Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 10, 1 October 2003 — He haliʻa aloha: fondly remembering Aunty Alice Kaohiki Kuloloio [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He haliʻa aloha: fondly remembering Aunty Alice Kaohiki Kuloloio

"'I ulu nō ka lālā i ke kumu" - The branches grow because of the trunk. Without our ancestors we woulā not be here. ('Ōlelo No'eau) At the age of 88, Aunty Aliee Kaohiki Akuna Kuloloio completed her life's work and took her plaee among the kūpuna we so often turn to for guidanee. A buoyant but solemn gathering was held on Maui last month, as hundreds celebrated the life of Aunty Aliee Kuloloio. Aunty Aliee was a proud Hawaiian woman, a native of Pā'ia, Maui and most noted for her leadership among young activists. She led a full life backed by spiritual work, eommunity service, and especially cultural advocacy for her Hawaiian people. Aunty Aliee was best known in the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana for

her tenacity and spunky personality. These traits eame in handy as she stood alongside many young Hawaiian activists like myself. She had a certain spiritual and moral essence that would sanctify any gathering. In the early years of the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana, many Hawaiians were uneasy about demonstrating and protesting, but Aunty Alice's presence would offer a firm foundation to all those involved. Raised during a time of cultural acquiescence, she expressed a strong will to work for those Hawaiians whose voices were being ignored by the system. Serving as the Maui kua, or backbone of the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana, her home became a gathering plaee for those going back and forth between the islands. Getting the United States Navy to stop the bombing on Kaho'olawe was something she

held dear to her heart. She visited Haki'oawa and Pu'u Moa'ulaiki by helicopter with Aunty Mokihana Aluli, Aunty Anne Ritte, Aunty Clara Ku, and Aunty Mary Lee. Secure in her love for God, family, and Hawaiian customs, Aunty Aliee confronted the "heavy and sensitive issues" in her community. She refused to conform within a box of predictability. One demonstration she participated in was against the Federal GSA. The protest was to stop the sale of Public Lands of Hamakualoa, in the Pa'uwela Lighthouse district. This ancestral, scenic and historical plaee is now dedicated for public use. Some years back, during RIMPAC, Aunty Aliee took to the beach to educate our visitors about these military exercises on Kaho'olawe. She carried a sign that said "Don't bomb our heritage." Those years were a true testament of her ability

to be both a warrior and a stateswoman. On Oct. 22, 1990, President George H. W. Bush stopped the bombing of Kaho'olawe. A few days before Aunty Alice's passing, Emmett Aluli and I were able to visit with her at her home for the last time. We shared many tears as we said our final farewell and aloha to a kupuna who never turned her back on the Kaho'olawe and Aloha 'Āina movement. She stood tall when others labeled her as the "activist kupuna." She possessed a no-nonsense attitude and a will to do whatever it took to work things out. She had a tremendous capacity to aloha everyone and it was that passion for her people and culture I will never forget. Mahalo 'iā 'oe, Aunty Aliee. ■

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Colette Machado Trustee , Moloka'i and Lāna'i