I live on the island of Kaua'i

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Okay - so I live on a very small island that is the most isolated land mass in the world and the closest island to me is O'ahu, which is about a half hour's plane ride from here - there is no other way to get to other islands - unless you have a boat!

I have been studying hula for 20 years and that is a big part of my life....here is a picture of a small group of us that were performing in our annual Ho'ike (show) for our Hula Halau (hula school) - we are dressed for hula kahiko - which is ancient hula, and therefore our costuming reflects that - the pa'u la'i (ti leaf skirts) and lei po'o (head leis) are made from the green ti-leaf and then dried - we can re-use them for a few months since the humidity here is so high that they don't become brittle and break.
Also, we are wearing very minimal make-up, since again, hula kahiko is dance and oli (chanting) that was done prior to Western contact -

Sorry for all the info on hula - many of you probably know all of this, but I'm trying to do this thread for people who may not be familiar with or have traveled to Hawai'i. Hula is a very, very big part of my life and the people that I dance with become one big ohana (family) and especially after 20 years - we are all very close to one another. In this picture, I'm on the far right end...



I have my skirt hanging on my lanai (porch) and am carefully saving my lei po'o as well - they are not easy to make (at least for me!!) and so I want mine to last as long as possible!!

Malama Pono,
Janet

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Okay - some more pictures from Kaua'i - this is an area that is a little west of where I live - there is a dirt road that goes up to an old Chinese cemetery and this is the view from there:


This is a view from the road going up to Koke'e Park - if you look in the distance you can see another island - this is the island of Ni'ihau - which is privately owned. It was purchased back in the mid 1800's and is still owned by the same family. The people who live there are all Native Hawaiian (kanaka ma'oli) and speak 'Olelo Hawai'i (Hawaiian language) as their first language....they also make amazingly beautiful shell leis from the delicate, tiny shells that they pick from the beaches of Ni'ihau - and they are a treasured heirloom if you are lucky enough to have one - so this is Ni'ihau - taken from the Waimea Canyon Road here on Kaua'i"

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Okay.....more pictures (do I hear any groans out there - lol!!)

This is sunrise out at a west side beach called Kekaha here - It is about an hour from where I live and each Sunday my husband (he is a marathon runner) runs distance runs out there and I walk along the ocean - beautiful sunrises every time!!



This is a flower called a night blooming cereus flower - they are cactus like and they bloom at night - when there are a lot of them, they are almost flourescent and glow in the dark - really! This was early in the a.m. before they close back up.

Oh my goodness ~~ such beautiful, beautiful photos and absolute fascinating information.
Please -- more, more! I suspect many people are like me. Pretty much the only thing I know about Hawai'i is the scenery in "Lost".

One thing I think I know is that hula is more than "just" an entertaining dance form, correct? How did you become so involved with it, if I may ask?
I'm not just being polite. Enquiring minds want to know! Click here, please

Besides the beauty of your photos, the glimpse of a culture that's so open & trusting & in love with beauty is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for this!

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Mahalo for the kind words - I've been trying to put photos together for awhile to post on here - so - finally!

I used to live on the mainland - in the Reno-Lake Tahoe area of Nevada to be specific - I took up Hawaiian dance there thru a Parks Dept. program and then eventually danced with Polynesian "shows" at the casinos - but at the same time I was visiting Kaua'i quite a lot and becoming more interested in the culture...and I realized that the way I was learning hula was not the traditional or "right" way. I then met a Kumu Hula (hula teacher) here on Kaua'i and talked to her about the number of girls who wanted to really "learn" hula in Reno - so ultimately what she and I did was we created a "sister school" in Reno to her hula halau (school) here on Kaua'i. It became very successful and had (and still has) men, women and children - who not only danced in Reno, but did fund-raising to travel to Kaua'i and perform in the Ho'ike here once a year - I traveled to Kaua'i about 2 times a year myself and became more and more involved in the culture and the beauty of the place and people.

Fast forward a few years - and we ended up moving here - I still dance with the same hula halau that I did in Reno - just the Kaua'i "branch" of it....and I also study Hawaiian Language, history, etc. I volunteer at the Kaua'i Museum and do docent tours there as well.

The "beads" that we are wearing in the pictures - that is something called a kukui nut lei - the kukui nut was used in ancient Hawai'i for many things - the oil was used to create light and it had medicinal value as well. The nuts are commonly used in a lei such as you see in the pictures.

Glad you enjoyed the pictures - and happy to explain anything that you are curious about (well almost anything!).....

This is great, koloagirl, and absolutely not the least bit boring. In fact, I'm sure that all of us want to know more and more. You have already revealed a number of things about Hawaiian culture that I did not know.

I think that hwinpp may have confused koala with koloa.

Hi koloagirl, your photos are beautiful. I find the thread quite interesting, many of us dream of visiting the Hawiian Island I think.

You are so fortunate to have found a profession that gives you so much happiness in place that is beautiful. Your passion is felt in your descriptions of the your home and profession.

Cheers!
Mich

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Mahalo for all the lovely responses to the pictures I posted - and I'm more than happy to natter on about anything you have a question about also!!

We do have seasons, but they aren't very pronounced - our normal temp during the summertime is probably about 85 degrees farenheit and during the winter, it averages about 80 degrees farenheit most of the time - so about a 10-15 degree difference in temperature - which you DO feel after you've lived here awhile - sometimes at night during the winter months it can get down into the 60's - at which time we all start pulling on sweatpants, socks and sweatshirts - and cuddling under comforters at night! The visitors of course think we are crazy!! During the winter we get more rain, and many of the flowers that we are known for (plumeria aka frangapani) go dormant and the plumeria tree outside my window is just now beginning to get a couple of new shoots on its skeletal branches - spring is on its way!

I think the name "koloagirl" gets folks confuzzled - I live in an area called Koloa (or Po'ipu Beach area) here on the South Shore of Kaua'i - if you glance at it, it probably does look like "koala" - but no, never been to Oz I'm afraid! I'd love to though - I'm a huge animal nut and there are so many fascinating critters there!

This small island also has many micro-climates - the North Shore is the green and lush side, because it does get more rain than other parts of the island - the South Shore (where I live) is known for being the "sunny side" of the island and the West Side is the warmest and driest of all at any time of year. The West Side is also the least touristy part of the island and the most rural in character - I love it there and if I had my "druthers" - I'd live out there - but it is a long commute to Lihu'e (where my husband works) and to other parts of the island.

Just this morning I did my 2 mile walk along the ocean - by one of the big hotels there was a monk seal on the sand sleeping - the Hawaiian name for these seals is: Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua which means "dog that runs in rough waters". They are one of the most endangered seal species in the world, listed as "critically endangered", with currently about 1100 only in the waters around Hawai'i and the extreme Northwestern Hawaiian islands (not populated)....it is always interesting to see them, because the security people immediately put up a rope fence around the seal - it is to keep a distance between the well meaning visitors and the seal. The seal needs to sleep and digest its food, if it is bothered and has to go back into the water sooner than it should - then it is a good target for its main predator - the shark. So...there are usually people with the "Monk Seal Program" who stand there and tell visitors about the seals so they understand why it is important to not bother them and
not close off the seal's access to the ocean in particular. Here is a picture of one.......


Here are some beautiful lei (lei is plural or singular) made from the fruit of the pandanus or "Hala" tree:


This is "my" beach - it is actually just a little harbor down in this area that has a very small beach - I love the beach, but like my "personal space" and so enjoy going places where there aren't lots of people (no, I'm not antisocial - lol!) - it is called Kukui'ula Harbor and you'll find me here at least once a week:

Aloha from Kaua'i!

More pictures!!!!

This one is of the Makaweli Poi Mill in Waimea

- poi is and has been the staple food of the Hawaiian people for centuries - there are many variations on it, some people like it sour, some like it fresh, some put sugar in it, etc. etc. This is a very famous type of "pink" poi that comes from the taro (aka kalo) grown in the Waimea area here on Kaua'i - the corms (or root) of the taro are brought in and pounded with water to make the smooth, creamy poi - the top part of the taro is called the "huli" and is simply put back into the lo'i (taro patch) to re-grow. The Lo'i is similar to a rice paddy as it grows in water and here is a picture of one:


It is traditionally pounded with a stone implement called a "poi pounder" (duh!) on a long wooden board that you place a small amount of water on - here is a pic of some folks pounding poi:


I really like poi, I prefer it fresh and eat it with salty foods like lomi salmon, etc. - I think that so many visitors who don't like it maybe don't get to ever try the "real thing" in terms of fresh poi just pounded - it is so ono (tasty) and very good for you as well....here is how most tourists see it - at a lu'au in a plastic cup:


So, poi or no poi - each to their own - lol! A lot of the older folks here like it really sour - which means they let it sit until it gets limu growing on it (mold) - then they know it is just right! I can't quite handle that I'm afraid - give me the fresh stuff!

;D
Aloha from Kaua'i!

C'est vrai Kerouac2!! Hadn't thought of that - and I love stinky cheese too! But the moldy poi....mmmm....have to think about that one!

Salaam aleikum from Cairo koloagirl,
Just a couple of quick questions as it's relevant at the moment - is the island self sufficient in fresh water? And where do you get your power from?

Not really, HW. That stuff about the poi is just a cover-up for eating eucalyptus leaves. ;D

I really loved your photo of that magnificent blossom "Queen of the Night" - I have the plant or something similar but it has never had a flower as far as I know.
Another surprise was to see your 'poi' plants which look exactly like our "amadumbe" which is eaten mostly by the Zulu nation but I love it! We eat it as you would eat a boiled potato but have to remove the hairy sticky skin first. I would like to see a photo of your Poi as it has been removed from the soil before cooking so I can compare it.
Our Madumbi (English) is an edible tuber related to the Arum family and grown exactly like poi.

Frankly, I must agree with foreverman about this. In school in Mississippi, we learned "hula" and "poi" and "Waikiki" and that was about the extent of what was taught about Hawaii, and of course there was never even any description of poi other than it was some sort of mush that "those people" ate.

In later years, one learned a few tantalizing tidbits about Hawaiian culture, the days of the kingdom, but basically how great it was that the United States stepped in, put some clothing on those people and gave them a proper religion, and got things under control.

That just seems wrong, even if our current 21st century values accept it as inevitable in terms of "progress."

It is great that it is so far away from other places to be able to retain more of its culture than, say, Arkansas.