The Hikianalia, sister voyaging canoe of the Hokule`a, and its crew docked on Molokai last Saturday to honor Molokai Hokule`a captain Uncle Mel Paoa, who passed away last month. Paoa’s memorial services was held on Sunday, attended by hundreds of residents, friends and members of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.…
Fifty years ago on the evenings before major outrigger canoe races, Molokai residents and paddling crews from Hawaii and around the world camped together on the shores of Hale o Lono Harbor. They shared tents, meals, music and conversation under the stars.
“It was really good for everybody to get together. No matter what club you were in, everybody had fun together,” said local fisherman Mervin Dudoit, who paddled in seven Molokai Hoe races during the 1960s. “… Now most guys don’t talk to the next team [before a race].”
As races got more competitive and a good night’s sleep more valuable, lodging separately in hotels or local homes became commonplace.…
Q&A with Hokulea crewmember Kawika CrivelloA handful of Molokai residents have been honored to be invited as crew on the Hokulea, a double-hulled voyaging canoe whose first journey from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976 successfully replicated ancient Polynesian travel using traditional navigation techniques. The late Mel Paoa and Penny Martin began a long tradition of Molokai crewmembers, among them Kawika Crivello. He was one four local watermen to complete legs of the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage, a 47,000-mile journey that will conclude in 2017. While not his first voyage, Crivello served as steersman on a leg across the dangerous Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia between April and June of this year.…
HI State Public Library News Release
The Hawaii State Public Library System will present “A Place in the Middle,” a Hawaii-made anti-bullying film at the heart of a new culturally-centered campaign for safe and inclusive schools, in a series of free community screenings at eight selected public libraries statewide, and on Molokai on Oct. 28.
Created by Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu and directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, “A Place in the Middle” tells the true-life story of a young Hawaiian girl who dreams of leading the boys-only hula troupe at her Honolulu school, and an inspiring teacher who uses traditional culture to empower her.…
Molokai Canoe Festivals Committee News Release
Lomilomi is the manipulation and reconstruction of one’s physical being. Together, the patient and practitioner work together guided by the spirit seeking to restore mental and emotional balance. For true healing to exist the focus is not the patient but rather the entire family unit. We do not treat sickness, we treat the patient, and the patient can only be fully restored when they are in a state of pono, or balance, which thrives within their surroundings.
Ka Pa o Lonopuha is a group of practitioners dedicated to restoring the health and well-being back into our homes once again.…
Ho`olehua Homestead Association News Release
On Oct. 28-30, a celebration will be held to commemorate the 90th year of Hawaiian homesteading in the Ho`olehua/Palaau area of Molokai. Events to take place will be displays of family genealogies, pictures, and sharing of family histories both oral and written. The culminating celebration will take place on the evening of the 30th with a pa`ina and recognition of individual families. More information will be forthcoming.
The committee is seeking donations for this celebration. All inquiries please contact Ochie Bush at 567-6027 or Nona Kaawa at 567-6442.…
Sust`aina ble Molokai and UH Cooperative Extension Service News Release
The Molokai Taro Variety Field Day will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Molokai Applied Research and Demonstration Farm, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The annual event has been organized by the UH Cooperative Extension Service since 1985, and is something that many residents look forward to. This year promises to be another outstanding event.
An important highlight of this year’s Taro Day is The Queen’s Challenge Taro Competition. This year, Molokai has been selected to host the competition, which is held annually at selected sites around the Pae `Aina in honor of Queen Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonalani Na`ea Rooke, who recognized the value of the Hawaiian taro varieties and has written in detail on methods she used to produce large kalo (taro).…
DHHL News Release
The kupuna of Kalamaula made it clear to Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) that Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove is sacred and not a place for recreation. Following community meetings, it was decided that this significant wahipana (historic site) needed to be better cared for and protected.
DHHL consulted the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources because the agency has jurisdiction over historic sites and obtained authorization to clean and fence Kapuaiwa. DHHL requests beneficiaries and members of the general public to respect the sacredness of Kapuaiwa while efforts are ongoing to work with the Department of Agriculture to continue diagnose/monitor the health of the trees so future decisions may be made about their well-being.…
Molokai Canoe Festivals Committee News Release
Historical records dating back to 1865 note Hawaiian outrigger canoe race competitions as one of the many events our kupuna took part in during annual la kulaia, days of festivities honoring the Kingdom of Hawaii and especially honoring our beloved monarchy. During that era, kulaia generally occurred once a year during a national holiday or birthday celebration of a mo`i (monarch).
After the overthrow of our beloved Hawaiian Kingdom, kulaia festivities changed focus and no longer celebrated the Kingdom and monarchy. In historical records, we see the shift from national celebration to simply canoe race competitions. …
Last week, Molokai lost a beloved waterman, paramedic, Hokule`a captain, mentor and family man. Melvin “Mel” Paoa, Jr., who dedicated his career to saving lives as the island’s first certified paramedic, was known around the island and the world for his quiet, aloha spirit.
Shortly after noon last Saturday, Molokai firefighters responded to a report of a boat floating unattended near Kamalo Wharf. Witnesses said they last saw Paoa, 62, tying up his 26-foot-catamaran in the area, according to fire officials. Rescue crews found him unresponsive, floating about 300 yards offshore and downwind from the wharf. After unsuccessfully trying to resuscitate him, he was transported to Molokai General Hospital, where he passed away.…
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