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Culture & Art

Dancing for the Departed: Bon Festival 2012

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Dancing for the Departed: Bon Festival 2012

As dusk fell on the Guzeiji Soto Mission of Molokai last Saturday evening, glowing paper lantern orbs illuminated the faces of dozens of dancers honoring their departed loved ones. Molokai residents joined members of the Somei Taiko drumming group and the Japanese Cultural Center on Oahu in the graceful motions of the Bon dance.

“It’s a time to celebrate with our loved ones that have passed on,” said Marge Yokomizo-Bento, president of the Molokai Guzeiji Soto Mission, a Buddhist temple located on Hotel Lane in Kaunakakai.

The temple grounds were crowded with community members of all ages enjoying a selection of food and cultural education.…

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Songs of Praise

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Songs of Praise

Hundreds gathered to share in the third annual Molokai Summer Praise Concert, held at Kaunakakai Ball Field on Friday. The concert featured four musical groups from off-island, including 2010 Na Hoku Award winners Barrett and Tara Awai.

The event, put on by a committee comprised of seven different churches on Molokai, was a free event for families, and offered free food, music and games for keiki.

“It’s a no-strings-attached event and it’s for our whole island,” said Pastor Randy Manley of Molokai Baptist Church. “We’re excited to be able to bless our community like this and see it grow every year.”…

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Not-so-Common Kings

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Not-so-Common Kings

Common Kings got the crowd buzzing with their royal talents Friday night at Paddlers Inn. The California-based pop/reggae band performed covers of well-known favorites from names like Michael Jackson, as well as original songs like “Alcoholic” and “Wade in Your Water.” The band was brought to the island by Hawaii’s Finest.…

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Building a Food Forest

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Building a Food Forest

Molokai High School’s permaculture farm almost in full bloom

The Farmers will have the chance to explore a new method of farming this year, as Molokai High School (MHS) partners with local grassroots organization Sust `aina ble Molokai to create a permaculture farm located right on campus. The garden, which was started in January of this year, will use fundamentals of permaculture farming like building food forests, or diversified ecosystems that wield a variety of fruit year-round, as compared to traditional commercial farms that only produce one crop in mass quantities.

“We want to have kids engaged enough to create their own school gardens and permaculture curriculum,” said Emillia Noordhoek, Sust `aina ble Molokai’s executive director.…

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Marine Corps Will Not Increase Flights to Kalaupapa

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Ho`olehua Airport still on the table as refueling station

After receiving opposition from residents as well as state and federal agencies, the U.S. Marine Corps says it won’t increase training activity in the Kalaupapa settlement. The proposed actions were part of an expansion of Marine Corps presence in Hawaii, which still includes a possible refueling station and training at the Ho`olehua Airport.

According to the Programmatic Agreement (PA) for Hawaii operations, activity in Kalaupapa will now remain at the current level of 112 operations annually, performed by H-1 helicopters. The originally-proposed action would have added training of MV-22 Osprey tiltorotar aircraft, which would have approximately doubled current activity.…

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Honu Population at Mo`omomi Thriving

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Honu Population at Mo`omomi Thriving

On summer nights, female green sea turtles, or honu, make their way to the beach they were born on about 30 years before. Plodding determinedly to a spot above the high tide line, they dig a hole in the sand with their flippers — sometimes they dig several pits before finding a location they deem satisfactory. There, they lay about 100 white eggs, then use their flippers to cover them with sand. They lumber back to the ocean and slip into the cool dark water, never to see their tiny young that will hatch about two months later and instinctively head for the sea.…

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Molokai’s Own 442

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Molokai’s Own 442

Community Contributed

By Larry Helm

The men pictured above served this country with integrity and honor and were part of most decorated Army unit in World War II. The young Molokai Japanese Americans worked for CPC (California Packing Corporation) pineapple plantation in Kualapu`u and family businesses in Kaunakakai.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor they joined the Army. Being of Japanese ancestry, they had to overcome the stigma of racism and internment. While fighting with the famous go-for-broke 442 Battalion in Europe, they helped save France and Italy from the Hitler German occupation, rescued a lost Texas Army company that was surrounded by the enemy, and rescued 12,000 Jews from Dochaw prison camp.…

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Monitoring Monk Seals

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Monitoring Monk Seals

In order to bring more tangible data to ongoing efforts to better understand Hawaiian monk seals, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a research project that will attach Crittercams, or small video cameras, to the backs of the seals. Video footage would allow not only scientists to gather important data, but would also help community members better understand the seals’ diet, behavior and potential impacts in the main Hawaiian Islands.

There are currently approximately 200 seals living in the main Hawaiian Islands. Their presence has created some controversy and conflict with divers and fisherman near shore, who believe the seals are competing with them for fish.…

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Monitoring Monk Seals

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012

Scientists hope to gather data via video cameras

In order to bring more tangible data to ongoing efforts to better understand Hawaiian monk seals, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a research project that will attach Crittercams, or small video cameras, to the backs of the seals. Video footage would allow not only scientists to gather important data, but would also help community members better understand the seals’ diet, behavior and potential impacts in the main Hawaiian Islands.

There are currently approximately 200 seals living in the main Hawaiian Islands. Their presence has created some controversy and conflict with divers and fisherman near shore, who believe the seals are competing with them for fish.…

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Centuries of Molokai Pa`akai

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012

Centuries of Molokai Pa`akai

Salt: a long history of high value

For many people, salt is something found in shakers on the dinner table. But for ancient Hawaiians who harvested snow-white flakes of pa`akai from the rocky shores of Molokai, it held sacred value. After seawater dried in the sun and the remaining salt was scraped from bowl-like crevices in the lava rock, it was used in ceremonies, purification rituals, to preserve food, and even regarded like money for trading.

“[Native Hawaiians] have been harvesting salt as long as people have been here,” said
Mac Poepoe, a Molokai-born traditional resource manager. “People used to walk miles
just to collect salt.”…

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