Aunty’s Corner

Column by Kathy ‘Kapua’ Templeton

Aloha Aunty here! The Hula Preservation Society was on island two weekends ago.  Those of us who attended made a nose flute, learned to play it [with some of us becoming dizzy, me included] and worked on the mele, Moe Aku.  Some of my hula sisters and brothers didn’t want to take the class because it was the nose flute or because they would have to dance.  This ancient chant is not a “dance” in that one does the hula steps, but walks in many formations. If they are chosen to do the mele part and the other haumana would do the nose flute so that if one is uncomfortable with one there is the other to do.  So cool.  We all had a chance to do each part.  After a short break the students from Hakipu`u Learning Center demonstrated the other instruments and chants in two different halau styles of Nona Beamer and George Naope.  Such an opportunity for us to learn so that the Hula Ohe does not go extinct.

My neighbor, Maria and I had to take our sweet aunty to the hospital last week where she is recovering each day.  I cannot say enough about Dr. Rogoff and Nurse Angele.  They were so kind and caring.  Dr. Rogoff is a young doctor from Kauai and all the nurses were giving him a bad time the last time I came to see our aunty.  He tried to get me to help him but I think he really enjoyed it.  The nurses love to tease him.

The fishpond waterfall at Home Pumehana is broken, and  the pond water gets dirty really quickly. The pond has had a large number of tilapia whose numbers have been growing lately.  Staff came and rescued some of the larger fish but I see that there are lots of baby fish still there.  I hope they get it fixed quickly because it is a wonderful place to sit and watch the fish in the water and just zone out.  One of the kupuna there feeds the fish on the weekend when the staff is gone so the fish pond gives lots of joy.

Have you seen the beautiful plumage of the kolea? The one in my backyard is so beautiful.  They move so quickly that I can’t get a picture.  While driving down from Coffees the other day I saw a beautiful splash from a whale.  I had thought they were gone by now.  I don’t blame them staying here, water must be much warmer here.

Ua lawa paha keia a hui hou kakou [this is perhaps enough until we meet next time].  Aloha no, Aunty Kapua