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Te Wananga Maori o Hawai'i — led
by Tama Halvorsen and Shannon Niania Galea'i — edged out Te Hokioi, last year's winners, to capture the PCC's overall Whakataetae 2005 title. Te Wananga also won in 2003. — folifotos |
The Polynesian Cultural Center completed two of its finest special events in the last month — the fifth annual Te Mahana Hiro'a o Tahiti solo competition on July 13-14th, and the Maori Whakataetae song and dance competition on Aug. 5-6th — in which Ko'olauloa youth played prominent roles.
In addition, surviving members of Te Aroha Nui Maori Company enriched the Whakataetae event with their first-ever return visit as a group 42 years after they helped put the finishing touches on the Polynesian Cultural Center before it opened in 1963 and then starred in the PCC's very first night show.
Te Mahana Hiro'a o Tahiti
Four young dancers — each the children of PCC alumni or employees — captured their respective overall division championships during the Center's recent Tahitian solo dance competition, including:
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Luçie Wilson |
All four are members of John and Tehani Mariteragi's Nonosina Hawai'i school.
The Wilson sisters, honor students whose mother was a featured PCC performer, started dancing from earliest childhood, to the point that Luçie, 16 and a junior at Kahuku High, is currently a part-time PCC promo team dancer. "This was my first time to compete, so it was a great experience," she said. "I'm grateful for my teachers, John and Tehani Mariteragi, for supporting and encouraging me. I'm also grateful for my parents and appreciate all they do."
Wilson said she hopes to continue competing and open her own dance studio some day. "I love dancing, and I hope the Tahitian spirit will stay alive forever." Karl Brillant, a competition judge from Tahiti, said he was "impressed with the quality of the dance and the level of commitment" he saw among all the dancers who participated in this year's competition.
The Maori Whakataetae festival
This year's Maori Whakataetae song and dance competition featured three senior groups — including one from Utah for the first time ever — and three junior division groups, as well as a senior korero or speech contest, a mau taiaha martial arts demonstration, special protocol welcoming the visiting groups, and exhibition performances by Te Aroha Nui Maori Company and Te Here A Mäui, an award-winning group from the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, where the movie Whale Rider was filmed.
The 2005 results follow:
Competition between the first and second-place senior groups — comprised of PCC employees, alumni and community members from Ko'olauloa — is so creative, evenly matched and of such high quality that judges from New Zealand for both this year and last feel the Whakataetae winners deserve a shot at competing in Te Matatini, the biannual national competition back home that earlier this year drew over 1,200 performers and approximately 40,000 spectators.
Chief 2005 Whakataetae judge Paora Sharples, who is widely respected and a member of the group Te Röpu Manutake, said of this year's competition, "This is my first time judging here, and I think the caliber is awesome."
Judge Kim Makekau, a former PCC Maori cultural lead who is originally from Maui and now lives in Tokoroa, New Zealand, added he's "very excited about where they're at. That's a reflection of not only their commitment, but their joy in doing it. And the thing is, they're all students, community, and family."
Another judge, Rahira Makekau, Kim's wife and a championship kapa haka performer, said, "both those groups are worthy to stand at a national level at home. They truly are, and it shall happen." She also noted she was "particularly touched by Ngati Hiona. They came, regardless of their numbers...and they were just an inspiration to all of us."
For additional information and results on the 2005 Whakataetae festival...
Te Aroha Nui Maori Company
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Te Aroha Nui Maori Company
members who helped open the Polynesian Cultural Center in 1963 |
In 1963 the New Zealand-based president of LDS labor missionaries in the Pacific, the late Wendell B. Mendenhall, asked 148 Maori to go to Lä'ie to help get the Polynesian Cultural Center ready for its opening that year on October 12th. The group, all volunteers who paid their own expenses, stayed for six weeks and dominated the PCC's first night show with their dances and beautiful singing. They also put on concerts in California and Utah before returning home.
On Aug. 5, 2005, 48 surviving members returned as a group for the first time to the Cultural Center to participate in the Maori Whakataetae festival. In accordance with Maori tradition, the PCC villagers welcomed the returning visitors and other Whakataetae groups with chants, a wero challenge, speeches, songs and hongi [nose pressing] greetings.
Te Aroha Nui also included protocol seldom seen outside of New Zealand. Seamus Fitzgerald explained, "In our culture, we call it kawe mate: In New Zealand, whenever someone passes away, you take the photos to their marae [tribal center] and they're normally hung with their ancestral carvings." He indicated Te Aroha Nui's photos will be hung in one of the Maori village houses.
Hoki Purcell, one of the group's current leaders along with her husband, Owen Purcell, said most of the surviving Te Aroha Nui members were "extremely emotional" during this visit, "because many of them have lost their partners. There were here as husbands and wives. But the memories of yesteryear and seeing what it looks like today are worth everything we did."
Like other members of the group, Purcell has since visited the PCC at various times, "but for most of them it's been 42 years. It's been very touching."
Hannah Smith, one of those who came back in 1979 with her husband, the late Cleo Smith, to serve as Maori island managers, recalled her job in 1963 was to "cut out the paua [abalone] shell eyes for the carvings. Other people raked and cleaned, and cleaned toilets and helped plant banana trees and other things. President Mendenhall told us to sing while we worked and lift the spirits of the other volunteers. We did."
Today, she added, "I can still feel the aroha [aloha] and the Center is absolutely beautiful."
George Kaka, another group member, first returned in 1981 to attend BYU-Hawaii. After graduating in '85 and going back home for 10 years, he has since returned again and is now assistant to "Uncle" Colin Karewa Shelford — PCC's current Maori islands manager. He said coming to Lä'ie the first time was "like a dream come true. We were absolutely excited to support the opening of the Polynesian Cultural Center."
"Aunty" Valetta Nepia Jeremiah is another group member who returned to attend Church College of Hawai'i in 1964 and has lived in the area ever since. She remembered helping place coral around some of the village houses and weaving Sämoan coconut leaf pola (mats and blinds) with other community members. Today she is a Maori cultural artisan at the PCC.
In addition to Seamus Fitzgerald and Colin Shelford, other 2005 Whakataetae committee members included Ellen Gay Dela Rosa, senior PCC manager over all special events; Nihipora Kereama Wallace, Valetta Jeremiah, George Kaka, Mark Clawson and Tama Halvorsen. BYU-Hawaii social work professor, Dr. Debbie Hippolite-Wright, emceed the Saturday program.
Kahuku High and Intermediate School
Principal Lisa DeLong reported a number of changes will take place as the new school year begins:
DeLong said the grant will be used "to train teachers to integrate structure and create more relevance in the curriculum for students."
For example, she continued, the grant will enable 7th graders to study Stephen Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, and 11th and 12th graders "will be encouraged to create career majors. For example, students could 'major' in history or a medical field. Also, smaller classes will allow the students to know their teachers well."
DeLong added the new program will be open enrollment based on student interest.
DeLong said the program, offered in partnership with Asai Gilman's Education 1st, will offer two classes to start in each grade from 7-10.
She also noted 11 Kahuku teachers went to Sacramento this summer for training in the program, adding that a similar group who went last year "won the Windward District Team Award for getting the program off the ground."
"We need their support," she said.
Kahuku Elementary
Kahuku Elementary School principal Pauline Mäsaniai reported the following for this year:
"Some complex schools might have to hire someone with a college degree, but they may not be a certified teacher.
Tammy Toma, manager of 'Ölelo TV's Kahuku/North Shore Media Center for past 5 years, said acquiring new equipment has enabled the public access television service to reach even more people in Ko'olauloa and the north shore with limited staff.
"Our mobile capability is our newest thing. We can now take our production services out," she said, explaining that 'Ölelo recently purchased a panel van for the Kahuku High-based center.
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(L-r) Tammy Toma, manager
of the 'Ölelo Kahuku media center; volunteer Gina Oda and Kahi Winget |
"We realized this is such a unique community, with neighborhoods separated by stretches of land, that we needed to get mobile equipment that would serve the whole coast.
"We also purchased eight [Macintosh] G5 computers that are relatively easy to transport in the van, so we can take our editing out of the campus as well," she continued. "And we purchased eight Sony PDX10 cameras. They're nice — light and portable. Of course, we also got microphones, light kits, and new audio mixers."
Toma explained she and her staff can load all of the equipment into the van and regularly go over to BYU-Hawai'i up to North Shore.
"At BYU-Hawai'i we train students who are in the beginning stage of production, and also train international students through BYUH's Center for Technology with Dr. Peter Chan. We train about 26 people a year through this program.
"We're also at the Weinberg Center in Waialua on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.," Toma said, stressing 'Ölelo Kahuku is "really open to train anyone."
"There are only three of us running this, so it gets a little crazy, but it's so fun," Toma said, listing Kahi Winget (and sometimes her husband, Mike Winget) and Angela Breene as the others.
"A major portion of what we do is training," Toma said. "We train people in producer, camera and editing roles for television. These are combined into a two-week course, and the graduates are certified in all three areas.
"Typically, our students spend eight hours of camera instruction, four hours of shooting, eight hours of editing instruction, and then they actually finish their projects on their own, at their own pace, within that two weeks," Toma said.
She added the media center is also still "training Kahuku High students through the Step Ahead program with MaryAnne Long and her staff.
"We train them in all aspects of video production. Then they go out with us, shoot and also learn about community activities. For example, we had the students work on the recent Education 1st workshop at BYU-Hawai'i. We usually start out with about 10-15 students, and have about five or six at the end of the year.
"Another production we do is called 'Community in Touch,' a one-hour talk show that I host. Any nonprofit agency can come in and we'll tape them. That show also airs on Cox Radio. The students help with that as well."
The 'Ölelo Kahuku media center is open Monday-Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday-Saturday by appointment, phone 293-9357.
The staff is at BYU-Hawai'i on Thursday evenings, checking out cameras.
By Morgan Wright ~ Kahuku High Correspondent
During the summer holidays the town of Kahuku is relatively quiet and calm, almost to the point of being deserted. The usual line outside the Suprette is gone, the bus stop next to Amy's by the Green is vacant, and Kahuku High and Intermediate appears to slumber.
However, as all good things must come to an end, so summer must also come to an end and a new school year soon begins. As students return for the 2005-06 school year Kahuku will start to liven up. The hustle and bustle will be obvious to commuters as traffic will again back up, city buses will be full, and local businesses will again be busier as students flock to the area. These changes are obvious, but what's happening behind the scenes to get Kahuku students, teachers, staff and school ready for the upcoming school year?
According to Student Body President Jackie Lautaha, "The Student Council members have been working hard to plan great activities and events for the year, starting with 7th grade orientation."
Orientation Day for 7th graders and new students will be on Aug. 23rd, which is a half-day event consisting of "ice breaker games, a campus tour, video clips about the 'Kahuku legacy' and refreshments." All other students, grades 8-12, will report to school the following day on August 24th.
Meanwhile, students are getting ready for school by picking up class schedules and squeezing in some last minute beach time. Upper classman Noelle Spring says, "I've been getting ready for school by doing summer homework and buying school supplies and books."
Teachers have also been preparing for the new school year by reviewing and revamping lesson plans, cleaning their classrooms, attending teacher seminars, and gathering class rosters.
School counselors have been making preparations for the new semester schedule. "What is different this year is that the intermediate students will be placed in pods or teams. They will have four core classes taught by the same group of teachers," says Counselor Gayla Amosa. She went on to say, "Kahuku has moved from trimesters to a semester schedule, where the students will change classes once during the year."
According to Principal Lisa DeLong, "We received a $2.4 million federal grant that will help us provide staff development and support programs for our students [in order] to meet the Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards and make the school experience more relevant and personalized for students.
"We're looking forward to another exciting school year. Our students always achieve at high levels in academics, sports and the arts, and we know they'll be excelling again in activities like History Day, We the People, and speech and debate."
The eighth annual five-day Junior Ah You Lä'ie Basketball Classic from July 20th and 22-25th is always a key component of the month-long Lä'ie Days celebration — sponsored by the Lä'ie Community Association, BYU-Hawai'i, Hawai'i Reserves, Inc. (HRI), and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
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The Hot Pink Ladies: 1st
place, women's open division |
Winners of this year's Classic, which was held in the BYU-Hawai'i Cannon Activities Center, were:
Kahuku Booster Club is coached and sponsored by Moa Mahe, who also sponsored three other teams in the tournament.
For more information on the classic...
Kingsley Ah You, Junior and Almira Ah You's son, who has been the Classic's "commissioner" for the past eight seasons, explained "the purpose is to provide an athletic avenue for our community people to enjoy each other's abilities and sportsmanship. For example, we have a two-college player rule: Only two college players can be on a team. That way it allows others to play."
Ah you noted this year's Classic drew 22 teams, "with 12 in the men's division, six in the women's, and for the first time this year we had four teams in the master's division [50-and-older]. We invite more to come out next year."
Ah You said the basketball action was brisk. "On Saturday, we were there from 10 in the morning until seven. The finals on the 25th went to 10:30 p.m."
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The Kahuku Booster Club
men's open division champions |
In terms of competition, he added, "We had two teams — one from Wahiawä and one from town — who said they surprised at the level of play, and that next year they would bring a tougher teams."
Ah You noted many players and fans come every year. "Lä'ie Stylz and Lä'ie Boys, for example, have played every year, as have other teams."
"There are also a lot of family teams. We had the Wily brothers and the Damuni brothers; and Raymond 'Doc' Galea'i and his son, Jray, played.
"The Hukilau team, for example, is made up of the Johnsons and Kamae families. It was nice to see families playing together. The Island Ballers were Sämoans from BYU-Hawai'i, and Team 10 Percent were mostly New Zealand students.
In the past, there have also been keiki teams, "and we hope we can find someone to help with that again next year," Ah You said.
Tournament sponsors included Made in Lä'ie (Robert Ah Puck); Leighton Ka'onohi, No Hope in Dope; and Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann who provided door prizes and NFL shirts and Pro Bowl soft seats and hats. The perpetual trophy and the MVP paddle were carved by Tuione Pulotu.
Other team sponsors included Marlene Lindsey Realty, Merchants of Lä'ie Shopping Center, and Delbert Kim's Xtreme Fun.
Officials included Valusia Talataina, who helped coordinate the officiating. "All the men's games had OIA officials," Ah You added.
Ah You said the tournament committee "basically included our whole extended family, plus Junior Tipa Galea'i, who ran the masters division and helped with the tee shirts. Fa'i Maui'a was the head scorekeeper, and her sister Foga Maui'a as well as Pele and Alo Moe helped with the score table. BYU-Hawai'i coach Brandon Akana also helped with the tournament set-up.
There were many others who also helped not just with the basketball classic but other events as well, Ah You pointed out. For example, Clint Tu'ua and Tipa Galea'i ran the Midnight Ohana activity.
"It started from 10 p.m. and lasted to 6 a.m. We had over 300 people. We had koko rice at 2:30, and breakfast at 6 for all those who stayed," Ah You said, adding that the touch rugby tournament, sponsored by Alfred Grace and McKay Schwenke, also had a good turnout.
Other Lä'ie Days mahalos go to all of the Ah You boys, their wives, and the Taulogo and Reid families. Others include Theresa Bigbie, Barbara Jean Kahawai'i, Max Purcell, Richard Vierra for HRI, Delsa Moe, Joann Keliiliki, Pulefano Galea'i, Don and Linda Sa'aga, Uiti Siaosi, Kela Miller and many others (kala mai to those we missed).
"We do all of this because of my husband's great love for the community," said Almira Ah You.
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By Lei Cummings
In just six years the Ko'olauloa Track and Field Club, which has almost 100 people from ages 7-40 on its roster, has made tremendous strides.
With the talent from our community, it's not a surprise many of the fastest runners in the Hawai'i USA Track and Field Assn. each summer come from our club. We dominated this year's bantam and midget divisions with Kayla Thompson, Mckenzie Sawyer, Makana Bee, Kau'i Torres, Michael Mariteragi and Kyle Kamae.
Ke'i Wasson also did well as an intermediate runner in the long distance events; and in the field events, specialists Tara Ta'ilele, Michael Iervolino, Brittany Hicks, Hi'ilei Cummings, Stan Nakasone and Ali'i Pukahi stood out.
This year four club members also were selected to represent Hawai'i in the Pacific Southwest Region: Kayla Taulapapa qualified for the bantam girls 100 and teammate Iervolino qualified in the long jump. Both went to the mainland with their parents to compete against others in their age groups.
Kayla's father, Mani Taulapapa, who accompanied her to the 2005 National Hershey Track & Field Competition in Pennsylvania, said it was an "overwhelming experience to witness the high level of competition during the finals. Kayla performed very well and really cannot ask for more of the way she prepared and competed in the 100 meter final. She came in fourth place among the best in the nation in the 9-10-year-old girls division. It was an honor for Kayla to represent our small community of Lä'ie and the state of Hawai'i in the finals in Pennsylvania; and as proud parents, we say fa'afetai tele lava for all your support."
For more information on next year's summer track schedule, e-mail koolauloatrack@hotmail.com.
Kaleo lists a limited number of activities and encourages readers to re-verify details. To submit items, call 754-4304, or e-mail: foleym002@hawaii.rr.com by the Kaleo deadline before the event.
| Friday, August 12: BYU-Hawai'i 'Education for Daily Living' conference, call 293-3780 for information; |
| Saturday, August 13: BYU-Hawai'i 'Time Out for Women' conference, call 293-3780 for information; |
| Tuesday, August 16: KYAC general meeting, 6:30 p.m., Hau'ula Community Park; |
| Wednesday, August 17: Ko'olauloa Interagency Community Council, 8:30 a.m., Kahuku Hospital conference room; |
| Thursday, August 18: Kahuku Community Association general meeting, 7 p.m., KVA; |
| Friday, August 19: Hawai'i Admission Day (state holiday for some); Kahuku High football vs. Kamehameha (preseason), JV at 4:30, varsity follows at Aloha Stadium; |
| Monday, August 22: Kahuku Elementary begins; |
| Tuesday, August 23: Kahuku Intermediate orientation for for 7th graders, 8-12, gym; Kahuku Intermediate and High orientation for for new students, grades 8-12, 9-11 a.m., cafeteria; |
| Wednesday, August 24 : Kahuku High and Intermediate begins |
| Friday, August 26: BYU-Hawai'i 'ohana meeting (faculty & staff), 8:30 a.m., McKay Auditorium; |
| Saturday, August 27: Kahuku JV football vs. Mililani at home, 4 p.m.; |
| Monday, August 29: Lä'ie Elementary begins; |
| Tuesday, August 30: Kahuku Library 'jam session', 6:30 p.m., bring instruments; BYU-Hawai'i women's volleyball vs. Seattle U., 7:30 p.m., CAC; |
| Wednesday, August 31: BYU-Hawai'i fall semester begins; |
| Thursday,
September 1: Deadline: Next issue of Kaleo; |
| Saturday, September 3: BYU-Hawai'i men's water polo vs. UCLA, 7 p.m. (rematch same time on Labor Day); |
| Sunday, September 4: Sämoan LDS Temple dedication broadcast (check with local stake for times); |
| Monday, September 5: Labor Day holiday; |
| Tuesday, September 7: KYAC board meeting, 6:30 p.m., Hau'ula Community Park; |
| Wednesday, September 7: Kahuku Library 'Keikistorytime', 10-10:30 a.m. for ages 3-6 and caregivers (repeats each Wednesday); Ko'olauloa Community Health & Wellness Center meeting, 6:30 p.m., BYUH Aloha Center 133; |
| Thursday, September 8: Next issue of Kaleo; BYU-Hawai'i annual faculty convocation, 10 a.m., CAC; |
Proudly sponsored
by Hawai'i
Reserves, Inc. (HRI)
and
co-sponsored by as a community service. |
Composed, edited
and published by
Mike
Foley |
