Prominent People | Page 135 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

June 1, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Star of the Sea

Belgian Priest Father John Berchmans Velghe came to the Islands in 1899; he served in South Kona and built, and painted, what is known as the ‘Painted Church’ in Honaunau.

Father John’s health deteriorated and he had to return to Belgium in 1904, he was never able to finish the church. Even throughout his last years he continued to paint and teach.

While teaching at the Sacred Hearts’ Apostolic School at Aarschot, Belgium, in around 1924 or 1926, he met the young student Matthias Gielen, who was to become Father Evarist of Hawai‘i.

Father Evarist was born in Vlytingen, Belgium in 1897; was trained at the Sacred Hearts’ Scholasticate in Father John’s birthplace, Courtrai, and was ordained at Liege in 1925.

He next studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and consequently sent to Hawai‘i. From 1927 to 1941, he served in the Puna district of the Big Island. He built Catholic churches at Pahoa, Mountain View and Kalapana.

Father Damien Joseph DeVeuster (now Saint Damien) preceded Father John and Father Evarist to the Island of Hawai‘i (he came in 1857.) He is credited with building the first Catholic place of worship for the Puna district.

It was a small ‘house’ of bamboo poles coconut fronds and pili grass probably in Kapa‘ahu, about three miles southwest of Kalapana. Although Damien stayed only one year, it is believed he left behind a plan for the building of a more permanent church, a stone church at Kapa‘ahu called St. Joseph’s.

Sometime in the early 1900s, Father Ulrich Taube, abandoned the stone church and built a wooden church in Kalapana, closer to the villagers and Father Evarist replaced that church, close to the beach and villagers.

The church was blessed on April 19, 1931 and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Star of the Sea, the patroness of Catholic missions to sailors and seafarers. Stella Maris is a name for the “North Star,” Polaris, which provided navigational direction in antiquity.

The name was applied to Mary in the early centuries of the Christian Church as a sign of hope, a guiding star for Christians pointing toward her son Jesus. The Marian prayer, Ave Maris Stella, became a popular devotion during the Middle Ages. (Ohana1827)

Father Evarist painted stories of the Bible on the walls, columns and ceiling of the Star of the Sea Church; he painted to instruct his parishioners (many could not read.)

The architecture of Star of the Sea is typical of Catholic mission churches throughout the Islands, it’s a simple, rectangular building approximately 22 feet by 36 feet, clapboard sided with a steep corrugated metal gable roof, a small gable extension to the rear of the church, and a square tower to the right side capped by a hipped roof.

But, it is the relationship of the paintings to the building that enhance the architecture that makes Star of the Sea Painted Church an outstanding example.

The artwork expands the interior space, provides architectural detailing (through Corinthian columns and ribbed vaults) while also serving the crucial function of educating the congregation.

“All the windows are double and take the traditional form of the tablets of the Ten Commandments; this form is echoed, somewhat larger, by the six paintings on the barrel-vaulted ceiling.”

“The windows and the door of the confessional are framed with painted vine, leaf and jewel motifs in gold and brown over blue, and this painting likewise finds an echo in the leafy adornment of the broad, black, wooden ribs which divide the ceiling into three large sections.”

“Between each of the double windows stands a pair of Corinthian columns painted flat on the wall and seeming to support the thin moulding from which the barrel vault springs. Running the entire length of the wall is a red painted canopy from which hang five small scallops of drapery over each window and two large puffs behind the capital of each column.”

“Each of the three grand sections of the ceiling is subdivided by a pair of narrow painted ribs which start from their corners and proceed diagonally to cross at the apex of the barrel vault, leaving a large triangular area on each side; within these triangular areas appear the six large pictures”.

“All the pictures on the ceiling were painted on a light blue ground, which shows through the crackle and flake and has much to do with their generally cool tone.”

“Starting at the right near the door, these pictures are: ‘The Death of Ahab,’… ‘St. Cecilia,’… ‘The Mocking of Christ.’ Starting at the door on the left-hand side of the church, the pictures appear in the following order: ‘The Death of a Sinner,’ … ‘The Guardian Angel’… ‘Christ the King.’”

“On the arch over the recess containing the altar are four very lively angels bearing a ribbon inscribed ‘Maria ka koku O ke kai epale oe makou.’ This is translated into English along the lower edge of the arch: ‘Star of the Sea, pray for us.’”

“At the apex of the arch stands Mary holding the infant Jesus,… A large gold star appears behind this figure, and behind that is blue sea…”

“The barrel-vaulted ceiling over the altar is painted with crossed ribs and graceful leaf forms like those used elsewhere in the church, and in its free spaces appear four angels whose large wings, flowing drapery and extended gestures are the very essence of wind-whipped flight.” (Frankenstein)

Father Evarist eventually retired to Maui, and over time other artists contributed to the artwork. In 1964, at the invitation of then pastor Father Joseph McGinn, a hitchhiker artist from Athens, Georgia named George Heidler added koa wood Stations of the Cross and brightly colored paintings to the lower walls of the church.

However, in 1975, when parishioners invited the retired Father Evarist to visit in celebration of his 50th priestly anniversary, the historian Father Louis Yim relates that …

“A shocking incident took place. Without a word to anyone, the old priest went into the church with a can of light blue paint and covered over Heidler’s painted scenes on the church walls.” Father Evarist spent three months repainting and restoring his 45 year-old murals.

In 1978-79, Father Joseph E. Avery commissioned the Hilo artist George Lorch to paint a series of miniaturist murals over Gielen’s light blue paint and blank spaces.

Lorch’s work portrays figures and events of Catholic history and devotion including: Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary in the Hawaiian language, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, and two priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. (Ohana1827)

On January 3, 1983 the Pu‘u ‘O‘o eruption on the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano began. It has the distinction of being the longest-lived historical rift zone eruption at Kilauea.

In 1990, the eruption entered its most destructive phase when flows flooded the village of Kalapana. Over 100 homes were destroyed in a 9-month period. Eventually, new lava tubes formed, diverting lava away from Kalapana early in 1991. (SOEST)

Almost lost was Star of the Sea. As the lava approached, church parishioners decided to move the building to safety. The wooden Roman Catholic Church slowly made its way on a trailer down Beach Road, which crews had cleared of utility poles and overhanging tree branches. It was trucked about a mile out of town. (LA Times)

It is now situated on higher ground outside of Kalapana. Star of the Sea is owned today by the Kalapana ʻOhana Association. It was “decommissioned” by the diocese. (Hawai‘i Catholic Herald) It is now typically open to the public during the day.

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May 28, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Margaret Aiu’s Hula Studio

She was born Margaret Maiki Souza on May 28, 1925 in Honolulu, the daughter of Peter Charles Souza and Cecilia Pai‘ohe Gilman Souza.

Hānai (adopted) to her maternal grandaunt Cecilia Rose Mahoe and John William Kealoha, she grew up in Palolo Valley (she considered them her grandparents.) (Chun; Carnes)

She was educated at St Francis Convent School and lived with the sisters. She later lived with another grandaunt, Helen Pamaieulu Ha‘o Correa (her Tutu,) in Pauoa Valley.

She turned to hula at about the age of 14 or 15.

“Hula of the day of the kings was just a memory to some of the old timers. The old hula lived only in the talent of a few masters. Fortunately, these were training a small number in spite of the odds against their every putting their learning to good use.” (Lake; Advertiser; Chun; Carnes)

She was trained in a full range of the ancient and traditional hula. In 1943, at the age of 18, she graduated (‘uniki) as an ‘olapa (dancer.)

For 8-years she entertained at the Club Pago Pago (now the site of the Japanese Cultural Center on Beretania) – and continued to study, learn dances and seek mentorship for several hula masters. She later married Boniface Aiu.

A devout Christian, she encountered difficulty on practicing traditional rituals and prayers to Laka, the goddess of hula. Her Tutu helped her reconcile the Christian and Hawaiian beliefs and practices and was able to find peace with ancient practices and her own Christianity. Weeks)

She was also studying to become a nurse. But with the encouragement from others, she began to teach hula to the Hawaiian Society at Blessed Sacrament Church. They gave performances at the church and elsewhere.

She formed Margaret Aiu’s Hula Studio. Her students learned Hawaiian genealogies, culture, mannerisms, legends, poetry and the ‘beauties of our own Hawai‘i.’ (Ariyoshi; Chun: Carnes)

The demand for instruction increased. She employed a new teaching style that departed from traditional recital and memorization and incorporated written references, with a blackboard in the studio and student testing.

“She was a successful teacher and many of her graduates went on the become noted kumu hula. She coined the phrase ‘hula is life,’ the concept of ‘hula brothers and sisters,’ and the practice of keeping hula books: writing down motions, lyrics and notes on each hula. … She was as innovative as she was traditional.” (Weeks)

“She really brought back the love and respect for hula and the interest in learning, lei making, costuming, research, history, language and methodology. She was acknowledged by many people as a hula academic responsible for the modern renaissance of hula.” (Daughter Coline Aiu; Chun: Carnes)

In 1952, she received permission from her teachers to change the name of her dance studio to Hālau Hula O Maiki. (However a sign painter reversed some of the wording to read ‘Hula Hālau O Maiki.’)

She later married Haywood Kahauanu Lake, a noted singer, arranger and song-writer, with whom she performed.

She kept it, however in 1974 the studio moved and the sign was corrected. During that year, she was employed by Paradise Park in Mānoa Valley to supervise all their Hawaiian cultural activities.

She held regular, ongoing classes for dancers at all levels, from young to old and from beginner to advanced, with hundreds of students enrolled at any time in different classes.

She welcomed any who were interested in the dance, regardless of age, race, background, or ability, encouraging each student to experience “the art of Hawaiian dance, expressing all that we see, hear, smell, touch, taste and feel.” (Nogelmeier)

After twenty years of teaching in her hālau, Maiki advertised a special class for kumu hula in 1972, apparently the first time such an opportunity had been offered publicly.

Some were critical about the appropriateness of such an open invitation, but the kumu class attracted a large group of high-caliber students, intensely dedicated to the hula and motivated to undergo the rigors of traditional training.

The Papa Lehua, with a graduating class of twenty-six, was the first of many groups of kumu to eventually emerge from Maiki’s “hula university,” as some called it. (Nogelmeier)

Every subsequent kumu class, each named for one of the plant forms in the hula, produced more new kumu hula, all having been trained in the art of the dance and in Maiki’s particular style of instruction. (Nogelmeier)

Recognized as the ‘Mother of Hawaiian Renaissance,’ she graduated 42 first-generation kumu hula, who in turn have graduated 34 second-generation ‘grandchildren.’ (Cazimero)

The list of graduates of Hālau Hula O Maiki includes may of Hawai‘i’s prominent entertainers and kumu hula.

Maiki could be a tough teacher, scolding, cajoling, explaining. “She was all those things, depending on what she had to be. When you were her student, you were also her child; she was your mother.” (Chang; Enomoto, Star Bulletin)

“When we had problems, many went to her before their own parents; that’s how tight the bond was. If she felt we needed to be scolded, she scolded us unmercifully. And it wasn’t privately like a counselor; it was in front of the family. Boom! Right between eyes.”

“Sometimes I left class drained physically, sometimes absolutely drained emotionally; that’s what Maiki did. And, like in any Hawaiian family, she had her favorites, her punahele.” (Chang; Enomoto, Star Bulletin)

The three symbolic virtues of faith, hope and love were the guiding principles of Lake’s life. “Embracing these values, the devoted kumu hula overcame personal and professional challenges to establish her dream, a dance academy built on classic Hawaiian traditions and practice.

Lake not only was a forerunner, she also was a conduit through which the mastery of ‘Iolani Luahine, Mary Kawena Pukui and Lokalia Montgomery was passed on. (Sunderland; Midweek)

Margaret Maiki Aiu Souza Lake died on June 19, 1984 at the age of 59. “Maiki left a legacy of the place of the hālau in the imparting of the whole art and tradition of learning the hula.”

“The place of beginning to learn is not on the dance floor but before the altar, where the offerings are put in place, and where the student comes into the presence of spiritual love and power.” (Ariyoshi)

“Through the Hula we are endowed with great Heritage.” (Aiu) We “are reminded of how special her legacy has become to all who know and learn to dance the hula. This is why hula is life.” (Ariyoshi)

Here is more on Maiki:

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Maiki Aiu performs during her 1948 uniki ceremony-Ariyoshi

May 25, 2017 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Aqua Marine

The area along the coast at the foot of Leahi (Diamond Head) between Waikiki and Kupikipiki (commonly called Black Point) is an area known as Kaluahole (‘the āhole fish cavern.’) Kaluahole is a noted place in several legends associated with the area.

In one story of Aiai, son of Kūulakai (a god who controlled all the gods of the sea,) following his father’s instructions “… traveled about the islands establishing fishing stations (ko‘a) at fishing grounds (ko‘a aina) …”

“… where fish were accustomed to feed and setting up altars (ku‘ula) upon which to lay, as offerings to the fishing gods, two fish from the first catch one for the male, the other for the female aumakua. Some accounts give Aiai a son named Puniaiki who is a fish kupua and trickster and helps his father set up fishing stations.”

“On Oahu, Aiai lands at Makapu‘u and makes the stone Malei the fish stone for the uhu fish of that place. Other stones are set up at grounds for different kinds of fish. The uhu is the common fish as far as Hanauma.”

“At Ka-lua-hole the ahole fish run. The fish still spawn about a round sandstone (called Ponahakeone) which Aiai placed outside Kahuahui …” (Beckwith)

Ponahakeone is offshore of Kaluahole … “In 1834, during the time of Kaomi, a malihini shark came to Waikiki in search of food. When he reached Kaʻalawai and Kaluaahole, he was refused by the guardian sharks of that place (ka poʻe kamaʻaina kiaʻi o ia wahi)…”

“… and then he came to Kapua, where the guardians of Waikiki were, and argued with them. They decided to kill him and to leave visible proof of it, so they forced his head into a cleft in the rocks at Kukaʻiunahi, makai of Kupalaha.” (Kamakau; Maly)

This is where Sanford B Dole had a beach bungalow – he called it Aqua Marine. (It’s about where the Le‘ahi Beach Park is situated.)

A portion of Royal Patent Grant 3219 was deeded in June 1879 to Kahololio. The grant consisted of all the land at Kaluahole and comprised 19 acres. In 1889 Kahololio sold +/- 15 acres of the grant lands to Sanford B. Dole.

Between 1892 and 1912, Dole deeded various parcels to George Beckley which eventually were subdivided into various lots and identified as portions of an estate known as “Aqua Marine” and the “Beckley Tract”. (Dye)

“Where the road leaves Kapiolani Park on the east, it passes a few houses and then comes out on an open space skirting the ocean. This is low and level at first, but further on rises to higher ground, whence the views seaward, south and west, are genuine Vistas of Hawaii.”

“The lapis-lazuli of the deep sea, starred with the sails of passing vessels, breaks into turbulent foam where it meets the outer reef, and ‘sliding its snow-white and swift avalanches’ into the inner lagoon …”

“… the waters, taking their tone from the corals below and the skies above, now break forth into an extravaganza of color as they hasten in subdued merriment to the shore of yellow sand.”

“‘In stillness far away, like phantoms, rise the bills of Waianae,’ while the bald-headed summit of Diamond Head looms up behind, almost over you, with startling distinct ness, but with a benignant and fatherly expression withal.”

“Besides this ideal environment, Aqua-Marine enjoys some substantial advantages as well. This strip of land between the road and the shore is divided into ten large lots, varying in size from half to three-quarters of an acre, each one fronting makai on the sea and mauka on the road for from 100 to 150 feet.”

“Government water is laid on along the fronts of these lots on the road. The sea-bathing is not very good as regards the footing on account of the coral, but can be improved by dynamite; as regards the sea-water it is first-class.”

“The trade winds are not shut out by Diamond Head, but, sweeping around the south east side of the bluff, blow freshly across these lots from the sea, the wind being perceptibly cooled by its passage over the water and carrying with it the tonic quality of the salt spray.”

“The reef is a famous fishing ground, and the fish are free to those who can circumvent them. Shellfish are abundant and ambrosial.”

“The road skirting these lots is being extended by the Park Association, and further on has been carried high up along the face of the bluff, giving a wide and beautiful outlook. It is to be continued around Diamond Head returning to the Park on its mauka side and when finished will be one of the most picturesque drives near Honolulu, abounding in a great variety of delicious views.”

“The tramway is to be extended through the Park, which will bring it within a live minutes’ walk from Aqua Marine. If the Oahu Railroad is extended in this direction according to its preliminary surveys, it will come within a few rods of these lots, which would bring them within fifteen minutes of Honolulu.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 5, 1892)

“‘Aqua Marine’ at Diamond Head is one of the prettiest places on the Island. Situated on high ground, one is enabled to command a magnificent view of the picturesque landscape and the lighthouse in the distance only adds fresh beauty to an entrancing spot.”

“The Doles are thinking of living at their bungalow all the year round, for the sea air agrees so well with the Judge’s health. The Emma street house is large and comfortable, but little ‘Aqua Marine’ is always occupied the greater part of the year.”

“If the family conclude to live there permanently many changes will be made to the home. The grounds are rapidly being improved and the large trees already planted by Judge Dole are making a fine showing.” (Evening Bulletin, January 14, 1905)

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Sanford Dole beach house at Kaluahole, Diamond Head-1905

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May 23, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Timeline Tuesday … 1990s

Today’s ‘Timeline Tuesday’ takes us through the 1990s – construction of first geothermal well, Akebono becomes first foreign-born to achieve Yokozuna rank in sumo, H-3 opens and Hawaii Convention Center opens. We look at what was happening in Hawai‘i during this time period and what else was happening around the rest of the world.

A Comparative Timeline illustrates the events with images and short phrases. This helps us to get a better context on what was happening in Hawai‘i versus the rest of the world. I prepared these a few years ago for a planning project. (Ultimately, they never got used for the project, but I thought they might be on interest to others.)

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May 22, 2017 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Branfleet

French Actor George Brangier met Duke Kahanamoku in Los Angeles while both were acting. Brangier asked Kahanamoku to teach him how to surf. Kahanamoku agreed. Brangier moved to Hawai‘i in 1928. He later returned to the Islands after serving his French military obligations. (Nendel)

Brangier and a California surfer, Nat Norfleet Sr, started Branfleet in January 1936 at 1704 King Street. “We began like nearly everybody else in the business – not with a pair of shoestrings but with on shoestring between the two of us.” (Norfleet; Devine & Marcus)

“Red McQueen had brought back from the 1932 Olympics in Japan some shirts made out of silk kimono cloth. We copied them to produce our first aloha shirts. … Elmer Lee had a stand in front of the old Outrigger Canoe Club where he sold coconut milk and pineapple juice, and he sold our horrible shirts.” (Devine & Marcus)

The company was one of the first to switch from making strictly tailor-made shirts to making them through a manufacturing process. (On July 23, 1939, they moved into a factory on Kapiʻolani Boulevard. (Krauss))

“The factory will turn out a complete garment from the design and pattern of the finished product. A special designer, Betty Gregory, will design for Branfleet sports wear. A staff of 45 persons is employed by the company.” (Advertiser, July 23, 1939)

In 1937 Branfleet signed Duke Kahanamoku to a five-year contract allowing them to use the noted champion’s name on their sportswear. The shirt tag stated, “this is designed by Duke Kahanamoku, World’s Champion swimmer, and is made in the Hawaiian Islands.”

Kahanamoku’s name recognition allowed Branfleet to be the first Hawaiian company “to supply sportswear to the US mainland on a large scale.”

The agreement allowed Kahanamoku to make 35 cents per dozen shorts sold and $1.00 per dozen for shirts sold. Since a dozen shirts typically sold for an average of $12.00 wholesale, Kahanamoku’s take ended up being less than 10% of the sales. (Nendel)

“Branfleet is the originator of ‘Duke Kahanamoku’ shirts and swim suits, also the ‘Kahala’ brand of all types of women’s sportswear, and the popular island ‘in and ‘out’ shirt.” (Advertiser, July 23, 1939)

With both their “Kahala Sportswear” and “Duke Kahanamoku Beachwear” lines, under the Branfleet label, Brangier and Norfleet would eventually (1951) rename their company Kahala to avoid confusion.

Considering that the aloha wear industry and Branfleet were relative newcomers to the mainland marketplace this contract represented a reasonably fair deal for Kahanamoku.

However, due to the novelty and youth of the industry the company never approached the great success that they had envisioned at the start of the contract. (Nendel)

Branfleet popularized a fabric they trademarked as “Pineapple Tweed”, which was a rough but strong linen, and was used in simple long sleeved shirts adorned with the Hawaiian crest and its motto.

During World War II, the Aloha shirt industry thrived as GIs stationed on the Islands wore them while off-duty, and the shirt became popular with locals now deprived of imports.

After the war, servicemen transported them back to Mainland. Between the 1940s and ‘60s, Kahala’s complete line of women’s clothing met with great success across the country, and the firm went on to produce clothing for some of the era’s best surfers.

The “Duke” was associated with the company again in 1961. During this period a Duke Kahanamoku label was created with the words “made in Hawai‘i by Kahala” directly beneath Duke’s name. (Myers)

But by the 1970s the company had fallen into disarray. Once one of America’s leading clothiers, it finally went bankrupt. Dale Hope bought the Kahala name in 1979.

“We wanted to keep its legacy going with quality garments, and interesting art reflecting a passion for the Islands,” he recalls. “But it had a formidable reputation.” (Myers)

Hope had been working with his dad in the men’s shirt business under the label HRH (His Royal Highness.) “Our label was confused with the English royalty; it wasn’t romantic; and it was a hard name to advertise,” says Hope.

The name Kahala was also the name of a fashionable O‘ahu neighborhood bounded by Kahala Beach. “I wanted to change the name,” he says, “so we threw a big garden party and fashion show at a house on Kahala Beach.” He sold in 1991; then, Tori Richard bought the company in 2006.

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