E ola ka Hale Kū Pa‘a

No Kohala he pa’a kō kea

My ancestors come from the valleys of Kohala. From a people that were raised by ‘Āpa‘apa‘a winds. From a people who lived and loved amongst lauhala groves. From a people whose eyes saw our Mauna this way.

Our genealogy was kept and passed down by the great Tutu Marie Solomon. I can still remember my mom taking me to her house with her tape recorder and her composition books in hand. I was young and really didn’t want to sit still and listen. So I would play at their feet while Tutu Marie would tell my mom our family stories. Even though I was playing, I was still listening. I can still remember her voice. I can still remember the sound of my mom writing everything she could down. I can still remember the softness of her hands as they would brush through my hair. As I grow older, my gratitude deepens for the beautiful gift it was to sit at the feet of our elder genealogy keeper and to have a mother that wanted to remember so that she could pass it down.

Now, whenever I recite our genealogy, I think of her and I pause to give thanks. She taught me how sacred it is to know where we come from and who we come from.

I hope to live long enough to become and elder one day. An elder that remembers and passes it down so the descendants of ‘Umihulumakaokalanikia’imaunaoawini will always know the names of who came before, and before, and before.

E ola ka Hale Kū Pa‘a

📸: Harry Durgin