|
The last of our iwi kupuna burial preserve clean-ups for 2023. Mahalo to all who have participated at Mahulua, Waiʻauia, Waikulukulu, Kahalakea, and Paheheʻe –– and especially to the brand new members who showed uo in force for our second foray at Mahulua (sometimes called "Target") on Sunday, Nov. 19. Stay tuned; weʻll have next year's schedule ready by mid-January.  Talk story with Kihei de Silva and Zachary Lum who are the haku mele of the Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominated "Ulupo Nui" as recorded on i leʻa , Keauhou's latest cd release. Much of the conversation will center on the genealogy of mele – how, in the Hawaiian song-writing tradition, new compositions are expected to echo those that have been written before. In this case, Sam Li'a Kalainaina's "Waipiʻo Valley Song" and the hula pahu "Kaulilua" will be will be discussed as parent and grandparent of the new song for an ancient heiau. 
At least 17 individuals were reinterred at Waiʻauia by Kailua Kau a Hoʻoilo (KKH) on January 7, 2019. That total is an MNI – minimum number of individuals – and is probably an undercount given the scattered and fragmented condition of several of these remains and the mishandling and poor record-keeping to which they were subjected. Of the “17,” 14 were originally in SHPD’s possession and transferred into KKH’s custody in 2009 and ʻ10. Three more were taken into temporary curation by KKH in consultation with SHPD after they were unearthed in 2008 and 2011, and could not be returned for reburial to the locations in which they were found. Indeed, all 17-plus of these individuals had no place to go. They were all homeless iwi, iwi for whom a return was either inappropriate or impossible. Some could not, in good conscience, be put back into the previously disturbed, asphalt-topped fill from which they were removed. Some could not be returned – without future risk to their safety – to the bottom of the water main trench in which they were found, nor could they be reinterred nearby since the adjacent home owners would have none of it. All were displaced; all were kuewa (exiled, banished, wandering). The burial preserve at Waiʻauia was created to give them the best possible alternative. It was built for them in their ahupua’a at a place of great traditional significance, with room – when all options for burial-place and burial nearby are exhausted – for others like them.  So as not to be scattered by the wind (or backhoes). Our KHCC crew, three generations strong, gathered on Sunday afternoon, July 9, to mālama three of our iwi kūpuna burial preserves in Kailua town: Kahalakea, Pāheheʻe, and Waikulukulu, – old names for the ʻāina in which the old ones are now able to moe kau a hoʻoilo, to sleep through all seasons for all time. Mahalo nui to club members Māpu, Kīhei, Nola, Tadia, Puakenamu, Lani, and Lapa who turned out on Sunday afternoon to weed, trim lāʻī, and pick up litter at the Mahulua ʻEkahi and ʻElua burial preserves at the current location of Target Kailua. Not pictured but also present: Miala and Chris. Our next workday: July 9 at the Kahalakea (FHB) and Waikulukulu (Whole Foods) preserves. As with Mahulua, weʻll meet, discuss the history of the preserves, and put in a hour or so of huli ka lima i lalo.  Poi & Papale finally happened last Sunday, Nov. 20, and left us all feeling pretty darned good about what we accomplished in the face of "auē, ke aloha ʻole a ka malihini." Kudos palena ʻole to the staff of King Intermediate (for genuine hospitality in the tradition of their own Al Barcarse), to event chair Pualani Steele and unsinkable crew, and to all who attended and supported KHCC and its scholarship fundraiser. We awarded three $1000 KHCC scholarships last Sunday at our Poi & Pāpale fundraiser. These scholarships are, indeed, the purpose of the event, and we have good reason to be thankful for the generous support of our members and friends who have enabled us to offer the grants – covid or not – for the last eight years. Left to right: Nola Faria accepting the Māhoe-Trask Scholarship for her grandson Kahaokamoku Barbieto; Makoa Salangdron, recipient of the Doc and Clara Burrows Scholarship; and Kuʻupua Chang, recipient of the Rose Family Scholarship. We readily admit, after attending the last six live conventions, that some of the best things that happen at these events occur in small groups and unofficial conversations outside the doors of the official plenary sessions. Often in restaurants over dinner and drinks. Often in hallways and elevators. Often in text messages during ornery committee break-outs. The best things that happen usually center around relationship-building and re-affirming. Sometimes, we even find new friends and allies. Mostly, we re-examine why it is that we keep coming back and what it is that we can bring home with us to help define our club and purpose. The elephant in almost every conversation is the question "Does this matter?" I doubt if we're ever completely happy with the answer. But, for the most part, we come home with the resolve to keep at it. |
