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Weekend Sports Yield Mixed Results

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Weekend Sports Yield Mixed Results

Saturday’s Maui Interscholatic League (MIL) wrestling tournament at Lahainaluna High School saw Molokai finish second overall with 14 wrestlers – nine boys and five girls – advancing to the state championship meet.

While Lahainaluna High finished first overall with a total of 250 points for their boys’ team and 137 points for their girls’ team, Molokai didn’t trail too far behind.

Molokai’s Kevin Dudoit took first in his 135-pound class, while second-seeded Mikayla Pico took first for the girls at 98 pounds.

Other Molokai girls to take first in their weight class were third-seeded Kaulanarose Akaka at 125 pounds and Chelsie Davids at 220 pounds.

from 12 to eight. Unfortunately, they only send the championship team.”

Girls’ Basketball

Although a second consecutive state championship title was not far from reach for the Molokai High girls’ basketball team, Kaimuki High’s 41-32 victory over the Lady Farmers denied them the crown.

Friday night’s Division II championship game at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu saw the second-seeded Bulldogs sweep the title, leaving the top-seeded Lady Farmers to finish their season at 11-1.

With a fierce defense, the Bulldogs limited Molokai’s lead scorers Kalei Adolpho and Danna-Lynn Hooper-Juario. While Adolpho scored 12 of the Farmers 32 points, Hooper-Juario was confined to four.

The game also saw the final high school performance of four Molokai seniors including Hooper-Juario, Jamie and Jolenta Duvauchelle, Puna Kawamae – all of whom started in Friday’s game.

Coaches were not available for comment.

 

Lady Farmers Clinch MIL Tournament, Advance to Semifinals

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Lady Farmers Clinch MIL Tournament, Advance to Semifinals

Wednesday at Kalani High, the Molokai High girls’ basketball team won its quarterfinal game against Kaiser, 67-56, advancing them into today’s semifinals of the state championships.

Seeded No. 1, the Lady Farmers (11-0) gained a 15-8 edge in the first eight minutes of Wednesday’s game against the Cougars, which increased to 38-24 at halftime. After a third-quarter tie, Kaiser outscored Molokai by three points, only to lose it shortly thereafter, when the Lady Farmers came back to win it.

The Farmers are going on to play Kahuku Thursday at 7 p.m. at Kalani in their semi-final game.

Last weekend, the Lady Farmers left the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) tournament the same way they arrived: undefeated. In a two-game tournament at Hana, the Molokai High girls’ basketball team snagged the overall league title by an average of 49 points.

The girls took a 54-18 victory their first game, and then had a blowout second game with a score of 72-8.

“It was a team effort,” assistant coach Kevan Dudoit said. “All of our players gained post-season experience. Not many teams can say that.”

Dudoit said the girls go into every season with one goal – to be state champions.

“This year, they want to come back to Molokai with a second state title,” he said.

Boy’s Basketball

Although Molokai High’s boys’ basketball team was defeated by Lanai Friday, the boys retaliated and stole a win Saturday, 58-40 over the Pine Lads.

Molokai coach Lee DeRouin said during Friday’s game the boys came out with too much energy that resulted in some foul trouble and an “over-extended defense.”

“They came out Friday playing too hard,” DeRouin said, “and Lanai took advantage of our misses.”

The boys came out Saturday more relaxed, and with more patience, DeRouin said – ultimately giving them the victory.

Molokai senior Alvin Ringor scored the game’s high of 16 points, Kamakana Duvauchelle-Andrade followed shortly behind with 15, and Julien Bumatay had 10 to lead the Farmers into a split win against Lanai.

“It had been three to four years since Lanai had lost,” DeRouin said. “It was a big win in a hostile environment.”

DeRouin contributed the comeback to a “great” collaborative effort by the team and said the win will help fire up motivation when the boys face off with Lanai again next week for the MIL tournament.

“They need to rest physically and mentally,” DeRouin said.

The boys’ team finished its regular Division II season at 5-3, and will meet at the War Memorial Gym in Maui on Thursday for the MIL tournament.

Time Well-Served

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Community contributed

Provided by Gwen McGwin

Lieutenant Commander Rudy McGwin grew up on the Hawaiian islands of O`ahu and Moloka`i. His father, Donald McGwin, a decorated Air Force Chief Warrant Officer, exposed him to life in the military at an early age. Rudy enlisted in the Coast Guard in January 1980 to “see the world.” After graduating from Radioman “A” school in Petaluma, California the summer of that year, he received his first set of orders to (ta-da!) – COMMSTA Honolulu. So much for seeing the world!

A Contest of Watermen

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Paka`a Part IX of a continuing series
By Catherine Aki

Kuapaka`a, one of the heroes of our saga, gave fishermen a run for their money in an outrigger that probably looked very similar to this one.

In our last episode, Paka`a’s enemies die, killed at sea. But a more detailed account indicates that they suffer from neglect, cold and exposure when Kuapaka, Paka`s son, refuses them food and protection from the storm. As a result they roll themselves into the ocean one after the other.

When they are dead, the boy guides the canoe and while everyone sleeps, heads back to the Big Island. Although the ali`i’s entourage is glad to be home, the ali`i himself, Keawenuiaumi, is disappointed because he has failed to find his good friend Paka`a.

Kuapaka`a predicts that the ali`i and his men will forget about him in all the excitement of their return home. Sure enough, when they reach Hawaii, the ali`i assumes that the keiki is in the care of his entourage, while the ali`i’s men assume that the chief himself should be responsible for the boy. Instead, the boy is left to fend for himself spending day after day on the beach, next the chief’s canoe eating the trip’s leftover food.

When a group men are about to embark on a fishing trip, Kuapaka`a asks to accompany them to serve as a bailer in their canoe. When they return from fishing, the boy sees another canoe nearby and challenges the fishermen to a race for their catch. He is so bold that he tells the owners of the borrowed canoe to jump into his opponents’ boat if they are scared of loosing. Like his father had years earlier, he convinces the fishermen to put all their catch into his canoe. The race begins and Kuapaka`a is losing. But after opening his wind gourd and chanting, a large wave rises from the sea. With great effort and fierce paddling, Kuapaka`a catches the wave which pushes him to shore for the win.

At the sight of the wave, Kuapaka`a’s opponents back-paddle for fear of crashing or flipping their canoe. They are angered both by the boy’s recklessness and for being beaten. So they demand a rematch.

This time, the only thing the boy has to wager is the ali`i’s canoe. But, the fishermen don’t believe the boy is entitled to offer it. The boy explains that no one else takes care of the canoe and offers it again. But now the men insist that the wager be their bones. The boy reminds them of their families, wives, children and friends who would miss them dearly if they were gone. Clearly the wager is lopsided he explains. However, the men insist and set a date for the contest on the first month of summer.

The event quickly spreads via word-of-mouth creating an amazing amount of hype. Soon everyone including Keawenuiaumi knows about the upcoming race. They make bets and wager a variety of goods and valuables like pigs, dogs, mamaki cloth, layered kapa, feathers and whatever else was treasured in those days. Most expected the boy would loose because he had to paddle a heavy canoe measuring 6 fathoms long by himself.

The imu is dug. The wood put inside. The fires are lit. Whoever lost the race would be thrown into the imu and baked. But the boy is clever. Because the fishermen are anxious for their revenge and eager to start, they agree to his terms on how the race will end. Once the canoe is beached, they must surf four waves before their opponent lands. But in their hurry, the fishermen neglect to define what kind of waves.

The fishmen, determining the starting point, keep going further and further out to sea until the houses on the beach are hidden by the ocean. The fishemen were poor paddlers churning the sea into a froth with each stroke. They also leave a wake behind them which Kuapaka’a catches and rides. So as they tire themselves out paddling, the boy keeps up right behind them. As they head to shore, the crowd cannot see the boy’s canoe as he is so close behind the fishermen, they block him from view. Those who had wagered on the men begin to cheer.

Because the boy had taunted the men along the way, telling them to paddle harder, they are now exhausted and ready to give up. With the shoreline in sight, Kuapaka`a finally begins to paddle, moving his canoe ahead. The crowd roars in dismay, realization they are going to loose all their prize possessions and riches.

After reaching the beach first, Kuapaka`a grabs a surfboard and catches four shore-breakers riding the white water instead of the regular waves further out at sea. The fisherman quickly realize their mistake in not making the rules more clear, but it is too late.

The fishermen are filled with fear of dying; their families lament and sorrow fills the air. A messenger is sent to Keawenuiaumi who amazingly still does not realize that Kuapaka`a is the racer. When Keawenuiumi finally gets the details, he sends for the boy. He is distressed about how much he has forgotten about the boy.

The ali`i asks the boy to spare the fishermen’s lives. First the boy refuses, but as the chief begs the keiki puts the decision back on the chief. The fishermen whose lives are now at stake, had been friends of the two enemies who had replaced all of Paka`a’s fishermen years earlier.

Keawenuiumi was afraid to be without any fishermen but the decision was now his -would the chief rather have his fishermen, or the return of his good friend Paka`a. The boy explains that in order for Paka`a to return, his fishermen must die. Who will Keawenuiaumi choose.

Next issue concludes the story of Paka`a.

Footprint on the Heart

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Footprint on the Heart

Remembering Henry Nalaielua

By Valerie Monson

Henry Nalaielua, who wrote about his accomplished life in the memoir “No Footprints in the Sand,” died early April 17, 2009, leaving the people of Kalaupapa to bid aloha to yet another great kupuna who left behind permanent footprints on the hearts of all who knew him.

“After hearing that Henry had died that morning, I noticed at sunset that there was no rain, just heavy clouds and deep crimson skies,” said Dr. Emmett Aluli, a longtime friend and colleague of Nalaielua. “There was just all this crimson. It was like Henry was passing without commotion, without fanfare. He was being welcomed home by the ancestors.”

Nalaielua was 84 years old. He was born Nov. 3, 1925, in the plantation village of Ninole on the Big Island. When he was just 10 years old, his mother was forced to take him to Honolulu on a ship and leave him at Kalihi Hospital because he had been diagnosed with leprosy. Henry was the third child the Nalaielua ‘ohana had to give up because of the disease.

Many years later, Nalaielua would still remember every detail of that childhood moment when the ship slipped away from the dock in the middle of the night.

“My father was standing at the pier, crying,” he recalled in an interview with this reporter in the early 1990s. “I’d never seen my father cry before. As the boat went away, as I could see him getting farther away, he was crying, crying, crying, crying. He knew he had lost one more child.”

In 1941, when Nalaielua was 15, he was told he was being sent to Kalaupapa. It was a move he welcomed, so could be free of the barbed wire that ran along the top of the fence that surrounded Kalihi. He immediately relished the wide-open spaces of Kalaupapa that reminded him of home.

“There were all these things I was used to –  ‘opae, ‘o‘opu, ginger, watercress, mountain apple,” he said. “All the things I grew up with.”

There was no cure for leprosy at that time so Henry was told he had only a few years to live. Because of that, he saw no good reason for educating himself. Books were not a part of his life until a friend who was a strong Catholic gave him a book about Father Damien de Veuster. Henry was surprised to learn that he had the same disease that Damien had contracted generations earlier.

But that book taught him something even more important: that he had a love of reading. From then on, seldom was Nalaielua’s bedside table without a book, even when he wasn’t able to read them. As he was preparing for cataract surgery about 16 years ago, there were three books waiting for him at home for when his eyes had healed: “The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass,” “Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier” and a collection of South Pacific stories by James Michener. Another time, his table held a book on Hawaiian medicine that had been issued in both English and Hawaiian. He read each version.

There was also sadness for him at Kalaupapa. Soon after he arrived, Nalaielua was told that his two sisters, who he knew had left home before him, had also been shipped to Kalaupapa. Both had died before he arrived. He spent years searching for their graves, a search that proved to be fruitless. It was one of the reasons he became a strong supporter of a Monument at Kalaupapa that would list the names of those who had been sent there because of leprosy. He not only wanted his name permanently engraved on the Monument, but also the names of his sisters.

Wayne Levin, the well-known photographer, began documenting Kalaupapa and her people in pictures in 1984. Nalaielua, then the president of the Kalaupapa Historical Society, was one of his first friends there.

“Henry just understood the importance of the history of Kalaupapa,” said Levin. “He would drive me around, show me places and he was always so patient while I took all these pictures. He was very supportive of my work.”

Their friendship grew to the point that Levin would stay in Nalaielua’s spare bedroom during his trips to Kalaupapa. When Levin married, Nalaielua sang at his wedding.

“I just feel really fortunate to have had him for a friend,” said Levin. Less than two weeks ago, the two had lunch and went shopping for books at Barnes and Noble.

During his lifetime, Nalaielua had many jobs. At Kalaupapa, he was a police officer, carpenter and tour driver for Damien Tours. When he was able to leave Kalaupapa after testing negative for the disease in 1949 (drugs to cure leprosy were introduced to Kalaupapa in 1946), he worked for Hawaiian Electric and played music after hours.  He later moved home to Kalaupapa, missing everything he held dear.

Although he eventually became an author when his autobiography was published in the fall of 2006, Nalaielua might best be remembered as a musician and artist. He produced so many paintings during his lifetime that he had a one-man show in Honolulu in 2003.

“He was a poet, a composer, a genealogist, a storyteller, an artist,” said Aluli, “but what stands out for me about Henry is the scholarly and philosophical person that he was.”

For years, Nalaielua served on the Board of Directors of Na Pu‘uwai Native Hawaiian Health Systems where he was the guiding force for Aluli and Billy Akutagawa, another good friend, and others. He also served on the Board of Health for the State of Hawaii.

Burial was at Kalaupapa where his family and friends gathered together to celebrate a man whose life was a great work of art.

Food Fight: the future of biotech farming

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Sixth in a six-part series

By David Lichtenstein

Responsible biotechnology is not the enemy; starvation is. Without adequate food supplies at affordable prices, we cannot expect world health or peace.
— Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Just as the steam engine transformed the 19th century and the internal combustion engine and the microprocessor revolutionized the 20th century, scientists speculate that biotechnology applications in agriculture could have that same kind of impact on the 21st century.

“It is not an exaggeration to suggest that biotechnology is poised to become the most important new general purpose technology of the first half of the 21st century,” wrote University of Minnesota professor Vernon Ruttan.

But like many new technologies, it is a promise that many believe has not yet lived up to its hype.
“It is not yet possible to demonstrate measurable impacts of biotechnology on either human health or agriculture… ,” wrote Ruttan.

Food fight: The business of biotechnology

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Fifth in a six-part story

By David Lichtenstein

Modern agriculture has brought about a strange convergence of politics, law, science and big business. One way to examine this phenomenon is to look at the world’s largest seed producer, Monsanto, which is Molokai’s biggest employer.

Monsanto reported an $11.365 billion in revenue for 2008. These record profits helped solidify Monsanto’s position as the world’s largest investor in agricultural research in the area of seeds and traits. Monsanto says it invests $2.6 million a day on research and development in breeding and biotechnology. It was also announced on March 25 that a $10 million grant will establish Monsanto's Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program, which will help identify and support young scientists interested in improving research and production in rice and wheat.

Sust-`ĀINA-ble Molokai

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Future of a Hawaiian Island Initiative Kicks Off

Want to know what the future holds for Molokai? One thing is certain – Molokai’s first sustainability conference in July. If you’re interested, check out the booth at this year’s Earth Day on April 17.

Press Release

Organized by a grassroots hui of Molokai residents, a new Sust-`?INA-ble Molokai initiative focused on achieving “the collective dream of a sustainable Molokai” will kick off at Earth Day on April 17 with pre-registration for a two-day Sust-`?INA-ble Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island conference scheduled for July 17 and 18.

The conference will provide an opportunity for Molokai residents to learn, talk story and participate in the initial steps of sustainable community building.  Organizer Malia Akutagawa says the event is designed to “educate people and build momentum for the community to create its own future and be part of its own solution”. By integrating the concept of “Molokai '?ina Momona” with the word “sustainability”, the ultimate goal for Molokai is “Sust-'?ina-bility”, a model of abundant island living rooted in traditional knowledge and supported by modern technologies. The Sust-`?INA-ble Molokai initiative will build upon the vision outlined in the living document Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island, with the objective of creating and implementing a long-range sustainability plan for the island.
The conference will showcase Molokai residents living sustainably in addition to featured off-island speakers including keynote speaker and master navigator Nainoa Thompson, Aimee Allison with Green For All, Gary & Kukui Maunakea-Forth of MA‘O Farms, and representatives from Waipa Foundation on Kauai, among others.  Conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn about practical ways to live sustainably, through expert presentations, panel discussions, Q & A sessions, interactive breakout sessions and demonstrations.  Topics will include food security, alternative energy, waste management, traditional resource/ahupua‘a management, green economies, green building, indigenous knowledge, education, and permaculture. Pre-conference and post-conference ho‘olaule‘a are scheduled for June and August, and a “My Sustainable Molokai” art/essay/poetry contest for grades 7-12 begins this month.

Local non profit Ka Honua Momona International is serving as a fiscal sponsor of the conference, and conference organizers are currently seeking volunteers and monetary donations to help fund the two-day event.  Please make checks payable to Ka Honua Momona, Intl. with “Sustainable Molokai” in the memo line.  Donations may be sent to PO Box 482188 Kaunakakai HI 96748.

Space is limited at the conference; pre-registration at Earth Day is encouraged. Registration fee is $10 for adults until June 19th, and $25 after June 19th. Children under 18 are free.

For more information, or if you’d like to volunteer, please email kdavis@qlcc.org

Raising Your Voice

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

UH program brings music-making to Molokai youth

Moloka'i High students Kandis and Shaye Santiago in recording studio

Press Release

Self-expression and cultural preservation are both important to members of the Molokai community, and three artist educators have brought those values to life for students on Lana‘i and Moloka‘i.  For the past several years, Musician Bailey Matsuda, storyteller Nyla Fujii-Babb, and dancer/choreographer Yukie Shiroma, as part of UH Manoa Outreach College’s Statewide Cultural Extension Program (SCEP),  have worked with Molokai students to develop songs and stories from oral histories and the youth’s own contemporary experiences. The narratives span local history to romantic heartbreaks, and make a powerful case for preserving the rural lifestyle of these islands. A concert in Honolulu on April 25 of these young singer/songwriters and storytellers is a showcase of their dedicated efforts, new confidence, and a gift to all.  Joining them on stage will be their teachers and some special guests, artistic role models from O‘ahu, Lana‘i and Moloka‘i:  Nalani Olds with an opening and closing oli, musician Po‘okela Napoleon, and Lehua Matsuoka, Kumu Hula with ties to the late Kumu from Lana‘i,  Aunty Elaine Kaopuiki.

The Moloka‘i performers are Joshua Adachi, Abigail Adachi, Kandis Santiago, and Shaye Santiago.

I like going fishing
Casting out the line
I like diving down
Morris Point get fish
I like going hunting
In the gulches on the west side
I like going swimming
At the wharf when hot

(Chorus) 
We get the best beaches
 Kaluakoi, Sandys, Dixies
 We get the best people
 Loving and nice

– from “I Like Moloka‘i” by Young Voices participants from the Moloka‘i Youth Center


Concert, open to the public: Saturday Saturday, April 25, 7:30 pm, Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College
Limited number of free tickets available to high school students and teacher.  Please call 956-8246.
Tickets also available at www.etickethawaii.com/orc.html, by calling 944-BOWS, or at any UH ticket outlet. For more information, call 956-8246 or visit www.outreach.hawaii.edu/community

Lawful Remembrance

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Press Release

Kalaupapa memorial signed into law

President Obama’s signature last week finally confirmed what Molokai residents already knew – their family, friends and ancestors of Kalaupapa deserve recognition. The Kalaupapa Memorial Act, introduced by Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono, part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, establishes a memorial for the 8,000 former patients buried in Kalaupapa, only 1,300 of which have marked graves. The President invited Congresswoman Hirono and Hawai‘i Senator Daniel Akaka to attend the signing ceremony at the White House.

“The passage of this law should be a proud moment for all Americans. We will now be able to recognize the Hansen’s disease patients of Kalaupapa for the way they led dignified, inspirational lives under extremely challenging circumstances,” said Hirono.  “This memorial will provide family members a place to visit and reflect since the majority of patients at Kalaupapa have been buried without grave markers.”