My Summer Vacation: Aloha e Hale

This morning I picked up ʻAnakē Maile & we went to Lapakahi State Historical Park. Tomorrow the haumāna of Papa Auwae will be taking down the hale that he had built in the 1960's. I spent over 2 hours on the phone yesterday talking to several people who did not want it removed. I had to explain to them that I was a volunteer at the park & had absolutely no authority to do anything! I also explained to them that Papa Auwae had given the land to the State for the park, in exchange for being allowed to continue to use the hale & also retained the right to determine what happens with the hale, including maintenance as well as removal. The argument given back to me was, "Doesn't the community have a say in this?" My answer is, "No". It was an agreement between a private landowner & the State. If it were still in private ownership, would the community have a say in what happens to a structure that was put up by a contemporary individual? No.

For those thinking, "What about structures such as those built by Frank Lloyd Wright? They can't just be torn down." Partly true; some are on a Historic Register which is a government-sanctioned program dictating what happens to those structures but the majority of the over 1000 that he designed are not. FYI Not everything that meets the age criteria for "historic" (i.e., 50+ years), is afforded the protection that those on historic registers have. Something significant must have taken place there or it must be an exceptional example of the architecture of the time. But that still does not afford it protection, it just meets another of the criteria to be named a "historic site". The most important piece is actually being identified by the government & officially placed on the Historic Register at the state or federal level. This hale only passes the age test; no significant historic figures such as Queen Liliʻuokalani are known to have stayed in this hale. (She is known to have come to & stayed at Lapakahi frequently but this hale was built about 40 years after she died.) Nor is it a prime example of this type of structure since it has not been maintained & is in danger of collapse; hence the need for removal. (Even though barriers, caution tape, & no entry signs have been put up, some tourists still think its okay to go around those & go into the hale.)

I was there with ʻAnakē Maile because Dane wanted to mahalo the hale separate from what Papa Auwae's haumāna might be doing tomorrow. Dane's spirit guides have directed him on oli & hoʻokupu. Yesterday I was told more than what we are doing today needs to be done; I responded that those specific protocols for the removal of the hale were the kuleana of the haumāna. What we are doing today is the park staff's mahalo to the hale & akua associated with it, under the direction of Dane's spirit guides. ʻAnake Maile brought several blue jade lei for us to leave as hoʻokupu. Michelle had brought some of the ʻolena I gave her to share with others as medicine; I left my piece as hoʻokupu.

My ho'okupu in foreground; others in background.

ʻAnakē Maile's blue jade vine is amazing! I think she said it is only 2 years old. It is covered with a lot of flowers. She said she picks enough everyday to make several lei. I am hoping to get a start from her later in the growing period after it is done flowering. So I should get started on building a trellis for it right away. 😬

Apparently it likes its leaves in sun & flowers in shade.

ʻAnakē Maile works on lei while we wait for others to arrive.

After I got back from Lapakahi, I went to Susan's house. I dropped off about half a pound of ʻolena for her to grow. I also got to see the new place she is renting; there are several fruiting & flowering plants around her place that she is looking forward to working with.

When I got back from visiting with Susan, I found an email from Immi; they said my package had been delivered! Not! I actually picked it up from the post office this afternoon before I went to Susan's house.