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Community

General news which affects the Molokai community in one way or another.

Aunty’s Corner

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Aunty’s CornerAloha Aunty here again,

Wooeee did you go to the Ag Fair?  It was so cool.  My kumu, Aunty Kauila and Aunty Molly were two of the judges for the lei contest.  I neglected to write the other two auntys' names down, auwe!  The lei were the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen.  I’m sure it would take me hours but I’ll bet it wasn’t like that for these experts.   Sean Naauau was so fabulous.  The chickens were clucking, the horses were moving in a circle and the food booths were cooking up a storm.  Great fair! Way more cool then the famous Puyallup Fair in Washington State.

My sweet friend Aunty Ku’ulei is in the hospital.  She is doing well but I wish she didn’t have to go in there. The sign said please respect her rest and only have no more than four people at a time and stay five minutes.  When I was near the door there was lively music.  I went in and found at least 10 people, what a party! I had to laugh. I had to dance a hula for her.  Kissed her on the cheek and left, didn’t want to tire her out.  Tee Hee.

The Hui at Home Pumehana hosted the Kamehameha Guitar Club.  There were 10 young men and women who played and sang and even did a funny tango.  They helped out at One Ali’i fish pond before performing for us.  They were a delight.  The Baptist Church is hosting a Ladies Throughout the Generations, May 15.  Ladies will be sharing their memories.  They can come dressed in the style of their generation.  Sounds like fun!

One of my subscribers called all the way from Santa Fe, New Mexico.  She used to live here for 30 years. Wow. There was a very tall gentleman that came into the Dispatch the other day.  He had a very long, beautiful feather that was an Eagle feather.  I asked him how he could have that.  He said his grandmother was Shoshone and someone gave it to him.  So cool.  I’m still looking for someone to come and read or tell me what my wall hangings say.  They are all in Chinese.  I am so excited that I was given a scholarship to go back to school at the MCC Molokai.  I am going to take basic language, basic cultural practices, and intro to Hawaiian culture.

Our beautiful Kanoe has moved to Hilo on the Big Island.  I am going to be taking over her position.  Send me good vibes because she was the very best at doing all this.  She will be working from her home so you may always reach her by email: sales@themolokaidispatch.com.

Ua lawa paha k?ia a hui hou k?kou [this is perhaps enough until we meet next time].  Aloha no, Aunty Kapua  

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Orchid Workshop at Kilohana School

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Orchid Workshop at Kilohana School

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

There are orchid fanciers all over this island – so I’ve decided to go to them instead of them coming to me. I’m presenting the first of a series of orchid workshops in the different communities, starting at Kilohana then moving west. I’ve wanted to have a workshop in Mana’e for sometime because there’s a bunch of diehard orchid hobbiests who always drive to Kaunakakai and even to Hoolehua to attend these workshops. The workshop will run for about one-and-a-half hours at the longest, so people can still take care of their Saturday chores. I’d like to thank Linda Place and Mary Kalilikane for hosting me and assisting with arrangements. It should be a fun morning with lucky number drawings for plants and supplies, and an orchid plant giveaway.

The first workshop will be at Kilohana School on May 15, at 8:30 a.m. The workshop will focus on dendrobiums, the different species and their characteristics, potting techniques, media, nutrition, and pest control.  We’ll also go on a photo journey to the Big Island, from Hamakua to Mountain View to visit several orchid farms. The Big Island is the epicenter of orchid production in Hawaii with many microclimates growing an array of orchid types, from cattleya and vanda, to dendrobium, phalaenopsis, lady slippers, and cold weather zygopetalums.

These workshops are sponsored by the County Office of Economic Development and the UH College of Tropical Agriculture to promote orchid production on Molokai. There will be more orchid workshops scheduled for June and July in Kaunakakai, Hoolehua, and hopefully even in Maunaloa, so stay tuned.

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Sharing and Caring

Friday, May 7th, 2010

"Ka Kou"
'She is... Pule O'o Ka kou, Many Strong and Fulfilling-Answered-Prayers.
'She Is..."HARMONIX" in Being "PONO" and Staying in "Right-Standing"- with Ke Akua, and with One Another.
'She Is... Her People Being MA'A and Always Sharing and Caring to Be and Remain PA'A.
'She is...  our SPECIAL-LITTLE-ISLAND-COMMUNITY, Our "Sweet-n-Lovely" HOME...
"She is... Being!!!  Who, What, Why, How... She Is:
"Molokai Being Moloka'i"- "Moloka'i Being Wahipana"
'She Is...  Pono-ness Ka Kou.
'She Is.. Precious, and Sacred to her Po'e.
'She Is... Expressing-Freely the "Given" Heart-Felt unconditional "ALOHA".
Molokai's Is:  Wahi Pana Ka Kou...

Aloha no ka kou,
Iruka Saitoh

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Lost Band of Brothers

Friday, May 7th, 2010

In the Marine Corps 52 years ago, there was a “band of brothers” known as simply “4 ½.” We were in an outfit called MAG13 stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii in 1958 and ’59.

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Marybeth Yuen Maul

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Marybeth Yuen Maul

Marybeth Yuen Maul, who grew up on Molokai, and became one of Hawaii’s pioneering women attorneys, passed away on April 23, 2010. She was 85.  Maul was one of the first women judges of Asian Pacific American ancestry in Hawaii.  She was appointed magistrate for the island of Molokai in 1957, and also served as a Molokai District Court judge for the County of Maui.  After retiring as the administrator of Kalaupapa Settlement in 1992, she had been living in Honolulu.

Maul was born in Honolulu on March 26, 1925.  During the school year, she lived with her grandparents while attending Punahou.  In the summers, she’d return to Molokai, where her father, Yun Kee Yuen, operated four grocery stores.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Maul’s parents sent her with her siblings to live in Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school.  She completed her law degree at the University of Wisconsin in 1950.

In the 50s, Maul returned to Molokai to help her father with the stores, and became treasurer of Kualapu`u Market.  She raised her two daughters on Molokai.  In 1963, Maul started Molokai’s first and only Chinese restaurant with her family, called Hop Inn.

For many years, Maul was the only attorney on the Friendly Island, often working pro bono, and counseling members of the community.

Known for her compassion for people and animals, Maul cofounded the Molokai Humane Society, assisted the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and the Girl Scouts, and served on the State Advisory Committee to the Department of Education on Title IV.

Maul is survived by her daughters, Robin Campbell and Christy Rice; four grandchildren; sisters, Lilyan Yuen Anderson and Jane Yuen Chang; brother, John “Sonny” Yuen; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, May 7, 2010 at Grace Episcopal Church in Ho`olehua, Molokai.  Visitation will be from 1 - 2:30 p.m. Services will follow.

Heidi Chang

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Molokai Is… Winners

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Molokai Is… Winners

Congratulations to Leilani and Hanohano for submitting their heart-felt entries about what Molokai means to them. Lucky for both of them, they received the same amount of votes making our final round a flat-out tie. They deserve it. Come down to the Molokai Dispatch office to pick up your $50 gift certificate to the Kualapu`u Cookhouse before we get the munchies and use it.

Molokai Photo Contest
Share your vision of Molokai – and by vision, we mean exactly that. Send us a visual representation of Molokai. A photo that captures Molokai’s unique essence – it could be a stunning landscape, a self portrait, even something comical.

Share what Molokai means to you and your photo could be featured on the front page of The Molokai Dispatch. One winner per month will earn a $50 Kualapu`u Cookhouse gift certificate – onolicious!

Each photo submission must include a caption, as well as the contestant’s full name, phone number and a headshot. Kids, ask your parents or teachers for permission. Submit entries of all file formats via email (Editor@TheMolokaiDispatch.com), in person at our Kaunakakai office (Moore building suite 5), or by snail mail (PO Box 482219, Kaunakakai, HI 96748). 

The photo and caption below is an example for contest guidelines, taken by Todd Yamashita.

A young Kaoli Kahokuloa skates the open road of Honoulimalo`o Bay near Rock Point. In the distance, two boys watch surfers on the waves. To me, the photo captures the youthful essence of Molokai and the great opportunity that seems to be just beyond the horizon. The photo would go on to be used as the cover for local musician Sashamon’s debut album, One Day Maybe. Kaoli, now 15, has since become a world renowned surfer carrying major sponsors and winning a number of high profile surf events. 

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Best in Show

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Best in Show

From the original 16 canine companions of Molokai residents, they were whittled down to the top nine in their category: three finalists in small, medium, and large sizes. Then the judges of Molokai’s first ever dog show choose the ‘most different’ dog, ‘most pretty,’ and ‘most handsome’ – and of course, ‘most favorite.’

“We did it for fun – open to all breeds, pure and mixed,” said Lyndon Dela Cruz, owner of Simon & Friends Pet Shoppe and host to the dog show.

The judges were all employees or volunteers of the Molokai Humane Society.

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Environmentally Charged

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Environmentally Charged

Ready. Set. Energize.

Molokai saw its first-ever Energy Efficient and Renewables Show last weekend at the Country Fair, with an avant-garde display of electric vehicles catching the eyes of passerby, along with hydrogen demonstrations, green workshops and light bulb exchange.

The show hosted multiple educational presentations on light-emitting diode (LED) and inductive lighting; the benefits of electric vehicles and charging stations; wind generation; solar hot water and photovoltaic systems; and energy-saving window tinting.

products.”

Blue Planet Foundation also made an appearance alongside students from the robotics team – continuing with their island-wide campaign to go 100 percent compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) efficient.

“Our next step is to go door-to-door,” said Heidi Jenkins, Kaunakakai Elementary School teacher. “We just did that at Ranch Camp and exchanged 1,600 bulbs.”

Go Electric, Save Money
Of the various companies to set up shop outside Lanikeha Community Center on Saturday was Hawaii Electric Vehicle (HiEV), who brought some of the latest technology to hit the ‘green’ scene.

Featured were three electric vehicles – two cars and a motorcycle – a developing mode of transportation that HiEV hopes to bring to Molokai.

HiEV representative Michael Leone said the company’s goal is to gather a group of local businesses interested in being hosts for the electrical vehicle charger, and will provide them with the solar and power. Leone said by being a host, businesses could receive substantial tax credits.

The initiative will also include training Molokai youth – preferably high school students – in how to assemble and maintain the electric vehicles, which will provide them with jobs and help stimulate the economy.

“The goal is long-term sustainability,” Leone said. “We’re in the recruiting process right now. This trip is to find the right people – any interested businesses.”

Leone said on Molokai it costs 22 cents per mile to drive a gas-operated vehicle. The cost for electric is only two cents a mile.

“This could be huge for Molokai,” Leone said. “Especially with bringing in youth – we want to pass along the torch.”

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Molokai Goes Country

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Molokai Goes Country

“Ag Unity in Our Community” was the theme of Saturday’s country fair at Lanikeha Community Center – and it fell nothing short of congruity.

Over a thousand community members weaved in and out of the first-ever agricultural fair, checking out vendors, participating in activities like the greased pig and corn-eating contests, listening to live music and devouring ono food.

“So many people came out to support the Ag,” said Lynn Decoite, one of the fair’s organizers. “It was just fabulous.”

The fair featured a strong lineup of vendors including Kumu Farms, Island Air, Community Health Center, Blue Planet Foundation, Health and Wellness Center, Young Brothers, Coffees of Hawaii, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Molokai Livestock Cooperative, and Seed Savers among many more.

The idea to host a fair arose when Decoite, owner of L&R Farms and president of Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance, and other farmers began talking about bringing together all aspects of agriculture while getting the community involved. Decoite said it took about six months of planning, but the outcome was well worth it.

“The feedback was very positive and the community seemed very excited” to bring the fair back next year, Decoite added.

The fair was sponsored by the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, County of Maui, Office of Economic Development, USDA Farm Service Agency, Island Air, Young Brothers, and Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance.

Don't forget to check out the Dispatch's coverage of all things Country:

Best In Show - Molokai's first dog show.
Environmentally Charged - Electric cars highlight the energy exhibition.
GMO No-Go for Some - Some residents are against Monsanto's GMO practices.
Birds Got Game - Molokai celebrates the peaceful side to game fowl.

 

 

 

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Sha`Kea Lee `Arenui Alohalani Kaipalaoa Kulialeilehua Paleka-Freeman

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Sha`Kea Lee `Arenui Alohalani Kaipalaoa Kulialeilehua Paleka-Freeman

On April 5, 2010, at 11 a.m., the good Lord above blessed this world with another precious little girl, Sha`Kea Lee `Arenui Alohalani Kaipalaoa Kulialeilehua Paleka-Freeman. She was 7 lbs, 4.4 oz and 20 inches long. She is the first child of Shataina Paleka and Keala Freeman. She is also the first grandchild for Penny Paleka, John and Lana Lee Freeman, Roland Porgatorio, and John Gomard and the first great-grandchild of Robert and Barbara Paleka.

Also welcoming her into this world is her uncesl and aunties, Sonny and Rhonda Paleka, Kaipo Porgatorio, Jenu Gomard and Kaeya Cummings, and cousins Laiku, Kahili and Aulii. Godparents are Myndrene “Shiko” Kamai-Lenwai, Lehua Kauka Kuuleimaile Duvauchelle-Kalilikane, Kaipo Porgatorio, Kolu Poepoe and Robert Munoz.

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