KEKAHA — Culture, good grinds and Christmas came together in just the right proportions to produce a nice Friday experience at the Kekaha Elementary School 2011 Winter Celebration. Coming on the heels of prizes presented by John Ruiz and Waste
KEKAHA — Culture, good grinds and Christmas came together in just the right proportions to produce a nice Friday experience at the Kekaha Elementary School 2011 Winter Celebration.
Coming on the heels of prizes presented by John Ruiz and Waste Management of Hawai‘i for a month-long recycling art project, the large crowd comprised of mainly community, settled in to welcome the weekend amidst the variety of fund-raising craft and food tents ringing the grassy area surrounding the school’s hula mound.
Kumu Ahonui, aka Carrie Newcomb, said the hula mound is dedicated to Margaret Aipolani and it’s about two years old at the school.
“The kids planted everything,” the kumu said. “Right now, we’re in ‘Phase II,’ and we’ve got wauke, the plant used to make tapa, a variety of ti, and naupaka planted so it forms a lei around the mound.”
She said contributions came from the community with the students performing the task of setting in the plants to form a backstage area behind the mound, anchored by the strong trunk and spreading boughs of a monkeypod tree.
“This hula mound helps the kids learn about sustainability, taking care of the land so it takes care of you,” Ahonui said. “Because they have had a hand in planting and caring for this hula mound, they’re less likely to go out and just break plants.”
The respect for the ‘aina overflowed into the culture of the community as a battery of cooks mixed in liberal helpings of banter and laughter into the batter of the Hawaiian pancakes being sold as a fundraiser.
“If you eat in the village at Ni‘ihau, this is a regular item,” said Michael Koerte who was wrapping up several orders for his family. “It’s kind of a crepe made with flour, water and sugar, but you can do all kinds of stuff with it. This is good stuff.”
Koerte said he has put in tuna, corned beef and other foods and used it as a wrap.
Another Koerte, Uilani, was anchoring a tent dispensing plates of Pastele Deoja with Gandule Rice and corn, Michael already done with a visit to that station.
Uilani was kept busy dispensing the plate lunch to a steady stream of customers who topped the local favorite with a stop at the hard ice and water station to wash everything down.
“We do this (celebration) twice a year,” said Jeanne Warren, a counselor at the school. “This is the Winter Celebration welcoming the holidays and the other big celebration is May Day.”
Jason Yoshida, the school’s principal, said the celebration has been going on for as long as he’s been at the school, arriving at Kekaha five years ago.
“This used to be held at night and we have the lights, courtesy of Syngenta Seeds, but we have to think about the birds so now we do it in the afternoon,” Yoshida said. “This will wrap up just after sundown.”
Did you stop by the Waimea Theater? A member of the audience said she thought St. Theresa’s School was hosting its Christmas program at that venue because there were all kinds of students dressed in costume waiting to get in.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
