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Culture & Art

The View from Outside

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

You can’t be critical of Molokai without knowing its people.

I recently had a discussion with a colleague about the social situation on Moloka‘i. Actually, that’s just one way to characterize it. Another would be that I had a heated exchange with a guy who showed his ignorance by expressing some deeply-held prejudices about Moloka‘i and its people. It wasn’t pretty.

I’ll be the first to admit that Moloka‘i isn’t perfect; none of us would claim that it is. There could be more jobs and less crime. The economy could be stronger. We could have more doctors and fewer residents who rely on drugs and alcohol to get through the day. Food and gas could be cheaper. There could be more ways for young people to use their time.

Yet we all know that we could say the same thing about every community in our state, and probably our nation. Yes, Moloka‘i has been hit hard. Everybody has.

The danger comes when people outside Moloka‘i try to take the acknowledged challenges and extend them into a criticism of the entire community and all of its residents.

You can’t know Moloka‘i until you have spent real time in the community, met the real people who choose to make it their home, seen how they live and work and play. Moloka‘i isn’t about high gas prices and closing businesses any more than Honolulu is about traffic and high rise condominiums. Every community is a reflection of complex personal interactions and common choices. And every part of our state—whatever the average income or style of the homes—reflects in varying degrees a willingness to share the sorrows as well as the joys that form the backdrop of our lives.

I have met many people on Moloka‘i who have the warmest hearts and most generous souls you will find anywhere. Almost everyone I have encountered there has made a commitment to making the island and our state a better place to raise children and support our families. And every person on Moloka‘i has earned the respect and support of our community and our government. No amount of pontificating can rob the island and its residents of their right to guide their own destiny.

In fairness, we should remember that the blade cuts both ways. Some of us find ourselves accusing O‘ahu residents of being Honolulu-centric, of not caring for the different values and lifestyles of those who choose to live on other islands. While I am sure that those views sometimes hold true, I have found in most cases that most individuals who truly care for Hawai‘i—including my colleagues in the legislature—make a sincere effort to consider the varied experiences and choices of our state’s residents.

Maybe my opinionated friend was having an unfortunate mental hiccup. It is possible that under other circumstances he would have chosen his words more wisely and expressed himself less provocatively. It is probably fairest for all of us to look beyond this single episode and forgive his unfounded blanket-condemnation of Moloka‘i.

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Memorializing The Past

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

Bill would provide federal authorization for Kalaupapa Memorial.
By Sean Aronson

It’s been a long time coming, but Kalaupapa could soon have an official memorial to commemorate the more than 8000 people who lived on the peninsula over the more than one hundred years that Hansen’s disease patients were exiled there.

The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to approve the bill as part of an omnibus public lands package this week.  The bill does not include any money for the planned memorial, but it does give the legal authority for construction.

The idea for the memorial is to display the names of all patients sent to Kalaupapa, and originally Kalawao, from 1866-1969.  There were an estimated 8000 Hansen’s disease patients through the years.  Today, there are 24 living in Hawaii, with only 14 still residing in Kalaupapa.
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Rockin’ The 70’s

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Molokai Ohana Surf Club hosts the second annual 70’s Surf Meet
By Molokai Dispatch Staff

Signature T-shirts were available for sale, and those who bought one enjoyed the bonus of sponsoring a youth to enter the contest at the same time. All proceeds from entry fees and T-shirts sales go toward the continuation of the annual meet. Organizers hope that someday the club will provide kids with an afterschool ride to the beach that includes surf practice, ocean safety classes, and a series of surf contests that span the winter surf season.

“The day brought everyone together, and it’s not all about competition,” says event organizer Clint Labrador. “It’s about style and getting together on the beach – back to what the 70’s was all about.”

Molokai Ohana Surf Club would like to thank its community sponsors: Ka Honua Momona, The Molokai Dispatch, Molokai Surf, Rawlins chevron, Kamoi Snack-N-Go.

Special thanks to friends of Molokai Ohana Surf Club for all of your kokua: Howard Selnick, Steve & Donna Morgan, Dan Bennett, Perry Buchalter, Butch Tabanao, Kolo Place, Freddy Reyes, Sheri Yamashita, Mervin Dudoit, Sasha Spiller-Reiff, Harmonee Williams, and Josh Pastrana.

Results:
Boy’s Bodyboard 1. Isaiah Alavazo, 2. Beau-Henry Paleka-Borden, 3. Josiah, 4. Moku Lindsey. Boy’s Longboard 1. Hoarai Pou. Girl’s 70’s shortboard 1. Julie Ann Bicoy. Women’s Bodyboard 1.Summer Napoleon. Men’s Bodyboard 1. Perry Buchalter, 2. Camilo Dela Cruz, 3. Kawehi Soares. Women’s Open 70’s shortboard 1. Kabbie Bicoy, 2. Danielle Bicoy, 3. Naomi Bicoy. Men’s open 70’s shortboard 1. Dart Bicoy, 2. Kuhio Kaholoaa, 3. Wayne Kaauwai, 4. James Pua`a-Spencer. Longboard Open 1. Sashamon, 2. Clint Labrador, 3. Fats Kahoalii, 4. Kabbie Bicoy. Masters Longboard 1. Alan Apostol, 2.Perry Buchalter.

If you are interested in supporting Molokai Ohana Surf Club’s efforts or would like to receive email updates about future MOSC events, email molokaisurf@gmail.com.

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Protecting the ‘aina is a priority for Maui Representative

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

When the Hawai‘i Supreme Court ordered that there be an injunction to prevent the State from selling “ceded lands” from the public land trust last year, the Justices correctly acknowledged the State’s fiduciary duty to preserve those lands until the unrelinquished claims of Native Hawaiians have been resolved.

The Hawai‘i Supreme Court, citing the 1993 Apology Resolution by Congress as well as State legislation, said that given the crucial importance of the ‘aina to the Native Hawaiian people and their culture, their religion, their economic self-sufficiency, and their sense of personal and community well-being, any further diminishment of the “ceded lands” from the public lands trust will negatively impact the contemplated reconciliation and settlement efforts between native Hawaiians and the State.

It is imperative not just for native Hawaiians, but all of Hawai‘i’s people that a moratorium on the selling of “ceded lands” remain in place to preserve this process of reconciliation.

As Chairwoman of the House Hawaiian Affairs Committee and Chairwoman of the Legislative Hawaiian Caucus, which consists of six State Senators and 22 State Representatives, I have kept an open and transparent discussion to educate lawmakers on the cultural, emotional, and inherent significance of these “ceded lands” to the Hawaiian people.

In late January 2009, the Caucus supported a full moratorium on the selling of “ceded lands” and introduced a bill that became the Caucus’ priority as part of a legislative package.

I have also provided an ongoing forum through the Caucus “Kukakuka” meetings as well as heard and passed out measures to address the moratorium issue, which involved the public in the discourse and allowed lawmakers to hear arguments from different sides of the “ceded lands” debate.

With the start of the 2009 Legislative Session, I’ve had discussions with Gov. Linda Lingle, Attorney General Mark Bennett, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Chair Micah Kane, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustees Haunani Apoliana, Walter Heen, Oswald Ostender, Collette Machado, and Robert Lindsey, OHA’s Administrator Clyde Namu‘o as well as OHA’s attorney Bill Maheula, regarding the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on “ceded lands.”

Other members of the Hawaiian community who I had discussions with about the moratorium are the Royal Order of Kamehameha Ali‘i Nui Clifford Hashimoto and members, Hawai‘i attorney Sherry Broder, The Reinstated Hawaiian Government Prime Minister Henry Noa, Aha Kiole Representatives, Association of Hawaiian Civics Clubs President Leimomi Kahn, Hula Kumu Vicky Takamine-Holt of Iliuokalani and many, many others.

The legislative fight for a moratorium is one that has united kupuna, native Hawaiians, lawmakers, communities, and activists from across the state. The resounding support to bar the selling of “ceded lands” until the reconciliation process can take place is not simply there to institute a legal measure. The powerful emotions and voices that have emerged from our Kukakuka with Hawai‘i’s community reflect the willingness of Hawai‘i’s people to continue to move forward with this healing process and to protect the lands for future generations.

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Blazing the Trail

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Blazing the Trail

Ke `Aupuni Lokahi receives grant to plan Pala`au trails.

At the Pala`au Pavilion in Kalae, Bill Garnett outlines the Ala Pala`au project that would provide recreation, restoration and employment.

By Catherine Cluett

For Bill Garnett, much of the future is found in the past, and he lives that motto every day in his work with rare and native plant restoration on Molokai. This philosophy also led him to read through old Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) documents which pointed to historic trails in the Pala`au State Park region in Kalae.

Garnett’s peek into the past lead to a $90,000 grant to plan for uncovering and restoring those same Pala`au trails.  The goal is multi-faceted -- restoring native forests and rare species, providing cultural interpretation of these resources and presenting a new area of recreation as well as employment.

The HTA awarded the grant to Ke `Aupuni Lokahi, Inc., (KAL) a non-profit organization for community improvement. The grant funds only the planning process, which will include gathering ideas from the community and completing the necessary environmental and cultural reports, permits, and analysis to facilitate implementation of the plan. Education and training in natural resource management, with an emphasis on youth stewardship of the land, is a key component of the project which is being called Ala Pala`au.

“This is the biggest grant they have ever given for a natural resources project,” says Garnett, an employee of the University of Hawaii who oversees the planting of rare and endangered plants in Kalaupapa and around the island.

Garnett expects the planning process to take about a year. It will involve not only comprehensive preparation for every aspect of the project, but also completion of a botanical survey of the area.

The project will provide new recreation, restoration and employment, according to Meredith Speicher, a planner with the National Park Service (NPS).

The NPS in Kalaupapa has also volunteered their staff to match the funds in labor for the project. Guy Hughes, NPS Natural Resources Division Chief, says Park Superintendent Steve Prokop hopes the topside trails and lookouts over Kalaupapa will be a way for people to experience the peninsula even if they are not able to make the trek down.

One bordering landowner expressed concern that once they open their doors to this project, it would take on a life of its own. “What guarantee do we have that this will not turn into something more in the future?”

In short, there is no guarantee, according to Hughes. But Stacy Crivello, a KAL board member, is quick to point out that communication is integral to the project’s success, and nothing will happen without landowner’s cooperation.

Lori Buchanan, member of the Molokai Planning Commission and the Molokai Invasive Species Committee, added that the project would need protection against potential liability. “Who is responsible if a tourist falls on the trail?” she asks. “What agency will be held accountable?”

No one has all the answers yet. Garnett points out that part of the project’s purpose is job creation and training, and that hopefully Molokai residents will take responsibility for tasks like trail maintenance. “But we have $90,000 to plan this, so we better be able to answer all these questions,” he says.

Garnett hopes to work with local nurseries to supply native plants for the area, and schools to involve youth in the work.

Another challenge the project currently faces is a lack of clarity of land ownership and property lines. The Department of Hawaiian Homelands owns the majority of the land earmarked for the project, and several divisions within the State of Hawaii as well as the National Park Service lease portions of it. Defining the boundaries between these parcels will be a large part of the planning process, says Garnett. 

Ke Aupuni Lokahi is a non-profit organization established to administer the Enterprise Community (EC) Grant awarded to the Molokai community in 1998 by the United States Department of Agriculture. That grant sunsetted in December 2008, according to Benny Venenciano, Administrator of KAL. 

While KAL’s EC status is over, the work it does in the community is not, and Venenciano says the organization is continuing to offer support to the projects it began, many of which now stand on their own feet. These include the Molokai Land Trust for open space conservation, the Molokai Community Health Center, and the Molokai Community Development Corporation, which provides affordable housing.

The first public meeting for the Ala Pala`au Trails project will be held in mid-March. Look for the specific date and time in the Dispatch calendar.

Call Ke `Aupuni Lokahi at 553-8188 for more information or if you would like to volunteer in the planning of the project.

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Hawaiian Blossom

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Singer Raiatea Helm and her boyfriend, Guy Sibilla, met Barack and Michelle Obama at a fundraiser at the Kahala Mandarin back in August.

Here’s what she had to say about the encounter: “Meeting Obama was quite an honor.  Just being in his presence had to have been one of the most powerful feelings ever.  He is a very charismatic and articulate man”

She recounted one particularly funny moment from the evening:
 “We all thought about singing a song for Obama…We decided to sing "Hawaii Aloha,” not even less than a minute in to the song, we hear him coming from the back of the room saying, "Hey, I know that song."  Then he started to sing a long with us and took some photos.  It was really fun.”

Raiatea Helm also performed at the Hawaii State Ball for Obama’s inauguration.  Don’t forget to catch her performance on Molokai on March 13 at the Hotel Molokai.

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Makahiki

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

like this,” says Kanu O Ka `Aina Principal Ku Kahakalau. “We come to perpetuate the culture,” explains Kai Marshall, a student at the school. “It’s always been a great thing. The whole school gets into it. We choose our best to come over.”

For Ilima Ho-Lastimosa of God’s Country Waimanalo, there’s no place like Molokai. “It’s more traditional and meaningful here. In Honolulu, it’s just going through the motions,” she says.

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Makahiki 2009

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

By Kanoe Davis

Lonoikamakahiki! Lonoikamakahiki! Lonoikamakahiki! These are the words that are shared amongst individuals who celebrate the Lono season where the rise of the Makali'i star marks the time to honor an Akua who brings life and peace to the 'aina.

For many, Makahiki never ends. Harvesting and cultivating food is a year round responsibility for many farmers and for many it’s a lifestyle not brought by any season.

What makes this time of the year significant is that it was kapu to make war which allowed people a time to appreciate and take care of what they had so that they could replenish what they were missing. It was also a time of celebration when the ruling chiefs showed their aloha to Lono by offering their best vegetation and gifts from their ahupua'a. In return they asked for the rains of Lono to nurture their gardens and to strengthen their relationship with the land.

Some of the kinolau, or body forms of Lono can be seen as kukui, kumu, `aweoweo, black pig, certain kalo and niu, laua`e, `a`ali`i, and other varieties of lau.

Now that the makahiki season has come to an end, Molokai celebrates with an opening and closing ceremony that is shared by many of the children and community members of Molokai as well as those from the outer islands including O'ahu, Kaua'i, and the Big Island.

Aside from the protocols held by Makahiki coordinators, many practitioners here still honor Lono through ceremony and pay respect for their ahupua`a. Each land section had a significant site or ahupua`a that bordered or marked their `aina. It is at this place that Lono visits and where those of the ahupua`a give their ho`okupu.

An akualoa or image of Lono is held up high and walked alongside the land; upon his passing, games are played amongst the people and it is a great time to sharpen skills, to compete and to find the strongest competitor within the ahupua`a. If war was about, there would be no time to play or hone one’s skills making this season very important to the ali`i.

As we enter the season of Ku where the production and the outcomes are reflections of the Lono season, I share with you my mana`o. If I have offended anyone that is not my intention. Mahalo for allowing me to share and until the next rise of the Makali`i, LONOIKAMAKAHIKI!

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Taking the Wheel

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

General Management Plan for Kalaupapa is on the move

By Catherine Cluett

Kalaupapa is at a crossroads, and Molokai residents have the opportunity to decide which route it takes. “The National Park Service is guiding the process but not determining it,” explains General Management Plan Project Manager Anna Tamura. That’s up to community members.

The General Management Plan is viewed as a guiding blueprint for the National Park Service to follow in the coming 20 years. The first of its kind for Kalaupapa, the plan will include two phases – a short term plan while the patients are still living, and long-term vision for what Kalaupapa will be like after patients are no longer present, according to Steve Prokop, National Park Superintendent for the peninsula.

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Sediment Breeds Sentiment

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Molokai residents have renewed interest in preservation of natural resource.
By Sean Aronson

is feral ungulates,” says Brown. In plain English, that means the goats, pigs and deer that populate much of Molokai’s open land. Their actions create erosion, which in turn speeds up the process of sediment reaching the reef.

While it is true that increased flow in the harbor would result from the culverts, according to Brown, that sediment would need somewhere to go.

“Just because the sediment is no longer on the reef,” says Brown, “there’s still no guarantee it will leave the area.”

Again, Brown emphasized the main problem as soil from the land blowing onto the reef.

Brown says it is instructive to look at Lahaina in comparison with Kaunakakai. The reefs in both areas were severely impacted by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, but Lahaina’s reef has recovered much quicker.

That’s because Lahaina stopped major sugarcane growing in 1998, which allowed for increased erosion control, says Brown. On Molokai, erosion is getting worse, not better, says Brown -- meaning more sediment on the reef.

For Jerry Johnson, even if culverts in the wharf are only a short term solution, at least it’s a start. And he says the Army Corps report is reason enough to make something happen.

In 2001 analysis, the Army Corps created a model of the Kaunakakai Harbor to test whether culverts would improve the flow of water in the area, thus creating less stress on the reef. The results were mixed. Under certain conditions, wave heights and tides, there was a perceptible reduction in the amount of particulate matter in the harbor area. But it also concluded that the sediment was just as likely to be held up in the harbor if conditions were not just right.

Still, Johnson would like to see money from the Federal government go to the wharf improvements. He says there is money set aside for habitat improvements and the culvert project would no doubt qualify.

For now, residents will continue to brainstorm and push for action on the reef -- with or without government support.

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