One time on Saturday we wuz in Peding's back yahd fo' kanikapila - James (Keke) Ke, Phillip (Peding) Barro, Alberto Cariaga an' me, Maku. We wuz jammin' away and wuz acking silly and den Keke said, "E, if we get nuttin' tomorrow, why we no go Makanau Moutain an' go poke pig ? (fo' you lolo's, as mean hunting). Befo' when dey ask me fo' go poke pig, I tell'um that I get too much to do so I no can go. This wuz one time I no mo' excuse.

Us three guys, Keke, Peding and me wuz around 17 and Berto 16. But you kno' watt? Berto wuz the one fo' carry the spear an' us wuz going be da supporting cast. Berto wuz poking pig since he wuz around 14 cuz he used to go with the big grownup guys and they onny use home-made spear. Dose days, not too many guys get gun, maybe da paniolos from Kahuku and Kamaoa get rifles, but the plantation guys, I remember only one guy with one rifle. Dem guys shoot wil' pipi an' Parker Ranch said no such thing as wil' pipi, but the courts wen said since no mo' brand mark, as wil' pipi. But I digress! (Eh, high tone kine word, yeah?)

Berto, da buggah he scaid nutting an' nobody; not too many guys like beef wit' him. Anyway, dat night we wen go dance in Social Box (remember dat kine?). Jus' like da kine Taxi Dance. An' wen pau we wen go Peding's house late an' instead of moemoe time, we wuz laffing and talkin' story whol' night. Around 5 o' clock wuz time to go an' hoo boy, my makas was burning cuz no 'nuf sleep.

Almos' erryday Makanau mountain get plenny rain an' wen get there, all the hapu'u and bushes was wet an' wuz muddy too. All da time we wuz walking I wuz praying fo' go home an' hoping we no see da wil' pua'a. An' den da dogs wen bark like hell on one pua'a an' Berto, dat brave buggah wen poke da spear in da pua'a neck. Ho boy da pua'a wen cum mad like hell. All da time I wuz thinking what if it goin' cum afta me. An' den da pua'a wen break loose an' wen cum straight at Peding an' me. We wen jump up an' catch one branch wuz hanging with two hands and our knees up our opu. We must'a look like Cheetah and friend an' dat pua'a wuz looking up at us an' he wuz mad. So me an' Peding wuz yelling, "E, Berto, no scaid, no scaid - poke-um! poke-um!" An' Keke wuz laffing like hell an' den one mo' time Berto wen poke-um an' da buggah wen make. Den Keke said,"Ho, you guys wuz scaid?" "Not", we said.

So later on wen we talk story an' da guys laff an' ask, "You wuz scaid, no?" An' I said, "Not!" An' dey said, "How cum you hanging on da branch den?" An' my answer, "Why, you T'ink I stupid?" So every time dey mention about go poke pig, I gotta go to the lua an' den disappear.

E, if you t'ink poke pig is good fun, den go try fo' you'self den you goin' kno' fo' shua. Oh' an' if you go, try wit' only spear as means you get plenny laho, as we used to say.

Nowadays I get my pork chops in cellophane wraps from the supermarket. Pau talk story. Aloha Nui!

I was born in the village of Hilea (where Mary Pukui was from) mauka from Punalu'u black sand beach on the Big Island. I lived mostly in Na'alehu, spent most of the war years in Papaikou and back to Ka'u. I wen join the army after pau high school. Lived in Northridge California, owned an Ad Agency, PR and Marketing but today, I kanikapila when I can. Mostly I practice and teach Tai Chi and Chi Gong (you can see me on youtube: Tai Chi Maku).The old-timers still call me Boy but I'm uncle Maku to most locals and Maku to others. A hui hou!