KOLOA — Aia I ka Luna O Papakole‘a, a group representing the Hawaiian Homes at Papakole‘a had never visited the Prince Kuhio Park until Saturday. They were part of what Warren Perry of the Royal Order of Kamehameha described as
KOLOA — Aia I ka Luna O Papakole‘a, a group representing the Hawaiian Homes at Papakole‘a had never visited the Prince Kuhio Park until Saturday.
They were part of what Warren Perry of the Royal Order of Kamehameha described as new faces to the annual protocol ceremony honoring the birth of Prince Jonah Kuhio.
“We are very proud to represent the homesteaders of Papakole‘a,” said Charlotte Kaluna, a group chaperone. “We had relatives that told us about this place … but this is the first time we got to come to the park.”
The Royal Order of Kamehameha, Chapter 3, is in charge of the five-acre park located across the road from the ocean.
A young spokesperson for the Papakole‘a group said she was 20 years old and the youngest member of the group was 9 years old.
“If it wasn’t for the Prince Kuhio, we would have no future and we might not be here today,” she said. “We represent five generations of families that have been living in Papakole‘a.”
The creation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, which was signed by President Warren Harding in 1921, gave birth to the Hawaiian Homes program. This was one of the achievements of Kuhio who was elected to the U.S. Congress as a Republican delegate in 1903 after Hawai‘i became a territory of the United States.
Additionally, Kuhio proposed statehood some 40 years before Hawai‘i became a state, his bill being proposed in 1919.
Joining the group, a charter school from the Big Island participated in the protocol ceremony with its unique ho‘okupu.
All of this pleased Perry, the day’s host, as he spoke of how one needs to refer to longtime friends as “familiar faces” since the use of “old faces” would only serve to stir anger.
Mildred Chow of the Ahahui Ka‘ahumanu society, a civic organization participating in the protocol ceremony, was also beaming as she presented Colleen Nadarisay and Lea Bukoski, representing three generations of her family who are members of the organizations.
Janet Kahalekomo was scheduled to be at the day-long ho‘olaule‘a at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa, but took time to attend the ceremony with her grandchildren as she’s done for years.
“There are some things that you have to do,” she said, noting that the presence of her grandchildren is how the heritage is perpetuated.
Richard Holtzman and Tom Shigemoto of A&B Hawai‘i were on hand as neighbors.
Perry noted that the Royal Order of Kamehameha is working with A&B to receive an additional 16 acres of land which would expand the park to an eventual 21 acres.
Perry also noted that after bringing the clogged drain of the park’s fishpond to the attention of state Rep. Roland Sagum, D-16th District, he is hopeful something will be done about the problem that dates back from the days of Hurricane Iwa.
State Sen. Gary Hooser, D-Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, thanked the Royal Order of Kamehameha, not only for maintaining Prince Kuhio Park, but for the opportunity for people to be able to “re-ground” themselves to the island and its heritage.
