For an entire weekend, as many as 60 local artists open their home studios to the public and offer a wide assortment of arts and crafts, many of them created in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. But it’s about more than selling art: every year the various artists donate 10 percent of their proceeds to art education programs at Puna high schools. Paradise Studio Tour Artist Collective board member and clay artist, Patti Datlof, explained the Tour’s mission by stating, “This annual event has helped to bring the artistic community together and to support the arts in local schools by donating money to their art departments. The amount has increased each year of the Tour, starting with $600 in 2007 and increasing to a $1320 donation we made to Pahoa High School in 2012.”
UH Hilo Teams Up With Hopper
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Hopper has connected with Dr. Susan Jarvi and the Rat Lungworm Working Group of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy to help educate children about the dangers of rat lungworm disease. “A group of kids and I were painting a mural in Hilo last August and Susan’s young daughter was one of my helpers.
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When Dr. Jarvi dropped by, she asked me about my art and other graphic work I had done. I gave her a copy of my little coloring book, The Moocrew, not really knowing what she had in mind. A couple of hours later, she returned and told me about an educational project she was working on for second graders. Art, kids, and education? I was on board! Since fall 2012, we have created a 26-page book called The Mystery of Rat Lungworm Disease. It is full of fun illustrations, activities, and useful information to help island kids and families stay and live safe.” When it’s completed, more than 10,000 copies of the activity-oriented book will go out to all of Hawai‘i’s second grade students. “It’s so important to educate everyone about this horrible disease and how easy it is to prevent it by simply checking, cleaning, and cooking all fresh fruits and vegetables. 1,500 copies will be given to people who attend the Merrie Monarch Festival, because everyone—visitors and locals alike— needs to know the facts to stay healthy.”
“Art Helps” Humane Society Benefit
Hopper held Artday Saturday at Hilo’s Village Toy Shop until it closed in late 2012. With her students, she took on the big and joyful job of painting a mural on a rusty Matson shipping container that was a parking lot eyesore. What resulted was a kid-inspired and kid-painted mural, the theme of which was, “Me, My Family, My Island, My World.” “We worked on the mural for six weeks and held a grand unveiling on August 4,” reported Hopper. “It included over 300 hours of work by keiki, parents, and volunteers, plus over 75 hours of professional direction donated by me and other artists.” The container will remain in its current location until a time in the distant future when it rusts completely away, so swing by to have a look at it on Waianuenue Avenue, two and a half blocks mauka from Kamehameha Ave. ❖ Contact Hopper Sheldon: HoppersArt.com, 808.937.6049 hoppersart@gmail.com Contact writer Barbara Fahs: hiiakas.com Photos by Barbara Fahs, Hopper Sheldon
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Hopper’s love of animals is clearly evident in the art she creates. Whether it’s a T-shirt or a greeting card, Hopper’s family of rescued dogs and cats appears prominently as cartoon characters. Every Thanksgiving weekend Hopper joins with other artists at the High Fire Hawai‘i Gallery and Studio in downtown Hilo for their “Art Helps” benefit, where participating artists donate a percentage of sales to the Hawai‘i Island Humane Society. Artwork includes gallery prints, paintings, jewelry, and ceramics. Pets in need of adoption are also in attendance. Gallery co-owner Shannon Hickey reported, “During last year’s sale, we donated $779 from art sales. We also sold Humane Society calendars, which raised our donation to $929. This year on Saturday, November 30, we will hold the event again and have on-site pet adoptions as well. We hope to bring the donation totals to over $1500 for 2013.”
Community Beautification Projects
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Free Volcano Rain Forest Tour Mondays at 9:30am & Saturday at 11:00am
Meet Ni‘aulani
A protected old-growth native Hawaiian rain forest. Learn how you can help
perpetuate this rare natural/cultural resource for future generations.
1 Hour Guided Walk On an easy gravel trail--rain or shine. Be prepared for variable weather
Reservations of groups of 5 or more appreciated. Sign interpretation arranged with 2 week notice
(808)967-8222
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
www.volcanoartcenter.org
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19-4074 Old Volcano Rd. Volcano HI 96785
photo by Stig Lindholm
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In The Shadow Of The Sandalwood
By Stig Lindholm
growing on the islands, often planted as street side shade trees or windbreaks (two non-endemic varieties are located at the front of Parker Square in Waimea), there is only one wiliwili gifted by the Gods. Wiliwili means ‘repeatedly twisted’ in Hawaiian and was the name given to the tree due to its distinctively twisted seed pods that contain between one and three cherry-red or yellow-orange seeds once used to make lei. The seeds of the endemic wiliwili sink in water, while the seed pods of the non-endemic varieties contain several smaller brown seeds that, as if to signify further the differences between the genuses, float in water. The wiliwili grows to between 15 and 30 feet. Young trees develop 1/4 to 1/2 inch grey-black spines, which is unusual as the first wiliwilis had no requirements to fend off ungulates or other predators. The trunks of mature trees lose their spines and develop the distinctive orange cast caused by terrestrial algae. The wiliwili is one of Hawai‘i’s few deciduous trees, shedding its leaves in the dry season to preserve water reserves throughout the hot summer. Alas, its deciduous nature has been the demise of many landscaped wiliwilis, especially saplings and young trees, which take on the impression of dead wood amongst surroundings of tropical perennials and are often cut down. However, it is at the end of this deciduous and apparently lifeless period that the wiliwili bursts into color with the distinctive clusters of claw shaped yellow orange, salmon, pastel green, or white flowers, and occasionally a synthesis of all the colors blossoming together on the same tree.
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
n Hawaiian legend, when the god Kāne threw his calabash into the void of space, everything Hawai‘i was created: the sky, the earth, and the ocean. Then, in and upon those mediums, Kāne bestowed life. To the god Rangi, also known as Wākea, he entrusted the sky, and to the goddess Pāpā the earth, while to Kanaloa he gave the care of the ocean. Kāne decreed that a great chief would rule over his creation and to that chief the god Lono would provide the sustenance of coconut, breadfruit, sweet potato, and taro. While in the forests, the god Kū would grow, for the chief’s practical use, great trees of koa, candlenut, hau, and the wiliwili. Hawai‘i was blessed with the resources of many more trees than the wiliwili, all worthy of mention. However, this is an account of one man’s fellowship with the Hawai‘i Island wiliwili and his aspiration for its future. A story about a tree that exudes the aura of a wise uncle—a character who has witnessed life’s passage, a soothsayer, an oracle. The wiliwili stands resolute, unwavering against the odds. Gnarled orange trunk and tangled canopy, deciduously naked through the dry season, then dressed in a blaze of blooms. Pollinated by songbirds to yield bean pods that twist open, revealing bright red seeds that drop with the heavy rains of autumn, encouraging winter leaves to sprout and coaxing the birth of new life. The wiliwili, Erythrina sandwicensis, is a flowering tree in the pea family Fabaceae and is the only indigenous Hawaiian wiliwili. While there are seven other varieties of wiliwili
The Plight Of The Wiliwili |
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
photo courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
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Due to the wiliwili’s light weight and buoyant nature, wood from the larger trees was used to shape the papa he‘e nalu (surfboards) ridden by the island’s ali‘i and to make the ama for canoes. Smaller pieces were used for the floats on fishing nets. Ash from burnt wood was used as a dye, and the kahuna la‘au lapa‘au brewed a potion from the flowers of the wiliwili to treat venereal disease. Once you have been introduced to the wiliwili, it stands out on the skyline: prominently conspicuous across the lava fields of Waikoloa, interspersed amongst other dry forest trees on Hualālai’s Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a reserve, and scattered across the barren slopes of Waimea’s Pu‘u Kawaiwai. The wiliwili tree is our botanical link between past and present, yet its place in our future is precarious. Many Hawai‘i Island wiliwilis stand 200 years old—pushing the limits of their lifespans, and for the most part are not succeeded by offspring. Survival of this characteristic island tree is dependent on our support, otherwise, like the island’s former sandalwood population, the wiliwili might become historical narrative. More than 200 years ago, the slopes of Hawai‘i Island’s mountains swayed to the dance of sandalwood. On the dry forest southwest slopes of the Kohala mountains, sandalwood stood alongside other indigenous trees including the williwilli. When the commercial value of the sandalwood was recognized, and Hawai‘i Island’s forests were plundered, the Kohala williwilli trees were left solitary figures in a harsh and arid scrubland. Organic architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The best friend on earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources of the earth.” For the sandalwood—far from Wright’s suggestion— economics outweighed respect. Survival of all species is about finding a balance and then balancing it. Sometimes we learn from our environmental blunders, sometimes we don’t, and occasionally, arising from the demise of one species, our attention is drawn to the plight of another. For the most part, becoming aware of the environment, then caring enough to nurture it requires a degree of awareness and respect for our surroundings. Hawai‘i radiates an aura that fosters respect for all Creation and brings us closer to that place. From time to time we do well to be reminded of our follies, then to be inspired by stories of mankind’s bond with Mother Nature.
“We often look elsewhere in the world for an environmental cause; we forget what issues lie at our feet,” says Hai On, friend and protagonist for the Pu‘u Kawaiwai, Kohala wiliwili trees. “These guys have a story to tell. Some of them have been around for 200 years. They grew up with the sandalwood, and they witnessed its downfall.” Whether your belief is in the Devine Creation or Darwin’s Theory, the blessing of Hawai‘i’s botanical genesis is formidable. The island of Hawai‘i is home to all but two of the world’s climate zones, from one extreme to the other, including polar tundra at the summits of Mauna Kea and Manuna Loa, to the desert and lava fields of West Hawaii, then rainforests on the north and east sides. On the leeward slopes of the island’s volcanic mountains, there once flourished abundant dry forest habitats. Yet, since human settlement of the island and the introduction of nonendemic species, the dry forests have shrunk 90% to cover a mere 1.4% of the island’s 4,000 square miles. By ratio, Hawai‘i’s dry forest regions might be considered more endangered than the Amazon’s rainforest; unless radical steps are taken to preserve and regenerate Hawai‘i Island’s dry forests they will degenerate into the final stages of their lives. Thankfully, the struggle of the wiliwili has struck a chord, and there are several organizations committed to securing a future for the wiliwili and other dry forest trees. The Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative is a nonprofit organization that nurtures and protects wiliwilis and other endangered Hawaiian trees in a dry forest sanctuary near Waikoloa village, and The Department of Land and Natural Resources manages the protection and development of the dry forest and other endemic vegetation on the Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a reserve. Recently, Waikoloa village residents voted by majority in favor of extending the current 25-year lease on the sanctuary for a further 75 years. “The guys at Waikoloa do a great job,” says Hai. They maintain 275 acres on the outskirts of Waikoloa Village, and the State manages the reserve at Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a.” These organizations are supported by expert advice regarding botany. They have evolved from founding members into an enthusiastic membership. But there are some who favor a more individual approach. As much a loner as the trees he cherishes, Hai On is spreading a personal message and hopes others will follow his cause. “I’m not an expert,” declares Hai, “but I’m informed. I’ve formed a bond with these trees—an emotional tie. I care about them, and I care enough to help them.” Hai does not profess to
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be a botanist or an arborist, just a guy willing to give it a go and help out an endangered tree. “If the word gets out and those who know can offer me expert advice then hopefully we can come up with answers to help these wonderful trees.” In the meantime Hai continues to promote a planting program through his wiliwili blog with instruction on seed propagation and nurturing saplings and, given our social media era, naturally– the wiliwili Facebook page. The Hawai‘i Island wiliwilis are also featured on Evernote (an application for smart phones). “I’d like anyone with similar interests in saving the wiliwili to help me plot their locations,” requests Hai. “If you register with ‘Wiliwili Evernote,’ when you come upon a tree, take a picture, check its location on the map, and I’ll pick up the information.” Hai On maintains a record of all wiliwili locations known to him and is keen to keep his map
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up to date with other enthusiasts’ sightings. Along with mapping tree locations, he also maintains charts and calendars recording the development of insect species responsible for attacking the wiliwili. In 2005, a tiny wasp was discovered to have arrived on the Hawaiian islands—the Erythrina gall wasp—so named when it was discovered that the wasp exclusively favored the wiliwili and laid its eggs on the trees’ leaves causing them to gall. Then, in 2008, after research to establish that no negative consequences would arise from the introduction of another non-endemic species, The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture released Eurytoma Erythrinae, a tiny wasp, from Tanzania in East Africa, whose eggs, it was discovered, hatched before those of the gall wasp, which then became food for the Tanzanian wasps’ larvae. There may be a number of factors considered responsible for the decline of the wiliwili, some of them scientifically proven, some of them speculation. Hai has several notions of his own and looks forward to scientific advise to support or refute those. “There was photo by much celebration Renée Robinson when the decline
of the gall wasp was noticed following the Tanzanian’s arrival,” says Hai, “I was as happy as everyone else, but I’m not sure the predator [Eurytoma Erythrinae] was entirely photos by Renée Robinson responsible. The introduction coincided with the end of a drought. I believe the gall wasp was already on the downside of its cycle. The Tanzanian just helped close the door.” When the wiliwili stood together with the sandalwood, the island’s dry forests were forests. The wiliwili grew in abundance from oceanside up to 2,000 feet. Theorizing and searching for answers, Hai suggests, “When endemic vegetation grows side by side, the species support each
other, sharing nutrition and preventing soil erosion. When one species is removed, to the extent that the sandalwood was, then the void left will be to the detriment of the other.” photo by It is clear to Renée Robinson see that many of the Hawai‘i Island wiliwilis live precarious lives, with those saplings that do make the transition from bean to plant often succumbing to rodents or grazing animals or getting smothered by nonendemic grasses. The plight of the wiliwili is its struggle to exist against all odds and in the shadow of the erstwhile sandalwood. “If the wiliwili is to survive, it needs our support,” urges Hai. So, when Wangari Maathai, environmental and political activist, says, “Until you dig a hole, plant a tree, water it and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You are just talking,” helping keep the wiliwili an animate characteristic of Hawaiian culture and heritage is more than merely knowing about the wiliwili’s plight, it is about digging the hole and planting the tree. ❖ For more info: WaikoloaDryForest.org; DrylandForest.org Contact writer Stig Lindholm: stig_lindholm@mac.com
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Con gra tula tion s, Ka ri! 2013 Winner
US Small Business Administration’s Minority Small Business Champion Hawaii Island This prestigious, national award recognizes Kari’s outstanding personal service and leadership to minority business owners on Hawaii Island. Way to go, Kari!
Kari Waldhaus
Business Coach kwaldhaus@esourcecoach.com 808.775.1120
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Ho‘ohana
The value of worthwhile work. To work with intent and with purpose. Third in an ongoing series.
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Managing with Aloha: Ho‘ohana
prevalent and frustrating point of view that the work you do on the job is for someone else. The time you spend on the job becomes your own again, even if you’re on a predetermined career path, for one complements and helps achieve the other. When you hold a job with work you love, one that you are convinced will help you realize your personal goals, the paycheck you get is icing on the cake, and you join those who say to themselves in wonder, “Imagine, someone is actually paying me to do this!” Redefine the word “work” and make it yours with Ho‘ohana as your value of action and intention. There are far too many negative connotations being spoken in connection to WORK when in practice they should be overwhelmingly positive and energizing instead. Most of us learn the phrase pau hana for when work is done, before we learn about Ho‘ohana, where the truer pleasure lies, waiting for us to tap into it. There can be, and should be, great fulfillment and pleasure in work. It should feel wonderfully satisfying when you say, “Whew, I really worked hard today.” For this to happen, you must work with purpose, and feel that your work is worthwhile. Start by choosing well. Work where and when it enlivens and moves you, and it feels so wonderful to be creative and productive, to celebrate your identity, knowledge, and skill. There is absolutely no reason why you cannot work on your own hopes and dreams in sync with the goals and objectives that have been set by your employer. You’ve just got to take the first essential step by choosing the right job where both can be done. Contrary to popular belief, this is a reality not reserved for entrepreneurs and those who are self-employed; it can be reality for everyone. Why not let it be yours? Alaka‘i Managers will do this for themselves, and they’ll do this for those they manage. When managers pair employees with meaningful and worthwhile work that is satisfying for them, they will find these employees work with true intention, in sync with the goals of the business. Be one of those managers. ~ Rosa Say Next issue: ‘Imi ola, the value of mission and vision. Contact writer Rosa Say: RosaSay.com, ManagingWithAloha.com Photo courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
ORK can be a time when you are actively bringing meaning, fulfillment, and fun to the life you lead. To Ho‘ohana, is to work with intent, and work on purpose. We all have to do it, and worthwhile work achieves the results we need. So why not work as a self-driven value? Ho‘ohana work is something you love doing. Never discount your joys—employ them. Work in celebration of your natural strengths, talents, and gifts. Work to deliver a gift to humanity, starting with your family, or your neighborhood. Work to make a difference, and to champion change. Work to serve others well, and be with them while at your best. Work for a cause you deeply care about. Do these things, and you Ho‘ohana and work on purpose. You’ll also be choosing work that directly fuels the Aloha Spirit you share with others. In ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, hana is the word for work. Ho‘o is a prefix that brings active causation and transition to the base words that follow: nouns become people-powered verbs. Therefore, the word Ho‘ohana defines a value in which you work with resolve, focus, and determination. You are choosing to work on purpose and with self-defining intentions. You work professionally, yet choose to do so with a personal mission in mind. What do you love to do, often and intensely, trusting that you’ll somehow get compensated for accomplishing it? For instance, I love learning and teaching, and in particular I love coaching managers in workplace culture-building. I love the art and science of business and the democracy of free enterprise, where ultimately, the customer rules. I love the spoken and written word, and I love the study of how language will influence relationships between people. I love the new global possibilities of universal partnering. I love knowing that we can choose our own destiny—and create it. I am passionate about all these things, and by indulging my passions I breathed life to Managing with Aloha as my intentional, everyday work. Now, this was something I did before I had my own business. When you choose to live the value of Ho‘ohana, you choose work that is part of who you are in spirit; you enjoy it and grow within it. You choose meaningful work that is worthwhile and satisfying for you, and thus it can be done with connective intention in the present moment. When Ho‘ohana is a value you actively practice, professional work holds personal worth, tremendously broadened from the
| By Rosa Say
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No trip to Hawaii’s Big Island is complete without visiting ‘Imiloa. Science center with a Hawaiian perspective and 3D planetarium, ‘Imiloa brings the epic tale of Hawai’i to life.
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· Movies Under The Stars. Indie narrative features and shorts from Hawaii and around the world. Daytime films at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii! · Free Family Films. Grand Opening, May 23-26 7:30 p.m at The Shops At Mauna Lani. · Celebrity Sightings. Meet Hollywood stars and star-makers in person. · Best Of The Fest. Monday, May 27 - Memorial Day. One of Hawaii’s best concert entertainers and BIFF’s audience-choice films PLUS a Silent Auction. · TICKETS. From $8 or passes from $25. Order on line or at the door. Check Kama’aina rates.
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Intent is Everything to Luthier Dennis Lake The Making of an Expert | By Shirley Stoffer
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America’s premier experts in fretted, stringed instruments. Dennis’ experience in his field is awe-inspiring to those familiar with acoustic musical instruments. It would be very difficult to duplicate in today’s world the breadth of training he received. “You really don’t get a chance to get exposure to instruments like that anymore,” Dennis says, “unless you happen to be working at one of the dozen or so major music stores in the country.” Dennis’ musical journey began in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the 1960s when he developed an interest in traditional folk music. He started playing guitar at campus coffeehouses. “Badly,” he says. “I became interested in stringed instruments and then gradually became aware of all the American fretted instruments from the 19th and 20th centuries; they were quite available in the ‘60s. I wasn’t really doing repairs yet. I would restore instruments and ‘make them work.’” He apprenticed at a violin maker’s shop for a short time, then took a job at Herb David’s Guitar Studio in Ann Arbor as a “shop kid.” He was 21. The 1960s and ‘70s were very exciting, rich times for acoustic music, and Ann Arbor was a “cultural hub” of that period. Dennis was at the music equivalent of “ground zero” when some watershed moments took place in acoustic music. One significant event of that period was when Dennis opened a small folk music store with a couple of friends—the Ann Arbor Folklore Center. “At that point, there were no real schools for learning how to do instrument repairs or any books about it to Koa speak of,” he says. “You just sort of ‘worked it out.’ There Baritone was a network across the country: if you had trouble, you’d ‘Ukulele call up somebody, and they’d say, ‘Well, this is what I did.’ A LOT of old instruments passed through that store.” The Ann Arbor Folklore Center was bought out by “some rich hippies from Detroit” who had the same business plan as Dennis and company, “but more money and ‘stuff,’” Dennis says dryly. After a short stint doing repairs for the Rosewood new owners, Dennis and his cohorts decided to make and Sinker instruments. “We settled on banjos,” he says, “because Redwood there really weren’t many people making them back 6 String then, in 1969.” Great Lakes Banjo Company acquired ‘Ukulele a cult following among players and collectors, with a presence still to be found on the internet. Soon after the prestigious Martin Guitars company (C.F. Martin & Co.) acquired Vega banjos in 1970, the vice president of Martin “called up the [banjo] shop one day and asked if he could send some people up to Keola Beamer’s see how we made banjos,” Dennis tells me, “which Koa Guitar I thought was kind of silly! Here we were, this little shop...” Dennis’ “little shop” was making ALL their own banjo parts, except for the tuning machines! Martin sent some people out, and shortly after that, Dennis was asked if he would consider doing warranty repairs for Martin Guitars. “At that time, there were very, very few people doing repairs for them outside the factory,” he says. The fact that
hen I make an instrument,” luthier Dennis Lake says, “my intention is everything. If I know who I’m creating it for, they are in my head the entire time I’m making the instrument.” Since his early 20s, literally thousands of stringed instruments have passed through Dennis’ hands, giving him that innate “feel” for what is needed to create a fine ‘ukulele or guitar. “Anything I can do now is because of all the instruments I had in my hands and had apart when I was young. That’s all in my head somewhere,” Dennis says. He calls it knowing “how the wood wants to be used.” Dennis is a fine luthier (one who makes or repairs stringed musical instruments), and he is also widely acknowledged to be one of
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Photos courtesy of Peter Anderson
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Dennis filing the nut on an eight-string baritone ‘ukulele in his Nā‘ālehu shop. Photo courtesy of Peter Anderson Martin Guitars trusted Dennis’ repair work enough to allow him to work on their guitars independently speaks volumes about his ability. Another landmark event in acoustic music history for which Dennis was present was the inception of Elderly Instruments, which is “perhaps the world’s most well known music store for acoustic instruments.” Stan Werbin and his business partner Sharon McInturff had worked with Dennis in Ann Arbor before moving to Lansing in 1972 to start Elderly. Dennis worked for them on retainer, commuting to Lansing once a week to help Stan assess and restore old instruments. Dennis continued to hone his instrument savvy by going to music festivals. He says, ”There was no internet then, of course,
so that’s how you found instruments: people were buying and trading instruments at the festivals. I moved to Tennessee for a year and did a lot of business with George Gruhn in Nashville.” Gruhn’s Guitars is “the” music store in Nashville, specializing in vintage guitars. From 1977 through the mid-80s Dennis worked with fretted instruments at a music store in Birmingham, Michigan, buying and selling instruments and doing warranty repair work “for pretty much everybody: Martin, Gibson, Guild, Ovation, Fender,” he says. “Then I was hired as ‘a violin guy’ at a store north of Detroit, working on violins and managing their rental program, so I was back in the violin business, where I’d started.” Before long, Dennis opened his own violin shop, traveling twice a year on buying trips to Cremona, Italy—famous as the place where Antonio Stradivari made his instruments. Due to Dennis’ reputation, his store began attracting fine violins Keola Beamer and his to be sold. signature double hole guitar. Dennis’ love for Photo courtesy of Kaliko Beamer-Trapp Hawaiian music was
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he says. Copies of her instrument, made entirely from Hawaiian wood, are available to the public. “She was a wonderful person and teacher,” Dennis reminisces. “Once when I was looking for her at Aloha Music Camp, someone told me, ‘listen to where the laughter’s coming from, and go there.’” Aunty Nona’s son, slack key guitar master Aunty Nona Beamer Keola, was so pleased Photo courtesy of Keola Beamer with the double-hole ‘ukulele that he and Dennis collaborated on, that the labels for Pō Mahina’s Keola Beamer Artist ‘Ukulele carry his signature. Dennis has made other instruments for Keola, including a koa guitar. Pō Mahina features an Artist line of Keola Beamer double-hole guitars. Other top musicians who play Dennis’ instruments are Jeff Peterson, Owana Salazar, John Keawe, Keoki Kahumoku, Robyn Kneubuhl, Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, Chris Yeaton and Mark Nelson, among others. Dennis also made a custom ‘ukulele for the late singing legend, Buddy Fo. Abigail Kawānanakoa, great-grandniece of King David Kalākaua and Queen Kapi‘olani, purchased one of Dennis’ ‘ukulele at his booth at the by-invitation-only Merrie Monarch Hula Festival Crafts Fair in 2005. Since 2004, Dennis has been teaching ‘Ukulele Building as part of the Aloha Music Camp. It is a one-of-a-kind workshop he’s developed in which campers are rewarded with their own handmade uke at the end of the week. They do almost all the work on their ‘ukulele Dennis with Owana Salazar, themselves, under the first woman to tour with Dennis’ watchful eye. the Hawai‘i Slack Key Festival Hawai‘i Island is Photo courtesy of Nancy Lake fortunate to have many talented ‘ukulele and guitar makers in residence. It is doubly blessed, however, to be the home of a luthier with the background and knowledge of Dennis Lake. ❖ Dennis can be found most Fridays doing repairs, including Martin and Taylor warranty work, at Hilo Guitars and Ukuleles. Contact Dennis Lake: 808.929.9591, dennislake@pomahina.com Pō Mahina ‘Ukulele & Guitars: PoMahina.com Hilo Guitars and Ukuleles: 808.935.4282 Contact writer Shirley Stoffer: shirley@konaweb.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
ignited in the mid-90s. “My first exposure to it was when a tour put on by Dancing Cat Records with Keola Beamer, Cyril Pahinui, and the late Ray Kane came through Ann Arbor.” Dennis took a vacation to Hawai‘i, wanting to see “where the music came from.” He visited Moloka‘i and Hawai‘i Island on his first trip. He says, “It was clear then that I wanted to move here: when I got off the plane on Moloka‘i, it just felt ‘right.’ ” Dennis began making ‘ukulele in 1999, naming his line of ‘ukulele and guitars Pō Mahina. In the Hawaiian language Pō is night and Mahina is moon—literally a moon that shines at night—also used for full moon. It is also the title of a beautiful old song by Charles E. King which Dennis first heard in the ‘90s recorded by both Keola Beamer and Cyril Pahinui and he was really taken Dennis teaching his ‘Ukulele Building with it. workshop at Aloha Music Camp, 2012. In 2001, Photo courtesy of Jan Allen Dennis saw a magazine ad for the first Aloha Music Camp, presented by the Beamer ‘ohana, which was to be held in Puna. Dennis signed up, and he and his wife Nancy also used the trip to travel around Hawai‘i Island to see where they might like to live. They settled in Nā‘ālehu, Ka‘ū in January of 2002. Nā‘ālehu’s relative dryness makes for a good environment for musical instruments, and Dennis and Nancy both loved the “real community” feel of the area. Pō Mahina ‘ukulele and guitars are hand-crafted one at a time at Dennis’ shop in Nā‘ālehu. “I do a lot of different body shapes and sizes, depending on what I’m trying to accomplish with the sound,” Dennis says. As an example, Dennis makes nine different guitar sizes, all geared toward slack key and fingerstyle playing. Although he can and does do “fancy” inlays, Dennis’ focus is on creating wonderfulsounding instruments. “I hope they’re attractive,” he says, “but I’m not interested in making instruments for someone to put in a display case. I know some of my instruments end up in one, and that’s fine, but it’s not what I’m hoping for.” Dennis’ instruments are owned by some of Hawai‘i’s most talented performers. He is especially gratified to have worked closely with the late Hawaiian cultural icon, Aunty Nona Beamer, in designing an ‘ukulele. “She was very Dennis fitting the bridge on a koa particular pineapple ‘ukulele at Aloha Music Camp about what Photo courtesy of Jan Allen she wanted,”
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Simple Elegance Gems—Kailua-Kona
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hen you buy something made with passion and love, you can feel it. Wendy Greenfield has been collecting stones all her life, and when she moved to Hawai‘i Island five years ago, she expanded her creative outlet into an ever-growing business known as Simple Elegance Gems. Made from hand selected natural gems, Wendy uses sterling or fine silver to wire wrap stones, thereby encasing them and highlighting their natural beauty. “The way I wrap is unique, and each wrapping job is different. Selecting a stone is a process, and in the end it’s just waiting to fall in love with the right one.” This jewelry is meant to emphasize uniqueness, always made with a single stone to be the star of the show and compliment whoever is wearing it. The wire wrapping is essentially just a frame for the beautiful gem, whether it is on a necklace, ring, earring, or bracelet. RutileTriangle: This long triangular stone is a rutilated quartz. Purchased as a rough stone, it was cut and polished before being wire wrapped in sterling silver. This stone is part of a group referred to as “stuff-inquartz.” The golden needles in the gem are rutile, surrounded in clear rock crystal quartz that took over one millennium to form. In most cases, the “stuff” in the quartz is rutile, manganese, or tourmaline, but it is commonly unknown what the inclusions are made of, making it a beautiful mystery.
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
If you have a locally-made product—an Island Treasure—that you would like to see featured here, please call 808.329.1711 x 1.
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| Lily Hoskinson-Weinstein The “Traffic Stopper”: This round, sparkly stone is a druzy quartz, made up of tiny crystals of quartz that grew on a chalcedony base. Minerals crystallized over the gem in a mat-like layer, which is why it is called “druzy.” The formation is natural, each bit being a separate, six-sided quartz Man i M ermaidreflect crystal. The in tiny crystals off one other, giving this gem a natural eye-catching sparkle. White Water Turquoise: This pastel blue gem is a piece of turquoise from the White Water Mine in Arizona. It was not highly polished in order to maintain its natural glow. After it was shaped, the stone was wrapped in silver and dangled from a silver chain. The picture was taken on Big Island lava rock with tiny green olivine crystals growing in it to emphasize the spectacular blues in the turquoise. Simple Elegance Gems is at Ali‘i Gardens Marketplace, about one mile south of downtown Kailua-Kona, mauka on Ali‘i Drive. If you have your own gem you would like to be wrapped, Simple Elegance Gems makes custom jewelry, too! Simple Elegance Gems Ali‘i Gardens Marketplace, Kailua-Kona SimpleEleganceGems.com
Living Arts Gallery—Hawi
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| Lily Hoskinson-Weinstein
onnie Firestone and Mary Sky Schoolcraft have very different, yet complementary personalities and styles, and ‘spirit’ permeates the work of both these artists. They have been working side by side at the Living Arts Gallery since its inception in 2009 with the motto, “Take Heart, Make ART.” Connie’s series of Guardians studio paintings are sleek, contemporary, luminous, and mysterious, at first appearing almost monochromatic. In contrast, Mary Sky’s plein air landscapes are fresh and vibrant with saturated colors painted on site, in an impressionistic/expressionistic style, sometimes referred to as “magical realism.” Mary Sky’s paintings “portraits of place” capture the essence of what it feels like to live in Hawai‘i. Connie’s images are non-representational, and appear as shadowy figures barely visible through a veil between the worlds. Connie worked as an artist and interior designer for more than 30 years, giving workshops in figure drawing and portrait in California and Nevada before moving to Hawai‘i 14 years ago. She assumed she would continue to paint in a primitive style that had been very successful for her in the Bay Area. However, after her first year in Hawai‘i, she began painting the first of The Guardians. “Though I have refined and polished the style of this work over the years, I am still just as fascinated with The Guardians Lehua’s Bowl of Light as I was years ago. The pieces by Mary Sky Schoolcraft are always a challenge. I may have something firmly in mind, and then watch the painting take off in a direction of its own. I have learned to just let
this happen and enjoy the ride. The Guardians go to the person that they are meant to be with.” Mary Sky moved to Hawai‘i Island in 1995, and made a dramatic shift from her previous work as a professional city planner. She began painting plein air landscapes about 10 years ago, after working as an arts consultant, visioning facilitator, and luxury property manager. The Guardians Inspired by her experience with a by Connie Firestone local co-op, she started the Living Arts Gallery, an artist collective that has grown to showcase the fine art of more than 80 Hawai‘i Island artists. Mary Sky’s first figurative work, “Lehua’s Bowl of Light” is her illustration of a Hawaiian story that teaches us that we are all born inherently good, with a bowl of light. When we are angry or negative, it’s like we add stones to our bowl of light. “Lehua reminds us that we can return to a state of harmony or pono by emptying ourselves of these thoughts. How reassuring!” says Mary Sky. Come find your inspiration when you visit the Living Arts Gallery! Living Arts Gallery 55-3435 Akoni Pule Hwy, #10, Hawi 808.889.0739 Daily 10:30am–5:30pm LivingArtsGallery.net
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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Hawai‘i Island Farmers’ Markets East
Sunday 9 am–1 pm Laupāhoehoe Farmers Market. Next to the Minit Stop on Hwy. 19.
North
West
Saturday and Tuesday 2–6 pm, Tuesdays 8 am–pau, Saturdays Hawi Farmers Market, North Kohala, across from Post Office and Nakahara Store under the banyans.
Saturday 8 am–noon Keauhou Farmers Market, Keauhou Shopping Center Keauhou. Saturday 9:30 am–2 pm SKEA Farmers Market Hōnaunau, Hwy. 11 between mile markers 104 & 105.
Saturday 8 am–1 pm Waimea Town Market at Parker School, 65-1224 Lindsey Rd., Waimea/Kamuela. Saturday 7 am–noon Waimea Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market, 64-759 Kahilu Rd., located at Kuhio Hale Bldg. (off of Mamalahoa Hwy., two miles east of Waimea town).
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Saturday 7:30 am–2 pm Honoka‘a Farmers Market, Mamane St., Honoka‘a, Honoka‘a Trading Co., Old Botelho Bldg.
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Tuesday and Friday 2–5 pm Kekela Farms Organic Farmers Market, 64-604 Mana Rd., Waimea. 100% organic. Wednesday 9 am–4 pm Waimea Mid-Week Farmer’s Market at Pukalani Stables, site of the Paniolo Museum. Pukalani Road in Waimea.
Saturday 7:30 am–10 am Waikoloa Village Farmers Market, 68-3625 Paniolo Ave., Waikoloa Community Church parking lot across from Waikoloa Elementary School. Sunday and Friday 9 am–2 pm South Kona Green Market Captain Cook, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden Wednesday 8:30 am–1 pm Kings’ Shops Farmers Market Waikoloa Beach Resort Kohala Coast Wednesday 9 am–2 pm Ho‘oulu Community Farmers Market, Sheraton Kona Resort at Keauhou Bay Wednesday – Sunday 7 am–4 pm
Kona Farmers Market, corner of Ali‘i Drive and Hualālai Rd.
Daily 8 am–5 pm Pana‘ewa Hawaiian Home Lands Farmers Market, Puainako and Ohuohu Streets by Walmart, Hilo. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7 am–4 pm Hilo Farmers Market, corner of Mamo and Kamehameha Ave., downtown Hilo. Sunday 7 am–2 pm Akebono Farmers Market. Luquin’s/Akebono Theater parking lot in Pāhoa. Sunday 8 am–2 pm Maku‘u Farmers Market, Kea‘au-Pāhoa bypass road. Sunday and Thursday 2 pm–dusk, Thursdays Dawn–2 pm, Sundays Pepe‘ekeo Farmers Market. Off Hwy. 19 on Ka‘akepa St. Produce and foods. Tuesday – Saturday 7 am–5 pm Kea‘au Village Market, 16-6550 Old Volcano Rd., Kea‘au Wednesday Evenings 5–9 pm Farmers Market Kalapana end of Kalapana-Kopoho Rd, (Rte 137), next to Kalapana Village Cafe. Local grown produce, ono grinds and live music.
Saturday 7 am–noon Kino‘ole Farmers Market. Kino‘ole Shopping Plaza, 1990 Kino‘ole St., Hilo, Saturday 7:30 am–4 pm Keaukaha Pana‘ewa Farmers Market. Railroad Avenue, across from Home Depot, Hilo. Homegrown produce offered by Hawaiian Homelands lessees. Saturday 8 am–noon SPACE Farmers Market, Seaview Performing Arts Center for Education, 12-247 West Pohakupele Loop, Kalapana. Saturday 8 am–1 pm Hilo Coffee Mill, 17-995 Volcano Rd., Mountain View (on Hwy. 11 between mile markers 12 and 13). Saturday and Wednesday 6 am–4 pm Hilo Farmers Market, corner of Mamo and Kamehameha Ave., downtown Hilo.
South
Sunday 6 am–9 am Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, 1000 Wright Rd., Volcano Village. Saturday and Wednesday 8 am–noon Na‘ālehu Farmers Market, Ace Hardware lawn.
Please send info on new markets or changes to sharon@keolamagazine.com
Ginger
| By Sonia R. Martinez
I
f I had to guess what item is bought most often at any of our Hawai‘i Island farmer’s markets, I would say, fresh ginger. Although edible ginger (Zingiber officionale) is found today growing in many tropical parts of the world, this member of the Zingiberaceae family originated in South Asia. There are many small ginger farms located on Hawai‘i Island and most of them seem to be located in or around Puna and the lower Hāmākua areas. The edible ginger is a fragrant and spicy rhizome used widely in Asian, Indian, Middle and Near Eastern,and West Indian cuisines. Other members of this family are turmeric, cardamon, and galangal. Edible ginger acts as an antibacterial compound, a food preservative, and has both culinary and medicinal properties. It has been found to alleviate or prevent nausea, morning sickness, motion sickness, queasiness of the stomach. It stimulates gastric juices for better digestion and soothes the irritations of colds and coughs. When shopping for ginger, look for smooth, firm, light brown or tan skin with no wrinkling or softening. Besides adding as a spice or condiment to a dish, ginger can be used in many different ways. Brewed tea: slice ginger, (no need to peel), place in a stainless mesh tea ball and add to water in a pan, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let it steep for about 10-20 minutes (longer if you want a stronger taste); pour into cup, add honey if desired. Brewed ginger tea is wonderful for sore throats or when you feel a cold coming on or for queasy stomach It is also delicious as iced tea. Lemon or lime juice may be added if you wish. Thrifty hint: Don’t discard the pieces of ginger after just one use. You can use it several times, although each time you brew the strength will be just a little bit less. Candied: an old-fashioned delicacy. See recipe next column. Baking: When making gingerbread cookies, cakes and other confections, try using fresh instead of ground. Although the taste is somewhat different from commercially ground ginger, the fresh can be substituted. Use 1 tablespoon fresh to ¼ teaspoon ground.
Storing or Preserving
Ultimate Crystallized Ginger The secret is steaming the ginger, instead of par-boiling it in water. The ginger will be tender and moist, with maximum flavor. • Fresh ginger root (peeled larger pieces, 1/8 inch slices) • Granulated Sugar • Water • 7-Up (or similar citrus soda) Steamer (can be any kind) Slow cooker or electric roaster (for larger batches) Two wire racks - to drain and dry the sliced ginger pieces Immerse the sliced ginger completely in a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 citrus soda in a mixing bowl for a few minutes. This keeps the ginger from darkening. Drain and arrange the ginger slices in stacks. Lay several stacks on their sides in the bottom of the steamer basket until the entire bottom of the basket is covered. Repeat with a second layer, and third, if needed. Place the steamer basket over simmering water, cover, and allow to steam for 30-40 minutes or until the ginger is quite tender. Make a light simple syrup. For each cup of sliced ginger, use 1 C water and 1-1/2 C granulated sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil to dissolve the sugar, and then add with the sliced ginger in a crock pot at low temp. Cook gently for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. The ginger should be very tender. If not, continue simmering. When tender, cool for 30-40 minutes. Remove the slices from the syrup with tongs and place them, without overlapping, on a wire rack (over a sheet pan or parchment or wax paper to catch drips). Allow the slices to dry until “tacky” (should not stick to a finger pressed onto a slice then lifted.) Tip: Strain the syrup and save for use in cooking, drinks, fruit salads, etc. It’s yummy over peach ice cream. Coat the ginger slices with granulated sugar. Use a container with a fitted lid or a zip lock bag. Place the coated slices on a clean drying rack. Leave the sugared slices to dry overnight. Test for doneness by squeezing two slices together—if they do not stick together, they are finished. Store preserved ginger in airtight plastic or glass containers with screw or snap tops. Do not use recloseable plastic bags. Original Source: Andie Paysinger
Photos by Sonia R. Martinez Contact writer Sonia R. Martinez: SoniaTastesHawaii.com
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Both fresh and mature ginger roots can last a long time. To prolong its life there are several ways of storing or preserving: Frozen: In plastic bags or wrapped in foil for long periods of time in the freezer. Just take out a piece as needed, rewrap tightly, and store again. Sherried: Peel, cut in chunks, and store in tightly lidded glass jars filled with dry sherry (the ‘drinkable’ sherry, not the so-called cooking sherry). The sherry will absorb the taste of the ginger and can be used in sauces, stir-fries, soups, stews, beans, and other dishes. Minced: Since so many recipes call for equal portions of minced ginger and garlic, I like to mince or grate larger quantities than needed for a recipe, mix the two and store in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator and use as needed. This saves a lot of time when you are preparing a recipe that calls for just a little bit of both.
Pickled: Young, tender ginger can be preserved as pickled ginger by peeling the outer thin ‘skin,’ slicing paper-thin and storing in vinegar. Pickled and preserved ginger does best stored in glass containers in the refrigerator. Candied: Crystallized or candied ginger should be stored in airtight containers in a cool dark place for about three months. I have been able to keep it much longer when stored in double-sealed plastic bags in the refrigerator vegetable bin.
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Hawai‘i Island Happenings
Wondering what’s happening around Hawai‘i Island? Visit these businesses and organizations websites for the most up-to-date event calendars. Use provided contacts for information . (If you’re missing our calendar, see p. 9 for an explanation.)
Ke Ola Magazine Hawai‘i Island Edition
Basically Books
Hulihe‘e Palace
Palace Theatre - Hilo
Konaweb
Downtown Hilo Improvement Association
‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i
UH Hilo Performing Arts Center
East Hawaii Cultural Center
Kahilu Theatre - Waimea
Waimea Community Theatre
Food Hub Kohala
Kailua Village Business Improvement District
Resort and Shopping Center Cultural Events
KeOlaMagazine.com calendar@keolamagazine.com Sharon Bowling, 808.329.1711 ext 4 KonaWeb.com shirley@konaweb.com Shirley Stoffer, 808.345.2627
Hawai‘i The Big Island
BigIsland.org calendar@bigisland.org Sherry Bracken, 808.334.1521
Akebono Theater
Facebook.com/AkebonoTheater 808.965.9990
Aloha Theatre - Kainaliu
Aloha Performing Arts Company ApacHawaii.org info@apachawaii.org 808.322.9924
BasicallyBooks.com bbinfo@hawaiiantel.net 808.961.0144
DowntownHilo.com 808.935.8850 EHCC.org arts@ehcc.org 808.961.5711
FoodHubKohala.org karla@andreadean.com Karla Heath, 808.224.1404
BishopMuseum.org/greenwell pvandyke@bishopmuseum.org Peter Van Dyke, 808.323.3318
ImiloaHawaii.org jharman@imiloahawaii.org 808.969.9703 KahiluTheatre.org 808.885.6868
HistoricKailuaVillage.com kailuavillage@gmail.com 808.326.7820
Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network
Kalani Oceanside Retreat
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Kona Historical Society
HawaiiHomeGrown.net editor@hawaiihomegrown.net
Volcano Art Center
Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
daughtersofhawaii.org info@daughtersofhawaii.org 808.329.1877
VolcanoArtCenter.org julie@volcanoartcenter.org Julie Callahan, 808.967.8222
Honoka‘a People’s Theatre HonokaaPeople.com hpt@honokaapeople.com 808.775.0000
Jaot ithne 5uthsannual
kalani.com 808.965.0468
KonaHistorical.org khs@konahistorical.org 808.323.3222
Kona Stories Bookstore KonaStories.com ks@konastories.com 808.324.0350
Living Arts Gallery LivingArtsGallery.net 808.889.0739
Lyman Museum
LymanMuseum.org ebenton@lymanmuseum.org Emily Benton, 808.935.5021
North Kohala Community Resource Center NorthKohala.org info@northkohala.org 808.889.5523
One Island Sustainable Living Center
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
One-Island.org/hawaii hawaii@one-island.org 808.328.2452
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EVENTS FROM APRIL 26TH -MAY 5TH
HO‘OLAULE‘A MAY 4TH AT PĀHALA COMMUNITY CENTER for more information, visit
www.kaucoffeefest.com NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: We provide access to our activities without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, or disability. If you require reasonable modifications due to disability, please call Chris at 808-929-9550 ten working days prior to our event.
HiloPalace.com info@hilopalace.com 808.934.7010
ArtsCenter.uhh.hawaii.edu artscenter@hawaii.edu 808.974.7310
WaimeaCommunityTheatre.org 808.885.5818
Log onto websites for event calendars
Keauhou Shopping Center KeauhouVillageShops.com 808.322.3000
Kingsʻ Shops-Waikoloa KingsShops.com 808.886.8811
Kona International Marketplace KonaInternationalMarket.com 808.329-6262
Prince Kuhio Plaza
PrinceKuhioPlaza.com/events 808.959.3555
Queens’ MarketPlace–Waikoloa QueensMarketplace.net 808.886.8822
The Shops at Mauna Lani
ShopsAtMaunaLani.com/events.html 808.885.9501
This symbol on ads means:
"See our coupon at keolamagazine.com"
To request a listing on this page, please e-mail sharon@keolamagazine.com This symbol on ads
Community Kokua Volunteer Opportunities Use provided contacts for information
AdvoCATS
Methodist Church Palani, Kailua-Kona 3rd Saturday, 10 am.
Contact Cathy or Nancy Trap, neuter, spay, community education, colony feeding, management. advocatshawaii@aol.org 808.327.3724 AdvocatsHawaii.org
Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island Hilo, Kea‘au, Pāhoa, Pāhala Oceanview, Hāmākua Monday–Friday, 2:30 pm–5 pm.
Hamakua Youth Foundation, Inc. Hamakua Youth Center, Honoka‘a Daily, Mon. Tue. Fri. 2–5:30 pm, Wed. 1–5:30 pm, Thu. 2–8 pm. Serving Hamakuaʻs school-age kids. Contact T. Mahealani Maiku‘i HamakuaYouthCenter@gmail.com 808.775.0976 HamakuaYouthCenter.wordpress.com
Hawai‘i Island Humane Society Kona Shelter, Kailua-Kona Monday–Saturday, 9 am–5 pm.
Volunteers needed for after-school youth programs Contact Matthew S. Therrien Matthew@bgcbi.com 808.961.5536 bgchi.com
Need volunteers 16 or older, parent/child team 6 or older. Contact Bebe Ackerman volunteer@hihs.org 808.217.0154 hihs.org
Calabash Cousins
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund
Kailua-Kona Hulihe‘e Palace Grounds 2nd Tuesday of the month, 1 pm–2:30 pm
Men and women who support the mission of Daughters of Hawai‘i. Contact Sabine Andresen ccousinskona@gmail.com 808.329.9555 CalabashCousinsHawaii.com
CommUNITY cares
Kailua-Kona Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm., Saturday, 9 am–2 pm.
Community suffering from cancer, medical hair loss, domestic abuse. Contact Tiana Steinberg communitycareshawaii@gmail.com 808.326.2866
Donkey Mill Art Center
Holualoa Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm Volunteers help in arts education program. Contact Anne Catlin donkeymill@gmail.com 808.322.3362 DonkeyMillArtCenter.org
Hilo Monday–Friday, 8 am–3 pm.
Volunteer in the art galleries, performing arts, classes, workshops, festivals. exec@ehcc.org 808.961.5711 ehcc.org
Friends of NELHA
Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai‘i Keahole Kona Monday–Friday, 9 am–noon
Share Ocean Science/Technology using deep ocean water. 808.938.1017 EnergyFutureHawaii.org
SE Hawai‘i Island beach cleanups.
Ongoing 7:45 am.
Contact Megan Lamson meg.hwf@gmail.com 808.769-7629 WildHawaii.org
Hospice Care
North Hawaii Hospice Waimea Monday–Friday, 8 am–4:30 pm.
Care for families facing serious illness. Contact Catrinka Holland, Volunteer Coordinator volunteer.coordinator@northhawaiihospice.org 808.885.7547 NorthHawaiiHospice.org
‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i Hilo Tuesday-Sunday 9 am–5 pm.
Assist with tours, shows, education programs and membership. Contact: Roxanne Ching, Guest Service Manager rching@imiloahawaii.org 808.969.9704 imiloahawaii.org
Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center Kahalu‘u Beach, Kailua-Kona Daily 9:30 am–4:30 pm.
ReefTeach Volunteers educate visitors on reef etiquette and protection. Contact Jean BevanMarquez jbevanmarquez@kohalacenter.org 808.987.6249 KahaluuBay.org
Kalani Retreat Center Kalapana
Varied Schedules Seeking volunteers: skilled trades/maintenance, housekeeping, kitchen, horticulture. Contact Volunteer Office volunteer@kalani.com 808.965.7828 Kalani.com/volunteer
1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 6 pm Lynn Bell contact@konatoastmasters.com 808.989.7494 KonaToastMasters.com
Lions Clubs International
Various Locations, Kailua-Kona 2nd Tuesday, 5:30 pm.
“We Serve” is the motto of Lions Clubs International. Contact Lani 808.325.1973 lanika@hawaii.rr.com
Make-A-Wish Hawaii
Granting wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Ongoing
info@hawaii.wish.org 808.537.3118 Hawaii.wish.org
North Kohala Community Resource Center
Kohala Welcome Center, Hawi Daily 9 am–noon or noon–3 pm.
Greet people to North Kohala with aloha. Contact Juanita Rivera juanita@northkohala.org 808.889.5523 NorthKohala.org
Paradise Ponies, Carousel of Aloha Hilo Coffee Mill, Mountain View Ongoing
Seeking volunteers to create the Carousel of Aloha Pavilion. Contact Katherine Patton carouselofaloha@gmail.com 808.315.1093 CarouselOfAloha.org
Parrots in Paradise Sanctuary Kealakekua Flexible hours Monday–Friday Sanctuary for displaced parrots. Contact Dorothy Walsh Dorothy@parrotsinparadise.com 808.322.3006 ParrotsInParadise.com
Snorkel Day for People with Disabilities Kahalu‘u Beach Park 3rd Friday, 10 am–2 pm.
Volunteers needed. Contact Stephanie Kovatch snorkelday@deepandbeyond.org 808.326.4400 x 4017 DeepAndBeyond.org
Sundayʻs Child Foundation Kamuela
Serving at-risk youth aged 6 to 17 Volunteers needed islandwide. Contact Lauren Rainier requests@sundayschildfoundation.org 877.375.9191 SundaysChildFoundation.org
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
East Hawaii Cultural Council
Wai‘ōhinu Coastline, Ka‘ū
Kona Toastmasters
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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Dr SARAH STRONG, ND would like to welcome to Hilo Natural Health Clinic
Dr NICOLE FUJIYAMA, ND, LAc 933-HEAL www.HiloNaturalHealth.com
Amici Italian Bar and Grill
| Sara Hayash
Talk Story with an advertiser
A
Current Location: 79-7384 Māmalahoa Highway (Next to Aloha Theater) 808.322.9582 amici.kona@gmail.com Facebook.com/amici.kona
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
mici means “friends” in Italian, and this is the feeling that owner and chef, Gianni Saffoti, strives to provide at Amici Italian Bar and Grill in Kona. “I wanted it to be a place where people can come together to have a good time,” he says. Born and raised in the Cinque Terre area of northern Italy, Saffoti brought his authentic Italian flavors halfway around the world to Hawai‘i Island where his classic dishes work hand in hand with locally grown produce and freshly caught fish. After leaving Italy in 1969, Saffoti moved back and forth between Canada and the United States, studying and working in many Italian restaurants. He started off as a busboy in 1971 and worked his way up to chef in 1984. He has always been hungry for knowledge, and his cumulative experience in almost every aspect of the restaurant business served him well when he opened his first restaurant in California in 1991. Saffoti has always loved Hawai‘i Island, and after visiting several times, he saw the need for a real traditional Italian restaurant in Kona. This led him to make a move and open Amici’s in February 2012. “I wanted to do something different,” he explains, “There’s seafood at almost every restaurant on the island, but we do it the Italian way—give it a little different flavor, different preparation.” Saffoti spends as much of his time in the kitchen as possible, cooking on Sundays and Mondays, and making the daily specials at Amici’s. “It’s fun,” he says, “After all these years I still love it.” Amici’s has been at its current location next to Aloha Theater since their opening last year, and will soon be moving to the former Love’s Bakery building in the Kuakini Old Industrial Area in October 2013. This central location will be accessible to more foot traffic and will include a patio area for outdoor dining. Their delicious menu will remain the same, with the addition of individual sized pizzas.
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Sushi Rock
Tax planning is a year round event!
| Lily Hoskinson-Weinstein
Talk Story with an advertiser
Paula Wilson, EA • Action Business Services
808-329-3403 L: Peter Pomeranze Owner R: Eric Parayno, Manager
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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en years ago, Peter Pomeranze decided to take a leap of faith and start a restaurant purely inspired by all the available products here on the island; the bounty of fresh produce, island grass-fed beef, Hāmākua goat cheese, and wild ocean fish caught the day before. With these amazing resources around him, Peter wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity and create something different. From there, Sushi Rock was born—a funky restaurant in downtown Hawi with an astounding selection of island fresh sushi, sandwiches, beef, salads, and more. Sushi Rock has a wide variety of sushi, all with a twist of originality and sometimes unexpected ingredients, making the menu something to be explored over and over again. Take Bombayʻs Sunset—a combination of ahi poke, fuji apple, and curry slaw, rolled inside out and topped with either sashimi or seared tenderloin. These ingredients came to Peter in a dream, he put the roll together and it quickly became Sushi Rock’s most popular item on the menu. Out of every great ingredient Sushi Rock has to offer, the most important one that goes into every dish is love. With the slogan, “Come Taste the Love,” Sushi Rock takes pride in every single plate they serve. Peter says, “My joy is feeding people food that tastes good and watching them love it. I love seeing a smile come over their face.” Sushi Rock tries hard to reach out to those who are vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free, with the belief no one should be limited because of their dietary restrictions. At Sushi Rock, they say there is no such thing as customers, only guests being welcomed as new friends. In this comfortable and casual environment, it is easy to enjoy the delectable food and feel like you’re at a friend’s house for dinner. Sushi Rock takes pride in serving food that is both local and organic whenever possible, preparing every dish with care and pride in hopes that their guests can feel the love they put into it. It hardly comes as a surprise that they were rated the #1 restaurant on the island by Trip Advisor.
Talk Stor adver
Noon–3 pm, 5:30–8 pm (Friday and Saturday until 9 pm) 55-3435 Akoni Pule Hwy, Hawi (The historic Hawi Hale building) 808.889.5900 sushirockrestaurant.net
Sole Comfort
| Sara Hayash
Talk Story with an advertiser
L: Joann Mundo Manager R: Tisa Figueroa Employee
S
ome people shop for shoes based primarily on style. At Sole Comfort, located in the Hilo Shopping Center, you can find shoes that don’t sacrifice comfort in the name of fashion. After opening his current podiatry practice in 2003, Dr. Rand Mundo recognized a need for comfortable and supportive footwear in Hilo. He would recommend podiatrist approved shoes, but quickly realized there was nowhere for his patients to buy them on Hawai‘i Island. At first he kept a few pairs in stock at his office, but didn’t have the space or staffing to offer a good variety of shoes and sizes. This led him to open Sole Comfort in August 2012. The store, managed by his wife Joann, is the only shoe store in Hilo that focuses on providing comfortable, podiatristrecommended shoes. There is also a high level of customer service with a knowledgeable staff including trained shoe fitters who measure and assess the customers’ feet. “The way I look at a shoe is it can be part of the treatment of a foot problem, or an aggravator if the shoe is improper,” says Dr. Mundo, and he has identified three tests that all shoes sold at Sole Comfort must pass. First, they bend only at the toe instead of the midfoot (in order to prevent arch pain). Second, good side to side stability is essential. Third, they must have a sturdy heel that stays against the foot. Some of the challenges Mundo faces is determining which styles and colors customers like best and also ordering the shoes with significant lead time. Since mainland shoe companies stock their products seasonally, Sole Comfort must stock up on spring styles to get their customers through the mainland’s winter months of snow boots while residents and visitors enjoy Hawai‘i’s eternal summer in sandals and slippers. For those of us who still can’t bear to part with our oh-sofashionable footwear, and feel our feet protesting by lunchtime, Sole Comfort also offers shoe inserts which are custom-fitted by the I-step machine, which not only measures length and width, but maps the bottom of your foot for personalized foot support as well.
ry with an rtiser
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
Monday thru Friday 10 am–5 pm Hilo Shopping Center 1261 Kilauea Ave, Suite 240 808.961.9785 mundodpm@hotmail.com
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Ka Puana–The Refrain
An excerpt used with permission of the publisher KoaBooks.com
Maile Connects with Her Ancestors
KeOlaMagazine.com | May/June 2013
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ATE THAT NIGHT ... A gecko straddled the limb of a guava tree above the freshwater pond, alert to the rustle of Maile coming down the jungle path. Passing beneath the lizard’s perch, she stood at the edge of the pond. Maile stared at the mirror of dazzling stars and recalled that in glassy pools like this, young Hawaiian navigators had studied the positions of the stellar beacons they used to find their way back and forth across the Pacific. If only these stars could guide her through the stormy seas she felt herself foundering in. A gentle breeze ruffled her pareu and tugged the delicate petals of the plumeria lei draped over her bare shoulders, moon-white blossoms plucked that night from trees in her yard. Beneath the lei was an ancient talisman, a lizard of bone on a sennit cord. This was only the second time it lay upon Maile’s chest. Eighteen years earlier, on the sixteenth birthday of the woman-child, her mother had placed it there. “This is not jewelry,” she had cautioned her daughter. “It carries the mana of generations of women in our family, including that lodged in the bone of a seer in the line. It will give you protection when you need it, and insight if you have the will to accept it.” Maile had recognized its power immediately, for it tingled that day upon her breast. Too powerful for a girl uncertain of her identity, a child not yet proud of her Polynesian blood. She might just as easily have been given a jade pendant, ancestral symbol of her Chinese heritage. But at that time, either would have been too potent for the young Maile. She had placed the bone talisman in a fine wooden box and tucked it away in her chest of private things. Some years later her mother and father gave her a gold necklace and a “Hawaiian heirloom” gold bracelet engraved with island foliage and her name, a high-priced, modern status symbol to island women of all ethnicities. These Maile wore with pride. Over the years she received more heirloom bracelets from her family, including those that had been worn by her mother. Engraved in the stylized characters of Victorian England, the gold bands also held personal meanings, and for some invoked sentiment for Hawai‘i’s last monarch, Queen Lili‘uokalani, who’d been given one by Queen Victoria. Before coming to the pool, Maile had removed the bracelets and replaced the necklace with the bone talisman. In the distant windows of a condominium built above the ponds, blue television screens flickered, and the black hulk of Mauna Kea loomed over the twinkling sugar towns far up the Hamakua coast. The surf roared, its frothy combers pummeling the jagged coastline just beyond the ponds. Maile looked up at the spray of sparkling stars spread across the sky—the Milky Way, kua mo‘o, the backbone of the lizard. She began a chant stored in her memory since childhood:
O na ‘aumakua wahine me na kupuna wahine ali‘i, Na ‘aumakua wahine i ka hikina, a i kaulana a ka la, Na wahine i ka lewa lani, i ka lewa nu‘u ... O female ‘aumakua and ancestral chiefesses, Female ‘aumakua at the rising and setting places of the sun, Female spirits in the firmaments of the heavens and of the clouds ... Maile’s eyes gleamed in the starlight, and her voice sank into a rich tremolo not unlike the reverberation of the distant waves. ... Owau nei o Kiha ka pua keia i ke a. Homai i mana. This is I, Kiha, your descendant in this world of the living. Give me mana. Maile peered into the pool and pondered the great serpent of stars moving across it. She lifted the lei from her shoulders and set it on a prominent lava rock next to the pool. Then she loosened the fabric knot beneath her arm and dropped the pareu onto the grass. The breeze felt balmy against her nakedness, and the skin beneath the talisman tingled. Maile stepped down the bank and slipped into the brisk water. Only her face and great spray of hair were visible against its dark surface. Her ancestral line was the mo‘o, the lizard, many of whom, according to legend, lived in pools like this. She discovered at an early age that she would lose her center—become distracted or confused—if she did not get into the sea, the pools, or the mountain streams at least once every few days. Here was communion with her ancestral spirits. But she need not be in water to receive their guidance. They often visited her home or office in the form of geckos, little striped lizards who perched on window sills or hung from her lanai beams. Their silent presence or a soft chortle were taken as signs of affirmation, but a cackle meant it was time to pay attention, and when on rare occasions they leaped onto her shoulders or scampered directly across her path, she knew something was seriously amiss. Maile’s grandmother taught her to ignore the bad reputation mo‘o had among some Hawaiians, islanders who accepted ancient ali‘i legends that portrayed lizards as evil or cruel. Those stories had been passed down by royal descendants with an historical ax to grind—many of her mo‘o clan had resisted the Tahitian takeover of the islands and the dark priest Pa‘ao. The cold water helped Maile focus her mind—on Aka and Kimo’s disappearance; on the missing photographer, Jimmy; and on the grisly murder on the molten flank of Kilauea. With intense concentration and traditional prayer, Maile requested assistance from her ancestors. She stayed in the pool for many minutes, treading water so gently that she remained almost still. The stars of kua mo‘o blurred into a hazy vision, and the roar of the sea spoke to her as ancestral voices—distinct, loving, and wise. The inner voice of her na‘au translated the messages. At last, as her body began to tremble, she knew what she must do. Maile pulled herself up onto the bank. She lay for a moment in the cool grass, naked to the elements, then knelt beside the glassy surface of the pond. She gathered up the garland of plumeria from the rock and for a moment buried her nose in its sweet blossoms. She gently pushed the lei out onto the water, an offering of gratitude for the strength and guidance she had just received. This book is is available at: Volcano Art Center Gift Shop, Basically Books, Kona Stories, and other book and gift shops islandwide. DaughtersOfFire.com
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