A Crossing to Remember
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Hawaiian Culture
Add your commentA Day in Molokai’s History
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Community contributed by Arleone Dibben-Young
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Fifteen boats were demolished, in some cases the engine blocks being the largest surviving pieces. Marine Helicopter Squadron 161, on hand to support inland maneuvers, rushed to the coast to lift much of the troops, supplies and equipment safely ashore. Remarkably, there were no fatalities.
Remnants of military maneuvers, such as fencing and rolls of barbed wire dating back to WWII, can still be found today beneath the shifting sand dunes of Papohaku. In 2002, the dog tags of a pastor involved in the 1963 exercises were discovered during a native plant dune restoration.
Exercising ‘Divine Right’
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Get ready to vote – and this time, instead of casting a ballot for the a U.S. government official, you can have a say in the future of the Reinstated Hawaiian Nation.
On Molokai, the Nation has been holding weekly classes to educate the community on the history of the lawful kingdom and how the public can get involved – particularly by voting in the upcoming elections on Nov. 5. Registration ends Sept. 30, though those who register after that will be counted in an unofficial vote, according to kupuna Moke Kim.
Anyone can vote, even if you are not a citizen of the nation or a Native Hawaiian.
“We need a little kokua for elections to see if people are willing to help and [contribute their] mana`o,” said Duke Kalipi, representative for the Molokai district – one of 24 districts in the reinstated nation.
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Since then, the government has been active, with nine registered “nationals” on Molokai. Statewide citizenship of the Nation has reached about 400 nationals, with another 7,000 citizenship applications in process.
Classes are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Mitchell Pauole Center and serve as a starting point for those interested in becoming citizens of the nation.
“One of the best ways to learn is to participate and ask questions,” said Kim.
“We’ve been here long enough to see…laws closing in,” said one attendee last week, referencing hunting and land tax laws under the Hawaii state government. “The pressure for us locals is getting bad.”
Kim taught the nearly 20 participants in last week’s class about the divine or God-given inherent right to sovereignty.
“We are all ali`i,” he said. “Is it our right? You bet!” he added, pointing to the chalk-written words “divine rights” on the blackboard. “We should all grow up teaching our children to be ali`i.”
In exercising that divine right on Nov. 5, voters will be casting their ballots on who they believe should be the next prime minister of the nation, and Molokai representative and noble.
“We want people to know that they have options,” said Henry French, filling the current Molokai seat in the House of Nobles.
Fit for a Queen
A three-person conch shell ensemble harmoniously signaled the beginning of Ka La Hanau o Lili`uokalani, the annual observance of Queen Lili`uokalani’s birthday on Sept. 2, 1838. The occasion is observed every year by Molokai’s Hawaiian Language Immersion students from grades pre-K to 12. This year’s celebration was held on Sept. 14 at Lanikeha, Ho`olehua with almost 150 of Molokai’s Hawaiian-speaking student population in attendance along with kupuna and family members.
Kalaupapa Courage Recognized
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In the face of great injustice, they lived exemplary lives – and for that, the patient-residents of Kalaupapa were individually honored last week with certificates from Hawaii’s state legislature. Mounted on plaques, the certificates honored the patients’ lives and apologized for their mistreatment.
An estimated 8,000 Hansen’s disease patients were abruptly taken from their families to live on the peninsula in forced isolation from 1866 to 1969. They were nevertheless “remarkably resilient and have responded to their plight with kindness, generosity, and forgiveness rather than anger, bitterness, and despair,” the plaques read in part.
House Representatives John Mizuno and Faye Hanohano spearheaded the resolution to individually honor the patient-residents and conducted the ceremony at McVeigh Hall last Tuesday. A total of 17 former patients in the state received plaques, including those currently living outside Kalaupapa.
“Thank you very much,” patient-resident Gloria Marks told them when she received her plaque. She was one of five Kalaupapa patient-residents who accepted her plaque in person on Tuesday.
Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihiwa, also expressed his appreciation of the honoring.
“It’s nice to get recognized,” he said after the ceremony.
The certificates also recognized Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 208. The resolution was passed in 2008 as the government’s first official apology to the residents of Kalaupapa for their exile. They made note, too, of Saint Damien de Veuster, who spent his life in the settlement.
The patient-residents are “living remnants of the history of Kalaupapa,” Mizuno said after the ceremony. He and Hanohano began discussing ways to acknowledge their lives individually around March, he said.
“This may be the last opportunity to thank them and apologize,” Mizuno said. “It’s very important as we’re getting to the end of a chapter.”
Mark Miller, the Department of Health administrator for the Kalaupapa settlement, said he found out about the representatives’ visit about two days before they arrived. He and the patients were unsure what was to be presented until the meeting actually happened, he said.
“It was getting time we recognized the circumstances surrounding the patients’ involvement with having to stay here,” he said of the plaques. “It’s a good thing.”
Paddling Pailolo
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The 26-mile Pailolo Channel is one of the windiest but best courses in the state, according to its paddlers. Last Saturday, 70 teams assembled for the fifth annual six-person outrigger race from Maui to Molokai known as the Pailolo Challenge. Molokai’s Wa`akapaumua men completed the race in 4th place overall with a time of 2:59.48. The club also paddled a women’s crew, finishing 10th in the open women’s division.
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Molokai’s Clint Labrador said the course held five to six foot swells on race day. “The finish was intense as we were battling with Hawaiian Canoe Club's first crew from about One Alii Park for 3rd place,” he said. “They got us by a half canoe length at the very end, but we managed to give them a run for their money.”
Become a Voice in the Reinstated Nation
Share mana`o and become educated on the Kingdom of Hawaii, also referred to as the Reinstated Hawaiian Nation. Register to vote in the upcoming election. We need more mana`o and ike so we can shape what the government will be like. Meetings are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Mitchell Pauole Center. This is also an opportunity for those who want to become participants or citizens of the nation, to start the process. All are welcome to attend and register to vote. The time has come for us to stand up for our basic human right called sovereignty in Hawaii, and especially on Molokai. This effort is supported by Hui Kane.
Recovering a Species
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The number of Hawaiian monk seals alive in the world is diminishing rapidly, but officials do not think their fate is sealed. That’s why the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing actions they believe may help the recovery of the critically endangered species.
Some of those actions include population monitoring, behavior modification of seals (to discourage human interaction), health and disease control and translocation. While a few of these activities are already practiced under current federal permits, the NMFS is seeking new permits to implement and allow more actions.
The impact of these actions is currently being examined through a process called a Programmatic Environment Impact Statement (PEIS.) That process involves the collection of data, the examination of environmental, cultural and social impacts of the proposed recovery actions and public feedback.
In a hearing about the PEIS held on Molokai last Thursday, community members and fishermen offered their opinion on the proposals. Many expressed concerns about the large amount of fish Hawaiian monk seals eat – fish that they say could be going to feed their families.
“The point we are trying to make is fish is very important food source for us,” said fisherman Walter Naki.
Others didn’t support officials tampering with nature.
“We love the monk seals but we have to find the right balance – we are not God to say we’re going to put them here because they’re extinct,” said resident Eddie Tanaka.
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Sprague said if permitting and funding goes through, the soonest seals would be temporarily translocated would be 2013.
The public has until Oct. 17 to submit comments on the PEIS. The PEIS process is scheduled for completion in late 2011. Visit nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/hawaiianmonkseal.htm for more information. Comments may be emailed to monkseal@noaa.gov or mailed to:
NOAA Fisheries
Office of Protected Resources, Pacific Islands Regional Office
1601 Kapiolani Blvd, Ste 1110
Honolulu, HI 96814
A Sailor’s Dream Come True
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Community contributed by Maka Albertazzi
Living in San Diego, the Molokai Dispatch website is my daily connection to home. This past June I was excited to read about the visit by the Pacific Voyagers, Te Mana o Te Manoa, and the fleet of vakas sailing to Molokai.
As a long-time sailor, I’ve been captivated by the rebirth of Polynesian voyaging. Honestly, I’ve been a bit envious of Todd Yamashita, Dane Dudoit and Conrad Martin’s trip aboard the Hokule`a. In anticipation of the vakas’ September arrival in San Diego, I watched the Youtube posting of their Molokai visit. The cheers from the crowd as the fleet entered the harbor, Anakala Pilipo’s chant and the aloha showered on the crews.
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Once ashore, the journey-worn crews, after traveling 11,000 miles and five months, from New Zealand to California, enthusiastically performed a haka. We all gathered in a circle and held hands, offered a prayer of thanks for their safe arrival. And the feeling of mana in that single moment was one of the most culturally up-lifting experiences I’ve had in a long time.
The fleet’s arrival coincided with the annual San Diego Festival of Sail. Seeing the vakas the next day, among the large gathering of tall ships, was like a cultural crossroad of human ambition, seafaring know-how and lust for adventure.
I’d like to think it was dumb luck, but it was my “Eddie Would Go” T-shirt that caught the attention of a vaka crew. Several of them came up to me and said, “Great shirt, great man” as we exchanged ha -- breath. And like a dream come true when I was invited to sail with them that afternoon.
I can’t even begin to describe the genetic bubbles bursting in my head and heart when they unfurled the sails. It was like a tidal wave of our ancestors pouring over me. Most of the crew on vaka Te Matu a Maui had been aboard when they visited Hawaii. When I asked about their time on Molokai, “spiritual” was the response. They had visited many islands, but on Molokai they found a deep sense of kuleana, aloha and appreciation for what they were doing.
When Kapena Frank Kawe learned of my 35 plus years of sailing he said, “You should come down and help us with preparations in January before we head south to Mexico, the Galapagos and back to New Zealand. Hey kanaka, maybe there’s a spot aboard for you.” I spent the rest of that sail lost in a haze and I don’t think I’ve come out of it yet. I think of being on the open ocean on a vaka, to experience what our kapuna did, to honor one’s kuleana. That would be a dream come true. Wouldn’t it?
Empowering Poetry
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Jamaica Osorio is not your average college student. An Oahu native and senior at Stanford University, she has garnered the attention of the White House and gained recognition as an internationally acclaimed Hawaiian poet.
Last week, Osorio brought her powerful words to Molokai during a night dedicated to Hawaiian culture and art.
Growing up, Osorio’s parents sent her to Hawaiian immersion school – a decision she said she struggled with. In one of her poems reflecting her childhood, she says “Parents are supposed to prepare their children for kindergarten but mine strapped landmines on my melanin and threw me into the deep end and told me to swim.”
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