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History

Stories about Molokai’s rich cultural history.

Research Team Discovers Existence of Hawaii Sign Language

Friday, March 1st, 2013

 

University of Hawai`i News Release

A research group based in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa announced this morning that they have confirmed the existence of a previously undocumented language in Hawai‘i called Hawai‘i Sign Language (HSL). This is the first time since the 1930’s that a previously unknown language, either spoken or signed, has been documented in the U.S., and it could be the last of America’s undiscovered languages.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the 3rd International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation at UH Mānoa.

HSL, the indigenous language of Deaf people in Hawai‘i, is one of only two known surviving sign languages in the United States.…

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A Game 30 Years in the Making

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

A Game 30 Years in the Making

 

The baseball field in Maunaloa sat abandoned for 30 years. There were no games, no lessons on teamwork or sportsmanship, no scoreboards and no homeruns. But Saturday morning, as overcast skies gave way to a bright, windy day, the boys and girls of Team Molokai made their way onto the field near Maunaloa Elementary School. For them it was just another ball game, but for the community it was so much more.

Team parent Kalehua Sproat Augustiro said the game gives a boost to an area that’s often outside of the action.

“It brings life to the town of Maunaloa,” Sproat-Augustiro said.…

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Coffees of Hawaii Celebrates 20 Years of Coffee on Molokai

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Coffees of Hawaii Celebrates 20 Years of Coffee on Molokai

This year marks 20 years of coffee production on the island of Molokai. Also in 2013, the entire coffee industry in the State of Hawaii celebrates 200 years of producing the crop. Coffees of Hawaii will host a free two-day festival March 15 and 16 at the plantation in Kualapu`u.

Coffees of Hawaii, Inc. (COH) was formed in February 1984, when the first contracts were negotiated with Molokai Ranch to lease the land and base yard facilities in Kualapu`u. In 1986 the first plantings of coffee were completed in two experimental fields. The company planted 600 acres of Arabica coffee on the former pineapple lands in 1988 and conducted its first commercial harvest in 1993.…

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Pulling for Peace: Ka Molokai Makahiki 2013

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

Pulling for Peace: Ka Molokai Makahiki 2013

 

Competitors from Kualapu`u and Kilohana Schools face off on opposite ends of the rope, and the crowd begins to roar as game official Hanohano Naehu announces the beginning of the match. With toes digging into the grass, students lean back on the line. On one side, Kualapu`u Principal Lydia Trinidad leans forward, her hands clenched, gesturing wildly to egg on her students. Kilohana Principal Richard Stevens paces the other end of the line, urging his crimson-clad athletes to hold tight. Smiles turn to grimaces, inching the ti leaf tied in the middle of the rope toward the victory line. With a final heave, Kualapu`u lunges for the win.…

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St. Marianne Honored at Home

Monday, January 14th, 2013

St. Marianne Honored at Home

After a week of rain and wind, last Saturday’s sunny dawn was an auspicious start to a special day in Kalaupapa. Hundreds of friends and dignitaries from across the country, as well as community members, gathered to celebrate the sainthood of St. Marianne Cope. While festivities have been held in her honor around the world since her canonization in October, this event brought the celebration home to the place St. Marianne served exiled Hansen’s disease patients for 30 years.

“This day was a surprise,” smiled patient resident Gloria Marks, referring to both the weather and the reason for celebration. “This day is important because she [St.…

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Ua Mau Ke Ea: Sovereignty Endures

Sunday, January 13th, 2013

Alu Like, Inc. News Release

Molokai’s Native Hawaiian Library is sponsoring an Open House and Event, Ua Mau Ke Ea: Sovereignty Endures on Thursday, Jan. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. The library is located on the hill behind Lanikeha and the Ho`olehua Fire station.

The event will be revisiting the history of the 120 years since the overthrow of the Hawaiian government. A guest speaker, Dr. David Keanu Sai, will be doing a PowerPoint presentation from 5 to 6 p.m. The presentation will be based on historical documents to educate the public. (Views expressed by the speaker do not represent the views of the organization.)…

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Kalaupapa Exhibit at St. Damien Church

Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Kalaupapa Exhibit at St. Damien Church

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa News Release

A historical exhibit developed by Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa opened this week at Saint Damien Church in Kaunakakai, where it will remain through Feb. 3. The exhibit, “A Source of Light, Constant and Never-Fading,” emphasizes the strong relationship between the people of Kalaupapa and the Royal Family of Hawaii, a chapter of the history of Kalaupapa not often told.

A presentation about the work of the `Ohana in reconnecting families to their Kalaupapa ancestors will be held Thursday, Jan. 10 beginning at 6 p.m. at the church. Light pupus will be served. The public is welcome.…

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Remembering the Pearl Harbor Attack

Sunday, December 2nd, 2012

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise military attack on the U.S. naval base at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor. Eight U.S. battleships were damaged, and four were sunk. One hundred eighty-eight U.S. aircraft were destroyed. Two thousand four hundred two Americans were killed and more than 1,000 were wounded. The attack shocked Americans, and prompted the U.S. entry into World War II, with a declaration of war on Japan announced the following day.

Around Hawaii, residents feared further Japanese attacks. On Molokai, the community experienced black-outs, drills and food rationing. In honor of Pearl Harbor Day this Friday, the Dispatch asked Molokai residents to share memories of reactions on the day of the attack and life in the months that followed.…

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The American Sugar Company and its Kaunakakai Wells

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

The American Sugar Company and its Kaunakakai Wells

Community Contributed

By Arleone Dibben-Young

Eager to begin a sugar plantation after the Feb. 2, 1898 sale of the Molokai Ranch to the new Molokai Ranch Company, director Alfred W. Carter hired the McCandless Brothers partnership to drill test wells in Kaunakakai. Arriving on the Wilder steamer Helene in Kaunakakai with a crew of men and a complete artesian well drilling boring outfit on April 22, 1898, “Kimo” J. S. McCandless immediately commenced setting up the equipment three-quarters of a mile up Kaunakakai Gulch from the ocean.

Two wells were drilled 40 feet apart and 80 to 90 feet deep with an 8-inch casing and were completed by July, then used to irrigate 80 acres of cane planted on the flats below where Manilla Camp stands today.…

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Honorary Mayors of Kaunakakai

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

Honorary Mayors of Kaunakakai

Honoring kupuna is one of the age-old traditions that’s part of Molokai’s cultural DNA. One way residents have recognized the service of kupuna is through the election of an Honorary Mayor of Kaunakakai. The tradition has evolved over the past century –it’s been hosted by a variety of organizations, passed down in many versions of oral history and has even been memorialized in a nationally-known song.

Probably the best-known Honorary Mayor was Mitchell “Papa” Pauole in the mid-1900s, a well-loved Molokai resident who embodied the aloha spirit, greeted visitors at the airport, and served the community in many capacities. But the tradition of Honorary Mayor began long before Papa Pauole, according to Halawa resident and cultural practitioner Pilipo Solatorio.…

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