THE TRUE MEANING OF JANUARY 17th IN HAWAII

THE TRUE MEANING OF JANUARY 17th IN HAWAI`I








January 17 has a special meaning in Hawai`i well beyond today's celebration of Martin Luther King Day: It's the 118th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by a "provisional government," led by businessmen descended from American missionaries and supported by the presence of US Marines.






Whether or not independence-minded groups camp out on the grounds of `Iolani Palace in Honolulu today, as they have before, the late 19th century power grab will be on the minds of many.






As with any nation, the Native Hawaiian people do not speak with one voice politically, so "independence" (and "sovereignty," for that matter) mean different things to different people.






But, from my humble perspective, Native Hawaiians do come exceptionally close to unity in revering their royal dynasties. And it's good for visitors to remember 118 years is a few blinks ago in the chronology of Hawaiian cultural consciousness.






With that in mind, I'd like to acknowledge the past while taking inspiration from the present. On the gates of `Iolani Palace today are painted bronze plaques bearing the royal coat of arms, which were said to have been removed by the new regime in 1893, and like most of the palace furnishings, were sold at public auction.






But 90 years later, they were found, extensively restored and replaced on the four gates, each of which bears the name of a member of Hawaiian royalty.






The gate used for ceremonial occasions is called Kauikeaouli, after the man who became King Kamehameha III. It was he who. after the British government rejected a takeover of Hawai`i by one of its naval officers, coined the motto on the plaques: Ua mau ke ea o ka`āina i ka pono (as it's written today) -- "the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."






I wonder, what would Dr. King say is the pono, or righteous, response to today's sovereignty movement(s)? I honestly don't know, but I'm glad this palace and these plaques are there to prompt us to think about it.

The Healing Garden-A Cultural Wellness Center

Iwalani E. R. Wahinekapu Walsh Tseu Kumu Hula of `Iwalani's School of Dance and creator of the `Iwalani Breast Cancer Foundation celebrated the 34th Anniversary Ho`ike of `Iwalani's School of Dance and Dedication of the newly formed Prayer and Healing Garden at Honouliuli, Ewa, along with Kumu Hula Aloha Keko'olani Simmons of Makakilo, Kapolei. Both Kumu Hula are welcoming all to acquire solace in the prayer and healing garden. They are teaching health and wellness through Hawaiian arts and cultural healing through music, song, and dance. Their belief that hula is healthy and hula is healing is a legacy that they pass on to their students daily.




Their long-standing sisterhood of 25 years is the basis for their emergence together and joining forces for this worthy cause. Kumu Hula `Iwalani is a cultural specialist teaching the fine art of hula and dedicating her time and hard work to educating the women of Hawai`i about breast cancer. She is a single mother and a two-time cancer survivor reaching out to others afflicted with this terrible disease that "knows no boundaries." Statistics provide evidence that breast cancer is highest amongst Hawaiian and Filipino women in Hawai`i. Her foundation is committed to increasing the quality of life for those in Hawai`i and for the rest of the world by raising breast cancer awareness. Representative Sharon Har of Kapolei recently awarded and acknowledged Kumu Hula `Iwalani Walsh Tseu at the Capitol of the State of Hawai`i for her outstanding achievements with her educational resources through community outreach to "Malama E Ke Kino," take care of the body and nurture the soul.



Kumu Hula Aloha is a cultural practitioner and instructor of Hawaiian-Pacific Island studies who shares her understanding via workshops, classes, blessing ceremonies, and guest speaking services. Her school of learning is entitled, "Ka Hale ‘o Na Ali'i ‘o Ke Kapu Ahi - The Keepers of the Sacred Fire." She instructs her classes with the constructive values, principles, and ethics which stem from Ka'u and Waipi'o Valley on the island of Hawaii. In 1998, she produced the first Hawaiian language and hula instructional hula video entitled, "Na Mea Hula Hawai'i," which was mentored under the care of Kumu John Keola Lake. Many loving na kupuna (Hawaiian ancestors) and na kumu (elders and teachers) from the entire Hawaiian Islands have shared their knowledge with her. She earned her B.A. In Hawaiian Art in 1997 and M.A. In Pacific Island Studies in 2004 at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her graduate research, "Na'au Poi: Spiritual Food for Cultural Enlightenment," examined na'au, an ancient Hawaiian conceptualization of the unification of body, mind, and spirit that serves as one's gut instinct.



Na'au Poi shares effective tools and skills to promote life, health, and prosperity among Hawaiians and other peoples. Kumu Aloha has held academic positions at various public and private institutions in Hawai'i teaching grades kindergarten through twelve, including Kapolei High School, and the UH Community Colleges.

Manu Samoa....National Rugby Union

Union Samoa Rugby Union


Nickname(s) Manu Samoa


Emblem(s) the Southern Cross 






First international


Western Samoa 0 - 6 Fiji


(18 August 1924)


Largest win


Samoa 115 - 7 Papua New Guinea


(11 July 2009)


Worst defeat


New Zealand 101 - 14 Samoa


(3 September 2008)


World Cup


Appearances 4 (First in 1991)


Best result Quarter Finals, 1991, 1995


The Samoa national rugby union team is the representative side of Samoa in international rugby union. In Samoa, they are often called Manu Samoa, in honour of a famous Samoan warrior, and from 1924 to 1997 competed as Western Samoa. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. They were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga.[2] They are ranked 12th in the world. They have recently been bankrolled by millionaire Sir Michael Fay, one of New Zealand's wealthiest men.






Rugby was introduced to Samoa in the early 1920s and a governing body was soon formed. The first international was played as Western Samoa against Fiji in August 1924. Along with Tonga, these nations would meet regularly and eventually contest competitions such as the Pacific Tri-Nations - with Western Samoa winning the first of these. Samoa have been to every Rugby World Cup since the 1991 tournament. That tournament, along with the 1995 competition saw them make the quarterfinals.






Under their new coach, the All Blacks legend Michael Jones (himself of Samoan descent and a Samoan international), Samoa worked hard to create a side able to compete effectively in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where they were grouped with England, South Africa, Tonga and the USA. However, Samoa had a dismal World Cup campaign, defeating only the USA and finishing fourth in their group, which forced them to go through qualifying for the 2011 World Cup. The team however comfortably qualified with 188-19 aggregate win over Papua New Guinea. Jones resigned immediately after the World Cup; in January 2008, Niko Palamo, formerly the country's under-19 and sevens coach, was named as his replacement. He would later be replaced by former sevens coach Titimaea "Dicky" Tafua in 2009. [3]






Manu Samoa play in blue and white uniforms. They do not train on Sundays because many of the team are devout Christians.

FREE HAWAI'I

Free Hawai`i

HOW DID HAWAIIANS BECOME OUTCASTS IN THEIR OWN LAND?

Here's What The History Books Won't Tell You -


Western diseases, to which Hawaiians had no immunity, decimated their numbers. At the time of western contact, well over 500,000 people inhabited the Hawaiian Islands.






By 1805 that number had been more than halved.


By 1853 there were only 71,000 Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian people in the islands.




Within 100 years of western contact, the Hawaiian population had been reduced by nearly 90 percent.




According to the 2000 census, the numbers of people who claim some native Hawaiian ancestry have increased to over 400,000. But only 239,000 live in Hawai`i and they are the poorest, most locked-up population in the state.


Although they only make up about 20 percent of the state's population, in June 2001 they made up 39 percent of the state's prison population, according to the state Department of Public Safety.


Sadly, today they make up 37 percent of the state's homeless population.

The History of the Hawaiian Lei

The History of the Hawaiian Lei

The lei custom was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian voyagers, who took an incredible journey from Tahiti, navigating by the stars in sailing canoes. With these early settlers, the lei tradition in Hawaii was born.



Leis were constructed of flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals. In Hawaiian tradition, these garlands were worn by ancient Hawaiians to beautify themselves and distinguish themselves from others. The Maile lei was perhaps the most significant. Among other sacred uses, it was used to signify a peace agreement between opposing chiefs. In a Heiau (temple), the chiefs would symbolically intertwine the green Maile vine, and its completion officially established peace between the two groups.

A Custom of Aloha

With the advent of tourism in the islands, the lei quickly became the symbol of Hawaii to millions of visitors worldwide.

During the "Boat Days" of the early 1900s, lei vendors lined the pier at Aloha Tower to welcome malihini (visitors) to the islands and kama'aina (locals) back home. It is said that departing visitors would throw their lei into the sea as the ship passed Diamond Head, in the hopes that, like the lei, they too would return to the islands again someday.

Today, visitors can easily bring back the nostalgia of old Hawaii by ordering a traditional flower lei greeting for their arrival at the airport. Greeters welcome visitors with a warm “aloha” and adorn them with beautiful fresh leis. It's a wonderful way to begin a Hawaiian vacation.

Lei Etiquette

There are very few "rules" when it comes to wearing a Hawaiian lei. Anyone can wear one, anytime - there need not be an occasion. It is perfectly fine for one to purchase or make a lei for themselves. It is common for locals to have a nut, seed or shell lei on hand to wear on special occasions. And hats are often adorned with flower, fern or feather leis.

There are, however, a couple of "unspoken rules" one should know when receiving a lei for the first time. A lei should be a welcomed celebration of one person's affection to another. Therefore, always accept a lei, never refuse. The proper way to wear a lei is gently draped over the shoulders, hanging down both in front and in back. It is considered rude to remove a lei from your neck in the presence of the person who gave it to you, so if you must, be discreet.

Lei giving is a regular part of any special occasion such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and graduations. It is not uncommon for a graduating senior to have so many leis around their neck that they can no longer see!

Lei or Leis?

The Hawaiian language does not distinguish between singular and plural. Therefore, the proper way to say the plural form of lei is actually just “lei.” However, on our website we have chosen to use the anglicized version of this word to prevent confusion.

The True Story Of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

THE TRUE STORY OF RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

A guy named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing.


Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dads eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?"


Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob. Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember . From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.


Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression.


Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums.


Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938. Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one - a storybook! Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animals story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope.


Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.


Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there. The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book. In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.


But the story doesn't end there either. Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas." The gift of love that Bob May create d for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.


The creator of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" passed away at the age of 71 in 1976.


Rudolph himself turns 72 in January 2011

Kim Taylor Reece...Hawaii Artist

Kim Taylor Reece, Hawaii’s foremost fine art photographer, has been studying hula kahiko for nearly 25 years. A catalyst of Hawaii’s Cultural Renaissance, his photography captures the mystery and magic of this dance, which for generations has excited the imaginations of people around the world.






In his research, Kim has traveled with the Hawaii State Foundation of Culture and the Arts, enabling him to study and work with dancers from more than 37 different Pacific Islands. His extensive research of costumes and dances of the early Hawaiians captures the spirit and essence of this ancient ritual.






His unique style has established the visual standards for hula kahiko. As millions encounter Kim’s work everyday, it helps to preserve the hula and enrich lives with his fine art photography.






Kim’s award winning photography has brought him worldwide recognition. Over the years, Kim has received 15 Pele Awards (communication and arts), Print Magazine Awards, Kahili Awards (HVCB), Travel Journalism Awards and National Community Service Awards. His images have been acquired by collectors, dignitaries, and museums internationally.






He studied art at Long Beach State in California and because he is color-blind was told to "change majors or be a starving artist". He uses it to his advantage in capturing the subtleties of the kahiko in black and white. He uses sepia tone to represent the timelessness of the dance. Kim has been publishing his art prints since 1983.






Kim has a gallery at Sacred Falls, Oahu, Hawaii. "The beauty in nature of the lush green valley and the striking blue ocean exemplifies what I am trying to portray through my work." Says the artist of his remote location.






For those who appreciate hula, Kim Taylor Reece has devoted his talents to the celebration of Hawaii’s ancient dance.

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

1.) Fine - This is the word women use to end an Argument when they are right and you need to shut up




2.) Five Minutes - If she is getting dressed, this means a half and hour. Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 25 more minutes to watch the game




3.) Nothing - This is the calm before the storm. This means something and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in Fine






4.) Go Ahead - This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!!!






5.) Loud Sigh - This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A Loud Sigh means she thinks you are an Idiot and Wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of Nothing.)




6.) That's Okay - This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's Okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mastake.






7.) Thanks - A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unlless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is pure sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome". That will only bring "Whatever").






8.) Whatever - Is a woman's way of saying F--- YOU!!!






9.) Don't Worry About it, I got it - Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's Wrong?" For the woman's response Refer to # 3.