Remember YOUR "small keed time"?
Those were the good old days! YOU were young, innocent, naive and maybe even a little bit "kolohe" (rascal). When you look back, I bet you cannot help but grin, yeah? I bet you can just feel a longing oozing up inside of you for a time when life was much simpler. Wherever you live now, if you grew up in Hawaii, you must remember your "hanabuddah days". Eh, no shame ... we all had "hanabuddah".
Eh … right now get choke stories already online written by Hawaiians and Hawaiians at heart. Most all writers had the unique life experience of growing up in Hawaii. That’s why the site is called ”Hanabuddah Days”.
Enjoy these personal stories.
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- Written by Tony Lonso
User Rating: 5 / 5
Tony was my father-in-law who lived in Kunia pineapple camp and was a truck driver for Del-Monte Corp. During the summer pineapple harvest season he would drive a 'big rig 'to deliver pineapples to the cannery downtown.
The big rig he drove was an International Harvester with two open trailers behind filled with pineapples. He would drive from Kunia to the cannery in Iwilei six or sometimes seven days a week ten to twelve hours a day .It was hard work but he use to tell me "boy that's some of my Las Vegas money". I couldn't ride with him because company policy was "no passengers".
His favorite hobbies were bowling and hunting. Since he worked for the plantation we could go into the field to shoot doves and hunt for pheasant
When we got home Daddy would cook the dove or pheasant adobo style. With hot rice the birds was ono. One time his friend Masa bought two of his friends to go bird hunting with us and Daddy was always about hunting safely. So when the hunt was over we clear our shotguns to make sure all the bullets was out.
When he seen the two guys coming to us and when ask then, "eh you guys when clear your guns?"
One guy said 'yeah and he pointed the shotgun to the ground and went press the trigger and the gun went off, had one round in the chamber! Ho Daddy was pissed off and told Masa no bring these guys around anymore bum bye somebody going get shot. Good thing he had the gun pointed to the ground! He told me, "Boy always be safe when you handle guns and always every time when pau hunt no matter for birds or pig make sure you clear your guns!"
His favorite hunting was for pigs. He had a dog kennel built for his dogs which were mostly pit bull mix. His kennel had four stalls for his five grabbers and one tracker. His kennel had tile walls about four feet high all around and in between each stall with heavy gauge screen wire tied to pipe with concrete floor and tin roofing.
He never give names to his dogs except for the tracker whose name was Brownie. His dogs were all males and he got most of his dogs from friends when they pups. He fed them dry dog food from the store and when we catch pig we boil the head, bones, and some meat let 'um cool and add dry dog food to the soup and the dogs just grind 'um up real fast.
When I first started hunting with him for pigs I did not have any hunting gear. So he gave me a web belt, a trail knife, and canteen. We hunted mostly in Waianae mountains on the Kunia and Schofield side, sometimes we hunt the "Blues" or the Ko'olau Mountains.
Before the hunt we make sure we have food like rice ball, can pork and beans, Vienna Sausage, water, extra rope, toilet paper, make sure the trail knife sharp and our rifles in good working condition. We carried guns for emergency because if the grabbers no can hold the pig, the pig might come straight for us. Once the grabbers hold the pig tight we would run up to the pig and poke 'um with the the trail knife.
His dogs were for hunting not watch dogs or pets so we treated them just like that, only time we might pet them is when they did a good job. One time we went hunting with Gerard, who was his son in law in Kunia mountain side. So my father in law told Gerard, "you hunt the high side and we going the low side so if the dogs hit the pig going up to you or down to m.e"
After three or four hours we heard one of Gerard's dogs barking, so we figure the tracker when find one pig. Then a few minutes later we heard two shots so Daddy said "Gerard when get 'um."
Two hours later we seen his jeep but no had one pig on the hood. When he got close, Daddy said "Boy where the pig we heard the dog and the shots?"
Gerard said "The stupid dog was just barking for nothing so I went shoot at the dog. You should see 'um run. I bet he went run all the way to Ewa!"
I always remembered that time and the rifle he had in his jeep. I went ask him what caliber the gun was and he said a 475 and my father in law said, "Boy no more elephants in Kunia mountain!"
He knew the mountain like the back of his hand. We would hunt for hours and when we would come out he would tell me, "boy go get the jeep." I would look around and the jeep was nowhere in sight, then he would say, "It's around the bend" and sure enough it would be around the bend.
Daddy's jeep was a M32 or M42 I no remember but it could climb any hill dry or muddy and go thru muddy ground real easy. His jeep was for hunting only and only had a canvas top. All around had rails for tie the dogs to when we go hunting.
I always had to use one of his rifles when we went hunting because I didn't own one. So the night before our morning hunt I said "Daddy, I bought a rifle today." He said "what kind gun you went buy?" I told him one Winchester 30-30. He went crack up laughing. So I said "Why you laughing?" He told me "Boy you went buy a Portagee gun. The 30-30 makes big noise when you shoot um."
So he asked me where I went buy the gun. I told him Waipahu sporting goods by Arakawa. Cause Waipahu sporting goods was the place to buy stuff for fishing or hunting. My father in law has a Winchester 30-30 and a 44-40 that he got from his father.
He told me there was supposed to be another Winchester 30-30 with a hatch barrel . During World War Two the army told everyone to turn in all weapons. His father went wrap each rifle with burlap bags and cover 'um with grease and wrap them up with canvas and went bury them in the back yard. Went the war ended they dug the guns but the 30-30 with the hatch barrel was all rusted but the other two was o.k. after a good cleaning. The hatch barrel one was on the bottom with the other two on top 'um
I cannot remember the last hunt I had with him but I remember how he loved the land not only in words but in deeds also. He used to say, "Boy the places we walked while pig hunting nobody else went walk so let's leave it that way." We would not fire our guns for target practice or for fun and when we cut trail we cut so that the brush would grow back. We would also gather from the mountain fern (pako) a special shoot and pipi'au (elephant ear). Pipi'au only from the kukui nut tree . He taught me that caring and loving something is not limited to people but can also include the aina, My father in law Tony passed away in 2008, but his influence has been now carried by my son .
My father-in-law Tony P. was half Filipino and half Portagee.
About Author
I was raised in Aiea Filipino camp. I married one girl from Kunia. Our first home was a townhouse in Makakilo, sold that and moved to Waianae. We moved to Northern California in 1985.We have a son and daughter and six grandchildren. Big Head was my nickname.
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- Written by Maku Cuizon
User Rating: 5 / 5
My Uncle Pat was attending the Hilo Commercial College in the big city of Hilo and he was one person Big Popo (grandpa) trusted. Uncle must have been one nani looking kid because his name was 'Baby' to the whole family. So, to his nieces and nephews, he was addressed as 'Uncle Baby'. It wasn't until he came back from the end of the war that we now started to call him Uncle Pat. For a time he worked on the plantation as a carpenter until he decided to use his GI Bill to further himself and get out of plantation life.
Hilo, our Big Island metropolis, that was the place to be for me and any trip there was always a big treat. After uncle had been in Hilo for a while, I finally worked up the courage to see if he would ask Big Popo if I could spend some time with him during the summer break. Since Uncle was one to be trusted, to my joy, Big Popo agreed to let me go since I would be under uncle's trustful eye, then it was OK. Oh man! I had hit the jackpot!
It was a double jackpot because my older sister, Julie had gotten a job as a nanny to an Admiral's two keikis in Pi'ihonua, the Beverly Hills of Hilo. Sis Julie and I had always been close and had a special bond since we had had a common enemy which was our stepfather, who had abandoned us when mama died. But that's a different story. Not only was I going to have freedom, be with my favorite uncle and get to see my big sister, but I get to be in Hilo and get to learn to be a city boy - could it get any better than that?
Sis Julie was still attending Hilo High School and took care of the Admiral's keikis, did some light house work and had weekends off. She had met a local boy who was in the army and he had one more year while stationed in Alaska, so on her weekends she spent time with his family who lived in the projects called Kimiville. She invited me over to meet his family that weekend. I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to see her.
When I arrived I was introduced to her fiance's mother and little brother. I was to meet the father, later, who was at work as a longshoreman. After some pleasantries, in walked an angel, who was introduced to me as the little sister. I was all of 16 going on 17 and I guessed her to be about my age or a year less. I caught her whispering in sis' ear, out of the corner of my eye and I was smitten; Cupid had scored a bullseye!
Vee and I chatted for a while until I had to leave to meet uncle when he pau school before he went to his part time job. I could hardly wait for the next day to visit and as fate would have it, when I got there, Vee was sitting on the pune'e as if waiting for me. We sat and chatted a while until I got enough courage to touch her hand and to my delight, our fingers clasped. Dare I? With my heart racing I touched my lips on hers and about swooned when she kissed me back. Score one for the country boy!
Later I talked to Big Sistah and nonchalantly asked, "E, sis, how old is Vee?" "Fourteen, Why?" She replied. "Nuttin', I t'ought her cute. I never t'ink her dat young." And casually changed the subject. You remembah when you wuz 16 wit' raging hormones? E, no lie ha you buggah.
The next day when I went to the house, it was empty, so looking out the back door I saw Vee at the clothes line humming as she pinned the laundry on the line. With her back to me, I wrapped my arms around her with my hands on her soft opu. When she wrapped her arms on mine, my knees buckled and I felt like I was going to faint. Hoo boy! I had died and gone to heaven!
Later, while sitting on the pune'e and talking, a guy walked in and he was introduced as just Jay and said that he rented the back bedroom. I thought he looked like an old fart of about 23 or 24. Hoo da buggah wen give me da steenk eye!
It was time to go home to Ka'u and by that time I noticed a change in our relationship. The kisses were no longer warm; more like pecks of aloha. The fire was now just embers.
Big Popo's word was law and if he said, "Time to go home", there would be no argument. When I left, Sis Julie and Uncle Pat were the only ones I bade goodbye. School was about to start. Country boy, once again. It wasn't easy but I tried hard not to think of Vee or call her while I concentrated on school. I was hoping that she would call me but the call never came. I reminisced about that summer often but in my heart I knew it was over and I had to concentrate on school.
"E, Boy" (as my small kid time name), Julie said, on the phone. "You know, Vee stay hapai five months already."
"Not me," I said. "I wen only honi and hold hands."
"No worry", she said. "Jay da fadda."
Months later, on my next trip to Uncle Pat's, I stopped in to see sis Julie at Vee's house. Vee was now 15 and radiant as she cuddled her baby girl while she leaned against Jay, the beaming father.
Before I forget, while working on a school play I met Ella and we hit it off, big time. Yeah, you guessed it. Her kisses were as sweet as wine and she was soft in all the right places. Ah sweet mystery of life. E, I getting sentimental or watt?
About Author
I was born in the village of Hilea (where Mary Pukui was from) mauka from Punalu'u black sand beach. 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 CA, 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 oldtimers still call me Boy but I'm Uncle Maku to most locals and Maku to others. A hui hou!
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- Written by Tony Lonso
User Rating: 5 / 5
The site of Aloha Stadium was once Halawa Housing, cane fields, small grazing pastures for cows or horses, small vegetable or watermelon farms. The dam was made by a cement wall built by the plantation to pump water for irrigating the cane fields. The water for the dam came from a stream from Red Hill. Wally, Roland, Peter and me would go swimming there mostly in the summer when it got hot.
Then one time Wally said, eh' get plenny crawfish close to shore in the California grass, we should try catch um' for eat. But Peter said, mo'betta try spear um' cause they too fast to catch um' by hand. So we made our 'spear guns. The spear was the straight part of the iron clothes hangar which we cut off, on one end we would flatten and make the point, the other end was made smooth. The gun was the wood thread spool from our mothers sewing stuff, the rubber was big rubber bands or inner tire tube rubber. Then we would tie the rubber to the wooden spool with string and that was our spear guns.
So we took our spear guns to da dam and speared crawfish and we usually got enough to make a fire to roast and eat um'. But one time the ho hana'man caught us making a fire. Man he was huhu and shouted wasa mattah you make fire bum bye the field catch fire and you guys get big trouble and nobody can go swimming in the dam no more. So from then on that ended our days of poking crawfish.
But always, never miss, on our way home we would stop at this huge common mango tree that was next to the dirt road by one of the small field that was part of a farm. This mango tree trunk was so big that you cannot get a grip to climb and it didn't have low hanging branches. So the only way to get the mango was to throw rocks at the hanging bunches and try to knock them down. So we would take turns, Wally and Roland would the rocks and Peter and me would try to catch the falling mangos and we usually got enough for all of us to eat on our walk back home.
The common mango was so sweet that all we did was bite a chunk off , eat the meat and you could see a trial of mango skins on the road back home. I wonder if there is any more common mango trees back home. Mahalo Aloha World for allowing us to share our hanabuddah stories and for an instance taking us back to our small kid time.
About Author
I was raised in Aiea filopino camp. I married one girl from Kunia. Our first home was a townhouse in Makakilo, sold that and moved to Waianae. We moved to Northern California in 1985.We have a son and daughter and six grandchildren. Big Head was my nickname.
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- Written by Sheena Harvy
User Rating: 4 / 5
Lass night was sitting around wit some old 'lanai' friends sharing stories about things we did as kids. I was telling about the time me and my friend ran away and someone said "Eh that would make one good story foa da hanabuddah days page." At first I was like "yeah right" but den, well maybe so shoots going try chance um. Dis my story an' I sticking to it.
Who is da lolo who stole da pakalolo? We wuz like thirteen or fourteen and we, well I, ran away from home. My friend decided to come wit me. So we stay cruising and kinda bored and didn't know what foa do wit our selfs. We was only like two miles from home. Wen start getting late so we was saying "Wea we going sleep?" Den my friend said "oh hey we can go stay my old house get one puka in the floor of the bedroom we can use foa get in da house." Shoots off we go.
So we get there and I'm tinking oh my god dis ting going fall on us stay so hammajang already. But back den I had no fear, all guts no glory. So chance um. We get in to the back bedroom and someone had put three big garbage bags in there. It didn't smell stinky felt like yard rubbish so we used um foa pillow and went sleep. I guess I got up about three a.m and was so cold. My friend, a skinny Filipino girl, was curled up in a ball. Gee da smart huh run away, no food no clothes and now cold like hell. I wen feel bad cuz I felt like I was responsible for her. I took off my jacket and put it on her and saw her relax litto bit den I wen lay back down and try foa go back sleep. We wuz stoners back then and I was getting the munchies and wuz tinking 'hacum?'
Da sun was just coming up, the sky was juss starting foa chase da dark to da oshen when I started poking at da bag we was sleeping on. Sudddenly I was shaking my friend awake and was like "Oh my god check it out, girl look wut get in da bags!" She sat up and we made pukas in da bags and holy cow. Three big bags pakalolo. We was sleeping on a stoners paradise. We'en jump up and at first was like how we going get dis outtah hea, whose one is it? Dang need foah clean and dry um. We was real lolos but we knew wuz no wayz we was going walk like wot, three miles wit dis stuff and not get busted.
So we decided screw running away, we going get my friend's braddah. He was oldah and had one car. So we beat feet back to her house and tell her braddah come wit us we need help foa get dis stuffs. He was so prick, he said "no". Den we told him was three BEEEG bags weed. Deeeen he like make deal. Funnit now he like some too. But we figgah das ok get plenny.
So we go back ovah da old house and we run insai and grab da bags while her braddah sit his okole in da car. Wut'evahs, so we trow da stuff in da cah trunk and bag go back to dea house. Took um all in her braddah's room. Was separate from da house das why if my aunty saw dat she KILL us. Foa a moment we only LOOK at um. Wow!! Look all dat weeeeed. Mmmmmmmm.
Now da work starting gotta clean and dry and bag da stuffs. So all us, me, my friend, two of her braddahs and da braddah's friend cleaned and cleaned and cleaned foa dayz. Finaly pau and we get um drying. Wen was pau and ready we'en bag um all up. Den ho man, me and my friend was so mad cuz her brother gave us WUT? ONE gallon bag! Is he kidding??? Had plenny. Wut he going do wit all dat? We got so mad but he said if we no like it he going kick our okoles and take the bag back. So we took the bag. Took us like three days to burn dat bag down.
Den one morning we wuz rolling and smoking in the down parking lot below the pool at school before class an heard "Eh wut you guys doing?" some one yelled "Nutting." but was too late we knew we was busted. One of da maintenance guys, braddah of the guy whose weed we kaiped, comes down and takes us to da office. So we get called into the principal's office and he puts da bag on his desk and ask me "You have anything to say about this?" and me the tiddah I was most of the time says "Yea. Wea da rest of da weed cause das not all of it !!" Poor guy nevah know what foa say den I wen back dat up wit a sassy "and can I get that back wen pau?" Oh dang he call da cops! I was cracking up laughing and stuffs making jokes, they took us all to the station and had us together in one room, still laughing.
Den, IN WALK MY MUDDAH. Oh you would have tot someone wen rip da head off my teddy bear, worlds collide and stars die out but now I wuz about to die. I stahted to cry and was begging da cop keep me. One cop smiled an said "not so funny now huh?" Man I got my okole beat. We ALL got in troubles. But az one of dem things you do dat later was juss too funny, stupid, but funny.
An oh if you wondering about da guy whose stuffs was, I don't think he evah foun out was us had take um. But us heard he was gonna KILL da guys if he foun' um. Man we was some lucky litto kids. Shuush no tell eh cuz I hea dat ohana no forget da kine stuffs... Aloha! No names to protect the guilty!
PS: So you fallah know, I oni wen smoke weed like two years of my life and just look da damage. And you tot all dis time my muddah had drop me on my head baby time.
About Author
Grew up a Navy brat until my mom met and married my sisters dad. A guy from Kona, he had joined the army during the Korean War and never went back to Hawaii, and had never told his family he was alive and in Cali. So my mom tracked down his sister Vicky and the next thing we knew we was living in Honaunau on the Big Island on five acres of over grown coffee just upwind of Hing's Pig Farm. Went to Honaunau school in '76 and '77 but moved to Ho'okena school the last 2 months of 8th grade so I wen grad 8th at Ho'okena. Side door at Konawaena cause back then if you got hapai you had to leave school. Had my son my junior year and would not change a thing. I did get my GED when he was 3 years old a year after my class. Now I live in Vegas where my two sons and my hanai daughter also live. I have two daughters still in Hawaii, one in Kona and one in Pahala. I have grand kids as well. I love my kids with so much of me it can hurt and I love my ohana, real and virtual. You guys da bestest. Aloha
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- Written by Maku Cuizon
User Rating: 5 / 5
As wuz da wors' time an' da bes' time (apologies to Charles Dickens fo' borrow his line). It was the ending of the year 1941 just before Pearl Harbor and papa went on a fishing trip with our calabash uncle, Paul Hi'ilei; Uncle Paul returned in tears and said that he no can find Matias, our faddah. Papa's friends went searching for him but returned with bad news; they found his fishing gear but no Matias. Worse of all, mama was pregnant with her 7th keiki and in those old plantation days there was no insurance policy for us.
Having no other alternatives, we moved in with our grandparents and even though money was scarce, we were together as a family. We called grandpa, Big Popo and grandma, Small Popo, while the oldest uncle, Rufe had left to go to work for the newly created Conservation Corps. That left two uncles and an aunt, in a two-bedroom plantation house; it was crowded but full of aloha.
In the early days, all sugar plantations had the workers living in "camps" to be closer to the fields. The harvested sugar cane was sent to the sugar mill via water flumes and great changes came with Industrial machinery. Thus came the breakup of camps as the workers and families of the Hutchinson Sugar Co. were now moved to the Village of Na'alehu
Hilea, mauka of Punalu'u black sand beach, is the birth place of my uncles, my brother and me. In the late '30's Hilea and two other camps were closed and some of us were relocated to Honuapo, where the sugar mill was located. Honuapo's landing (wharf) was where grandpa loaded bags of sugar onto steamships.
On the Big Island, the District of Ka'u is better known for the Ka'u Desert and the mauka regions are lush with vegetation. The only time that the streams ran was when there was heavy rains from mauka. It's no wonder that the District of Hilo and the Hamakua coast were so lush and green with all the rain in the lowlands. I envied those areas with the Rainbow Falls of the Wailuku River, The Papaikou stream, Akaka Falls and their constant flowing water all-year long.
Shortly after Pearl Harbor, mama married a man that she barely knew. This caused a rift in the family, so one day we were told we were making a trip to Hilo but we wound up in the town of Papaikou. When days turned into weeks, to our consternation, we realized we had been uprooted and away from friends and family.
Behind our hosts' house was a flowing "gouch" (gulch) alive with frogs, tadpoles, opai and mosquito fish. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Because of papa's alleged drowning, the gouch was off-limits. That didn't stop me from wading in there along with my younger brother, Lippy, who was made to swear we never were in the gouch. One day we were in an area that we had never been in and there were these beautiful kalakoa long-tailed fish. Lippy and I were able to catch about a dozen and put them in a can we had found and hurried home anxiously to give mama a big surprise of our gift from the gouch. But the big surprise was short-lived; mama was furious that we had disobeyed her about being in the gouch. I got one of the worst lickin's of my life but Lippy wasn't whipped since he was younger and I, being older, should have known better. Besides, Lippy was a cute kid and even to this day people love him.
Shortly after, the Onomea Sugar Co. gave us a house close to the river which had a deep section called Long Pond by the locals. By this time mama realized that Lippy and I were at the gouch every day, so she finally gave up and besides the deepest water came only up to our knees.
To get to Long Pond, one had to go past our house and how envious Lippy and I would be watching the parade heading towards Long Pond. So one day we saw a bunch of guys we knew heading to Long Pond, when a light in our heads gave us an idea, we would tell mama we were going to the gouch.
I was in heaven, diving, jumping in, cannonball - the works! I being 10 and Lippy 8, I knew how to swim, he didn't, so I decided to teach him. Big mistake! Next thing I remember drifting in deep water and I was in a death-grip. Next thing I remember was the most beautiful, serene feeling ever. Then blank. I awoke flat on my back on a flat rock with everyone looking down at me - I had drowned, not breathing, then I awoke, to their relief. I recall, thinking if that's what it's like to die, then - what's to be scared of? The guys told me that my classmate, Yoshinobu Oyakawa had dived in and saved us.
Fast forward, Korea, 1952,I'm in my tent reading the Stars and Stripes, the Olympics was the big news and a guy from Hawai'i, named Yoshinobu Oyakawa, won the gold medal in the backstroke swimming event.
Eh, Yoshi, wherever you are, Tanks eh bruddah, I owe you one! I no scaid make even when the train missed our truck in Korea, the train that missed my sports car in a downpour in Burbank and the Grumman Tiger that kept falling a hundred feet at a time, while we were flying over Lake Tahoe or even tumbling at breakneck speed down the Cornice on Mammoth Mountain. Aaaah, you get da idea, I no scaid if I make.
About Author
I was born in the village of Hilea (where Mary Pukui was from) mauka from Punalu'u black sand beach. 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 CA, 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 oldtimers still call me Boy but I'm Uncle Maku to most locals and Maku to others. A hui hou!
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- Written by Keleka Falces
User Rating: 5 / 5
I grew up in Haiku, Maui with my family and friends. As the bes of times. We wen live in one big house with a huge back and front yad. My fatha wen raise fighting chickens and pigs. Every day I had to go feedem. I used to hate cleaning da pig pens. Man, dat was som stink. Da chickens was easy, jus givem wata and da special secret recipe feed my fatha used to make. He used to make good money fighting da chickens because sometimes I used to find plenty money hidden unda da bed and in da closet. I would givem to my matha and she would say, "lets leaveum on da counta and see wat daddy goin say wen he come home". Actually he neva say too much but gave my matha some of da money. As fo me I jus wen get da stink eye.
My matha was very loving to me and my 2 braddahs and 2 sistas, but she also said I was the most kolohe. Mabe was because I was da oldest or because I fell out of our cars back seat onto the highway but I dunno, I gotta blame my frens. Dey always get me in trouble.
One day in school, I was so bored, jus staring out da window into da pineapple fields. My fren he tell me I betta lisen to da teacha or I goin get lickens (yes, it was approved then. should be approved now, but dat is anotha story). I tell him I bored, so he tell me go home den. So, I wait until da teacha not looking and I jump out da window an run to the pineapple field. I was all happy, no need go school.
On da way home I figa might as well go swimming, so I wen go thru the fiels an down da gulch to da riva. I take off my clothes and jump in da wata. I had a good ol time. Afta that I wen up to Kawaharada Store an bought one donut and soda wit my lunch money. Miss Kawaharada ask me how come I no sta in school an I tell her no mo school today. She gave me one funny look an I took off not waiting for a reply.
Afta dat I wen go home, grab one net an go behind my house fo catch dojo in da East Maui Irrigation ditch. I neva catch dojo but got plenty meduca and swordtail fish. Hoo, I was having a great day. Lucky ting I wen lisen to my fren. Finally I figa I betta go home, an as wen everything wen hit me. Wat goin happen wen my matha and fatha find out wat I wen do. Now I was all scared. Needless to say I got slaps from my mom and lickens from my fatha. That was not da end, wen I wen go back school my teacha wen give me hell and send me to da office to see da principle. He slap both my hands wit da rula and broke it on me, but I neva cry though. This was jus one of the many kolohe dayz I had. My frens, I tell you, dey always get me in trouble. I hope my boy no turn out like dat, I betta screen his frens.
About Author
I was raised in Haiku, Maui and later on bought a place in Waiehu. Growing up in the country area was awesome. We didn't have too much of anything back then but we made do with what we had. Living off the ocean, mountain and whatever you grow and raise at home gave me the mana to make it in life. I still see my friends from Haiku and when we see each other we just shake our heads and laugh about the good ole days. Times have changed but the memories live on.
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- Written by Rick Gertsen
User Rating: 5 / 5
One of my fondest memories of growing up in Hawaii was my first New Year's Eve. I lived in Mauna Loa Gardens and one of my neighbors invited me over for New Year's celebration. I was 15. His house was on stilts and I was standing off his front porch twenty some feet up, throwing lit firecrackers into the street. And at midnight, WOW, I never saw anything like the display of fireworks which presented it to me. The entire valley had a haze of smoke. The deafening sound of fireworks and the excitement of it all was intoxicating.
The next morning, Kimo and I walked the streets of Mauna Loa and picked up the unspent fire crackers. Broke them in half, lit them and stomped on them making them go off. A whole new experience for a haole boy from the Mainland. Later that year, Kimo took me up to Kapana Falls by Punchbowl. We drank beer and dove off the cliffs into the cool waters. I was becoming a kama'aina and felt the islands affecting my speech.
The first time I heard Pigeon English, I thought that Kimo was putting me on. I met him at Mauna Loa Park and he asked for a cigarette. "Hey haole, you got smoke?" I smiled and Kimo said, " you like beef or what haole boy?" I thought that that was funny but judging from Kimo's expression and the tone of his voice, it wasn't a friendly comment. I pulled out a smoke for myself and gave him my last one out of the pack. We starting talking and in a short time I realized that that was the way he spoke and he wasn't making fun of me. Kimo took me across the highway over to Gibson's where I bought myself a pack of smokes and a pack of Kools for him. He thought that that was a nice thing to do and from that time we became friends only to dissolve when I moved to Foster Village at the beginning of my junior year.
I learned many things in Hawaii, but the most life changing was Karate at JIKC. Years into practicing, I not only became a black belt but also an instructor. I taught in Kaneohe and Kailua for years. I had the chance to mold young boys and girls into strong men and women. I even taught a lot of Marines that came from the base when I was teaching at Aikahi Park. That was a very strong part of my growing up. I left Hawaii in 1981 and moved to California where my brothers and sister lived and have not made it back yet. For the last 25 years, I've been in Florida with my wife, two of my kids and one great grandson. Hawaii has been a large part of my growing up and I still have a love for the islands. One day I'll be coming back.
About Author
I live in Florida with my wife and two of my kids and one wonderful grandson. I've been teaching IT Professionals for the last 25 years all over the world. I graduated from Radford High School. Taught karate for a number of years under Shehan Hirano at JIKC. Had an alarm company and worked on private homes, the military and many businesses all over the islands. Left Hawaii in 1981 and haven't had the opportunity to get back yet, but will.
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- Written by Maku Cuizon
User Rating: 5 / 5
Small keed time, I used to watch and listen foh da ol' timers play enny kine instruments an' I wen cum jealous, you kno'. Den some guys like James Ke, Sam Pua, John Gali, dey could really jam. So I onny used to listen an' watch.
Wen our muddah and Faddah wen make, us wuz all small kids an' we wen go live with our grandparents. Ho boy, life wen get hahd fo' me; dat kupuna kane was one strick buggah an if I no get home wen he say be home, plenny pilikia. Fo' him, no means no, an' no can talk back.
Plantation towns no get much fo' small kids so we gotta find ways fo' good fun. So one time my big bruddah said, "E, go join Boy Scouts, good fun, dey go camping, hiking ( da same as walk feet), down da beach and up da forest an' erryting. So I wen join an' fo' me wuz good fun cuz dey had boxing gloves and I could punch people hahd and not get in trouble. An' da best part wuz we went camping up by Makanau mountain fo' one week. Ho wuz good fun! We make fire wit' rubbing stick, cook hot dog an' talk chicken skin story night time.
Da bes' paht wuz sumbuddy wen bring one ukulele. An' I tink wuz William Tsukamoto, he could play not too good but he wen kno' sum chords. ( I say William becuz dose days if you had nickname as okay, becuz we call full name, not Bill, Jack, Jim an' like dat). Anyway William said, "La dis, dis on A secon' A, den G secon' G, aah you know what I mean. E, no laff, as how he wen teach me. As not funny, you kno',
Plantation kids no mo' money and no can get money, you kno' what I mean? So I wen borrow sumbuddy ukulele an' wen keepum long time. I practice C secon' C, etc. an' da kupuna kane wen get tired an' he yell at me, " Why you onny play gittara?" So I wen play onny away from da house. Afta dat now I can jam with da guys. An' dey wen say, "E. wen you wen learn how fo' play?" As wen I knew I wuz in, kno' watt I mean?
So wen I had to give back da ukulele i was kine'na nuha. Because what I going do? So one time I went to Hilo an' saw my big sistah and I wen make sad face an' told her, "Ho boy I need one ukulele!" (Big subtle hint, yeah?). Mo' worse, she nevah said nutting. Not too long aftah she wen cum fo' visit an' wen bring me one nani koa ukulele hand made in Kulani prison. Da Buggah wuz nice an' errybody dat play wen like borrow mine but I wen cum real manini an' tell'um, "E, no ack as not fo' lend."
So wen I wen join the Army I wen stay in da mainland an' den one time dis small haole lady wen ask me if I play ukulele an' she tol' me she wuz goin' open one halau. I thought you gotta be kidding, this small haole lady with white hair and white skin. No way. But I went and was I in for a surprise, that wahine could oli, kahiko hula, ipu hula, ili ili, auawana etc etc. You name it as we say, "She can!" Worse, when she played ukulele, she called out,"Vamp, D7 G7 C. What the hell is a D7 G7 E7 stuff? I had to learn the real chord names. But then as the late great Gabby Pahinui said, "I only play how I feel." when he was asked how he played.
For all the good musicians from the aina, they are the artists. Us locals, we just play how we feel. We just kanikapila, Right on, bruddah! Aloha nui.
About Author
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!
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- Written by Maku Cuizon
User Rating: 5 / 5
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!
About Author
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!