Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 3, 1 April 1984 — Aloha, Col. Chun! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha, Col. Chun!

By Gard Kealoha Trustee-At-Large

(Editor's Note: This tribute to the late Col. Arthur Chun was delivered by Trustee Kealoha during funeral services Mar. 7 at Kawaiaha'o Church.) Aloha to all of you here today! We pay tribute this morning to a man who was both a proud American and a proud Hawaiian. We heard last night a salute to Col. Chun by a fellow comrade whose touching homage portrayed a wounded man in the midst of terrible conflict whose first thoughts were for the welfare of his charges. It was indeed a tribute to his unmeasured courage and caring and Col. Chun received distinguished medals for his leadership and personal bravery.

So many of us here today are blessed with the essence of this wonderful man. My recollections go back to his unceasing efforts in the Hawaiian Civic Club movement. Col. Chun was alarmed at the encroachment of other inimieal values that were already crowding out the special and unique aina whose cultural importance to us as a people is inestimable. More importantly, he wanted to reawaken us to the underlying values that are attendant to our aina. In a sense, he was our Amos, our Mieah, our prophet who warned usofthe need to eome together, to work together in perpetuating the ea, the spirit of the legacies of our proud kupuna. 1 remember the long tread through the beautiful Honomalino forest with Col. Chun one increasingly warm weekend when we searched for the few elusive mehamehame trees, the dying specimens of what is described in our Puku'i dictionary as onee the monarch of the Hawaiian forest. You sensed his urgency. You shared his aloha aina and you were part of his spiritual acknowledgment when you shared his dining table and the

generosity of his home. He never let the long trail of abuses that still continue to demean our cherished values daunt him. He was tireless and relentless in calling attention to the many harmful changes that threaten the essence, his essence, your essence, my essence; our intrinsic and collective heritage that mark us all as people of aloha. Col. Chun saw participatory democracy as a means of insuring and enhancing Hawaiian pride and leadership. He was vigorous in the pursuit of personal commitments. He saw a strengthened America in the full recognition of her native heritages and he saw a lasting Hawai'i for all of his people. His work on the Honokohau Study Advisory Commission is a monument to Hawaiian cultural excellence. I remember the numerous speeches he gave on behalf of so many worthwhile causes and the occasional crack in his voice as he passionately urged us to malama our Hawai'i nei.

Kupunawahine Mary Kawena Puku'i in her wonderful collection of Hawaiian kaona. "Olelo No'eau", has a saying that perhaps, best exemplifies the life of this outstanding man. "He 'ike 'ana ia i ka pono. " It means: One has seen the right thing to do and has done it. Like his good friend and comrade soldier in battle who spoke so movingly last night, I and my colleagues on the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs salute you, Col. Arthur Chun, proud American and proud Hawaiian. And to you, dear Amelia, and daughters, Kaliko and Ihilani, ourheartfelt aloha pumehana. Mahalo pihapiha, Col. Chun. Aloha no.