The Blessing of a New Name

Waakapaemua Canoe Club held a canoe blessing and naming ceremony on April 14, 2007. One of the canoes was given a new name, Keanuenue, named after the late Kumu Hula John Keanuenue Ka'imikaua.   

WCC coach and long time friend of John's, Penny Martin said, "Now Kumu gets to go on the water all the time, and see Molokai from a different perspective. He's loving it!"  

In 2003, John named the new club, "Wa'akapaemua" which means the canoe that arrives first and naming a canoe in his honor is just one way of giving back.   

In Hawaiian, the name Keanuenue literally translates to "rainbow" but the simple name holds many deeper meanings.  Kumu John was definitely a person of many colors and depths, and continues to be a person held in reverence and honor, as a rainbow aloft the clouds.   

Waa Club members often see a rainbow sitting atop Kamakou as the afternoon sun sets low, reminding them of the peaceful embrace of a beloved man.

 

Mahalo to Opuulani Albino and Vanda Hanakahi for conducting the protocol.

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