Pa'auilo Final Enviromental Assessment

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PA`AUILO LANDS FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Ms. Irene Angot, President of the Pa`auilo Senior Citizens Group was contacted and she arranged interviews with Ms. Sandra Gomes and Ms. Nancy Kidani, both of Pa`auilo. Both Ms. Gomes and Ms. Kidani were interviewed in November 2006. The following summaries are provided: Ms. Kidani was born on April 22, 1926 in Kapahu, Hawaii. Her parents were Hatsuyo and Kichigo Yamamoto. Ms. Kidani was raised in Kapahu and has resided in Pa`auilo for the last 56 years. She is one of 10 children, and is the third oldest. In referring to her large family, Ms. Kidani stated that everyone had gardens, chickens, eggs, and ducks that they survived on. During her working years, Ms. Kidani was a seamstress and also did farming. As a child, Ms. Kidani walked to Kapahu School, which took 20 minutes. Ms. Kidani fondly recalled that they were often chased by cows on their walk to/from school. When asked if they ever came across Hawaiian sites such as heiau when they would walk to/from school, Ms. Kidani responded "never"because it was all ranch land. When asked if the project site was ever frequented for the gathering of cultural resources, Ms. Kidani explained that those areas were part of homesteads, so you did not go on other people's property. Ms. Kidani was raised on a 61-acre farm which was planted in coffee and had 16 cattle. They would come home after school and work on the farm, sometimes picking coffee until dark. Someone would come and pick up their coffee harvests and take it to Kona. Kapahu School educated children up until the sixth grade and after that students went to Honoka`a School by bus. Eventually, Pa`auilo School opened and students who attended school beyond Grade 6 went there. Ms. Kidani said that most people only went to school up until the sixth or ninth grade and then would drop out. She went to school until the tenth grade and would have kept attending had the World War not broken out. In 1947, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) came to her home three times. Her father was originally from Japan and was a soldier there before he migrated to Hawaii. She recalls fearing for her life because of the way that she was looked at as a Japanese American when she walked to school. She and her family were very afraid that her father would be taken away (as one other man in town was). Due to the pressure of being a Japanese American at that time, her father dug a cesspool type hole and buried all of his things from Japan, including his sword and military uniform. Ms. Sandra Gomes was born on February 18, 1936 in Honaunau, Kona, Hawaii. Her parents were Saturino Bailado (Philippines) and Miriam Keomalu Bailado (Pa`auilo). Ms. Gomes' mother gave birth to 24 children, of which 13 survived. Ms. Gomes grew up in Pa`auilo and now resides on Hauola Lane in Pa`auilo. Ms. Gomes stated that her mother knew of many Hawaiian stories from the area, but she could not recall any of them during the interview. She does recall going to a Chinese graveyard in `kamanu as a child. The graveyard was located makai of the present highway and was known for its abundance of mango. 29