Sports

Lions bring good luck and joy in New Years Celebration

Thursday, March 1st, 2007

The myth of the Chinese Lion Dance.

The Lion King, who was carefree and known as a practical joker, lived in the land of the Chinese Gods. One day he decided to play a joke on the Jade Emperor, faking an injury and scaring the Jade Emperor when he came to help.

The Jade Emperor was very angry at the lion and had him beheaded for his lack of respect and his disgraceful conduct. Luckily the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin, took pity on the Lion and tied his head to a long colorful ribbon to bring him back to life. The Lion King was very grateful to The Goddess and vowed to spend all of his time helping others instead of playing jokes upon them.

Impressed by his sincerity, Goddess Kwan Yin gave him a horn to fight with and a reflective nose to scare away evildoers. Today, the Lion Dance is used at festive occasions to help others, bring good luck and keep away those that would do harm.

A Celebration of Pacific Land and Sea

Tuesday, February 20th, 2007

Q: What’s the Quickest Way To Travel Through Polynesia? A: With Moana Hula Halau

Hunting a Denizen of the Deep

Tuesday, February 20th, 2007

Captain’s Log with Captain Clay Ching

On February 13th 2007, Ron Church and his gang visiting from California went out on a deep sea charter trip with me aboard the "Hallelujah Hou". Little did they know what would unfold as the day progressed.

We were only a half hour into the trip when the starboard outrigger released and a reel began singing that wonderful tune that only a fisherman has an ear for. At first I thought it was a good sized Marlin or Ahi because the line was disappearing from the reel at an alarming rate. After clearing the remaining lines, we settled down for the task before us. As Ron's 16 year old son worked the rod, the fish was brought toward the boat. After a short 20 minute tug of war, I could see the fish’s color, and what I expected to be either a Marlin or Ahi turned out to be a shark! I grabbed the leader and as I pulled the nasty looking head out of the water I recognized the fish as a Mako; It had large black eyes just behind a pointy snout and an extremely menacing mouthful of gnarly teeth- It almost gave you "chicken skin" (goose bumps) being so near to it. It also had a beautiful cobalt blue and white, fishy colorations instead of the bland, dull gray that the majority of sharks share. I remembered that someone had told me that they were good to eat so I subdued the fish and wrestled it aboard the boat.

Just a FYI, I found out from another skipper in Kona that a charter boat there had landed three Mako Sharks in the past two weeks. One caught was trolling and the other two were on live bait. He indicated that not many are caught on a regular basis so maybe some colder currents or something are causing these fish to show up in Hawaiian waters. It will be interesting to see if any other Molokai boats make follow-up catches in the near future.

Our prize catch weighed out at 150lbs and was 6 feet long. After returning to port and cleaning the fish, we preceded to prepare ourselves a hero’s meal. What I had heard about the taste of Mako proved to be accurate; the shark turned out to have an excellent flavor and was even good as sashimi too. Ron and his family were very delighted with the meal that they shared that evening and especially for the wonderful, unforgettable memories and experiences they had of being on Molokai.

Blessings, Capt Clay

Molokai Hunting Working Group Meeting Boils Over

Thursday, February 1st, 2007

Announcement of Kiwi Hunting Contract on Island Sparks Outrage

As for public relations, TNC has reported that understanding of the ProHunt projects within the Hunting Working Group can be achieved with a high level of dialogue, which they unfortunately see as unreachable in a large group situation. 

TNC’S Strategic Communications Manager Evelyn Wight claimed that the first small group, which met on January 29, did indeed exit the meeting with a better understanding and appreciation of the proposed projects.

Molokai Renews Itself For The Hawaiian New Year: A Spirited Makahiki Weekend

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

This past weekend, the Makahiki games celebration rolled into town and took Molokai by storm as crowds flocked to Kaunakakai for a day full of sporting events, musical performances, hula, and general healthy carousing. Before the in-town games commenced, however Ho`olehua intermediate and Aka`ula schools from Molokai and off-island schools Kamehemeha from Maui and Nanakuli and God’s Own Country, both from O`ahu, gathered at Naiwa, the traditional site for the games, the day before the celebration. The Molokai Dispatch was on hand to document both events.

“Makahiki was an old school time for gettin’ yo’ freak-on!” says expert Mikiala Pescaia with a grin. ”Long before official Hawaiian unification, because there was no war or work allowed, men and women would be free to gather together around this time and many children would end up being conceived.” This supported the idea that the Makahiki was a time of renewal and fertility since the children conceived during one year’s celebration would be born around the time of the following years’ Makahiki.

Molokai’s current incarnation of Makahiki is into it’s 26^th year; the original celebrations had been cancelled in 1918 after Molokai Ranch (its old owners) purchased the land where the ceremony and games were traditionally held.

Today, Molokai is a leader in the renaissance of Makahiki; though some of the reasons for the celebration have changed, the ceremony and games continue on as an integral element of Hawaiian culture. Makahiki continues to be sacred to modern-day lifestyles because it perpetuates and promotes a healthy and vibrant Hawaiian identity through competition and fellowship.

-Haka Moa (chicken fighting- left leg held by left arm, right hand holding opponents’ right hand in attempts to unbalance opponent)

-Pohaku (8kg stone toss for distance)

-`O`o ihe (different weighted spears thrown into upright palm of banana logs)

-Ulu `Maika (stone bowling through upright stakes at 5 inch? distance)

-Moa Pahe`e (literally chicken skid- oblong wooden bats bowled through stakes at 5 inch? distance)

-Pa Uma (standing arm wrestle with both feet planted, similar to Haka Moa)

-Uma (arm wrestle from prone position, laying on stomachs)

-Heihei Wawae (400m dash)

-Kukini (100m sprint)

-Konane (strategy board game, not unlike checkers)

-Huki Huki- (team tug-of-war)

Marlin Samaritans to the Rescue!

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

We ended up transporting the fish for the rest of the afternoon, and we then brought it to my home for the cleaning lessons, as well. It was delicious.

Congratulations on your first marlin, Matt and Tocatta, and mahalo for allowing me to help you land your first billfish.

No sooner had my client and I finished bagging the marlin when I spotted my good friend Santos Pico aboard his 18’ flat-bottomed boat, fishing solo. He was hooked up to a big fish and was having some difficulty trying to drive the boat and fight the fish at the same time. Well, it was HALLELUJAH HOU to the rescue again; we did an “instant replay.” We were soon alongside Santos’ boat and one of the guys from my boat transferred to his flat-bottom to assist him with the feisty fish that had almost spooled his 12/0 reel. We watched from a comfortable distance as the two guys went at it and marveled at how the fish went airborne so many times, so close to the boat. A few times, Santos had to stand up and lift the rod over the top of his center console as the fish tail-walked alongside and around his boat. He tried everything to keep the fish from breaking the line on the side of the boat.

After more than a dozen frantic leaps and bounds, they finally drew the fish close enough to subdue it and tiredly pulled the fish into the boat. We pulled alongside again, took some pictures and repositioned the day’s second marlin in the boat so that Santos could make a high-speed run back home with the fish balanced in the back of the boat. The guys aboard my boat were stoked because they got to see two marlin landed, even though they weren’t on the reel.

What a day! I guess we now qualify as the “Marlin Samaritans of Molokai!”

We did finally get to the designated waypoint, albeit a little late. We loaded up on some bottom fish that provided my clients with a great dinner, so they had a successful and productive day of fishing off Molokai.

It was, in all, a slow month for big fish around here, but at least there’s some action for those who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Till next month, tight lines and blessings.

Via Hawaii Fishing News

Molokai Film Festival to feature performance by John Cruz

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

“I love the island and people of Molokai,” the Oahu native said in an interview with the Dispatch. I’m looking forward to coming back. It sounds like its going to be a great celebration”

Cruz will play songs from his upcoming new album after a premiere of his biographical documentary at the Molokai Film Festival. His first album, “Acoustic Soul,” won two Na Hoku Hanohano awards and gave him notoriety all over the Islands. Individual tracks still receive radio airplay.

He also won a Grammy last year for his contribution “Jo Bo’s Night” to the compilation CD Slack Key Guitar Volume 2. It hasn’t changed his local boy down-to-earth demeanor at all, but the benefits are nice. “I get a few more phone calls returned than I used to,” he said.

His new (and as yet untitled) album will be “a little more bluesy,” Cruz said. He just finished recording the songs at Jackson Browne’s recording studio in Los Angeles and is hoping for a February release date.

The opening act for Saturday’s performance is “Made of Music - The Story of John Cruz.” The documentary talks of Cruz’s struggles and successes and includes stories by friends such as Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Kelly Slater and Jake Shimabukuro. It features live performances of his music and some fun stories Cruz has to share.

In the interview with the Dispatch, Cruz shared stories about jamming with Bill Clinton on the East Coast and with friends in Halawa Valley. In 1993 Cruz played in a band in Martha’s Vineyard, a popular vacation spot for Washington elite. His band played for a surprise party of a Clinton staffer, and when the President arrived Cruz shouted, “Bill’s in the house!”

After a hush came across the room, several staff members reminded Cruz to refer to Clinton as Mr. President. “I was quickly reminded that ‘Bill’s in the house’ doesn’t work,” Cruz said. Later on, though, Clinton and Carly Simon got on stage to jam with the band.

He also shared a story about a Molokai show. During a performance in Halawa Valley the generator powering the sound system went down. Someone offered his Volkswagen Beetle to use as the sound system. “So we ran the system through the Bug and it sounded great,” Cruz said. “He saved the gig.”

The Molokai Film Festival takes place Saturday, Dec. 9 at Kaunakakai Ball Park. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. and music begins at 4:00. Films start at sunset under the Molokai stars. Admission is free.