Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 10, 1 October 2023 — Mahalo Lahaina! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mahalo Lahaina!

By Hailama V.K.K. Farden "Mahalo wale au iā Lahaina, ka heke nō ia i ka pu'uwai" (I am in great admiration for Lahaina the dearest to my heart!) - Mahalo Lahaina by Irmgard Farden 'Āluli and Kawena Pukui circa 1958 On my grandfather's side (the Farden, Manuwai and Shaw 'ohana) our family is connected to Lahaina for several generations. On my Tūtū's side (Sylva, Hauki, Kula'ilua, Baker and Hiram 'ohana) we do not know how many generations back - perhaps since pō... I colloquially write this hali'a aloha for Lahaina for my daughter, Hōsananuiiālesū Farden, to capture my memories and stories told of a plaee I love, Lahaina, Maui. Hōsana, your great-grandfather Rudolph Haleakalā Farden, Sr., (the grandpa that raised me) was born in Pu'unoa, Māla, Lahaina - raised in Pōlānui, Lahainalalo at our family home, Puamana. His wife, who was my Tūtū, Harriet Kahelemō'ala'ala (Sylva) Farden - your big tūtū, was born in Waikapū but her roots go back to Moanui, Lahaina, Maui, where her mother Mary Mikala (Baker) Sylva Brown was born. As child growing up in the mid-1970s many of the memories of Lahaina were already lost to antiquity, but I was so fortunate to have been raised around our tūtūs who always recounted their own hali'a aloha. Sometimes I could peer into their aging eyes and I felt that I actually could see the mirrored reflections of their stories; almost convincing me that I was there with them when the memory was created. I loved traveling to Lahaina as a child, either on a major carrier via the old Kahului airport, or by Royal Hawaiian Air to the old Ka'anapali Airport. Driving from Kahului, I knew I was close to Lahaina by the smell of līpoa at "Cut Mountain" (Kapū'ali - 1 think?) where the "bypass" starts today. That was our kauna'oa heaeh where we also picked up stones for our imu. The scent of the līpoa was so strong, even with the windows up, you could smell it. I miss that smell! The grand folks would never forget to tell the story of how windy it was at "Cut Mountain." They said they had to hold down the roof of the car or the wind would either blow off the roof or topple the car. Because they said that, I was always afraid of going past there and held on to the handle of the roof - not understanding that cars were different back then. If it was evening when we approached Lahaina, the grand folks would point out the lights at Makila (where the Puamana Condos were located). We'd pass Puamana Park - with reminders from Grandpa of its connection to our family. I just wanted to get to our destination, but Grandpa would always want to go down the old Front St. (Well why not? He grew up there). Immediately on the bend was where his oldest brother, Carl Alexander Farden, Sr., and his wife Auntie Lucy Ka'ilipakalua Farden lived. If either were outside, we'd

have to stop. We continued on, "This is where sister Margaret (Margaret Elizabeth Lei'aulani Farden Bruss) used to live," said Grandpa. Ihen on to the Lindsey's (Unele Ned and Auntie Pua) and finally we reached Puamana. With the slowing of the car in an almost reverent manner, Grandpa pointed out the Norfolk pines, his mother's red hibiscus - and the coconut trees. The home had already been taken down due to termites in the 1960s. Hōsana, Grandpa Farden (your great-great-grandfa-ther) gave eaeh of his children a sprouting coconut tree and was told to plant, water and care for it, "For as these trees grow, so will you!" The trees were planted around 1916 when the family moved into our family home, Puamana, whieh Grandpa Farden bought ffom the estate of Queen Kapi'olani (through her nephew, HRH Prince Kalaniana'ole) years before. Whenever he could, my grandfather eagerly took me as a child to see his tree - by that time 20-30 feet tall. He took me to his parents' graves at the old Hale Aloha Cemetery, picking eommon mangoes from the road on the way. He would smell the mangoes and say, "Oh this

is a mele mango." I ean still see him put the mango to his nose and hear him sniff it. I repeated the same. You know, I ean still smell those mele mangoes today in my memories. My grandaunt, Auntie Adelaide Kaiwi (Kuamū) Sylva (who was married to Tūtū's brother, Unele Frank Ho'oululāhui Sylva) lived on Luakini Street, right behind the Wharf Shopping Center (that I watched being built as a child). Auntie Addie had an 'ulu tree from whieh she and Unele would pound poi 'ulu for us (daily when 'ulu was fruiting). Unele Frank was an excellent diver and fisherman - although he always boasted about his kaikua'ana, Unele Henry Kulekana Sylva. I loved summers in Lahaina. Unele Frank took us to the Lahaina Harbor wharf. In the evenings we would fish by the lighthouse and Pioneer Inn (where the Carthaginian Ship was docked) for weke 'ula and 'upāpalu. The weke 'ula was bigger than grandpa's slipper. My favorite was laenihi or nabeta (that was a deep-water fish) that the boats would bring in. Or we bought ffom Nagasako Store in Lahaina. One of my favorite foods was Hop Wo Bakery's hot bread. I don't remember how I knew to go, but I ran down Front Street and bought hot bread. They also had biscuits and rubber doughnuts. The magic was when you cut the loaf open and put butter inside...wow! I ean still taste it to this day. With the Sylvas at night, amid the smell of mosquito punk and eoeoa and crackers, our grand folks would be singing old songs like E Palau Tātou that was taught to Grandma Brown by two Kilipaki (Gilbertese) people who arrived by eanoe in Māla where she lived as a child. I must teach you that song and tell you the story of the SEE MAHALO LAHAINA! ON PAGE 11

A 19/8 photo of the ll surviving Forden siblings on the occosion of oldest sister Morgoret's (seoted, center) 80th birthdoy.

MAHALO LAHAINA!

Continued from page 9

Kilipaki people who landed in Māla in the late 1800s. It was similar for the Farden side. Auntie Emma Kapi'olani (Farden) Sharpe was a well-loved kumu hula who was born in 1904 in Pu'ukōli'i, Lahaina, Maui. She learned hula from a court dancer, also from Lahaina, Mrs. Rebecca Kauhai (Likua) 'Ōpūnui. I had no option but to learn hula from Auntie Emma at the age of 9. Auntie Emma lived on our ancestral land in Kahana, Maui Komohana, along with several of her siblings who had homes there (Puamana Plaee). Auntie Emma, the matriarch of hula in the family, together with another of your tūtūs, Auntie Irmgard Keali'iwahinealoha Nohokahao Puamana (Farden) Āluli, (both older sisters of my grandpa) wove stories, mele and hula to heeome mueh of that whieh I know of Lahaina today. Can you imagine 11 of the original 13 siblings singing the old Lahaina songs, like Hālona ("he aloha wale a'e ana nō wau i ka ua pā upili"); or family songs like our Puamana, a song you just learned to dance? Puamana was written in 1937 when Auntie Irmgard was home from teaching on Moloka'i. Her daddy, Grandpa Farden, had just eome home for luneh. Some of the sisters were home visiting and Auntie Emma already began to create the hula steps to Auntie Irmgard's music. When their daddy eame home, they did not let Grandpa sit for luneh. Instead, they shared the mele with him. Without an invitation, Grandpa uttered the words that would heeome lyrics to the song. My dear Hōsananuiiālesū, I have so mueh more to share with you about my childhood times in Lahaina - The sacred remaining 'ulu trees of "Malu 'ulu o Lele," the ali'i burials of Waine'e, the placement of the "L" on Mauna Pa upa u, the disastrous kaua'ula wind, the Māla wharf, nā hono a'o Pi'ilani... And when Daddy repeats the stories over and over again - please humor me and listen to them; sometimes it's just me missing my tūtūs and my Lahaina. "'Eono nā hono a Pi'ilani. A he mea nui nō ia i ka mana'o. E nā hono a Pi'ilani. 'O Maui komo hana nō ē ka 'oi! Six bays of Pi'ilani. Of great importance in everyone's eyes. Oh Bays of Pi'ilani! For Maui Komohana surpasses all." - a very old Lahaina song remembered, and perhaps written, by Tūtū Mima Apo. ■

The Forden 'ohono's fomous Lohoino home, Puomono, circo 1940. - Photos: Courtesy of Hailama harden

■ JK View of Front Street circo 1920. - Photo: Courtesy of Haitama Farden