Culture & Art

Ahonui: Patience with Perseverance

Friday, May 8th, 2015

Community Contributed

Opinion by Rick Baptiste

We are on the last and fifth phase of our joint efforts in renewing the “Aloha Spirit” in our community so we all can live blessed lives on Molokai.  In my last article “h,” from the acronym ALOHA stood for Ha`aha`a, the quality of humility.  Humility is a great quality to possess as we launch into deeper waters with the last “a” in ALOHA. “A” stands for Ahonui, which is patience expressed with perseverance.

Have you ever noticed when you are impatient that whatever you are waiting on seems to take longer and leads to frustration and anger?  …

Judo Finds Success in First Season

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

Judo Finds Success in First Season

For a sport whose name means “the gentle way,” the energetic shouts accompanied by the sounds of bodies slamming on the mat may seem anything but. However, when executed correctly, the sport of judo is a fiercely fluid set of moves that are far less painful than they appear.

“The object of judo is to throw the person on their back perfectly,” said Molokai Coach Eli “Lihau” Maioho. “When that’s done, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

Molokai athletes are being schooled in the art of throwing hard and falling soft in the high school’s first-ever judo season. In only a few meets, athletes have gone from newcomers to top seeds in their weight classes.…

French Classes at Kualapu`u

Friday, May 1st, 2015

Kualapu`u School News Release

The Kualapu`u Charter School is again this year offering classes in beginning French twice weekly, as part of the after school enrichment program.  Mlle. Marine Malet from Toulouse, France, will be teaching the popular course to students grades K through six, until May 21.

Last year, Mlle. Christelle Raoul from Brittany taught French language and culture for two quarters at Kualapu’u School, where students learned songs, stories, and how to make their own French crepes.

“The French classes are an opportunity to bring an international flavor to the school,” said school principal Lydia Trinidad. “Also, the chocolate crepes are always a hit with the students and staff.”…

Wild West End: Molokai Ranch Heritage Rodeo

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

Wild West End: Molokai Ranch Heritage Rodeo

As the bullriders packed up their protective gear and the last riders led their horses out of the Molokai Ranch arena, cowboy Maka Augustiro beamed with quiet pride. His 14-year-old son Chevy had just braved several long seconds in the ring with a madly bucking bull and won uproarious cheers from the crowd for his efforts. For the Augustiros and many other Molokai families, last Saturday’s Molokai Ranch Heritage Rodeo was a chance to admire each other’s grit and talent – and sometimes compete against each other.

“It gives us a time to come and have what we call a playdate for us, a time where we can make a sport of the work we do on the ranch,” said long-time paniolo Jimmy Duvauchelle.…

Hawaiians, Know You Are Royalty Today

Friday, April 24th, 2015

Community Contributed

Opinion by Harrie Ann Aki and Gavin Pelekane Tamashiro

Our group is proposing a plan to recognize our Maoli Kingdom, to the Hawaii legislature and our people who live in Hawaii.  If you agree and support our proposal, please go to change.org or go to Molokai Fish and Dive and sign our proposal petition.

This proposal could make a great impact for everyone to get out of suppression in Hawaii. It’s time to protect and malama what we have left for our children’s generation, before we lose it all to state of Hawaii, Department of Hawaiian Homelands, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Kana`iolowalu and others.…

After 11 Years, Molokai Dances in Merrie Monarch

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

Molokai hula dancers and vendors spent months rehearsing and crafting with a specific purpose in mind: sharing the stories of Molokai at the 52nd Merrie Monarch Festival.

After a decade-long absence from hula’s premiere annual event, Moana’s Hula Halau traveled to Hilo for the weeklong hula and cultural festival from April 5-11, along with 10 Molokai businesses. Twenty-four halau from Hawaii and the mainland came to compete in solo and group competitions, bringing their own unique take on Hawaii’s renowned method of storytelling.

“It’s not about being pretty,” said Kumu Hula Valerie Dudoit-Temahaga of Moana’s Hula Halau. “… It’s not about the beauty of being on the stage.…

Paniolo Round Up for Rodeo

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

This Saturday, 80 paniolo from around the state will gather at the Jimmy Duvauchelle Arena for the first annual Molokai Ranch Heritage Rodeo, to celebrate a colorful slice of Hawaiian culture that was born to counter an environmental problem in mid-1800s Hawaii.

At that time, with newly introduced cattle threatening native crops and people, according to hawaiihistory.org, Kamehameha III realized the need to round up the rampaging livestock. He invited Mexican cowboys to the islands to instruct Hawaiians in horse riding and cattle herding, creating the paniolo and ranching lifestyle that is still a way of life for many in Hawaii.…

Mana for Mauna Kea

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015

Mana for Mauna Kea

Ongoing efforts to protect Mauna Kea’s peak, considered sacred by Native Hawaiians, from an 18-story tall structure called Thirty Meter Telescope, has gone international, with Molokai residents joining in the protests and social media buzz.

Pictured here, local community members rallied along Maunaloa Highway last week, holding signs and raising awareness.

Mauna Kea’s peak is viewed as one of the most sacred sites in Hawaii, and Molokai activist Walter Ritte is leading efforts to protect it from a 14th telescope.

“There’s certain places where you just cannot compromise anymore. There’s just too much that’s been lost in the Hawaiian community. So I think this is gonna be one of those positions where the Hawaiians are gonna come out and demand that they protect this sacred mountain.…

Ukulele Ohana Molokai Returns

Friday, April 10th, 2015

Fullheart Productions News Release

This coming Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, the sounds of the happiest instrument on earth will once again fill the lodge at Pu`u O Hoku Ranch as the Ukulele Ohana Molokai workshop and its teacher Lono, return for the fourth year in a row.

The theme this year will be Mele O`o or powerful music.  Participants will be coming from around the world to learn the deep roots of Old Style Hawaiian music with Lono on their ukuleles, and to experience the vibrant community of Molokai. When asked what inspires him to write and teach Lono says, “The line between the past and the present, through our ancestors, prepares us for the future.…

Ha`aha`a, the Quality of Humility

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Community Contributed

Opinion by Rick Baptiste

We are on the fourth phase of our joint efforts in renewing the “Aloha Spirit” in our community so we all can live blessed lives on Molokai. The fourth phase is the letter “H” in the acronym of “ALOHA” with “H” standing for Ha`aha`a, the quality of humility expressed with modesty.

The definition of humility taken from Webster’s Dictionary is, “The quality of not thinking you are better than other people.”  Before I go deeper, I hereby ask anyone reading this for forgiveness, in the event I have come across to you in a high makamaka attitude.  …