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Author Archives:

Local Authors Honored

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Local Authors Honored

Kalele Bookstore News Release

Local authors Rachelle Maikui (Anake Snookie) and Gaellen Quinn each had books honored by the Hawaii Publishers Association at the 2010 Ka Palapla Po`okela awards held April 30th at Bishop Museum.

“Ho`okupu: An Offering of Literature by Native Hawaiian Women” (edited by Miyoku Sugano and Jackie Pualani Johnson, Mutual Publishing) won Honorable Mention in both the “Excellence in Hawaiian Culture” and “Excellence in Literature” categories. The book is a fascinating collection of the writings of contemporary Native Hawaiian women in a variety of styles. Rachelle Maikui authored the selection included in the anthology entitled, “The Birth of Mo`omomi.”

“The Last Aloha,” by Gaellen Quinn (Lost Coast Press) won the award for “Excellence in ‘Aloha from Beyond Hawaii’” (for books about Hawaii published outside Hawaii). “The Last Aloha” is historical fiction set in 19th century Hawaii during the time of the overthrow of the monarchy by American missionary descendents.  It also recently won the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association “Best Book” award in historical fiction and is a finalist in ForeWord Review’s  national “Book of the Year” award. Winners will be announced this month at Book Expo in New York City.

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The Green Scene

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

The Green Scene

It’s not everyday you get to nod your head, tap your feet and sway your body to the funky reggae beats of The Green live on Molokai. So it’s no wonder that when the Oahu-based band marked its presence at Paddlers Inn last Friday, they were greeted with a mass of welcoming fans.

Prior to the show, we talked with Zion Thompson, lead guitarist and vocalist for The Green, and found that The Green seed was planted long before the band even came together. We also talked story with Thompson about what the band has been up to recently.

. It was a killer road trip. We didn’t have to drive – we had a bus. It was unreal. A couple of us had done a little bit of touring, but nothing like this. We’ve always wanted to do it as a group, so it was really cool.

MD: Any favorite spots?
ZT: Oregon, New York and Texas were awesome. Everywhere was unreal, though.

MD: But there’s no place like Hawaii.
ZT: Oh yeah. It was great to come home. We were ready to come home and have some fat crowds. It makes you appreciate Hawaii even more.

MD: So, what’s with the name, The Green?
ZT: Well, it’s a good color. It’s the land, it’s the trees. We let people see it as they want. And especially right now, in this day in age, it’s positive with everyone going green and trying to be aware about the planet. We thought of a name that would hit a lot of different markets if people have an open mind. For Hawaii, this name works awesome for various reasons. On a world scale, we’re trying to get back to the whole attitude of spreading awareness about the environment. And… it’s also our favorite color.

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Hitting the Right Note

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Hitting the Right Note

Over 50 people crowded the Molokai Public Library last Wednesday to hear slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson play a set of traditional and original pieces. In between songs, he talked about the history of slack key and what makes the style distinct.

“You extend the range of the instrument,” he said of the technique of detuning the guitar to allow for more slack in the strings. “It’s a real full, rich sound.”

Slack key began when Mexican cowboys arrived in Hawaii the 1800s to start ranching – and brought with them the steel-string guitar.

“Hawaiians took it and adapted it and put some aloha spirit in it,” said Peterson, who grew up on Maui.

He described the evolving style of slack key, which today incorporates elements from other genres like classical, jazz and even swing.

Peterson’s new album “Maui On My Mind” is nominated for three Na Hoku Awards, including Slack Key Album of the Year, and Peterson himself is nominated for Favorite Entertainer of the Year.

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Blessed Feast

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Blessed Feast

May 10 was a day of celebrations all over the world in honor of the feast day of Saint Damien De Veuster. But none were more poignant or relevant than those held on Molokai, the island Hawaii’s first saint called home. Last Monday, parishioners gathered at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church to extend prayer and gratitude to St. Damien. 

The evening was filled with vibrant images and vignettes of St. Damien as Mass commenced inside the faintly lit church on Molokai’s east end – one of four topside churches built by Damien himself.

Father Clyde Guerreiro, pastor of St. Damien Parish, led the ceremony alongside Deacon Michael Shizuma. The service was followed by a potluck supper, where guests enjoyed ono grinds and engaged in light conversation.

feel present among us. The day was beautiful.”

St. Philomena Church, located in Kalawao, began as a small chapel where Damien spent his first few nights on Molokai. He added on to the church twice, more than doubling its size, while parishioners refinished and painted the interior. Today, the church stands in homage to the priest.

Leoda Shizuma called it an “experience of a lifetime” for the Kalaupapa patients, to be right in the midst of his memory, where he set foot for many years.

“I thought they were moved and touched,” she added.

Michael Shizuma reflected on the experience as a good way to remember everything Damien has done for the isle.

“I feel very grateful to be a part of it,” he said.

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Holding On To Hula

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Holding On To Hula

Na Kupuna O Moana’s hula halau seem to glow as they join in a celebration of hula at Ka Hula Piko last Saturday. In its 19th year, the festival was held at Mitchell Pauole Center for the first time, a switch from its traditional Papohaku Beach location.

One event organizer said Ka Hula Piko had not seen decreased attendance at its former location at Papohaku Beach but that organizers wanted to bring it to a bigger cross section of Molokai and not just the west end.

The late kumu hula John Kaimikaua founded the annual event in 1991. “The heartbeat of our culture is dance. It is the essence of ourselves. Every movement in the universe is in our dance,” wrote Ka`imikaua.

According to a mo`olelo from the eighth century, a wahine named La`ila`i is said to have given birth to hula at Ka`ana on the hill Pu`u Nana on Molokai’s west end.

This year’s Ka Hula Piko featured both local and guest halau performances, ono grinds and a wide selection of local artists selling their crafts. The theme of the festival was “Molokai Pule O`o,” an ancient epithet spoken in praise and fear of the powerful prayer of Molokai’s kahuna (priests). Ka Hula Piko 2010 was dedicated to Aunty Louise Malulani Bush, who passed away on Feb. 10.

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Life of the School

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Life of the School

It was a week of intense fun and fundraising for Aka`ula School, which hosted both the Spring Disco and a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.

Last Wednesday brought a night of Latin dance, raffled piñatas handmade by Aka`ula students and parents, and a grand prize of a helicopter tour of Halawa Valley and Molokai’s north coast. The Spring Disco was also a hit last Friday evening, where a lively group of keiki and teens danced the night away.

Aka`ula encountered a shortfall with funding this year – about $3,500 short – which prompted an emergency meeting in April to discuss fundraising options. Two ideas that emerged were the Spring Disco and the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, said parent and fundraiser organizer Alicia Bicoy.

“It’s challenging to find resources when living on a small island,” Bicoy said. “And it’s difficult asking the same people year after year to give money. They just can’t do it, especially with this economy.”

Pictured left, Aka`ula students gathered to sing “La Bamba,” a Mexican folk song, in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Held at Hotel Molokai, the evening also featured music by Molokai Jazz and the new hit band, MoPac, comprised of half the members of Mobettah band and half of Six Pak.

At the disco, youth packed Mitchell Pauole Center – some released their energy on the dance floor with break-dancing moves, while others enjoyed concession snacks and cruised with friends.

Maui County holds discos at Mitchell Pauole Center once a month with a $2 cover charge, donating a portion of those proceeds to organizations who wish to “piggy back” on the already existing event to help raise money. Aka`ula received $1 of the cover charge and any profit made from the concession snacks.

Bicoy added the school also offered chicken plates at $8 a piece to help raise funds that would help cover the school’s operational costs, teachers’ salaries and other yearly expenditures.

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A Groundbreaking Woman

Friday, May 14th, 2010

A Groundbreaking Woman

Community Contributed

By Heidi Chang, niece

Many gathered on Molokai last Friday to celebrate the life of Marybeth Yuen
Maul, who served the community as an attorney, judge and administrator of
Kalaupapa Settlement. Maul, who became one of Hawaii’s pioneering women
attorneys, died on April 23 in Eugene, Oregon. She was 85.

"She was the first woman judge of Asian Pacific American ancestry in Hawaii,"
said Toni Palermo of the Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center in
Honolulu.

“[Maul] was a pioneer and a role model,” said Douglas Chong, president of the
Hawaii Chinese History Center. “She was an inspiration because her roots
were from Molokai, and yet she could achieve so much.  It¹s not often that
people move away, become very successful, and come back to their roots.”

set
an example that made me feel more confident about my own potential.  Here
was a woman who defied huge odds to even become a lawyer in that era.”

Maul always felt it was her kuleana to help others.  “When my husband
suddenly died of a heart attack, she took care of all our legal matters, and
wouldn’t charge a cent,” said former Molokai resident Ellen Nishimura.  “She
also got my son a scholarship at Mid Pacific Institute, so he could continue
his studies in Honolulu during a difficult time for our family.”

Maul served as Molokai magistrate from 1957 to 1971, and later as a Molokai
District Court judge for the County of Maui.

“She went way beyond what a judge is required to do,” said Rev. Lynette
Schaefer, former vicar of Grace Episcopal Church on Molokai.

“When you think of judges, they’re often sending people to jail, and nothing
changes.  Marybeth did what she could before they got to that level, to give
them an opportunity to change. And a hope for the future. She would try to
find ways to support those individuals and families, so their lives would be
turned around. Everything she did, she did from the heart.”

Also an entrepreneur, Maul started Molokai’s first and only Chinese
restaurant with her family in 1963, called Hop Inn.

Maul ended her career serving the people of Kalaupapa Settlement as
administrator for seven years, retiring in 1992. “She had faith in me,” said
Gloria Marks.  “I was very afraid to talk in front of people.  She was
pushing me, to speak up for myself, and also the needs of the patients.  She
was a good teacher,” added Marks, now president of the Kalaupapa Patients
Advisory Council.

Maul said she loved living on Molokai because “the people are real.” She
enjoyed exploring its rugged coastline and lush valleys with her `ohana.

In 1988, the Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center honored Maul with a Keeper of
the Flame Award for her extraordinary leadership and commitment to the
people of Hawaii.

If you¹d like to make a donation in the memory of Marybeth Yuen Maul please
contact the Molokai Humane Society, P.O. Box 1258, Kaunakakai, HI 96748.

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Historical Kaunakakai Wharf

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Community Contributed

In 1899, American Sugar Company constructed a wharf with a mole (a large stone pier) one-half miles long to accommodate the sugar operations. The stones were brought from two heiau in Kalama`ula named `Opae`ula (red shrimp) and Pu`upapa`i (crab hill), and remain part of the structure of today’s wharf.

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Down to Business

Friday, May 14th, 2010

MEO News Release

Ever thought about starting your own business? Now’s your chance to learn how. The Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) Business Development Corp. (BDC) is providing a series of evening classes for entrepreneurs during the months of May and June.

The Core Four Business Planning Classes cover how to set goals, do market research, determine pricing, make the sale, understand and create cash flow projections, and write a business plan – everything you need to know to start or grow your business. Kuulei Arce, MEO BDC Loan Fund Manager, will serve as the primary instructor for this class.

The classes, from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, start May 18 and run for six weeks. Graduation will be held on June 20.

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Helping Veterans Navigate the Web

Friday, May 14th, 2010

U.S. Department of Labor News Release

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has revised its e-VETS Advisor website — http://www.dol.gov/elaws/evets.htm — an interactive, online tool to assist Veterans, Service Members and their families and caregivers to quickly and easily find information on a variety of topics, including education, job training and employment.

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