Kupuna Rose Pua Lindsey, 89, dies; she is remembered as 'guiding light'

Kupuna Rose Pua Lindsey, 89, dies; she is remembered as 'guiding light'

The Maui News
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

By VALERIE MONSON, Staff Writer

WAILUKU - West Maui lost one of its most influential kupuna Monday when Rose Pua Lindsey, 89, died at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

"It was still too young for her to go," said Ed Lindsey, one of five children. "She was still a contributing member of the community, still giving directions, still giving counsel. Just last week, she called me up and told me to go to the Keoneoio meeting and tell the state to shut it down until they got their act together."

Pua Lindsey was a kupuna not afraid to speak her mind or take a bold stand, but she always did so with dignity. Along with her late husband, Ned, she was one of the first Friends of Moku'ula who urged that the ancient grounds of Hawaiian royalty along Front Street be restored, even when naysayers said it couldn't be done. She was also a leader with Na Kupuna O Maui, the group that evolved from the Nation of Hawaii, and encouraged other Hawaiian elders to get involved.

"She was our guiding light behind all of our actions," said Patty Nishiyama, often the spokeswoman for Na Kupuna. "Everything I did, I did through her."

Lindsey was born in Honaunau on the Big Island. Her ancestors lived in the famous City of Refuge where her great-grandmother was a chanter.

On Maui, she and Lahaina boy Ned Lindsey "spotted each other" at the Maui County Fair, according to Ed, and married.

After raising their family, Ned and Pua found themselves taking on the role of Hawaiian elders. Akoni Akana was working with the fledgling Pookela program that promotes Hawaiian culture at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel.

"We brought together a kupuna committee to review our information to make sure everything was pono," said Akana, now the executive director for The Friends of Moku'ula. "Uncle Ned and Aunty Pua were adopted as the hotel's kupuna."

Ed Lindsey said his parents became so close to the Kaanapali Beach employees that they called them their "second family."

Akoni and Lori Sablas, who still works with the Pookela program, were honored to be working with kupuna who not only were fonts of ancient knowledge and the old ways, but generous advisers who wanted to share with those willing to listen.

"We need to continue having these relationships with our kupuna," said Akana. "We have very few of these kinds of kupuna left."

In her later years, Lindsey needed an electric cart to get around town, but that didn't slow her down. She was a familiar sight on the sidewalks, wearing her lauhala hat with her trusty dog, Russell, at her side.

Just days before she called Ed to tell him to speak out on Keoneoio, she called Nishiyama with her thoughts about the long-stalled Villages of Leiali'i.

"She said to make sure that Leiali'i was affordable housing for our Hawaiian people born and raised in Lahaina," said Nishiyama. "She was 89, and she was still fighting."

But Pua Lindsey was not from the modern school that wages its battles with cursing and screaming. She expected the same from others.

"She always reminded us to do our actions with class," said Nishiyama. "She made sure we all behaved well."

Ed Lindsey said his mother didn't care about outside appearances, but looked at an individual's character.

"To her, your education level or your economic standing didn't matter," said Ed. "It was just aloha. It was just to help people. Whether it was somebody who had their Ph.D. or someone who was homeless or a drug addict, she didn't care. She just wanted to share aloha."

Services for Pua Lindsey will be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 3 at Waiola Church in Lahaina.