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Spirit
of Aloha | Articles
| Aloha Shorts | September/October
2006
Aloha
Shorts
News
and Notes from Around our World
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Keeping the Pacific Flame Alive
“Much of Jack London’s best writing was done in Hawai‘i and
the Pacific. Although the stories with a Pacific setting are often overlooked by readers of his other works, those describing the adventures to be found in this biggest of oceans, and particularly in the Hawaiian Islands he loved so well, should be remembered and read.” This was A. Grove Day’s introduction to Jack London’s Stories of Hawai‘i, the book he edited when he was an English professor at the University of Hawai‘i.
That London’s work is still in print is, in a way, the result of a collaboration between Day and a Honolulu publisher named Bennett Hymer, who, in 1974, started a company called Hymer Publishing (now Mutual Publishing). He put into print a little book called Hawai‘i Planner: A Travel Diary, and by the year 2000 had sold some 3 million books, most of them with Hawai‘i themes. Among these books are the simple, sturdy paperbacks, available wherever books on Hawai‘i are sold, which feature the Pacific island writings of such intrepid travelers as Jack London, Isabella L. Bird, Mark Twain, Gavan Daws, Eugene Burdick and W. Somerset Maugham. Excerpts of this work, for your reading pleasure, are in this issue of SPIRIT OF ALOHA.
Says Hymer: “The series started through A. Grove Day, who contacted me about publishing South Pacific work. We agreed that in a place like Hawai‘i it’s always important to have a foot in the past. It’s important, as you read these books, to appreciate that this is a truly Hawaiian place. Along the way, there were, of course, some white men in the population with political and economic power, but it was mainly the Hawaiians who were the actors on the stage.” The Tales of the Pacific series is a steady backlist seller for Mutual. “Twain is the most popular,” says Hymer. “He seems to hold up well, probably because of his fame with Huckleberry Finn. Jack London is not well known anymore. Younger people don’t seem to have to read him anymore.”
Hawai‘i has always been a popular place to write about, and there are still many stories taking place here, says Hymer, who is currently at work on a large anthology of literature written about Honolulu in the past 150 years. “The place has always been an exotic destination for travel writers, but it’s not really a faraway place anymore. The sense of isolation has faded. More than 200 million people have visited Hawai‘i in the post-World War II era, but when Twain came and London came, they were covering a new place for the American population. Nobody knew anything about Hawai‘i. Today, travel journalism is about faraway places, places well off the beaten track, but Hawai‘i really doesn’t fit that category anymore.”
Happily, the books live on. |
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Glass with Class
Kevin O’Grady, a glass artist, first visited Hawai‘i in 1998. He liked what he saw, so he decided to return again—which he did in 1999 and 2000. While snorkeling at Hanauma Bay in 2000, he was inspired to emulate the life forms of the reef in his art. He created the Hawaiian Tidepool bracelet in 2001, an exclusive design available in Hawai‘i only at Sheldon Gate Jewelry Designs in Po‘ipū on Kaua‘i. Call
808-742-6591.
If you like O’Grady’s art, you’ll love the visions of more than 140 different glass artists on display at Kela’s Glass Gallery, located in Kapa‘a. See their work at www.glass-art.com or call 808-822-4527. |
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Nene Eggs Take Flight to Maui
The puaiohi, a pudgy songbird also known as the small Kaua‘i thrush, and the beloved nēnē, or Hawaiian goose, are two of the endangered native Hawaiian bird species that are making their way back from the edge of extinction.
Thanks for this reversal of fortune, in large part, go to conservationists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the Hawai‘i Endangered Bird Conservation Program (working with the Zoological Society of San Diego) and The Peregrine Fund. This elaborate partnership is behind the highly successful Keauhou Bird Conservation Center on the Big Island and its smaller sister facility on Maui. The two centers share an excellent record for propagating, breeding and rearing several endangered species of endemic Hawaiian birds.
In some cases, the birds are released into the wild on the islands where they are bred.
In other cases, the best chance for survival
lies in transporting birds or eggs to other islands. How do puaiohi chicks hatched on
the Big Island and Maui return to their native Kaua‘i habitat? They rely on wings larger than their own.
Aloha Airlines has been assisting the Hawai‘i Endangered Bird Conservation Program by providing delicate air transportation of birds and, occasionally, eggs. Juvenile puaiohi chicks are transported six at a time in a “skybox” that is strapped into an Aloha Airlines seat. After arrival at Līhu‘e, the boxes are loaded into a four-wheel-drive vehicle for a ride to Koke‘e State Park. Then they are carried deep into the Alaka‘i Swamp.
Some months ago, when nēnē eggs were discovered in an unsafe location on Kaua‘i, conservationists collected them and put
them on an Aloha flight to Maui. There, they could be incubated under the watchful eye
of scientists, with the chicks raised by
“foster parent” nēnē.
Alan Lieberman, director of the program, says, “We are grateful to Aloha Airlines for its cooperation over the years in supporting the conservation and restoration of Hawai‘i’s native birds.”
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The Joy of Etchings
Another artist dedicated to preserving the beauty and spirit of Hawai‘i and the Pacific is Netherlands-born Jan Krane. Using traditional intaglio printing techniques, yet adding pictorial color and vitality to original artwork with an etching needle, Krane, the founder of Hawaiian Historical Print Society, is now selling his original hand-colored images of the early culture and lifestyle of the Hawaiians, including vivid prints of the whaling period.
Krane says that his interest in Hawaiian culture and history started when he won second place in a Hawai‘i/California art competition held in Newport Beach. The method he uses to create his etchings duplicates the method of the original artist. “Etching,” he explains, “is a method of making prints from a metal plate, usually copper, which has been etched with acid. The plate is first coated with an acid-resistant substance, through which the design is drawn with a sharp tool. The acid eats the plate through the exposed lines. The plate is then inked and its surface rubbed clean. It is then covered with paper and passed between the cylinders of an etching press under high pressure. The ink captured in the lines is transferred to the paper.” The result is a beautiful etching, arguably more colorful than the original.
Krane’s work has been exhibited widely at galleries and museums, mainly in California. Many of the rare, original engravings have been lost, destroyed or are in museums and private collections.
More information and a selection of etchings can be found at
HYPERLINK "http://www.hawaiianhistoricalprints.com" www.hawaiianhistoricalprints.com |
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Win a $25
Gift Card from
Crazy Shirts!
Between March 1 and April 30, all
passengers on every Aloha Airlines Hawai‘i-bound flight from the Mainland have a chance to win a $25 gift card from Hawai‘i Crazy Shirts in our new family-friendly onboard game. Sometime during the flight, flight attendants will pass out a printed game piece with three questions. The answers are found in this issue of SPIRIT OF ALOHA. Answer the questions correctly, write your name and seat number on the game piece and return it to your flight attendant. A winner will be announced before landing, and awarded the gift card.
All passengers will also receive a coupon good for 10 percent off at any Hawai‘i Crazy Shirts outlet. Let the game begin! |
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MUSIC:
Now Hear This!
Brickwood Galuteria, Hawaiian 105 KINE’s “Aloha
Morning Show” radio host, chooses this list of recommended
music from the Islands, with all selections widely available
at Island record stores:
• Keola Beamer—Ka Hikina o ka Hau (The Coming of the Snow): In album notes, the artist asks, “Can the palette, coloration and tonality of ki ho‘alu (slack key guitar) add an indefinable something to the interpretation of songs written by truly great composers?” Beamer answers with interpretations of classics by Satie, Ravel, Stravinsky, Piazzolla and Mendelssohn, among others, in this intimate and gracious album, which Brickwood says “is a must for those who love good guitar. Once Keola hooked up with George Winston, [who co-produced this album], the collaboration rose to different levels.” (Dancing Cat)
• Ho‘oma¯lie—Only You: A collection of Hawaiian music that, as the name translates, “soothes or makes calm.” Brickwood notes that these “four Hawaiian gentlemen have tremendous musical values. You rarely hear this combination of performances, and the music really takes you back to the ’30s and ’40s, the Golden Era of Hawaiian music.” The musicians are John-Heizer Enos, Lopaka Ho‘opi‘i, Kimo Hussey and Zanuck Kapala Lindsey. The album was produced by the Pacific Music Foundation in Kailua. (Ho‘okpu Records)
• Kaukahi—Life in These Islands: “You can envision the mood of this collection in the title cut,” says Brickwood, “and all the songs have strong images that evoke local sensibilities. The song ‘Lei Ho‘okahi,’ which they do with Amy Hanaiali‘i Gilliom, is truly memorable.” The members of Kaukahi are Barrett Awai, Dean Wilhelm, Walt Keale and Kawika Kahiapo. (One Hawai‘i Music)
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Books
Portraits of Orchids,
Flowers and Plants
In this issue, when you read “Into the Remnant Forest” (page 50), you’ll have a good idea of the botanical passion of writer Paul Wood and photographer Ron Dahlquist. They have been busy on many floral fronts. Two of their books have recently been published by Island Heritage, Honolulu. Orchid Isles: The Story of Orchids in Hawai‘i, describes the unique history of this incomparable species and how it came to the Islands. “If orchids could dream of an orchid heaven, they would imagine something like the Hawaiian Islands,” writes Wood. Flowers and Plants in Hawai‘i, available since 2005, is a reference guide to the botanical wonders of Hawai‘i, with informative text and Dahlquist’s vivid photographs.
Ode to the Parker Ranch, Part II
The continuing history of the legendary Parker Ranch on the Big Island, from 1950 to 1970, is extremely detailed in Loyal to the Land: The Senior Stewards, Volume 2, by Dr. Billy Bergin (University of Hawai‘i Press, Honolulu, 2006), who was the chief veterinarian at the ranch from 1970 to 1995. This is a deeply personal account of change on the land during the period following World War II, when the ranch increased its cow herd size significantly, and water, land and personnel development continued, but under traditional Hawaiian values.
Village, Transformed
In the 1770s, Honolulu was hardly the place to hang out if you were a Hawaiian. Most of the traditional life was observed at a place called Waikīkī, which had gentle winds, an appealing surf and cool coconut groves. The history to 1876 of what eventually became the big town describes kings, queens, chiefs, commoners, whaling ships and “a hothouse of rapid change, a breeding ground of disorder and disruption.” Honolulu: The First Century, by historian Gavan Daws (Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, 2006) was originally written as a doctoral dissertation, the first doctorate in Pacific history done at the University of Hawai‘i, completed in 1966. Resurrected as a study for local interest, the book is a perfect colorful companion to Honolulu’s centennial celebrations, now being observed in various ways.
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