Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2006 — Molokaʻi farmer with the biggest heart [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Molokaʻi farmer with the biggest heart

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

When I think of people who've made a differenee in our community, different images eome to mind: perhaps a preacher, a politician, a businessman. For residents of Moloka'i's Ho'olehua Hawaiian Homestead community, many would agree that Leiff Bush would be the image we'd see. This humble giant would often be seen in his pāpale (hat), rubber boots and puka shirt coming and going with his vegetables. Of course, as is true for all Ho'ohehua farmers, he was always covered in red dirt. In January, Leiff passed away at his home in Ho'olehua. His family and friends recently celebrated his life and legacy. I was fortunate enough to have crossed paths with Leiff in many different areas, but most notably in his efforts to advocate for Hawaiians farming on homestead land. Life-long friend Paul Elia, also of Ho'olehua, shared with me the following tribute to Leiff. Leiff Koa Bush Sr. was born on Nov. 11, 1956, the son of Francis and Evangeline "Oehie" Bush. He grew up on Ho'olehua Hawaiian Homestead and attended Moloka'i Elementary and High schools. Anyone who knew Leiff agreed that waterproof farming boots suited him best. He was known for the crops that he grew: watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, Chinese peas, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, green peppers, and many other fruits and vegetables. He marketed only the produce that was "Grade A" quality. To most farmers, he was best known for his taro cultivation skills, whieh he learned from his grandpa Kuamu, who was a wetland taro farmer. Leiff's taro didn't just feed his family; it fed communities. Many groups counted on his taro for fundraisers

that supported school and community activities. The kūlolo he made was prized as an addition to innumerable lū'au menus. Friends and family would ask for it to take back with them to the mainland whenever they visited. Whenever his kūlolo was on sale at the Saturday market in Kaunakakai, it always sold out. He loved cooking, and more than that, he loved seeing people enjoy his food. Leiff was the head eook for many lū'au on Moloka'i and at neighbor island functions as well. People even asked him to eook for mainland lū'au and would arrange for it to be shipped to them. Many times when there was more than one lū'au to go to, people would ask, "who was cooking?" When Leiff was named as the eook for a certain lū'au, that was the one people went to. His name was synonymous with excellent food. Leiff participated in many eommunity activities like coaching little league baseball. During the summer months, he would take part in a summer youth employment program where Moloka'i youth would work with him on his farm. Leiff was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Most of his service went toward the scouting program. He was an assistant scoutmaster and the blazer scout leader. The boys loved him. His former Scouts, now men, still talk about the good times they had and how they knew that Unele Leiff always cared. Leiff was a family man, and his family is his legacy. He and his wife Carolyn celebrated their 3 lst anniversary in July of last year. Together they had six ehildren: Leiff Jr., Henry, Kapono, Pilirose, David and Jesse. Leiff had a way of taking care of everyone's children and from him they learned to work and how to lend a hand. My family and probably yours too will remember Leiff as always doing what needed to be done and seeing things through, always being there, always being available, always willing to help, always looking for ways to make life better for those around him. E3