May–June 2021

Hawai‘i Island’s Community Magazine The Life |

ARTS CULTURE SUSTAINABILITY

May – June Mei – Iune

2021

Through the Wide Lens of Kornelius Schorle Ikaika Dombrigues: Perpetuating Hawaiian Wisdom Photos, Recycling, and the Blues: Paul Buklarewicz

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Front cover: Aunty Shares Her Quilt, a painting by Suzanne Dix-Kaliko.

4 Table of contents: Blessing the Naha Stone, Stone, photo art by Tim Wright.

Read more about the artists on page 45.

The Life

Hawaiÿi Island’s Community Magazine May – June | Mei – Iune 2021

Ka Wehena: The Opening Lei Hualālai

Na Kumu Keala Ching

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Arts

Adventure on the Seas with Pete Hendricks 22

By Ma‘ata Tukuafu

Banana-rama: Recipe for Gluten-Free Pancakes 27

By Brittany P. Anderson

Through the Wide Lens of Kornelius Schorle 28

By Stefan Verbano

Business

Managing with Aloha: Pearls of Palena ‘Ole 37

By Rosa Say

Talk Story with an Advertiser 46 Allure Laser Med Spa and Vein Clinics of Hawaii

Community

Athlete and Adventurer Tutu Lorna Larsen-Jeyte 15

By Sara Stover

St. Jamesʻ Circle: A Hub of Resilience 34

By Jan Wizinowich

Culture

Ikaika Dombrigues 10 Perpetuating Hawaiian Wisdom

By Mālielani Larish

Storyteller, Scientist, Spirit of the World

By Brittany P. Anderson

Sustainability

Paul Buklarewicz

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Photos, Recycling, and the Blues

By Catherine Tarleton

Cultivating Resilience

By Rachel Laderman

Ka Puana: Closing Thoughts 1261: I ulu no ka lālā i ke kumu

Mary Kawena Pukui. Olelo Noeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

M. Kalani Souza 40

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From Our Publisher

Me ke aloha pumehana, Barbara Garcia

Ke Ola Magazine recognizes the use of the ‘okina [‘] or glottal stop, as one of the eight consonants of (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō [ā] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai‘i such as Pāhoa).

Ke Ola Magazine respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses.

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

This is the first time in our 12-year history we’ve dedicated an entire issue to one subject—kūpuna, our islandʻs elders. We were inspired to feature stories about kūpuna who come from varied backgrounds and have passions for different subjects. It has been rewarding to see these stories come to fruition. From athlete and innkeeper Lorna Larson-Jeyte to environmentalist and photographer Paul Buklarewicz; from waterman and writer Pete Hendricks to panoramist and photo lab owner Kornelius Schorle; from scientist and storyteller M. Kalani Souza to high priest of the order of Lono, Ikaika Dombrigues, you will be in awe of what these people have accomplished and they are still going strong! We honor these kūpuna and many more whose stories we have yet to tell.

Long time readers know that when we started Ke Ola Magazine in 2008, I had no involvment in the editorial side of the publication. I ran the sales and marketing side, bringing my experience to that part of the operaton. Over the years, Ke Ola Magazine has had several editors who each brought their unique and valuable skills to the magazine. In 2019, I morphed into the editor’s role—more out of necessity than any other reason. Ke Ola Magazine has never been a highprofit enterprise and itʻs only gotten more difficult to cover the overhead, hence the need for me to step in as editor.

In any case, as fate would have it, I have been at the editing helm since 2019 and Iʻve been enjoying my on-the-job training. Many times I get to do “firsts”. In this issue, I was invited by one of our kupuna to attend the meeting when he would be interviewed by our writer. Kahuna Ikaika Dombrigues said he “got a message” that I needed to be there. Soon I had the honor of sitting in on the interview he had with writer Mālielani Larish on Moku Ola (Coconut Island), this pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge in Hilo. I was deeply touched as Ikaika shared his stories. Our time together was precious and I learned a lot. I was very happy I “followed orders” and accepted the invitation.

Another first that’s coming up in the next issue is Iʻm writing my first feature story. That was not my idea either, and sometimes the “powers that be” have a mind of their own. Iʻve often said Ke Ola Magazine has its own personality, it seems to be an entity in-and-of-itself. I just do what it leads me to do, so here I am, and I’m learning and expanding my knowledge every day. I’m grateful for that, as I enter my own elderhood. I hope someday to inspire people the way I’ve been inspired by the folks in our stories.

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Ka Wehena

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Lei Hualalai Na Kumu Keala Ching

‘Ohu‘ohu o uka, lei Hualālai Honua‘ula, Hainoa, Lālākaukole Ka‘ulupūlehu i Kahuwai Ke ahu pua‘a, Po‘opo‘omino Kahi Kahakai, Kolekole uka ala Mau‘u, Nāhāhā,‘Owē ‘owē nei ‘Ahahipu‘u, Kīleohikuhia Alau‘awa, Ka‘ai ‘alalauā

Adorned of upland, Lei Hualālai Honua‘ula, Hainoa, Lālākaukole Cooked breadfruit to water source The district upon a crowned head Seacoast place of rawness upward Herbs, broken, rustling in the wind Cordage knotted voices of forces Lineages of shrub, devoured voices

‘Ike pulu ‘ōhia, Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Pūlehu Hinakapo‘ula nei Pū‘olo Puakōwai ka lulu Ka‘ūpūlehu, Wahapele kaulana Laekoa Pōhakuloa hikina ala Malekule kū lua makani la Kau maila Nāwahine kipahe‘e nei Māwae, ‘Umiahu, Lei Nāhāhā la

Observed moist ‘ōhia at Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Cooked near a woman of the sacred night Bundled flower drenched by knowledge Ka‘ūpūlehu mouth of Pele, famous Koa point of the eastern Pōhakuloa Small fish stand upon two winds Place upon the women bearers Separated temple of ‘Umi, Lei of Nāhāhā

Po‘ikahi, mau‘u, mailehāhei Puni ke ola, Hualālai he inoa ‘Ohu‘ohu o uka, lei Hualālai Honua‘ula, Hainoa, Lālākaukole

Placed covered of herbs, fresh maile Surrounding life, Hualālai is named Adorned of upland, Lei Hualālai Honua‘ula, Hainoa, Lālākaukole

He Mele Lei Hualālai

A song honoring Hualālai

Beauty is the Hawaiian knowledge from the elders (paniolo). Within this song (chant), it is seen the relationship of this Lei Hualālai to the life of the ocean. Born the land, born the sea, truly a relationship of duality. Honoring this Lei Hualālai to the district of Ka‘ulupūlehu, Kona.

Mahalo nui loa e nā kūpuna kō ia ‘āina o Kona, Ka‘ulupūlehu, Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a a Pu‘uanahulu ala. Ke aloha nui loa iā ‘oukou āpau.

Grateful to the elders of Kona, Ka‘ulupūlehu, Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a and Pu‘uanahulu. With lots of love to you all!

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

He nani nā ‘ike Hawai‘i mai nā kūpuna mai. I kēia mele, ‘ike ho‘i ka pilina o ia Lei Hualālai i ke ola o ke kai, hānau ka ‘āina, hānau ke kai he pilina pāpālua lā. Pili iā Lei Hualālai i Ka‘ulupūlehu, Kona.

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For more information on Kumu Keala and Nä Wai Iwi Ola, visit: nawaiiwiola.org

Ikaika Dombrigues:

By Mālielani Larish

W

earing a black hat brimmed by a brilliant red feather hakupapa (hat band), Kahuna Nui O Pali Tu Po Paki O Lono Ikaika Dombrigues is as calm as Hiloʻs Mokuola (Coconut Island) on which he sits.

Ikaika is a high priest of the order of Lono and also a descendant of Lono (the Hawaiian god of peace, agriculture, rain, and healing). The inner strength that Kahuna Ikaika embodies comes from his deep connection to the spiritual teachings of his ancestors, who have guided him to master the healing arts of Ho‘omana (pre-contact Hawaiian religion and beliefs). As the priests of ancient Hawai‘i, kahuna were revered for their intimate knowledge of the spirit world and nature. Although the word kahuna in Hawaiian can be used to denote an expert in any profession, according to Kahuna Ikaika, the title means “keepers of the huna mana [secret energy]” when applied to Hawaiian priests.

Ikaika’s mission is to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the sacredness of the teachings of the kahuna, helping guide individuals of all backgrounds, and native Hawaiians in particular, towards healing and wholeness.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

The True Source of Healing Even though he has reached the highest kahuna ranking, Ikaika remains humble because he is aware that the Creator is the true source of all power and ability.

“I don’t use the word ‘healer’ because the source is the healer. I’m just a vessel,” he says.

Ikaika knows that spirituality can be a complex topic, filled not only with landmines of crosscultural misunderstanding and historical layers of suppression and abuse, but also with personal experiences of doubt and diminished faith.

When someone comes to him, he tries to look at what caused the person to forget their true identity. He asks, “What separated them—what separated their spiritual side from their physical side?” Fearless and direct, he helps people confront the big questions: “Who are you? Why are you here? I’m helping you to become who you are,” he says.

Pule (prayer) is at the heart of his work. “I don’t know all the answers, but I’m going to ask to get 10 the

Perpetuating Sacred Hawaiian Wisdom

Kahuna Ikaika explains the multi-layered symbolism of his pendant on Mokuola. photo courtesy of Barbara Garcia

Chosen by the Ancestors Becoming a kahuna is not simply a matter of inheritance and training; the ancestors and the gods choose you and clearly show you that this is your destiny. You must be native Hawaiian and born in Hawai‘i. The Kahuna order is very strict and filled with rituals, kapu, and protocol.

Ikaika’s spiritual journey began as a young boy when his ancestors guided him to meet his hanai (adopted) grandfather, Kahuna Nui Pali Tu Po Paki O Ta Matahiti Sam Ho‘opi‘i Lono, who was the owner and caretaker of Kane‘ohe Valley on O‘ahu.

When Ikaika slept in the heiau of the valley, Kahuna Lono would ask him what he experienced during the night. Ikaika shared

Kahuna Ikaika blesses the Höküleÿa voyaging canoe as it leaves for Miloliÿi. photo courtesy of Ikaika Dombrigues

that he had heard chanting, nose flutes, pahu drums, and people walking around him. Kahuna Lono simply said, “Good.”

In time, Ikaika came to realize that the ancestors were showing him that he was meant to learn the traditions of the kahuna.

As he continued to study under his hanai grandfather, it was always the ancestors who made the call as to when Ikaika was ready to advance to the next level. It takes over 40 years to become a kahuna, requiring 12 years in each area of discipline.

After the passing of his hanai grandfather, the ancestors led him to his hanai father on Maui, Kahuna Pule Kawika Ka‘alakea, who helped him deepen his understanding of the spiritual healing power of prayer. In 1974, Kahuna Pule Ka‘alakea was miraculously healed of tuberculosis that the doctors deemed fatal—all thanks to pule.

In addition, Ikaika’s ancestors have guided him to learn from Kahuna Lapa‘au Harry Mitchell of Keanae, Maui; Kupuna Anake Abbie Napeahi of Hilo; Ho‘oponopono and Anakala, Sonny 11 Kinney of Hilo; and many other teachers.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

answers, and where do I get the answers?” He raises his eyes, points to heaven and says, “Up there.”

Before someone meets Ikaika in person, the ancestral spirits that guide him will talk to the guardian spirits of the person who he is going to meet. In this way, Ikaika already has insights into the energy of the forthcoming meeting, and he intuits the wisdom that the person needs to hear.

Ikaika has been trained to know the difference between positive and negative energies. Fortunately, there is plenty of help on his side. Once, when he met a Cherokee elder from Arizona at a conference, she looked in his eyes and said, “You walk with thousands.”

Ikaika teaches that we have the power to flip the switch and flood our life with positivity. He observes that nowadays, there is so much negativity in the world that having this tool is essential to bring us to a space of clarity.

People from all over seek Ikaika out, but he can be elusive.

He laughs when he says that he is busier now that he is retired than when he was on the clock. In 1986, even while he was working full-time, Ikaika began conducting classes and workshops on traditional Hawaiian healing on all the major islands. Today he teaches workshops through Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi, Hawai‘i Islandʻs Native Hawaiian health care system. He also provides private consultations and serves as Po‘okela of Hawai‘i Island and as a chair of the Native Hawaiian Healing Kupuna Council under Papa Ola Lokahi.

Since Mokuola has been a healing pu‘uhonua (place of refuge) for thousands of years, it is the perfect place for Ikaika to meet with people.

In ancient times, it was graced by a magnificent heiau (temple) complex, and Hawaiians came to the island for healing, ceremonies, and forgiveness of transgressions of the kapu (prohibition) system. In order to earn the permission to step foot on the island, Hawaiians had to swim around it first. Ikaika observes that the kapu which protected the island as a sacred place was broken when a bridge was built to connect Mokuola with the main island. This bridge has been wiped out multiple times by several tsunamis over the decades since it was first built.

Wisdom of Ho‘omana Ikaika’s inherent gifts and training have enabled him to learn five healing disciplines of Ho‘omana: La‘au Lapa‘au, Ho‘oponopono, La‘au Kahea, Ma‘iola, and Lomilomi Ha Ha. La‘au Lapa‘au is perhaps the most well-known branch of Hawaiian healing. It combines the power of pule with medicines made from plants and minerals from the land and sea. He regularly gives islandwide workshops on La‘au Lapa‘au in five ‘apanas (districts) of the island: Hilo, Waimea, Kona, Kohala, Ka‘u, and Pahoa. He tells the workshop participants, “Look in your communities; there are elders that know the medicine. Go and seek their knowledge.” He guides students to learn the plant names, what they look like, and where to find them. Then the students are ready to learn the remedies.

An added benefit of practicing La‘au Lapa‘au is that it encourages people to spend time in nature, something that Ikaika says is very important for overall wellbeing. He notes that scientific findings have supported the health benefits of

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Kahuna Ikaika has taught classes and workshops on traditional Hawaiian healing since 1986. photo courtesy of Ikaika Dombrigues

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grounding to Mother Earth through walking barefoot, bathing in the sea, and using metals and minerals. “This island lives and breathes,” he says. “It teaches you.”

Ho‘oponopono, another branch of traditional Hawaiian healing, has gained popularity around the world. It is a process of reconciliation used to resolve a problem that, according to Ikaika, should not have happened. The last three healing techniques that Ikaika practices are divinely bestowed gifts that cannot be taught. La‘au Kahea is faith healing, Ma‘iola is a spiritual process, and Lomilomi Ha Ha is a spiritual technique that combines Lomilomi massage with the power to remove internal blockages without operation.

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A Strong Foundation One of the foundations that Kahuna Ikaika repeatedly returns to is “nana i ke kumu, nana i ke kumu hana, nana i ke kumulipo,” which translates to “look unto the Source, look to the Source within you, and look to the kumulipo,” the cosmological chant written by one of Ikaika’s ancestors. Ikaika says that from the kumulipo comes the understanding that man was made as a perfect specimen of ke akua o ka lani (god of heaven), and that our responsibility is to take care of the land and all of the gifts that have been given to us for our survival and enjoyment.

Ikaika wears a pendant of three white poi pounders as

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Kahuna Ikaika, who emphasizes the importance of spending time in nature, acknowledges the elements in a native rainforest. photo courtesy of Ikaika Dombrigues a symbol of this three-fold teaching. Additionally, the poi pounders represent the life-giving force within food and the kahuna gift of transforming plants and minerals into medicine.

“You have to make sure that your own foundation is pono [righteous] before you can help others,” Kahuna Ikaika says, and grounding oneself in “nana i ke kumu, nana i ke kumu hana, nana i ke kumulipo” creates that strong foundation.

“We do have gifts from ke akua o ka lani. Through Him, we have the power to help each other and ourselves.” Indeed, on Mokuola, Kahuna Ikaika continues in the tradition of the ancient kahuna who presided here, guiding people to look to the Source that is within and without. ■ Editor’s note: Kahakō (macrons) have been omitted. ‘Okina (glottal stop) in the name Moloka‘i is also omitted; both per Ikaika’s request.

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Athlete and Adventurer Tutu Lorna Just Keeps Moving!

By Sara Stover

L

orna Larsen-Jeyte has always been on the move. The lifelong swimmer and 81-year-old adventurer does not, however, workout for the sake of working out. “It is about being outside and in nature,” she says of the active lifestyle that growing up in Hawai‘i lends itself to. “When you get the blood flowing, it does keep your brain and body healthy. That’s an added bonus.”

own health, in the context of nature.

“Communing with nature is spiritual and it happens to be good for your mental and physical health, too,” she asserts.

“The more you spend time in nature, the more you love nature and want to care for it. You want to do something about ROD [Rapid ‘Ōhia Death] and other issues!”

Lorna recalls the Sierra Club hikes fondly. One of her favorites, however, is a multi-day hike she participated in through Hawai‘i Bound. The hike took Lorna from Pololū Valley to the Honokane Nui Lookout via the ‘Āwini Trail.

Known for its diversity, the trail is technical on a good day.

Lorna has experienced it during downpours, when mud prevailed and the river levels rose.

“It’s still my favorite hike on Hawai‘i Island. One of the best parts is collecting pepeiao, an edible Hawaiian mushroom,” she points out.

Lorna has also spent considerable time among the cinder and silverswords of Maui’s Haleakalā Crater Trail. Together with Albert, she has hiked all 11.2 miles of the scenic, difficult trail, on several occasions. “We’ve hiked through the crater to the cabins carrying a 75-pound pack and a tent. Albert and I did that hike regularly until we owned the Kīlauea Lodge.”

Unable and unwilling to shake the hiking bug, Lorna has also explored trails in California and in Oregon, where her son now lives.

Lorna’s El Camino de Santiago hike began as an idea hatched while talking story with her best friend over a glass of wine.

As a child, Lorna lived in Keaukaha. On the weekends, she would often join her father on hikes in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. “And I was always swimming,” recalls Lorna, who eventually moved to O‘ahu, where she was on the synchronized swim team at Punahou School. “I swam all the way through high school.” Today, Lorna still enjoys swimming in the ocean when she’s not managing her vacation rentals, the Volcano Heritage Cottages.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Hiking to New Heights Years before she and husband Albert Jeyte owned the Kīlauea Lodge or the Volcano Heritage Cottages, Lorna was a teacher at O‘ahu’s WR Farrington High School and a school advisor for the Sierra Club. As an advisor, Lorna was responsible for taking a group of teens on hikes around the island.

“The second hike was on a Ko‘olau mountain trail,” Lorna says, referring to a challenging ridge trail that requires guide ropes for hiking eroded sections. Her fear of heights almost prevented her from attempting the hike at all.

“When we got to the ridge, I told the kids I couldn’t do it.

They insisted that I could!” Lorna exclaims. Tied together, she and her young hikers conquered Ko‘olau. After that, the group traversed a new trail every weekend, including the Pu‘u Ohia (Mount Tantalus) trail.

For Lorna, the most rewarding aspect of those hikes was helping teenagers understand the concepts of mālama ‘āina and mālama i kou kino, caring for the land and caring for their

The map used to hike the El Camino. “We still got lost, but that made it more interesting!” says Lorna.

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Puchi and Lorna with Father Tony Corcoran, a priest they met on their El Camino pligrimage.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Finding Self-Confidence on the Field While watching her son’s soccer game in 1978, Lorna remarked to another soccer mom that she wished she could play soccer too.

“Buy some shoes and show up at Kapi‘olani on Sunday!” was the reply she received. Undaunted by the fact that she had never played and was nearly 40 years old, Lorna and her new shoes showed up a few days later for the first of many games with the women’s soccer league. She went on to play soccer competitively for the next eight years.

“Here’s this bunch of teachers that just love to play soccer who actually climbed from third to first division!” she says, beaming. Lorna herself was on a roll, and it wasn’t long before she began playing fullback on a coed team, a position she would hold until she moved back to Hawai‘i Island. “Soccer gave me a lot of self-confidence! Some injuries too,” she chuckles. It proved to be all the confidence she needed to make a career change at age 46.

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Adventures off the Beaten Path In 1986, while honeymooning in Volcano, Lorna and Albert purchased a property that would soon become the Kīlauea Lodge.

“Albert worked for Magnum PI and I had my teaching career.

We left it all behind to open an inn and restaurant,” says Lorna.

“Everyone back on O‘ahu wondered if we were having a midlife crisis!”

The venture was a far cry from a crisis. Soon, the refurbished Kīlauea Lodge began welcoming visitors from around the globe. Although running the resort kept them busy, Lorna and Albert still found time for adventures off the beaten path. In 2014, they traveled to Bhutan with a few friends to celebrate Albert’s 75th birthday with a hike up the Tiger’s Nest Trail, past a waterfall, and other pilgrims who chose to travel by horseback.

The Bhutanese believe that pilgrims who make this journey will acquire excellent karma if their own feet take them to the Paro Taksang Monastery perched 10,232 feet up in the mountains. A wide dirt trail, Tiger’s Nest takes each pilgrim up 1,700 feet, and ends with a trek down and back up a stone staircase before reaching the monastery. “Albert got to the top first. That should add about 10 years to his life!” declares Lorna.

A Pilgrimage on El Camino de Santiago A few years after the Tiger’s Nest hike, Lorna was on the phone with her best friend, Janet Coney, affectionately known as Puchi. As they occasionally did, the two talked story while sipping wine.

“Puchi, there’s something I really want to do before I’m too old,” Lorna confided before detailing her dream of hiking El Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of Saint James.

The hike is a network of pilgrimages that leads to Spain’s Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which houses the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great.

In 2017, at 77, Lorna and Puchi flew to Madrid to make the famed pilgrimage. “I trained by walking up to six miles a day on my treadmill,” Lorna reveals. “I had to be in good shape because we’d decided to take the more interesting route instead of the gentle, coastal route.” They stayed at country inns at night, and had maps to follow every day.

“We still got lost, but that made it more interesting!” Lorna affirms. Fueled by Padrón peppers and white wine, Lorna and Puchi hiked 13 to 14 miles per day with walking sticks and a pack. “We were scared. We wondered what would happen if

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

we ran out of is the same bond steam!” It was Lorna forged a reasonable through hiking, concern, as conveyed instead Lorna’s hip through the went out after movements of eight days on hula. the Camino.

“Growing up “We were here made me nowhere near want to learn civilization about the culture. and I couldn’t But practicing even walk!” hula made me recounts Lorna. want to learn Fortunately, the ‘ōlelo,” says she and Puchi Lorna, who encountered looks forward an Australian to returning to hiker who was hula when the able to identify pandemic is the problem. behind us. “Hula “My pack was taught me the Lorna helped her husband celebrate his 75th birthday by hiking Tiger’s Nest to a Bhutanese monastery. all wrong. He deeper meaning took the time to of Hawaiian show me how to fix it and with a few adjustments I was able words. There are so many different words just for rain, all in to keep going!” the dance!”

The pair averaged two miles per hour, stopping to have their Lorna is also looking forward to returning to the Camino Pilgrim’s Card stamped at least once a day. On the last day, de Santiago. “I’ve met Puchi and Lorna faced a 16-mile journey to the Cathedral of courageous people on these Santiago de Compostela. “We hiked over mountains in the hikes and I want to travel El pouring rain and through mud that was unreal. Then, there it Camino again, but this time was—Santiago de Compostela!”

I’ll take the route through As is tradition, Lorna and Puchi celebrated their journey by Portugal,” Lorna proclaims. visiting the Pilgrim’s office to receive the official Compostela “Because if you don’t keep (certification of the pilgrimage completion) before attending moving, you might not mass with at least 1,000 others. move at all. I say, just keep moving!

Bonding with Nature There’s no denying that 2017 was also the year that Lorna joined a hula hālau. exercise and time spent in Although she had done hula her whole life, joining the Ke nature are key to longevity, ‘Olu Makani O Mauna Loa Hālau connected her to a deeper and Lorna is living proof. ■ side of the practice. Training under the tutelage of Kumu Hula All photos courtesy of Lorna Meleana Manuel, Lorna had the honor of dancing in the Merrie Larsen-Jeyte From hula to hiking, Lorna proves that Monarch Ho‘olaule‘a in 2019. bonding with nature has mental and physical Sensing a connection to nature, the dancers express this benefits. bond with the wind, waves, and land in each step of hula. It

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Photos, Recycling, and the Blues —

Paul Buklarewicz’s Sustainable Combination

By Catherine Tarleton

W

hat do a professional photographer, blues harmonica player, and recycling educator have in common? In the case of Paul J. Buklarewicz of Volcano, they’re all the same guy. A modern-day Renaissance man, Paul is a career educator, lifetime learner, and US Army veteran who has worked his passions for photography and travel into a successful stock photo business. Along the way, he taught himself to play harmonica—because it was easy to carry around—and started gigging with a blues band on a regular basis.

Paul was executive director of Recycle Hawai‘i, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Hilo, which provides education, recycling, and sustainability programs and resources islandwide. After 15 years, he retired in 2018, and is still a lifetime member.

“Actually, I’ve probably been in sustainability since I was a college student in 1970–71 when they had the first Earth Day. I’ve considered myself an ecologist/environmentalist since then,” Paul says.

The New Jersey native earned his bachelor’s degree in business education from Pace College in New York and, after living in Turkey courtesy of the US Army, started teaching high school at Bayonne High School in Bayonne, New Jersey. “It

was my alma mater, where I found myself teaching in some of the same classrooms where I formerly sat as a pupil,” says Paul.

“I then picked up a one-year teaching assistantship at Utah State University to pursue a master’s degree in business education,” he continues. “It was 1976. My wife, Arlene, and I took our Volkswagen Super Beetle across country for the bicentennial. We went from the East Coast to Utah to San Francisco, including winter camping through a number of National Park lands.”

Of course, he took landscape photos along the way, nurturing a hobby-turned-profession that started when he was a boy. “My first camera was my mom’s Brownie box camera.

I remember taking it apart trying to figure out how it works,” Paul says. (Did he get it back together? Paul says, “Probably not!”)

He worked in film photography at the time, and gradually developed a stock photo business, selling images to newspapers, textbooks, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times travel sections, Elle, Scientific American, Travel Holiday, Hawaii Magazine, and more.

Paul’s Hawai‘i adventure began in 1981 when he and Arlene Multi-talented Paul Buklarewicz plays harmonica in a blues band and is owner-operator of the Eleventh Pearl Photo Gallery in Volcano, in addition to many other accomplishments. During Paul’s 15 years with Recycle Hawaii, one of his team’s proudest accomplishments was creating Re-use centers at island transfer stations, like this one in Pähoa.

came to the islands on vacation. “We went home, sold our house, and within six months we were back,” he says. “It was a good move, no regrets.” They settled on O‘ahu where he spent six years with the faculty of the office of automation and technology department of Kapi‘olani Community College.

Next they moved to Japan, where Paul taught at a private conversational English school while building his library of stock photos. He also worked as stringer, writing cross-cultural articles (and submitting photos) for a Los Angeles-based magazine, Transpacific.

In 1990, Paul and Arlene moved to Hawai‘i Island and Paul went to work at United Hawai‘i/Kunori Pacific College in Hilo, coordinating a long-term vocational education program. “Our students came from a private high school and junior college in Urawa, Japan,” Paul says. “As vice president, it was a very fulfilling position that built on my two years’ experience living in Japan.”

At the same time, Paul became more involved in the arts community, serving as president of organizations such as the Big Island Art Guild, Hawai‘i Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers, and Volcano Art Center. He also helped promote juried art exhibits at the Wailoa Center and the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center.

He began work with Recycle Hawai‘i (RH) in 2003, as executive director. “I didn’t really intend to take on the ED position. I answered an ad for a part-time educator,” he says. “However, former RH administrators were moving to fill positions at the newly formed County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management division, so I was able to fill the void. It turned out to be the most fulfilling experience I had in my education career.”

At its peak, RH had 30 employees, running as many as seven programs at the same time, on all sides of the island.

Many were grant-funded by the federal, state, and county governments, with occasional support from private grant funders. One of their outreach programs to schools and community organizations was a creative series of events called “Edu-tainment,” where RH subcontracted local cultural practitioners and musicians to provide sustainability education while entertaining audiences of all ages at schools and community events.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Paul and his wife Arlene at Volcano Art Center’s 2019 fundraiser “Love the Arts,” a celebration of Woodstock’s 50th anniversary.

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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“Edu-tainnment programs were spearheaded by staff educators like the late Joann Diatalevi, who taught in schools under the persona, ‘Tūtū Hana Hou,’ using puppets made from recycled materials,” says Paul. “Singer/songwriter Howard Shapiro and educator Marsha Hee took turns developing Edutainment programs like Artists and the Environment while serving as education directors for RH.” “Sustainability to me is achieving a balancing act between existing limited natural resources, our common cultural and spiritual values, and technological values.”

One of the RH team’s accomplishments was developing the Re-use Centers (mini thrift stores) at transfer stations, starting with an initial pilot project at the Kea‘au transfer station, and building to seven locations islandwide.

Paul says, “We lost the contract in 2017, when it was awarded to a for-profit enterprise, but our mission was already accomplished. Everyone saw the value in diverting materials away from the landfills, as we gradually helped to increase the overall County recycling rate from 15 percent to over 37 percent.”

Another RH project during his tenure involved construction and demolition (C&D) reuse. Working with Re-use Hawai‘i, an O‘ahu-based nonprofit that specializes in C&D work, the team assisted with resort renovations, hauling usable salvaged materials over to RH’s Kea‘au Re-use and Recycling Center for resale in support of their educational programs.

“When Kona Village Resort was shut down in 2011 due to damage caused by the tsunami from the Japanese earthquake, I myself purchased a dozen sliding doors, and used them to close off two sides of my home’s garage,” says Paul.

Re-use Hawai‘i did the deconstruction work, but found it impractical to ship the salvageable materials back to O‘ahu.

“This kind of team work is an excellent example of how two nonprofit sustainability organizations collaborate to fulfill our mutual missions of reduce, re-use, recycle,” he says.

Other programs, like the Used Motor Oil Recycling, and E-Waste Recycling, and the Recycling and Re-use Center programs were designed to serve as incubator pilots to be later turned over to for-profit businesses or County-provided services. Keeping It Green Hawai‘i was another program that acknowledged local businesses and organizations for their efforts in considering the environment in their regular business practices.

They also provided a series of home composting workshops, where attendees would receive an “Earth Machine,” a passive composting unit for home use. Earth Machines were also free to any school wanting to incorporate composting into their curricula. Purchases of the EMs were county-funded, and the units were made from recycled beverage containers.

“My Earth Machine is still going after 15 years,” Paul says.

“We’ve diverted tons of organic waste out of the landfill and improved the soil at our home in Volcano. I’ve been doing it for 26 years, and I’ve never hauled any organic waste off the property.”

Sustainability, Paul says, is not solely the job of nonprofits, governments and other organizations. There are ways that any individual can make a contribution. “Since Hawai‘i Island is mostly a rural community, we can work towards sustainability by empowering grassroots organizations with stated missions towards integrating our limited resources with those of our residents’ needs.” He suggests two concepts for us to consider: “We can start gradually reducing, and eventually banning,

organics from the waste stream by using them to produce products to improve our soil,” Paul says. “We can also encourage programs having zero waste goals established by the County Council in 2009. One of their recommendations was to encourage decentralized, community-based solutions to divert organics from the waste stream. This avoids the cost of constructing a large-scale centralized operation, and the inordinate use of fossil fuels to haul green waste and other organics from around the island.”

He continues, “We can also support state and local legislative initiatives related to diversification of agriculture. For example, existing federal laws on marijuana cultivation put a damper on growing industrial hemp for a variety of commercial applications and Hawai‘i Island is well-suited to add commercial hemp to its list of potential high value commercial crops.”

These days, in addition to home composting and continuing to educate himself and others, Paul is still pursuing his love of photography, and supporting the arts in Hawai‘i. He is owneroperator of the Eleventh Pearl Photo Gallery in Volcano, and has continued to play harmonica, jamming with the Blue Tattoo Blues Band, under the stage name (and tongue-in-cheek call to action) “Tips Mahalo.”

A multi-talented kama‘āina with a deep aloha for Hawai‘i Island, Paul remains steadfast in his vision of and commitment to a sustainable future for our island home. ■

Historic Kainaliu, Kona’s original shopping village.

Located 5 miles south of Kailua-Kona.

All photos courtesy of Paul Buklarewicz For more information: Eleventh Pearl Photo Gallery: eleventhpearl@hawaii.rr.com Blue Tattoo Blues Band: bluetattoobluesband.weebly.com

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21

Adventure on the Seas with Pete Hendricks

By Ma‘ata Tukuafu

P

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

ete Hendricks knows something about curiosity: it’s why he’s done so many different things over the course of his lifetime. Born on August 1, 1938 in Los Angeles, Pete grew up nearby in Long Beach with four brothers and his hardworking parents, who encouraged independence. His father would strap two-year-old Pete to his back and take him sailing. At the age of 10, Pete started sailing himself, which began his lifelong interest in the sea. By retaining his curiosity, Pete has been motivated to explore new places, investigate different experiences, and learn from the people who have crossed his path.

Education is very important to Pete, and he says he was lucky to grow up in a system where kindergarten to graduate school was almost free.

At the time, California had one of the best public school systems and after high school, he chose to attend University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1961 with a bachelor of arts degree in communication and public policy.

“Curiosity is why I went to Vietnam,” says Pete. “I was in the Navy ROTC [Reserve Officer Training Corps] at UC Berkeley and was required to have two years at sea. One month after I graduated, I was in active duty.”

He went into the Navy as a “fresh ensign with one bar” and worked on an amphibious landing ship, which sometimes carried a whole battalion 22 of Marines. Pete worked under three

different captains during his time on the ship, and under the third navy captain, he advanced to be the senior officer on deck. Pete says he learned a lot from this captain, and got a lot of deep-water experience while on that ship. He spent two years on sea duty and sailed waters of the Pacific Rim around Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. He then attended San Diego survival school, and went to work as a volunteer in Vietnam for a year.

“Even with all my ocean experience, I got stuck in a supply job while in Vietnam,” Pete says. “So I started teaching English to South Vietnam government employees. That’s how I started my teaching career.”

He had been through Hawai‘i a few times, and his best friend was stationed at Fort Shafter in Honolulu.

Returning to Hawai‘i in 1964, Pete met up with his friend who took him surfing, and he says body surfing is what he loves most. He heard that University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa had a school of education, so he enrolled and got his master’s degree in education. It was while he was surfing, going to school, and working as a clerk at the old Seacrest Manor building (now the Hilton at Waikiki) that he reconnected with his girlfriend Carol. Pete says, “I originally met Carol while I was lifeguarding at Huntington Beach in ‘58 or ‘59. We reconnected in Hawai‘i again in 1965 when she was vacationing with her Pete Hendricks stands at his home today in Waimea. photo courtesy of Pete’s daughter, Aubrey Allen

from 1967 to 1969.

At the time, Pete says Hawai‘i Island was all sugarcane operations, with a structured economic and social caste system that was very productive. He and Carol lived in a two-bedroom cottage at Overend Camp for $35 per month and that’s where

YMCA’s sailing camp began in 1994 at Kawaihae with Pete’s help. photos courtesy of Pete Hendricks

sister. The timing was right, so we got married in a 20-minute ceremony before a judge. It was a great partnership over 52plus years.”

Carol brought a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter with her (Aubrey) and later they had two sons, Scott and Nate. Carol worked at the Bank of Hawaii in downtown Honolulu and Pete began student teaching at Stevenson Middle School. He says he “got tired of starving” and to supplement their income, became an investigator for Navy Intelligence for a year. They would visit Hawai‘i Island on vacation and would camp out at Mauna Kea State Park and even on the steps of Miloli‘i School.

Pete quotes Yogi Berra, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” After finishing his master’s degree, they moved to Honoka‘a where he taught US history at Honoka‘a High School

Pete Hendricks in the ocean at LST Landing in

Kawaihae, 1994.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

photo courtesy of Aubrey Allen

he met Harry Kim, who lived in the “next cottage up.”

Carol was a very talented artist, a potter, and a painter. She started art classes at the school and the couple built potter’s wheels out of old tire axels. Pete taught 8th and 11th graders (“Had some kids!” he says laughing), and adds that it was a good life, with weekend trips to Hāpuna Beach to body surf.

Making only $595 a month with a master’s degree, Pete found

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Pete and his dog Barton sailing with Gary Grosseuch on his F28 in 2020. photo courtesy of Pete Hendricks

out there was an opening for a night assistant at the University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy.

It paid a lot more than teaching, and he spent the next five years working four days on, four days off at the small NASA telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea. “It was only two small fiberglass domes and two 24” telescopes,” he says.

“We slept at Hale Pohaku in the ranger cabin, an old building back then.”

In 1974 Pete read in the university bulletin that a position as an extension agent for the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant on Hawai‘i Island came up. He applied and got the job, working there until 1982, and says it was the link between research in the field and practical use in real life. Pete also started writing a weekly article for West Hawai‘i Today in 1975, which is how he started his writing career.

When the Mauna Lani Hotel opened, Pete ran the boats for the guests. He also helped set up Kohala Divers in the small

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shopping center at Kawaihae, suggesting the company name to help “put Kohala on the map.” From 1988 to 2000 he held the position of education specialist for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, which Pete says was almost the same type of job as the extension agent work he’d done for University of Hawai‘i. In this position, he produced various education programs, brochures, videos, and conferences.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

founding member of the YMCA diving/spearfishing and youth/community sailing programs. He still is an active volunteer at the YMCA Kawaihae Aquatic Center.

“I feel blessed to have been privileged with a good education and parents who made us work real hard,” says Pete. “That was the biggest factor; we had chores, washed dishes, cleaned house, and had parents who said, ‘Take your little brother with you.’

They encouraged independence.”

When he was a teacher at Honoka‘a, Pete says he used to “rag on the students,” telling them to work hard and make the right choices. He still tells kids to go off island for work or an education, so they can appreciate where they come from. Pete says he’s fanatical about building leaders and giving everyone an education, saying students need to find “what floats their boat” in order to be successful. He has continued serving in the community, and is a former board member or has volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities advisory group, Ulu La‘au Nature Park, and the Waimea Middle School Charter Conversion School Advisory Group.

His wife Carol passed away three years ago, and Pete says he is lucky that all of their kids are leading productive lives and living on-island. Being interested in the kids and their growth when raising them played a big part in their successes. He also appreciates the strong partnership he had with Literally a lifetime waterman, as a baby Pete’s dad would strap him to his back and take him sailing. photo courtesy of Pete Hendricks Carol, and remembers saying to their kids, “We don’t care what you are going to be, just be good at it.” His words of Retiring from that, he traveled with Carol to Europe and advice to the next generation: “Don’t whine. Think about what the North American continent. Not one to sit around, Pete you are doing. Do more than you ‘have to.’ Try things out and continued to serve in various capacities: he was the deputy see what happens. Be resilient: don’t be too devastated if you managing director for Hawai‘i County from 2003 to 2005, a fail. You will be disappointed a lot…get used to it. Coming back former member of the County Water Commission, Board of from something is more important than achieving.”

Appeals, and the Police Commission. He also wrote for Ke Ola In his spare time, Pete is working on a scale model of the Magazine when it first started, for the “Then and Now” series, Bounty’s launch, is finishing a boat trailer, and says he is and still does on occasion—most recently in the November– tempted to do more writing. He jokes, “I’m late middle-aged, December 2020 issue not old!” Always ready with a great story, Pete says he would For 30 years he attended the conferences of the National like to write a book of tales and adventures on the Kohala and Maritime Historical Society, held mostly in Mānoa on O‘ahu, Kona Coasts. where he has presented papers at symposiums and assisted Pete Hendricks will never stop being curious, inspiring future with research and education. generations with his wit, wisdom, and talents. ■ A charter member of Kawaihae Canoe Club in 1972, he still paddles and has done inter-island outrigger canoe sailing.

For more information, call Pete: 808.885.4453 Ever in service to the Hawai‘i Island community, Pete was the

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Banana-rama Recipe for Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes

Local Foods

By Brittany P. Anderson

When you have too many ripe bananas, banana bread is most people’s go-to recipe. Instead, reach for this recipe for gluten-free banana pancakes. The recipe is a ratio, so you can make as little or as many as you like. Make a large batch, and you’ll have pancakes for breakfast throughout the week.

Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes The ratio is– 1 banana:1 egg:1 Tbs almond butter, and a dash of cinnamon.

(We suggest using 6 as the ratio, and 12 makes enough pancakes for the week.)

Place bananas, eggs, almond butter, and a generous dash of cinnamon in a blender or mash by hand until combined.

Lightly grease a skillet and heat on medium until hot. Drop approximately 1/4 of a cup of batter on the hot skillet or the sized pancake of your choice. Cook until tiny bubbles begin to form on the top, then carefully flip the pancakes and cook on the other side 1–2 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve and enjoy!

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

With a loud thump, the machete slices through a thick green stalk. The upper half, now severed, leans in near slow motion until its pointed green bounty is reachable by nimble hands. Another swift cut and the rack of nearly 100 bananas is released from the plant.

Bananas traveled to Hawai‘i as a canoe plant. Early Hawaiians planted bananas along coastlines as a food source should they need to seek unexpected refuge. Some bananas have medicinal qualities, some are grown for cooking, and others are purely ornamental.

Descendants of today’s most popular fruit were grown in Malaysia in approximately 2000 BC. Alexander the Great’s army found bananas in 300 BC, and they are credited with bringing them to the west.

Estimates show there are upwards of 1,000 varieties of bananas grown worldwide. The most popular bananas produced for commercial purposes are Cavendish, but the apple banana reigns supreme in Hawai‘i.

Arriving from China in the 1860s, apple bananas are prized for their smaller size and sweet, slightly tangy flavor. Other varieties popular on Hawai‘i Island are ladyfingers, saba (a type of cooking banana), and ice cream bananas.

More closely related to grasses and palm, the banana trunk shoots up from a bulb called a corm.

Once the banana bears fruit, it is chopped down, but the corm lives on producing more plants referred to as “keiki” or “suckers.” Hawai‘i Island makes up 91% of the state’s total fresh market banana sales, and as a state, we produce over four million pounds a year. The fruit isn’t the only thing used from the plant. Banana stalks contain useable fiber, and the leaves offer wrapping to steam meats and vegetables.

The banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is threatening banana growers across the islands and abroad. BBTV is extensive in Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and parts of India and Africa. In Hawai‘i, BBTV was first identified in 1989 on O‘ahu. In 1995, the disease made its way to Kailua-Kona on Hawai‘i Island, and several years later was found on the island of Kaua‘i.

BBTV is prolific across all islands, now dealing a severe blow to the banana industry in Hawai‘i. Work is underway to cultivate banana strains resistant to BBTV, and a few banana farmers are testing out these virus-free cultivars.

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Through the Wide Lens of

Kornelius Schorle

By Stefan Verbano

K

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

ornelius Schorle deals in postcards from the past. Peering through his camera lens, working with the care and patience of a master craftsman, he has preserved forever—in saturated colors—beloved Hawai‘i Island places that will never be seen again.

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His photography brings permanence to this ever-changing island, which once boasted many well-loved coastal landscapes that are now faded, fragmented memories: the curvature of the bay, the deep hue of the ocean, the dancing palm trees lining the shore, the shape of waves as they break, the sunlight

Panorama taken at lava-cinder covered breakwater from the post-2018 eruption at Isaac Hale Beach Park. Visible to the right is the old Pohoiki Bay boat ramp which now leads to an impromptu swimming hole flanked by the new Pohoiki Beach. glinting off wet black sand. These mental fragments of the past are pieced together again instantly upon seeing Kornelius’s work, eliciting excited reactions from residents and visitors alike who’ve developed intimate, sensory connections to these places and who, upon first spotting his vibrant canvases on display, exclaim, “That’s it! That’s what I remember.”

Over the course of half a century and two destructive lava flows, Kornelius and his tireless efforts to document the island’s scenic beauty, especially in lava-prone Puna district, has produced what could be considered the definitive photographs of bygone places like Kapoho Tide Pools, Pohoiki Bay, and Ahalanui Beach Park—affectionately known as Warm Ponds.

Panorama of the Port of Hilo and its miles-long breakwater from above the tree line at sunset.

These swimming spots were casualties of the 2018 Lower Puna Eruption, but live on in the veteran photographer’s portfolio in all of their royal-blue-sky, aquamarine-water and verdant-green

Kornelius at an art gallery exhibition surrounded by some of his most famous works. He creates prints at his home-based studio in Hawaiian Paradise Park to display at galleries, where excited buyers often approach his racks and exclaim: “That’s what I remember!”

Panorama of waves crashing against a rocky outcrop along the shoreline of Richardson Beach in Hilo while Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea loom in the distance. glory. Also preserved through his works is the Old Kaimū Black Sand Beach in Kalapana. This was once a crescent-shaped, palm-lined sandy shoreline prized by old time Hawaiians as a safe place to launch and haul out their canoes. The village of Kaimū and its world-famous beach were completely covered in 1990 during the climax of a years-long lava flow from Kīlauea Volcano’s Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent.

Kornelius specializes in panoramas. From very early on in his photographic career, he recognized the advantage of shooting photos with elongated fields of view. Decades ago, while on assignment capturing a panorama of roughly 500 students, faculty, and staff at Cypress College in California, he told a reporter for the Los Angeles Times: “There’s no way you can come back from a photo adventure with a conventional shot—a ‘squatty picture’— and say ‘this is what I saw.’” There’s a strong preference among admirers of photography, he says, to see what he calls the “extended version,” or what the viewer sees with both eyes. The term “panorama” derives from Greek words meaning “all-sight,” and refers to images showing a field of view equal to or greater than that of the human eye.

photo courtesy of Easter Aquino

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A well-renowned “vertorama” titled Autumn Colors in Hilo, which was selected for a People’s Choice Award out of 70 submissions at the Banyan Drive Art Stroll in January 2017. “Vertorama” is a term used in the photography world to describe a vertical panorama.

This means that Kornelius’s panoramas of now-devastated places on Hawai‘i Island are the closest a canvas can come to mimicking what they truly looked like in real life; not as the familiar rectangles of conventional photos which are just small pieces of the vista, but as broad, expansive swaths of land that induce in the viewer an overwhelming sense of place.

Prospective buyers of his work, upon seeing such brilliant detail and sweeping scope, are sometimes incredulous.

“They ask: ‘Is this even real? Is this on this island?’” the master panoramist says. “My work gets to be like that—some of it, anyway. It can be so ethereal.”

Kornelius describes his photos in terms like “atmospherics” and “essentialism.” In the world of panoramic photography, this latter term refers to building a scene around its essential points in order to bring more meaning to the finished product.

In the case of his well-renowned shot of Pohoiki Bay from the breakwater at pre-lava Isaac Hale Beach Park, the “essentials” of the photo, he says, are the red house and the boat ramp, as opposed to the rock wall, breakwater pilings, parking lot, swimmers, shimmering shoreline, or puffy clouds.

“Without the house and the ramp it could be anywhere,” he says. “It would still be pretty, but much less meaningful.”

During Puna’s most recent eruption, Kornelius was in Leilani Estates—the flow’s epicenter—standing in a forested section between two properties capturing the row of emerging volcanic fissures as they spat lava gobs high into the air against a dark, smoky sky silhouetted by ‘ōhi‘a trees. When asked how he ended up there at dusk on that fateful day, the photographer

credits Pele for drawing him to her creations.

“I have a special relationship with Madam Pele,” he says. “I was summoned. No phone call, no nothing...it’s very strange how that worked.”

His shutter clicked away as the flow engulfed a 12,000-gallon water catchment tank and it exploded into a massive ball of white steam. Then, as night fell, the eruption had progressed to a point where the police officers and national guardsmen had to get everyone out. The sound of the fissures, which Kornelius likens to “four or five jet engines going off at the same time,” had crescendoed into such a terrible roar that the authorities had to fire their guns into the air to get his attention. With a heavy heart, he took his last shots in the failing light and retreated.

“Of course I wanted to stay, I’m a photographer,” he says.

“Even if the lava came over me, I didn’t care. I wanted to document it...I didn’t want to just talk about it. I would have spent the entire night there if they let me.”

His Early Years Kornelius grew up in East Germany under the iron hand of communism. Before the souring of US–Soviet relations, he was free to cross the border into West Germany at will, and did so nearly every day to see movies or buy food unavailable in the east, like bananas. Going through the checkpoint again on his way home, the border guards would sometimes stop him and eat his bananas. He was 18 years old and already into black and white photography when he finally decided to flee to the

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Swimmers near the breakwater at Ahalanui Beach Park’s lava-heated tidal pools prior to the 2018 eruption. The beloved park, affectionately known as Warm Ponds, was completely covered by lava in July 2018.

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west in 1960. Throwing his bicycle over the fence, and with only the clothes on his back, his passport, and a 35-millimeter camera, he made his way toward an American radar station very close to the border.

An aunt in West Germany let him stay with her, sparing him from life in a refugee camp. A few weeks later he was on a transatlantic ship headed for New York City with a new passport and political asylum, and on arrival went into business with his two brothers in Queens. He worked days and attended school every night, earning a high school diploma and certificate in English as a second language. In 1968 he left New York for California to work at the service center of a German car dealership.

All the while Kornelius was honing his photography skills, selling his pieces at craft shows and small galleries. In Irvine, California, he opened the Long and Skinny Picture Company offering film stock, photo processing services, gear rentals, lighting equipment—even smoke machines. During his time off, he went on numerous photo adventures to far-flung places like Norway, Italy, South America, China, Denmark, South Korea, Spain, Portugal, and France.

In the pre-digital photography era, he recalls embarking on journeys to capture panoramas of the many lighthouses spread throughout the Greek Islands—journeys that involved the backbreaking schlep of 150 pounds of analog camera gear from location to location. At one point, he had to bribe a Greek pilot with a print of his Athens panorama for permission to safely stow his bulky gear in the plane’s cabin. For this reason alone, Kornelius says, he doesn’t miss analog.

“You’ll never find me harking back to the good old days because there were no good old days...there was schlepping,” he says. “You will never find me in a position to be snobbish because I embrace technology. Without technology, we wouldn’t have pictures...I would never poopoo it. Any kind of art form, if you can pull it off, is worth it.”

At his home/studio in Hawaiian Paradise Park, Kornelius has an impressive collection of bulky pre-digital film cameras which, while top-of-the-line in their heyday, are now essentially

worthless because they can’t be retrofitted for digital. He pulls out a modern, compact thousand-dollar Sony digital camera that fits in the palm of his hand and by itself replaces most of those 150 pounds of gear he once toted all over Greece.

“Look at this—it goes in your pocket,” he says with a triumphant smile, slipping the Sony into the breast pocket of his Hawaiian shirt.

By the time Kornelius is finished with the story of his long life— punctuated with his ambling away several times to fetch this canvas or that to better tell the tale—he is surrounded by his life’s work. His art is spread out on tables, leaning against chairs, stacked against walls. All around him are the vibrant colors, textures, and patterns of a tropical wonderland which cast its unbreakable spell on a young, aspiring photographer 50 years ago, when he visited Hawai‘i for the first time and realized he’d found a place where he could “make beautiful art all day, every day.” Though he may not have realized it in that moment, over the course of the coming years, the permanence of his craft would become a welcome saving grace on an ever-changing island where many well-loved places live on today only in photographs. ■ All photos courtesy of Kornelius Schorle except where noted For more information: Hawaii Photo Art: facebook.com/groups/1007663555964242

Tai Lake Fine Woodworking

An artistically rendered photo of Kornelius with his wife, Easter Aquino, and their family dog, Cheeveenee. photo courtesy of an anonymous passerby

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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, St. James Circle: I

A HUB OF RESILIENCE

t’s Thursday morning and St. James’ Circle in Waimea is a humming hive of activity. The church kitchen is abuzz with volunteers cheerfully chopping ingredients, then cooking and filling pans with the evening’s weekly community meal. Another group of volunteers readies the St. James’ Thrift Store for business. Soon a yoga class will be assembling at Waimea Yoga, Waimea Country School students will be dashing across the grass for their daily physical education class, and little ones will be gathering at Small World Preschool.

By Jan Wizinowich

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

The next addition was a graveyard, where Samuel Parker Jr., son of Samuel Parker and Panana Napela, was interred in 1934, followed four years later by original church member Carolyn Sharratt. Eventually the graveyard was bounded by low rock walls and bordered with ‘ōhia and jacaranda trees.

Sometime in the 1930s two or three small houses were connected together and placed in the northwest corner of the property and eventually became the vicar’s residence, which is the current church office. The rest of the buildings of St. James’ Circle The Circle in the originated from Making World War II and the St. James’ Circle educational needs of evolved from a small the community. group of dedicated When the 2nd worshipers who met Division Marines in various homes, to arrived in Waimea a circle of buildings from one of the forming a synergy of bloodiest battles of positivity. With the World War II, they arrival of Reverend were in dire need of Frank Merrill in 1911, a hospital and took plans for the new over Waimea School church, dubbed St. and Waimea Hotel, James the Great, leaving students to quickly got underway Headmaster James Taylor on the front porch of the original chapel, built in 1912, surrounded by vibrant poinsettias. attend classes at photo courtesy of Jane Taylor with the order of a various alternative church building from locations and homes.

American Portable House Company of Seattle.

Waimea needed a school and in 1943 the Seabees got busy With the building on the way, a search for a place to put it constructing the canec buildings that are still standing today. began. That’s where Mabel Beckley, great-granddaughter of Canec was a building material made from bagasse, a fibrous John Palmer Parker, came in. She approached Parker Ranch material that is the byproduct of sugarcane processing. From manager AW Carter, who granted them a 50-by-100-foot plot 1943 to 1945, with the exception of the commandant’s house in the area of the old Waimea Courthouse. (southwest corner), Waimea School students attended classes In December 1912, church members celebrated their first in those buildings.

Christmas Eve service and provided the first community Christmas celebration: “On Christmas Eve, members of St. The Hawai‘i Episcopal Academy and the Roots of James’, Mrs. Henry Beckley, her sister Miss Maud Woods, and Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy Miss Nora Keawe, began a tradition at the town hall, part When the war ended, the buildings were left empty and of which is still continued in Waimea today; they provided a the circle was eerily quiet, but not for long; a seed had been Christmas tree and a Santa Claus to distribute gifts for the planted and when Bishop Kennedy observed the empty children of the town.”* buildings, he saw them as a way to meet a community need In 1930, the Sharritt and Arioli families donated the three and began to make plans for a school. By the fall of 1949, acres of rough pastureland bounded by Waikoloa Stream that working with local businessmen, Bishop Kennedy, and St. was to become St. James’ Circle and “the chapel was braced, James’ Church, they opened the Hawai‘i Episcopal Academy lifted onto a stone sledge, and pulled by two Percheron horses (HEA).

34 to the new site.”* Interviewed for this story, Dave Coon (teacher 1950–1951,

By then, the 20-year-old canec buildings were beginning to show their age. Howard Hall and his wife, Pat, arrived in 1964 to begin a 40-year teaching career at HPA and lived in the north end of the Waimea Country School building. “The canec walls were so waterlogged that by the end of the year, the tacks holding Pat’s artwork rusted through,” remembers Howard.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Parker Ranch Connections Richard Smart had always had a special relationship with St. James’. Mrs. Mabel Beckley and her sister, Maud Woods, two of the original members, were his cousins.

Also Fr. Merrill had married Richard’s parents in 1912, baptized Richard in 1913, and buried Richard’s mother in 1914.

In 1950, Richard decided to present the church with a new building and by mid-October 1950, ground was Lynn Taylor with daughter Jane, flanked by two unidentified children, looking north toward the current broken by James Kurakawa and his cadre of ranch church building. photo courtesy of Jane Taylor carpenters (which included church member Dempsey Harada) for a one-story, 100-by-24-foot redwood building, “to take care mission vicar 1954–1957) recalls arriving in the summer of of the social as well as the spiritual needs of the Mission.”* 1950. He was immediately put to work in what later became While the new church was being constructed, Dave Coon the James Spencer building (northeast corner). “When I arrived loaded HEA students, ‘ō‘ō bars, and other implements onto in the summer of 1950, the Reverend Paul Savanack was the a flatbed truck and headed up Saddle Road to Humu‘ula to interim headmaster. We looked at the building and walked collect pahoehoe, which was used for the front walkways and inside and it was totally bare. Empty. And he said, ‘Here’s a lot the bell tower facing, “installed by a crew directed by faithful of lumber over here, make a library,’” remembers Dave. vestry member James Spencer.”* The first service in the new The buildings now house students, teachers, and classrooms. church took place in March 1951 with cross-sections of the Moving around the circle starting from the James Spencer community, in the spirit of inclusion. building, you come to the building that now holds the Thrift Store. “There were three of us teachers at the road end of it.

St. James’ Circle Growing Community Connections The rest of the building was a dormitory and at the end was a In the spirit of aloha, the congregation of St. James’ Church room for another teacher,” says Dave. has opened their hearts beyond the sanctuary doors and view Then, moving south, “the Waimea Country School building the buildings and resources of St. James’ Circle as something was a dormitory for girls and a teacher, who more or less to be shared. The church has become a meeting place for ran the building. The Small World Preschool building was the kitchen and dining room, and the whole Waimea Yoga building was classrooms,” said Dave.

James Taylor arrived in 1954 to begin a 20-year career as headmaster. The original chapel was still standing just west of the current church building and served as the headmaster’s office. But the American Portable House Company of Seattle hadn’t figured on the ka makani winds and, sometime in the early 1960s, the chapel had to be disassembled and removed.

The upper campus of Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy opened in 1961 and once again St. James’ Circle was reconfigured.

The elementary classes began

by Lynn Taylor in 1958 now expanded to fill the space and along with elementary school classes, the circle continued to 35 Canec buildings currently house from left: Waimea Country School, Small World Preschool and Waimea Yoga. photo by Jan Wizinowich provide housing for faculty.

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

support groups, Boy Scouts, and veterans and, until the pandemic, a place for Sunday afternoon worship conducted by the Marshallese ‘ohana.

“Outreach is key to who we are today and the seeds that were planted years ago have taken root and are blossoming now,” says Reverend David Stout, in his 10th year as St. James’ rector.

The Thursday community meal, a joyous affair, began in 2016. “The parish ‘ohana wanted a feeding ministry. They wanted to try it and see who came. Sue Dela Cruz and Tim Bostock took it on and it turned into a party every Thursday in the pavilion with live music. People came and shared a meal.

A festive event that fed both body and soul,” says Reverend David.

With the pandemic, the meal program has both expanded and contracted. More than 600 meals are now distributed in a drive-through on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:00. “People in the drive-through are asking when we can gather again. The meal is really the greatest event I’ve ever promoted,” says Tim, who is a professional event promoter.

The gathering place, Savanack Pavilion (western edge), donated in 1973 by Julia and Tommy Rodenhurst, started out as a place for the annual fundraising plant sale. It now serves as a support kitchen for the community meal, mostly prepared in the church building, but there are plans to “wrap the whole operation into one with a fully commercial kitchen and share it with a number of people,” says Tim. St. James’ Circle has been given the title “Hub of Resilience” by the granting organization Vibrant Hawai‘i. Through their support, St. James’ sponsors 175 meals a week, prepared by Ippy’s Restaurant and delivered to kūpuna in the community.

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Saint James’ Episcopal Church built in 1950, a gift from Parker Ranch’s Richard Smart. photo by Jan Wizinowich

“The property we’ve inherited is a great blessing. We are stewards of it in our time, to continue to be a place of worship, education, and community connections,” concluded Reverend David.

Mahalo nui for contributing to this story: Everette Knowles, Jo Pilz, Dave Coon, Jane Taylor, Tim Bostock, Reverend David Stout, Sue Dela Cruz, and Howard and Pat Hall. ■ For more information: stjameshawaii.org Story sources: *Ke Akua Alaka‘i iā Kākou: St. James’ Episcopal Church centennial booklet Waimea Gazette: Waimea Remembers Camp Tarawa by Gordon Bryson

Series 3 on Managing with Aloha, Bringing Hawai‘i’s Universal Values to the Art of Business Tenth in Series Three on Managing with Aloha

Pearls of Palena ‘Ole

Managing

with aloha

By Rosa Say that proverbial silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

When I think about the good which came out of 2020, I see the rule-changing packaged with a whole lot of permissiveness, and there’s no better response for us than the positive expectancy of Palena ‘ole.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us dramatically. It has been more than okay to change, whether in our habits, our work and how we did it, or even with where we decided to live—change and adaptation has been expected and encouraged. Still is.

Several stigmas, such as with being furloughed, laid-off, and fired, have lessened. All kinds of professionals have been just fine with being considered “unessential workers” this past year—they have explored just how much more they are capable of mastering, and they have lit their lifestyle on fire.

We have felt a new and different kind of camaraderie in our shared experiences, tough as they may be. We’ve “all been in this together” as a society-pervasive sorting out, streamlining, and shifting of priorities, examining a lot of variables we largely took for granted before, such as school and in-person learning.

Not for a second do I imply that any of this has been easy, yet this fact stands: we’ve done it, and we continue to push forward.

We can do so much more. The pandemic has exposed much more than our shortfalls in healthcare and governance, hasn’t it? What will we do about them? The experimental, permissive attitude infused in Palena ‘ole is so much better than blame, finger-pointing, and excuse-making: we just get on with it, and forge ahead toward better. We welcome the new and different with fewer pre-judgements or stodgy assumptions, and without being saddled by convention.

In 2021, let’s continue to be rule-changers.

Let’s continue to question the essential and non-essential.

Let’s continue to strike through old assumptions, worn-out traditions, and previously unchallenged conventions.

Let’s make more change—more innovation—with our willingness, and stigma-free encouragement to experiment.

Be inspired by Palena ‘ole, and enlarge your capacity: start with your expectation that the world is your oyster, and there are pearls of Aloha abundance to be found.

In Series 3, we explore the 9 Key Concepts of Managing with Aloha as a culture-building philosophy for the workplace.

Contact writer Rosa Say at RosaSay.com or ManagingWithAloha.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Palena ‘ole is Key Concept 9 in the Managing with Aloha philosophy. It translates to “without edges or boundaries” and we refer to it as the concept of unlimited capacity: “This is your exponential growth stage, and about seeing your bigger and better leadership dreams come to fruition.

Think ‘Legacy’ and ‘Abundance’ and welcome the coaching of Pono into your life as the value it is. We create our abundance by honoring human capacity; physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. When we seek inclusive, full engagement and optimal productivity, any scarcity will be banished. Growth is welcomed and change is never feared; enthusiasm flourishes.

Palena ‘ole is an everyday attitude in an ‘Ohana in Business, assuming that growth and abundance is always present as an opportunity. Given voice, Palena ‘ole sounds like this: Don’t limit yourself! Why settle for ‘either/or’ when we can go for the ‘and’, and be better?”

In a word, Palena ‘ole is about growth, whether for individuals, or for vision and a company as a whole.

For individuals, think of Palena ‘ole as the extra oomph to our Key Concept 7, Strengths Management, whereby we boost our strengths inventory by exploring our untapped human capacity. We push at the edges of whatever we previously felt constrained by, and employ the value of Ho‘omau (perseverance, continual improvement and renewal) as we question any obstacle or barrier which may have walled us in before. There’s more possibility to be explored, and we can thrill to the discovery of the growth we are capable of. We expect better, and aim to become innovators.

I have penned an annual one-word theme for the Ho‘ohana Community of Managing with Aloha in recent years, and our 2021 theme was inspired by Palena ‘ole as our best response to the pandemic difficulties of 2020: “Experiment! Not ‘experimentation,’ for that’s more past tense, and can be about other people. Experiment, as in NOW, and as in for YOU, and as Go for it! What explorations can you take on this year? Which pathway of your fourfold capacity— physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual—has been your ‘road less traveled’ up to now? Think back to every ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ you’ve ever uttered, and turn old regret into an intriguing experiment of fresh possibility. If not now, when?”

2020 could rightfully be dubbed the year all the rules changed. Those changes were a mixture of the good and the bad, and as Managing with Aloha has taught us, we always have a choice in what our reactions will be, so the good outweighs the bad, and that good perseveres—so we make

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Mälama Mokupuni: Caring for Our Island Environment

Cultivating Resilience

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

By Rachel Laderman

Can there be such a thing as “regenerative tourism,” where visitors can balance the consuming nature of tourism by contributing to island sustainability? It’s a tall order, but sisters Kalisi Mausio and Angela Fa‘anunu, the co-founders of Hawaii Farm Trails, see ways to link visitors, farmers, community, and environment so together all can flourish.

As young adults, Kalisi and Angela were crew members on different voyages of the Hōkūle‘a, the Polynesian voyaging doublehulled canoe that sailed throughout the world, connecting and revitalizing Angela and Kalisi with Hoküleÿa in Vavaÿu, Tonga on the Tonga-New Zealand leg of the World Wide Voyage. Voyaging with the Polynesian the culture Voyaging Society infused them with a commitment to work towards of Hawaiian island food security. photo courtesy of Kalisi Mausio and other Polynesian islanders. “The opportunity to sail on Hōkūle‘a was amazing and it gave me a huge sense of responsibility to mālama honua—take care of our island Earth,” says Kalisi. “When we returned, we asked, what can we do with this kuleana that’s been placed on us?”

Kalisi found her answer working on social enterprises that provide appealing options for visitors to give back to the land and the people. Angela became an assistant professor of tourism at the College of Business and Economics at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, where she researches sustainable tourism alternatives such as agritourism and challenges students to re-imagine pathways in tourism to build the resilience of host communities.

The Hawaii Farm Trails site encompasses three efforts: an app for agritourism experiences, a virtual marketplace, and a site for sponsoring food tree plantings.

Explore Hawai‘i Farms and Markets The free Hawaii Farm Trails app steers visitors towards activities with minimal or positive environmental impact. Guests 38 can explore farms and ranches through tours, tastings, farmers

markets, and agricultural events. It offers curated driving trails for those who want to explore a region for its agricultural attractions. The app was launched with funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service initially, then with support from Kamehameha Schools, and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority via Hawai‘i Agritourism Association for its statewide expansion.

Shop the Stand Hawaii Farm Stand is an online shop that allows people to order value-added products straight from farms all over Hawai‘i, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, macadamia nuts, honey, and seasonings. It is a gifting farm-box program with options to choose virtual farm tour videos, which came about as a farm-to-your-table response to restricted travel during the pandemic. A portion of every purchase goes back to assisting the farmers through promotional and capacity-building programs.

“Most of the farms are small, diversified, family-owned operations,” says Kalisi. “They make some of the island’s prized value-added products, grown and made by hand in small batches. They connect us to the land.”

Project Kanu: Food Trees for the Future The next project takes the idea of supporting farmers and promoting food resilience and adds another synergistic goal: giving visitors the option to balance the carbon cost of their visit. Project Kanu helps people take on the responsibility for their own carbon-producing activities while paying it forward through the planting of food trees. Any individual or company can sponsor farmers to grow traditional island food, starting off with the high-yielding, nutritious ‘ulu (breadfruit).

The website provides a carbon guide to help users determine their carbon footprint. “The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons per year,” says Kalisi. “A healthy breadfruit tree can sequester up to one ton in its first 20 years. You could potentially balance that by planting 10 trees a year.”

Buyers can choose to purchase trees, tree shares, or a

Behind the scenes for the Hawaii Farm Trails app, Kalisi visits farms offering visitor activities such as farmstands, tours, and workshops to help the farmers promote these attractions. photo courtesy of Rachel Laderman

Kalisi with a mature ÿulu, a canoe plant. It was brought to Hawaiÿi from Tahiti with the first Polynesian settlers on their voyaging canoes. As a Polynesian staple, ÿulu is well loved for its resilient growth and highly productive starchy fruit. photo courtesy of Hayden Ramler monthly subscription as low as $1. It’s really meant to help people contribute in any way big or small. Farmers are then provided with ‘ulu trees and planting resources. Sponsors receive updates on the progress of their trees.

“The name ‘Kanu’ is from the Hawaiian word for planting. It is descended from the Polynesian ‘tanu’ meaning to bury, so it is especially fitting applied to carbon sequestration, which is about sinking carbon back into the soil,” says Kalisi. “It reflects the deep-rooted intention of our values, which acknowledges the sacredness of our natural world through our creation stories, and through this lineage there is a need to care for it as if it were kūpuna.”

Kalisi and Angela have indeed found engaging, creative ways to help visitors as well as residents cultivate resilience in, and give back to, Hawai‘i.

For more information: hawaiifarmtrails.com KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

‘Ulu on the traditional voyaging canoe, Hawaiiloa. It was on voyaging canoes like this one that Polynesian wayfinders brought this resilient staple tree with them knowing that it can survive a wide range of conditions. photo courtesy of Kaipo Kïÿaha

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M. Kalani Souza: Storyteller, Scientist, and Spirit of the World

By Brittany P. Anderson

T

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

he cobalt blue ocean moves gently across the horizon while an azure sky is dotted with wisps of cotton candy clouds—it is an idyllic day on the Hāmākua Coast. A grounding voice breaks the silence, like rocks tumbling in the winter surf; when Kalani speaks, even the clouds stop to listen.

M. Kalani Souza’s knowledge of Hawaiian culture, science, and the arts intertwine to form the man that stories will be told about long after he leaves this realm. Respected Hawaiian kupuna (elder), unafraid of speaking truth, Kalani sat down to talk story about his life,

40 M. Kalani Souza. photo courtesy of Tom Zablan

his unique outlook on the world, and what he sees for our future.

A‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okāhi All knowledge is not taught in the same school It was identified early on that Kalani held an exceptional talent, a disposition suited for studying Hawaiian traditions. He was taken under his grandfather’s wing to learn the ancestral customs and culture.

“People say I’m a Hawaiian practitioner, but I done practicing, there’s no practicing, I’m just Hawaiian,” Kalani says gruffly.

He grew up living in Wailua Nui, Maui as a country boy with his feet in the dirt. Recognized for his natural abilities, he secured a spot in the prestigious Punahou School for fourth through eighth grade. City life in Honolulu was a significant shift for the young boy.

“I didn’t know I was a poor Hawaiian until I went to Punahou. The kids explained it...children can be cruel.

I didn’t feel poor,” he says in a hushed tone.

At the end of eighth grade, Kalani left Punahou and entered public school in Waipahu, where his family lived. It was a stark contrast to the elite private school he previously attended.

Even as an adolescent, he saw the shortcomings of the public education system. “Going to public school in Waipahu taught me a lot about how other people were living,” he says.

It wasn’t long before Kalani moved to Kamehameha Schools, which was again a shift in perspective. Teachers were abuzz, labeling him as a former Punahou student, introducing him as such in each of his classes. The other students weren’t

as thrilled with the newcomer. “The first day I got into fights, the teachers put a target on my back because now everyone thought I was this rich kid,” he says ironically. Kamehameha Schools has a zero-tolerance policy for fighting, but the principal understood the situation and helped lead Kalani down the right path.

Going from being seen as poor to perceived as rich is an experience that left a lasting impression. Receiving and enduring his classmates’ judgment opened his eyes to the idea that the human journey is something unique to each individual.

The young man flourished at Kamehameha Schools. By his junior year, Kalani was voted class president, and the following year elected student body president.

It isn’t surprising that Kalani could go from being beaten up to Mr. Popularity—he’s charismatic, eloquent, and possesses unchained intelligence.

After a brush with death in 1988 where he was brought back to life at Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu, Kalani’s life-course became clearer. “All my elders have said since ‘88 that you had something important to do,” he continues with comedic excitement, “Not really how I felt about it. I’m so in love with life. I love everything. I ain’t through having experiences yet.

There is so much wonder here—I just wanted to stick around.”

He ali‘i ka ‘āina, he kauwā ke kanaka The land is chief, man is her servant “We are all connected—everything is connected,” Kalani says after relaying the story of Wākea and Papahānaumoku. As a storyteller, he’s traveled worldwide delivering powerful lectures bringing Hawaiian cultural values to the masses. He is always

working on something new—cutting edge— yet at the same time steeped in ancient tradition.

Among his many roles, Kalani is a coastal community resilience trainer with FEMA and serves as a cultural competency consultant for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Kalani greeting his mother in 2016.

Administration (NOAA). photo courtesy of Jean Tanimoto He is called to lead and participate in workshops on disaster preparedness, community relationships, knowledge systems sharing, indigenous environmental stewardship, and climate change adaptation.

It seems like at every turn, Kalani is working with environmental leaders for the betterment of Hawai‘i Island and the planet. “Treat the earth with the respect that you would your elders because that tiny sea creature could BE your great, great-grandmother,” he says as we laugh together at such truth. As he demonstrates, just because you are science-minded doesn’t mean you have to cast aside traditional Hawaiian principles.

Kalani moves between disaster planning, working on food sovereignty issues, writing various proposals, and recording podcasts. The undercurrent running between them all is the

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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ability for living creatures to survive in harmony together.

There is a sense of urgency in Kalani’s voice as he speaks on food security. Ever-present intense energy surrounds him, and it heightens when talking about the island’s future, and the planet.

“My grandfather always said the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago,” Kalani says. He believes that everyone should prepare for food insecurity, a point he says, “We are going to hit.” Kalani speaks of emulating the early Hawaiians, growing and raising enough food for their communities. When applying a cultural lens to food security and resiliency, he sees a network of small family farms and backyard gardens producing enough food for a family and their neighbors. To live in a world of Kalani’s making would be like living in the past and the future at the same time.

More than 60 local artists represented with everything made on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are located in historic downtown Hilo. www.onegalleryhawaii.com

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info@onegalleryhawaii.com

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Kalani with wife Julie. photo courtesy of John Russel ‘A‘ohe loa‘a i ka noho wale Nothing is gained by idleness Kalani asks, “How do we get our greed, our consumption under control, so we can join the family of the planet again?”

There is a long pause until he unpacks the question. Kalani believes we are all connected to one another, to the earth, and everything around us. “You are the earth encased in skin,” he says. He isn’t entirely off base. According to studies, soil and the human gut contain approximately the same number of active microorganisms, but our gut microbiome diversity decreased dramatically with our modern lifestyle.

The key, as he explains, is for humans to interact more with nature and work together to make the planet healthier.

“Everyone’s got to do it better,” he says passionately. “We need to throw the racism away because we all need to work

For more information: mkalani@mkalani.com olohana.org

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

together to make sure we have clean water and clean air.”

Kalani is an advocate of a paradigm shift, emphasizing mothers and women leading society into a better place.

This outlook stems from his understanding of Hawaiian cultural values, which holds mothers and women as a vehicle of transferring knowledge. “For the sake of Kalani (back row) wearing Laÿamea’s helmet, pendant and cape. our children we need women photo courtesy of Luyrier “Pop” Diamond to lead,” he pleads.

To usher in the next generation of leaders, Kalani is working with the UN Youth Advisory Council. “The next generation should have an equitable seat at the table. The determination of our framework forward, we should take the next generation into deep consideration, because they will be taking over,” he relays in a sobering tone.

The earnestness in which he speaks is as refreshing as it is polarizing. Picking up on this he adds, “People say, ‘Kalani why you got to be so honest about everything? Can’t we sugarcoat it just a little?’ No, not for the sake of the children!”

Kalani recognizes the end of the plantation era has left children up and down the Hāmākua Coast with few opportunities. “The suicide rate for teens is high in Hāmākua.

When you grow up here you don’t realize you live in the most beautiful place on earth,” he says concernedly. He speaks for a moment about drug addiction ripping the island apart, leaving hopelessness and despair in its wake. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the vast majority of those incarcerated in Hawai‘i are of native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent.

“Kids think, is this all I have to look forward to? The few with opportunity, luck, or brains leave.” Kalani knows that many of Hawai‘i Island’s talented students seek opportunities off-island, only to return with a renewed passion for their island home.

“When they come back, they go to the land. They throw in and throw down because they have been able to go out and see the world and you come back to appreciate what we have here.”

Not all students have the opportunity to leave Hawai‘i Island and experience other cultures. They never have the chance to return with a restored sense of purpose. Kalani sees this as an incredible opportunity, as only he can, to bring students from around the world to the island. One of his many projects is developing a UN school, to bring students from other countries into the island community. “We can’t take all the kids on an around-the-world trip so why not bring kids from around the world here?” he asks rhetorically.

Kalani is as humble as he is captivating, intelligent as he is wise, balancing ancient traditions with modern issues nimbly.

The talk-story session comes to a close just as a seaborne violet cloud makes landfall. A heavy but passing shower fills the space where his voice once held, as if planned as an encore performance by Kalani the kupuna, storyteller, scientist, and spirit of the world. ■

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Featured Cover Artist: Suzanne Dix-Kaliko During this past year it’s become clear Hawai‘i takes care of their elders. The Pāhala center has reached out to check on how I am doing weekly all throughout the crisis we’re living with. I taught there (before COVID hit) and had the pleasure to know the folks and hear their stories firsthand.”

Suzanneʻs work can be found in Nā‘ālehu at the Ka‘ū Gallery and Gift Shop and she also offers studito tours by appointment.

For more information: dixstudios.com hawaiikinemarket.com

Table of Contents Photographer:

Tim Wright

Tim Wright is a fourth generation Hawai‘i Islander who covers Hawai‘i as a part-time freelance news and sports photojournalist. From 1994 to 2001, Tim worked as a part-time stringer photographer for American Media and the National Enquirer, covering “off-beat” stories and celebrities in Hawai‘i and Las Vegas. He also provided many news images to the Associated Press, including Presidents Clinton and George H.W. Bush in Hawai‘i. His photos and short stories have been published in Hawai‘i and newspapers worldwide.

Timʻs image, featured in Ke Olaʻs table of contents, of Paul Neves and Jonathan Naone was taken at a Royal Order of Kamehameha blessing of the Naha stone at the Hilo Public Library in 2003.

The TV show Hawaiian Moving Company did a segment on Timʻs photography in 2001, and he has also appeared on The History Channel.

Tim is also a licensed electrical security contractor who advises companies in Hawai‘i and on the West Coast to sell or buy security companies. He was the former owner of Argent Security, LLC. He grew up in Kamaoa, Ka‘ū and currently resides in Hilo with his wife Terry and two dogs, Coconut and Mason.

For more information: newsphotoshawaii.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Suzanne Dix-Kaliko was 18 when her high school art teacher gifted her a set of oils and she began to paint. Raised in a small town in western New York, Suzanne was always an artist. She graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 1974 with a BFA, majoring in painting and drawing. Suzanne has exhibited all across the US and her work is collected internationally.

Suzanne moved to Hawai‘i in 1994 and her first years exhibiting on Hawai‘i Island were at the Mauna Lani Resort. In 1999 she became artist-in-residence at Four Seasons Hualalai.

For 10 years her booth was outside their cultural center, where she was privileged to learn from kūpuna who came to teach Hawaiian culture.

Pictured on Ke Ola’s cover, Aunty Harriet Soong was master quilter at Hualalai. Her quilts take from three to ten years to create, as they are all hand sewn. The quilt she exhibits in the cover image is a Maui wedding quilt. Aunty Harriet has quilts hanging in the Smithsonian in Washington, DC as examples of Hawaiian quilt mastery.

Suzanne reflects, “Since my interests are culturally oriented, I flourished at Hualalai. I cherished my interactions with kūpuna, and appreciated their opinions of my work. I’m inspired by nature so I paint ‘plein aire’ (on site, out-of-doors) to capture the essence of the place before me. Working outside is challenging and I use acrylic paint to start the image, make notes and then finish in the studio with oils.

Sometimes I pick up pastels or watercolors to change the tone of the art.”

Suzanne moved to Ka‘ū in 2000. Marvin Keith commissioned her to paint a mural at the Pāhala Senior Center.

She says, “The seniors in Pāhala are amazing. The mural features them—Taka Fukunaga on the south wall; the line dancing gals as well as the cultural dancers (Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese) on the east wall. Taka is still alive at 97 and tends his own garden in Pāhala to this day.

“Now a senior myself, I appreciate the Pāhala Senior Center more than ever.

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Allure Laser Med Spa

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Talk Story with an Advertiser

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Allure Laser Med Spa opened in Hilo a year ago and its staff has been busy helping people since they opened their doors. Conveniently located in the Hilo Shopping Center on Kilauea, Allure’s staff is headed by founder Lehuanani Akau, a doctor of nursing practice (DNP), advanced practice registered nurse with the ability to prescribe medicines (APRN-RX), and a board-certified family nurse practitioner (FNP-BC). Also providing treatments are Jodi Yu, RNC BSN, Kaiya Segundo, RN BSN, esthetician Candida Magallanes, laser technician Helani Kearse-Akau, in addition to office manager, Chanel Kawakami, BSN. Allure offers proven medical-grade cosmetic enhancements and technologies that are non-invasive and look natural.

Services provided are Dysport for lines and wrinkles, Restylane dermal filler augmentation, laser therapy, dry/sensitive skincare including facials, cellulite and body shaping therapy, lash lifts, IV hydration, teeth whitening, permanent makeup, laser hair removal, and waxing. Recently added primary care services are fully covered by most healthcare insurances such as HMSA, UHA, and others.

Dr. Akau opened her first practice in Waipahu, O‘ahu in 2017. She planned her second medical spa for Hilo, and was happy to find a central location with plenty of parking. Opening amidst Covid-19 was a challenge, however. Allure follows strict protocols to ensure their office, treatment rooms, and tools are all sterile, making sure everyone is safe, so people can fully relax and be pampered in this lovely environment.

One of the things that makes Allure unique is its memberships.

Starting at just $45, the Allure Laser Membership includes one of the following per month: underarms, lip & chin or sideburns, plus 10% off other services (excluding fillers) and free eyebrow wax maintenance. The next level of membership is their Allure Pink Spa Membership for $65 a month. This level includes one of the following per month: custom facial chemical peels, image skincare (peels additional $10, Fortes additional $20), plus 10% off other services (excluding fillers) and free eyebrow wax maintenance. The highest membership level, Allure Laser Advanced Membership, is $95, and members receive one of the following per month: Brazilian, full arms or half legs waxing, plus 10% off other services (excluding fillers) and free brow wax maintenance.

The staff at Allure is warm and welcoming. One of the reviews on their website says it well, “Allure Derm & Wellness is an amazing place to go to! Highly recommend! All the staff and ladies are such lovely people. They make you feel at home.”

Allure Laser Med Spa 1261 Kilauea Ave., #250, Hilo 808.731.6250 Book online: vagaro.com/alluredermandwellness-hilo/

Dr. Randall Juleff Talk Story with an Advertiser

Vein Clinics of Hawaii Waimea: 65-1158 Mamalahoa Hwy. #16 Hilo: 670 Ponahawai St. #220 808.885.4401 veinclinicsofhawaii.com

KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

Dr. Randall Juleff has a passion for educating people about venous insufficiency, meaning veins in the legs aren’t working properly.

Dr. Juleff explains, “Venous disease is tremendously undertreated, often because people don’t know they are having vein problems. Only one of the signs of venous insufficiency is varicose veins. Sometimes a patient’s only complaint may be chronic swelling, achiness, muscle cramping, skin problems, fatigue, heaviness, restless leg syndrome, numbness or tingling. In our offices we see nearly an even number of men and women.”

Dr. Juleff’s initial training was cardiovascular (open-heart) surgery. He decided to change specialties, reflecting, “10 years ago I saw this new technology in phlebology. Before that, we were doing surgical vein stripping, which required general anesthesia and a two-hour surgery, followed by in-patient care for several days. Now we accomplish the same thing with minimally invasive procedures in our office using numbing medication only. The patient remains awake, and the whole procedure takes 30 to 45 minutes. They leave Vein Clinics of Hawaii and can usually go on with their normal daily activities.”

Dr. Juleff continues, “Veins in our legs should be carrying blood up to the heart. When they fail over time, they can create lots of aggravating symptoms. Left untreated, it can lead to advanced problems. If you ever notice people walking around with the skin on their lower legs having a brownish discoloration, it almost always means their veins are not working. That can progress to further abnormalities. With our treatments, 99% of the time our patients feel a significant difference in their energy level afterward and they look better, too.”

“Many of our older patients suffer from nighttime muscle cramping. Our treatments can lessen or even eliminate their cramping, which can improve their quality of life tremendously.

For other people, the lower leg may be chronically swollen and the skin becomes fragile. Even a minor injury can lead to a major wound, a venous stasis ulcer, that doesn’t heal. Once we fix their venous insufficiency, their skin heals beautifully.”

Vein Clinics of Hawaii has recently opened their second Hawai‘i Island office in Hilo. Their Waimea office opened in 2010. In both offices, the staff is committed to quick, efficient evaluations and treatment. Medical insurance and Medicare cover treatments and most patients don’t need a referral from a primary physician.

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘ÄINA I KA PONO. The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

[Its sustainability depends on doing what is right.] Proclamation by Kona-born King Kamehameha III in 1843. Later adopted as the Hawai‘i state motto.

Publisher, Editor Barbara Garcia, 808.329.1711 x1, Barb@KeOlaMagazine.com

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Tanya Yamanaka, 808.329.1711 x3, Tanya@KeOlaMagazine.com

Advertising, Business Development Barbara Garcia, Call/Text 808.345.2017, Barb@KeOlaMagazine.com

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021

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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June 2021