LIHU‘E — When a devastating tsunami hit the island of Samoa in late September, most of the public attention and U.S. aid went to American Samoa, a territory of the United States, said Fred Atkins of Kilohana. Western Samoa, a
LIHU‘E — When a devastating tsunami hit the island of Samoa in late September, most of the public attention and U.S. aid went to American Samoa, a territory of the United States, said Fred Atkins of Kilohana.
Western Samoa, a sovereign nation not eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, was left mostly on its own, said Atkins, a frequent visitor to Western Samoa.
The last time Atkins visited the coastal village of Poutasi, Western Samoa, where he had befriended the village chief, Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale, Atkins took along girlfriend Haunani Asing “Nani” Marston, a former Miss Kaua‘i and Miss Hawai‘i.
Marston is part Samoan and, as it turns out, related to Annandale, meaning she is both Samoan and Native Hawaiian royalty.
The news of Annandale’s long lost relative paying a visit gave way to large parties in Marston’s honor, said Atkins.
Shortly thereafter, tragedy struck. The tsunami wiped out nearly the entire village, claiming nine lives including Tui Annandale, the chief’s wife and, a few days later, her 95-year-old mother as well.
Still struggling to rebuild over two months after the tsunami, the village is poised to get some much-needed financial relief from friends and relatives on Kaua‘i and in Hawai‘i, as Marston and Atkins host a fundraiser gathering Dec. 13 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Kilohana lu‘au pavilion.
An ambitious goal is to raise $30,000, all to go to Poutasi, a village known to many Kaua‘i surfers and many others who have been mesmerized by a community so humble and culture so rich, said Atkins.
Annandale’s plans for the village before the tsunami included replanting coral on the reefs, reclaiming the freshwater springs, and perpetuating the village culture, customs and ways of life, said Atkins.
Once the word went out about the Kaua‘i fundraiser, several on- and off-island musicians wanted to lend a hand.
Dubbed “The Posse for Poutasi,” they include Ernie Cruz, Makana, Donavon Frankenreiter, Titus Kinimaka, Mike Young and Da Bruddahs, Jonah Cummings, Darryl Gonzales, Greg Mira, Kalei Marston, Haunani Marston, Solidarity, and most of the members of the Lu‘au Kalamaku crew.
Tickets are $25 per person, and tables of 10 can be reserved for $300. There will be no-host food and drinks available.
Individual tickets are available at Hanalei Surf Company, Progressive Expressions in Koloa, and Nukumoi Surf Company in Po‘ipu and Waimea. Tables of 10 may be reserved only at Kilohana.
Donations and in-kind gifts are also being accepted, said Atkins.
Check donations should be made payable to Friends of Poutasi and mailed to Kilohana Plantation, 3-2087 Kaumuali‘i Hwy., Lihu‘e, HI 96766.
For more information, call Atkins, 652-0757.
Footage of the village and an interview with Annandale is available for viewing at http://tvnz.co.nz/tagata-pasifika/s2009-e29-tsunamifeature-video-3055608.
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
