Friends of Moku'ula – Ka 'I'imi 'Ike

The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce held its one-day Business Fest at the Grand Wailea on September 10^th with an cutting-edge agenda of exceptional speakers.

Beginning with Hui Holomua, the ceremonial arrival of canoes followed cultural protocol, the day proceeded with an agenda that included issues of importance    to our Hawaiian business community.   The conference was followed by the prestigious Ko`i Award dinner recognizing leaders who have contributed to the well-being of our community and state.

In the early morning dawn, a beautiful rainbow appeared before the group – a perfect hōʻailona to launch the dayʻs activities.

Informational FOM display

Kealiʻi Reichel, long-time supporter dating back to the beginning of FOM, stops by to check out the latest happenings.

Anabelle Paet, FOM staff and Lani Minihan, volunteer, pose for a shot after setting up the FOM booth!

Akoni Akana, Executive Director Emeritus, of Friends of Mokuʻula, warmed the hearts of his staff when he visited their offices at 505 Front Street in early September.  Here for the Ku Mai Ka Hula competition at the invitation of kumu hula, Hōkūlani Holt, Akoni made the most of his 4-day Maui visit.

Enroute to the Mokuʻula office, was a brief stop at Olowalu General Store for their famous hotdogs.  Akoniʻs first order of business was to “check” on the office and to applaud the staff on their hard work.  After cheers of welcome and giving the latest progress updates, Akoni was happy to see FOM President Kimo Falconer at the office – bearing gifts from Kāʻanapali Land Management-Howard Hanzawa  for the site clean-up.

A noon arrival at Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel, Akoni was astounded to see his friends as he was welcomed with song, dance and high spirits!  It was a thrilling and heartfelt moment to see everyone as he flashed back to the good old days and remembered why KBH is noted as the most Hawaiian hotel.  Even Mike White, General Manager, stepped away from a meeting to greet Akoni.  “It was good to be home”, remarked Akoni.

The owners and staff surprised Akoni by doing his chant written for them and the area.

The Old Lāhainā Luʻau was ecstatic to hear that Akoni was coming to Maui as they wanted to do his chant that he wrote for them!   Michael Moore, one of the owners, came out on stage, to recognize Akoni for his dedication and commitment to the vision of Mokuʻula, the OLL owners and staff joined him onstage.  It was a chicken-skin moment when the entire group did the chant and former board member, Julie Yoneyama of OLL, presented him with a lei.  It was a tear-jerker  instant captured in our hearts!  The Old Lāhainā Luʻau, has been a supporter of FOM for many years and have contributed countless volunteer hours and fundraising events toward the restoration of Mokuʻula.  Needless to say, Akoni will long remember this beautiful evening with his friends as he commented that “it was like being in his tūtūʻs backyard!

Micheal Moore, Robert Aguiar, Tim Moore, and Kevin Butler (Missing)

Julie Yoneyama welcomes her friend home.

When the Friends of Mokuʻula put out a call last week for a clean-up project, the following volunteers jumped at the opportunity to make a difference:

Daniel Enso – Aloha Arbor

Mark Dubbertin – Aloha Arbor

Evan S. – Aloha Arbor

Aloha Waste Systems

Wally Kmett

Maria Wolfe and keiki

Cole Santos

Mike Ryan

David DuRoss

Byron Yeager

Jon Kinimaka  and ʻOhana

Madelaine

Ranae Anderson

Lehua Hough, Sione and Asi Fatongia, Pono Lolohea

Lani, Duke and Kalani Minihan

Sandra

CJ Elizares

Rusty Nakahashi

Anabelle Paet and Damien Dumayas

Brandon Kahai

Reporting to “work”, the mea kokua took to task and cleared truckloads of trees, branches, and debris of all sorts.

A special mahalo to Aloha Waste Systems for allowing us the use of their bin to dump the waste.  It was a tremendous help to us to be able to clear the site.

Daniel Enso of Aloha Arbor and his crew gave their time and energy to chop kiawe trees, load their trucks with greenwaste and even returned after the volunteers left to finish up what they could with their heavy equipment.

Recently moved to Maui, Lani Minihan, one of our office volunteers, showed up with her two sons in tow and went straight to work attacking the stubborn kiawe branches.

Wally Kmett, with his handy power saw, helped to cut down poles and tree roots that were unsafe.

Itʻs a kakou kuleana for the staff to recruit their ʻohana for all company activities that require manpower and always obliging, we thank them for their commitment and support to the organization.

We are ecstatic over the overwhelming response of every volunteer that devoted their Labor Day weekend to return the glory to the sacred site of Mokuʻula.

For information on our volunteer program, please contact Anabelle Paet, coordinator, by e-mail at hoomanao@mokuula.com or call her at our office at (808) 661.3659.

Sione Fatongia helps clear the branches of the kiawe trees.

Jon Kinimaka drags a kiawe branch to the growing pile of greenwaste.

Cole Santos is determined to clear the debris.

The ʻOpio work steadily to beautify the sacred site.

A big mahalo to Aloha Arbor for donating their dump trucks and bobcat to help remove the greenwaste. They even returned to the site after the volunteers left to continue loading the trash.

The young men look on in awe as Daniel Enso of Aloha Arbor coordinates the falling of the tree.

Our future – Mokuʻula is our kuleana.

A big mahalo to Kevin Nagasaki, Executive Director, of the Lāhainā Salvation Army on Shaw Street and a group of his volunteers.   They turned on their electric saws and worked steadily to trim the trees between the Salvation Army and the parking lot across of 505 Front Street.  Spending the entire morning to tackle the task, they accomplished the job just as the Lahaina high noon  sun peaked above.

Sensitive to this wahipana, they took special care in trimming the hau trees as they understand that it is a favored hoʻokupu of Kihawahine, the moʻo akua for Mokuʻula.

Another clean-up day will be held on Saturday, September 4^th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.  For more details, check out the flyer posted on the website or call the office at 661-3659 and our friendly staff will help you.

The Friends of Moku’ula was recently gifted with an assortment of jewelry fashioned by Frances Akana, mother of Akoni Akana, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Friends of Moku’ula.

Aunty’s exquisite designs are treasured by many as she generously shares her creations with friends and family.  Expect to receive compliments as you model her finest in designs and feel like a queen!  Stop by our office to check out the lei, fimo necklaces, hair picks, earrings and other creations by Aunty Frances.

Uncle Skippy and Aunty Frances share Akoni’s passion and vision for Moku’ula as they support FOM in other ways – recently matching their son’s contribution, not to mention providing her special lei for our VIP “friends” at important events.

Mahalo to the Akana ‘ohana for believing in this legacy.

Kas Nakamura, kumu of Halau Pulama Mau Ke Aloha Ka ‘Ohana ‘Ilima, of Pasadena, Maryland, is adorned with the pua kalaunu…a favorite flower of our beloved Queen Liliuokalani.

Tropical tradewinds, the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, warm sunshine, balmy weather, childrens laughter, tantalizing delicacies, lulling waves and the enticing aroma of pulehu meat, were tantamount to a beautiful, relaxing day!

The beachfront home of the Lindseys, in the heart of Lele, offered us this and more. At the invitation of the Aunty Pua and her ohana, the Kamehameha Schools Hoolauna Program coordinators and kumu, along with partners in the program, enjoyed a day of basking in the sun, listening to beautiful Hawaiian music, sharing stories and catching up on the latest family news. The Lindsey hospitality set the tone for the day as each person chose their choice of activity – swimming, canoeing, paddle boarding, talking story, playing konane, eating or just kicking back. It was a perfect ending to another successful Hoolauna season!

Kumu Kalapana Kollars, Maui Nei kumu, joins Ekolu Lindsey out on the ocean.

Kapena Mike takes the next set of seafarers on their adventure.

Lehua Hough gets a few tactical pointers for konane.

Anabelle Paet is all smiles over her victorious win at konane!

Whether you are from Sleepy Hollow, Illinois or born and raised in Hawaiʻi, when you believe in a mission, you will invest your full support and pour your heart and soul into that commitment!  And, that is just what Dave and Barb Williams did ten years ago when they adopted the Friends of Mokuʻula.

It is a heartwarming story about how they became involved with FOM.

They walked through the doors of Mokuʻula on a Saturday morning nearly a decade ago wanting to purchase tickets to the FOM fundraiser being held at the Old Lahaina Lūʻau and Shirley KahaʻI, new to the job, was preparing for the fundraiser that evening.  While talking story, they shared that they had a condo at the Mahana and Shirley realized that she had heard this story before and that Dave looked familiar.  She asked if they were in the travel business and when they confirmed this, she jumped up and said “Iʻm Shirley from the Maui Hill”.  Business associates for years, by phone only, they had reunited!  Shirley was the Reservations Manager at the Aston Maui Hill Resort in Kihei and Dave and Barb are owners of Royal Hawaiian Condos and booked their business through her.  They had lost touch when Shirley left her job to work for the Friends of Mokuʻula!  Needless to say, it was quite a reunion and they have stayed in touch since and their friendship rooted even deeper.

Barb and Dave are an integral part of the FOM ʻohana as donors and their self-instilled kuleana have not stopped there!  They have helped to clean and beautify the grounds, invested in tools for outdoor cleaning, attended community forums for FOM programs, cheered at the Celebration of the Arts when Akoni Akana, Director Emeritus, returned home to Maui to accept the Namahana Award, constructed shelving for the office storage, gone on huakaʻi with the staff to special island spots, parked cars in the back lot for popular local events, and most recently, they made a wish-list item a reality and donated a JVC camcorder for use in documenting events, programs, visitors, tours, etc.…their contribution to our non-profit organization has been wholeheartedly selfless.

Their love for our islands and culture are the strong ties that bond them to Maui and its people.  We are fortunate to have these special friends of Mokuʻula and wish to thank them for all that they have done for the sacred site.

The Friends of Mokuʻula staff were astounded by the creativity of the haumana that participated in Kamehameha Schoolsʻ Hoʻolauna Program as they presented their skits at the final Hōʻike at the MACC.

The Hoʻolauna Program encourages the students to acknowledge their Hawaiian cultural identity through a connection to the ʻāina,  Hōkuʻao Pelligrino, Enrichment Program Coordinator – Trainer (Maui) compiled a comprehensive educational curriculum where the students became aware of their environment and the cultural and historical significance of various wahi pana focusing on the traditions of the each area within Mauna Kahalawai.

The following mele was written and performed by the haumana of the July 18-23^rd session.

A big mahalo to Kamehameha Schools for offering our children opportunities to experience and learn about our ʻāina.

The Friends of Mokuʻula took another moʻo step and launched a Facebook page for the non-profit organization and its Maui Nei Native Hawaiian Walking Expedition business.  In just 48 hours, we were astonished to have 55 Mokuʻula fans and the number keeps climbing!  Why donʻt you become a fan yourself.

Click to sign-up on Facebook to connect with Friends of Moku'ula, Inc.

A big mahalo to Anabelle Paet and Lehua Hough for taking on the kuleana of developing this high-power communication tool for Friends of Mokuʻula and Maui Nei!  Great job ladies!

We like the New Age of Facebook and have retired our pohaku and chisel!

Transplanted from the San Francisco Bay Area years ago, famed artist known for her magnificently majestic landscapes, Janet Spreiter, recently offered the Friends of Mokuʻula the opportunity to showcase her artwork.   A neighbor to Mokuʻula, she was inspired by the mana and sacredness to paint The Kingʻs View, a grand painting of Mokuʻula in ancient day.   Visitors to our office have already been captivated by the powerfulness of this painting.  We thank Janet for giving us the privilege of displaying her art.  More of her art may be seen on lahainaartist.com or she may be reached at spreiter@mauigateway.com.