Column by Dr. Hans Diehl and Brenda Kaneshiro
Consciously or unconsciously, most people make sacrifices of some sort. Unfortunately, they often sacrifice certain important areas of their lives in order to gain the transitory pleasures of wealth, power, status, or fame.
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With 17 crews on the water, Molokai was well-represented this year in the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (HCRA) state championship, held at Hanakaoo (Canoe) Beach Park on Maui last Saturday. Wa`akapaemua Canoe Club brought 12 crews, while Kukui O Molokai and Molokai Canoe Club had two and three, respectively.
“We’re going against the best in the state – all you can do is try your best,” said Molokai Canoe Club President Liko Wallace.
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Names of deceased love ones on slips of paper fluttered in the breeze while Japanese paper lanterns softly lit the dusk. Beneath them, Taiko drums pounded in a dizzying rhythm that reverberated into the ground. Yellow kimono-clad performers beat the great drums, their sticks a blur.
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The tiny Kalaupapa post office serves as the lifeline to its residents. However, United States Postal Service (USPS) budget deficits and decreased use of “snail mail” around the county have put that lifeline in jeopardy. The Kalaupapa post office is one of four small offices around the state being considered for closure.
“What’s driving it is that mail volumes and revenues are down tremendously,” said USPS Honolulu spokesperson Duke Gonzales.
For former Hansen’s disease patients living in Kalaupapa, mail is essential. Patient resident Gloria Marks said banking services used to visit the settlement periodically, but stopped when airfares to Kalaupapa skyrocketed. Now, her only access to the bank is through the mail.
“It shocked everybody – we all really need that,” she said. Without the post office, she added, “we have nothing else to go to.”
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The cost of living on the islands continues to rise as Young Brothers, Ltd. (YB) seeks to increase their shipping rates. During a visit to Molokai last week, YB’s Vice President of Strategic Planning and Government Affairs Roy Catalani explained that dropping volumes of cargo are forcing the company to apply to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a rate increase of about 24 percent. Their last rate increase was in August 2009.
Along with lower cargo volume, a second shipping company, Pasha Hawaii Transport Lines, has entered the Hawaii market. They are “cherry-picking” service to larger harbors but not serving smaller ports like Molokai, according to Catalani. Pasha began service in February; their presence could also affect YB’s rising costs of operations.
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Squeals of delight were mixed with sea spray as Molokai kids experienced the ancient art of Hawaiian sailing canoes last Friday. The Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association (HSCA) held its third annual “Mahalo Molokai” event at Hale O Lono to thank the community for supporting them during their race season. The association, with teams on almost every island, races around the state every summer, sharing their love of the sport that carried their ancestors.
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Anakala Pilipo Solatorio of Halawa Valley and his brother, Daniel Flores, lost all contact with each other for 32 years. It was a joyous reunion when they finally reconnected about two decades ago. Now, Flores and his family returned to Molokai for a family wedding in the valley where he was born.
“It feels strange but great,” Flores said of being back on Molokai – his last visit to the island was eight years ago. He moved from Molokai 52 years ago, when he joined the Air Force. He was stationed in England, met his wife, June, and has been living there ever since.
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It was only by an unusual twist of fate that Solatorio and Flores were reconnected. Their parents died when they were young, and the children were adopted by several local families, according to older brother Solatorio (which is why they hold different last names). After his brother left for the Air Force, Solatorio said he lost contact for years, never knowing where Flores lived. Solatorio worked for Molokai Ranch at the wildlife park, and one day, a couple from England visited the park.
They said they knew his brother. “And that’s how I found him,” he said.
After they got back in touch, Solatorio traveled to England for Flores’ 50th birthday –the first time they had reunited in 32 years. They made a pact that Flores would visit Molokai the next year to celebrate Solatorio’s 50th birthday, which marked his first trip home since leaving the island.
Solatorio called his family’s visit “beautiful.”
Many of the grandchildren have visited Molokai already, though for their grandson Stuart Goldsmith, this was his first trip.
“I’m learning a lot about the culture,” he said.
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Community Contributed
By Heidi Chang
Hawaii’s journalism community recently turned out to celebrate some of its best work at the annual Excellence in Journalism Awards dinner in Honolulu. The Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter handed out awards for work produced in 2010. Multimedia journalist Heidi Chang, who has Molokai ties, won the two highest honors for radio news and feature reporting. Chang won a first-place award for her story about Father Damien of Molokai: Hawaii’s First Saint, which aired nationally on AARP Radio’s “Prime Time Postscript.”
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You can listen to Heidi’s award-winning stories on her Hawaii Tales blog:
http://heidichang.com/2011/06/heidi-wins-two-spj-hawaii-awards-for-hawaiis-first-saint-and-ukulele-festival/
AARP Radio’s “Prime Time Postscript”
Hawaii’s First Saint (Father of Molokai)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAL9rsxYCd4&feature=player_embedded
Ukulele festival
Public Radio International’s “The World”
http://www.theworld.org/2010/07/ukulele-festival/
Jake Shimabukuro - While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 2010 Hawaii Ukulele Festival
http://youtu.be/xE33l8JrFlQ
Hawaii Ukulele Festival: Photo Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pritheworld/sets/72157624434325193/
Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter
http://www.hawaiispj.org/
See a complete list of the 2010 Excellence in Journalism Award Winners here:
http://www.hawaiispj.org/Awards/2010%20contest%20news%20release%20USE.txt
Molokai Pioneer and Humanitarian: Yun Kee Yuen | Molokai Dispatch
http://themolokaidispatch.com/molokai-pioneer-and-humanitarian-yun-kee-yuen
A Groundbreaking Woman | Molokai Dispatch
http://www.themolokaidispatch.com/groundbreaking-woman
Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans’ (MVCV) lawsuit against the County of Maui is still moving forward, according to a federal judge’s order last week. The judge heard further amendments to the veterans’ complaints, allowing some to remain in the case, while others were denied.
“It’s not a decision, but a step forward for the veterans,” said the group’s attorney Suki Halevi.
The date for the jury trial has also been set back to March 28, 2012 from the original date scheduled for this October.
Molokai continues to teeter on the balance between the economic benefits from tourism and the desire to maintain the island’s pristine and undeveloped flavor. The Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC) is in the process of addressing whether or not to approve a legal avenue for homeowners wishing to turn their home into a short term rental, also known as a transient vacation rental (TVR).
At their meeting last week, commissioners debated on a draft ordinance from the Maui County Council that would establish permitting procedures for short-term rental homes on Molokai, Lanai and Maui.
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