Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2005 — Remembering Samuel Kaʻōpūiki [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Remembering Samuel Kaʻōpūiki

This month Trustee Machado shares her eolumn space with Sol Kaho'ohalahala and his hānai 'ohana as they celebrate the life of Lāna'i's own Unele Samuel "Sammy" Kamuela Ka'ōpūiki. Samuel was born on Dec. 6, 1925, to Rev. Daniel and Hattie Ka'ōpūiki at Keōmuku, Lāna'i. With 13 brothers and sisters, life on the east shores of Lāna'i was simple, grounded in good values, dependent on a subsistence lifestyle, with hard work ethics and respect for the 'āina. Samuel was married to the late Kumu Hula Elaine Ka'ōpūiki at Kō'ele, Lāna'i. Together they continued to perpetuate hula and Hawaiian music for nearly 50 years on the beautiful little island of

Lāna'i. Sammy, as many also knew him, dedicated his life to the care and love of his children, Māpuana, Owen and Sol. The children remember going to Lōpā and camping at the beach for weeks. For Sammy, fishing was a daily affair to feed everyone. Pūlehu manini, dried weke and kala, the sweet taste of raw 'ama'ama, 'opihi, 'ōhiki, 'a'ama and moi. Sammy always said, " If you want to eat fish, you must learn to see the fish." He definitely had "fish eyes." Every day, Sammy would cut bundles of grass that were neatly tied to his leep and transported it to where his cattle awaited in Pālāwai. Fixing the puka in the fences was a daily chore to be sure that the cattle wouldn't get out into the pineapple fields. There was always that phone eall

or pineapple radio eall to tell Sammy that his cattle were out eating pineapples or standing their ground against pineapple workers who were trying to herd them back to their pastures. Ferdinand, the bull, would never budge for anyone but Sammy. Hunting was just a way of life for Sammy. He used a Winchester 30-30, and what a "sharp-eye" he was. He hunted deer, goat and sheep to put food on the table. Meat was divided and wrapped for the freezer and given to family members. During the bird season, there were pheasants, turkey, gamble quail, partridges, chukkar and doves. The land provided plenty. Then, there was Hawaiian music and hula that Sammy and Elaine had committed to. The downstairs patio was the hula studio where hula lessons were a part of everyday life. It is where many lives were nurtured in Hawaiian cultural values. It is where there were many moments of sweet four-part harmonizing to every Hawaiian song that was sung.

Together, they traveled to many parts of the world to bring honor to Hawaiian music and hula in their old Lāna'i style. Sammy loved his people, he loved his 'ohana, he loved his island home, he loved to tell his stories, he loved to smile and in these very complex and critical days, he understood the importance of standing for his rights as a Native Hawaiian. "Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono." That phrase he truly believed and honored. His smile, grace, humbleness, sense of humor, eoneem for others and his true spirit of aloha will be missed by all whose lives he has touched. "Kūlia i ka pono" best describes his integrity and character. Upright and honest, he was a man of honorable and good deeds. While he walked upon this earth and his beautiful island home of Lāna'i, we have all been blessed by his presence and by his mana. As we bid him aloha, it would bring honor to his life if we commit to action and practice but a measure of his good works. E3

LEO 'ELELE • TRUSTEE M ESSAGES —

Cūlette Y. Machadū TrustEE, Mūlūka'i aud Lāna'i