2003-07-28 TBLASMAN (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

M. ROY:Wonderful. KANAHELE:IÓm just rambling here. M. ROY:No, youÓre not. Thank you very much. I assure you youÓr Can you give us an idea of about when you began working in this area, coming and working with the State, as far back as you can think? KANAHELE:You know, I donÓt remember. M. ROY:Was it the 80Ós? KANAHELE:Not worked with the State, but was in the 90Ós. And I aware of the area in the 80Ós when the State acquired it. When did the State acquire it? M. ROY:In 1982, there was a Commission established. And, perhap it be that you became aware through the people on that Commission such as Aunty Maile Akimseu -? KANAHELE:No, I became aware through your sister, Aala. And I wa just accompanying my husband Òcause he was on Hawaiian Homes at that time, and they were having the ceremony about it going back to, the State acquiring it; and so they were having this particular ceremony and I attended the ceremony. And your sister approached me and she says, ÐYou know, theyÓre having this ceremony but I donÓt know if theyÓre having any chants or anything. We should do a chant about this place.Ñ I said, ÐWell, I donÓt know this place. IÓm not acquainted with this place.Ñ And she said, ÐNever mind, just think of something.Ñ So in her urgency to hav connection back to the kupunas, she needed to do this. And so she did a chant and, you know, while she was doing the chant, I thought of a chant that connected all of the akuas of this land. And so I came up with the chant of Kane and Kanaloa and Ku and how they had come together to maintain not only the race of people but to maintain the land and the connection of the land to people. So I came up with that chant to do, but that, it has never left me. That particular chant stayed with me, and that particular chant that had to do with that place stayed with me. And so when I was asked if I would do that, you know, even if I didnÓt know anything about the place, to me, it was my responsibility to do it, because I was the one that went in and did the chant and asked for that kind of knowledge. And I would only know the knowledge if I sat down and studied that and studied the chants and studied the genealogy. And so I was very grateful to your sister at that time, even if it made me very nervous, to ask me to do that because it made me responsible. ÒCause if IÓm going to ask, then I better be responsible for it. 5