Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 35, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2018 — Jerry Konanui [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Jerry Konanui

, HE HO'OMANA'O I IN MEMORIAM

(Dec. 15, i948-Dec. 14, 2017)

By Kealoha Domingo Many Hawaiians today will go to great measure to link their mo'okū'auhau to Hāloa. For Jerry Konanui, grandson of David and Lucy Konanui and Hilarion and Rebecca Enriquez, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Konanui, there is no question that his relationship with Hāloanakalaukapalili was a strong and intimate one. On Dec. 14, 2017, the lāhui lost a great and beloved man. He is survived by his loving wife, Gladys F. Konanui of Pāhoa; daughters, Nieholle (Damon Tucker) Konanui and Kanani (Lawrence Kalawe) Konanui of Pāhoa, Teresa (Shel-

don) Pajimola of Chester, Virginia; five grandchildren; mother Elizabeth Konanui of Sumter, South Carolina; brother Howard (Jane) Konanui of Pāhoa; sisters Sheila (Harold) Aiona of Opihikao and Janet (Thomas) Gladden of Sumter, South Carolina; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Born in 'Opihikao, Unele Jerry was a taro farmer, widely known throughout Hawai'i and beyond as a respected loea and hulu kupuna. Due to Unele Jerry's humble nature and demeanor, he often refuted the acknowledgement of himself as an "expert." Instead, he described himself as Jerry Konanui LPM - Lepo pōpolo mahi'ai - a mere farmer

who has skin darkened by the lepo or earth that he works within. Those like myself who were fortunate to have spent some time with him would say otherwise. We could undoubtedly attest that he was THE authority on the subject of a number of things related to mahi'ai including Hawaiian 'awa, 'uala, 'ulu, and especially kalo. If you experienced any of the hundreds of workshops he conducted on these topics, you ineveitably witnessed the deep passion that inspired him to not only learn and document, but to protect, care for and pass down the tools and knowledge to assure that his beloved Hāloanakalaukapalili would be there for centuries to eome. Unele Jerry left us with valuable 'ōlelo no'eau I know will resound in the memories of many. When asked whieh what the best taro or his favorite taro was, his reply would be something like: "I never met a taro I didn't like" or "The best taro is the one in front of me on my dinner table." When asked about taro that may

not have been of optimal quality or growth, he'd respond, "It's not the taro's fault. Don't blame the taro." "Always plant with intention," he'd say. "Let the kalo know you want it to grow to be big and strong, let it know if you want it to have many keiki, or perhaps you want it to grow to feed the 400 people coming your keiki graduation party." This mele was written by grandson Hayden Konanui-Tucker: He Mele No Jerry Na: Hayden Konanui-Tucker Paukū 'Ekahi: He makuakāne o 'ekolu He kupunakāne o 'elima He hulu kupuna no Hawai'i a puni Aloha 'o ia iā kākou a pau Pūlama 'ia ka noho pū Hui: Mai 'ōaōaloha 'ia 'oe Ka 'ana i kou 'ike iā kākou Mahalo nui 'ia ke aloha He mele nou papa Paukū 'elua: Ola kona 'iwi i ke a 'o ha 'awina Ma laila kona aloha

Ha 'i mo 'olelo o ke kalo E mālama i ka 'ike ku 'una Paukū ekolu: Hā 'ina 'ia mai ana kapuana 'O kona aloha i nā po 'e Hawai 'i Nā mākou ke kuleana e ho 'omau E ho 'omau ana kākou I am particularly fond of this statement from a eulogy at Unele Jerry's funeral services held in Pāhoa and read by Mahea Pajimola, his oldest grandchild: "You know if you Google kalo, you see pictures of my Papa." He taught us the importance of preserving the Hawaiian culture, loving and supporting our 'ohana, and living with aloha. My papa gave everyone here a little pieee of 'ike and we ask you all to pass it on, to share his love and his knowledge." Please do heed her challenge, search for kalo and Jerry Konanui on the Internet and you will find many great resources and evidence of the legacy he has left behind. Jerry Konanui, e ola kou inoa. ■