Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 5, 1 May 2014 — 1919-2014 Kenneth Brown, voyaging leader and visionary, helped build a healthier Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

1919-2014 Kenneth Brown, voyaging leader and visionary, helped build a healthier Hawaiʻi

By Heidi Chang Kenneth Francis Kamu'ookalani Brown, a longtime spiritual leader for the Polynesian Voyaging Society who died in February at 94, will serve as a symbolic reminder of unity and strength aboard Hōkūle'a on its World Wide Vovaae.

"When he passed away, the leaders (of PVS) got together and sat on the eanoe and said: 'Kenny's got to be on this voyage. We need him to strengthen us. We need his memory,' " recalls master navigator Nainoa Thompson. With that, they carved Brown's Hawaiian name, Kamu'ookalani, into the pale kai, the beam that holds the hulls of Hōkūle'a together. "The pale kai is the first to break the wave that comes over the deck," Thompson says. "It's symbolic but it's structural, unifying these two hulls, holding the home that we depend on at sea together . . . and it breaks the wave for us. It nrotects us." savs Thomn-

son, adding, "It reminds us to be unified, to be strong. . . . He'U be there to protect us ... so the pale kai's perfect." Brown was an extraordinary Hawaiian leader who also made a difference as

a statesman, business leader and architect. He was one of the guiding kūpuna who established

Mālama Hawai'i, a eoalihon of organizations dedicated to taking care of the land, sea and people of Hawai'i. Brown's great-grandfather was John Papa 'Ī'I, a lawmaker, judge and adviser to both King Kamehameha II and III. Brown's Hawaiian name, given to him by grandmother Irene 'Ī'I, means the "tender bud or shoot of royalty." In the 1980s, Brown played a pivotal role as chairman of the Queen's Medical Center, Queen Emma Foundation, Bishop Museum, East-West Center and Mauna Lani Resort. "Kenny Brown was a modem day ali'i, he looked towards the welfare of his people," says Danny Akaka, Mauna Lani Resort's director of cultural

affairs. He says Brown helped preserve the royal fishponds around the resort, whieh represent some of the finest examples of Hawaiian aquaculture today. Akaka says Brown always lived by his phrase: "The land ean be said to contribute to the life of the spirit. You must protect your lands, natural beauty and spirit of plaee if you are to retain and sustain your own spirit."

Akaka notes: "It's sad to say, but it's rare to find someone like Kenny Brown today. Somebody that's so well respected yet quiet about his aeeomplishments, never one to brag about all of his great deeds." Brown was a role model and mentor for many like entrepreneur Maile Meyer. "He was the first person I heard talkina about Hawaiian

values as a Hawaiian leader in puhlie. The minute I heard him speak, that's when I realized what a visionary he is," she says. "In the 1990s, he heeame a mentor for a group of young Hawai-

ians in their 30s and 40s at Native Books in Kalihi. He eame every Tuesday for years to

talk with us. He was amazing." Meyer says the Mālama Hawai'i speech that Brown delivered as a state senator back in 1973 still resonates today. The speech urged care in the planning of Hawai'i's future. "If the mālama principles were applied to Kaka'ako today, it would look and feel very different," she says. In March, on the first day of spring, friends and family members of Brown held a rare 24-hour vigil at the Mauna'ala royal mausoleum to bid him a final aloha. The community was invited to "eome and be inspired by his life." Talks were scheduled on topics important to his life's work, and pū (eoneh shell) sounded every hour on the hour. ■

This pholo from 1 998 shows Kennelh Brown, center, meeting with young leaders aboutthe gifts Hawaiians have to share with the world. From left are Kamana'opono Crabbe, now the CE0 of OHA; Mele Look; Ke'ala CamDlon and Manu Bovd. - Courtesv: Mele Look