HANAMA‘ULU — Back when the plantations had their grip on the island, they erected sheds at cemeteries for funeral services. In that tradition the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association erected a similar shed at a revived cemetery. “Look at the date,” Peter
HANAMA‘ULU — Back when the plantations had their grip on the island, they erected sheds at cemeteries for funeral services. In that tradition the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association erected a similar shed at a revived cemetery.
“Look at the date,” Peter Rayno Jr. said, pointing out a scribbled date in the concrete slab. “That was originally built on Aug. 24, 1947.”
Almost 60 years to the day, volunteers from the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association under the supervision of Angel Madrid erected a replacement shed, the date of its completion scribed into a portion of freshly poured concrete. That date read: Aug. 27, 2007.
Angel Madrid served as the lead for the project and was helped by Ernie Domingo, Atta Maghanoy, Ben Alayvilla, Rayno, Tono Duterte, Gus Garcia and Eugenio “Killah” Delos Reyes.
“It was almost exact,” Rayno said. “We almost made it.”
Using materials supplied by the Grove Farm Co., the volunteers quickly put up the shed that replaced one built by the plantation decades ago.
“That one was destroyed by one of the storms,” Eddie Sarita of the county’s Ho‘olokahi and Adopt a Park programs said. “The original one was built by the plantation for the cemetery.”
Starting in 2003, the dedicated group of volunteers came out to cut back the overgrowth of guinea grass that towered high over the heads of the volunteers.
“We couldn’t see,” Rayno said. “We had brush cutters and we would say ‘Excuse me, excuse me’ as we cut down the overgrowth.”
Slowly, graves materialized from the underbrush.
“Many of them have wooden crosses and some of the crosses are so deteriorated, we don’t know who they are,” Rayno said. “I wish we could figure out some way so we know who’s buried there.”
Throughout the Kalepa cemetery, empty graves, some marked by concrete foundations, others simply depressions in the earth, silently plead for identification.
“Ernie Domingo was cutting some bushes and found even more graves,” Rayno said, four years after the initial clearing began.
In that period of time, Sarita, who also serves as the president of the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association, said they’ve extended the waterline from the Japanese section of the cemetery to the Filipino side so there is water available for irrigating the planned installation of grass to keep soil erosion under control.
“The building is good for people visiting the cemetery,” Rayno said. “It’s a nice place to just sit and enjoy the view, and when the gate is closed and people walk in, it’s a nice
place to get shelter on days when it rains.”
Although the simple shed has no walls, the volunteers planted ti and Pride of India to provide a natural green wall once the slips take root.
When Grove Farm learned the volunteers needed a shelter for shade and elements, it quickly stepped in and offered to serve as a partner with the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association, a press release states.
“Grove Farm donated the supplies and materials to build the shed. The rest was done by the volunteers of the community association,” Grove Farm’s Michael Tresler said.
Sarita said the cemetery falls under the Ho‘olokahi and Adopt a Park programs because it is owned by the county and is considered one of the open areas.
“Since the volunteers started working on this project four years ago, there have been many people, some from the Mainland, who have expressed their appreciation for clearing out the overgrowth that threatened to smother the past.” Sarita said. “Now, when they come from the Mainland, they can find the graves of their loved ones.”
Ben Alayvilla was one of the volunteers who helped work on the project, and Rayno was quick to point out one of the rescued graves belonged to Alayvilla’s grandfather.
Rayno also pointed out the saga of several of the headstones that are part of the recovered cemetery.
“There’s a guy who was a football all-star for Kaua‘i High School who died when he was in his 20s,” Rayno said. “And then, there’s another guy who just moved here from the Philippines. He was here for only a year before being killed in an auto accident.”
Similar tales carry on the wind for those who take the time to listen.
“We need help on the Japanese side, though,” Rayno said. “If the Japanese people come out and join us, we’ll help them. It’s getting overgrown on that side, too.”
Killa Delos Reyes, another of the volunteers, said that Hajime Morita, who just celebrated his 104th birthday in September at Mahelona Hospital, was the lead guy for the Japanese side.
“He used to come every day until he was in his 80s,” Delos Reyes said. “Then, his family moved him and since then, no one comes to take care of the place.”
Sarita is hopeful someone from the Japanese community will step forward to join forces with the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association in preserving the past that lives in the stories of those who are buried at the base of the Kalepa mountains.
As Rayno pointed out the “new” graves uncovered by Domingo’s efforts, he said it’s only an indication of the work that still needs to be done.
• Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
