Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 6, 1 June 1988 — Small Maui Town in Phoio Essay [ARTICLE]

Small Maui Town in Phoio Essay

The faces and places of Kahakuloa, where life in a farming atmosphere is peaceful, was vividly depicted in "Kahakuloa, Maui," a photo essay by Anne Kapulani Landgraf of Kaneohe. A former Windward Community College student currently a senior studying anthropology at the University of Hawai'i Manoa, this 22-year-old part Hawaiian recently had an exhibit of 92 of her photos Apr. 29 through May 13 in Gallery 'Iolani at WCC. It is an outstanding collection whieh drew rave comments at a private showing of some 200 guests. Her interest in photography began during her senior year working on "Kana'i Aupuni," the Kamehameha Schools yearbook. She carried this interest over at Windward CC by taking an introductory course in photography under Mark Hamasaki who has been one of her strongest supporters. It was at Hamasaki's suggestion she do an independent project and she decided on Kahakuloa. It was in 1984 she first saw the valley when her brother married a woman whose family is from there. There are now about 20 families who live in the valley according to Landgraf. In ancient times there were about 2,000 people who lived there. She has since visited the remote valley nearly a dozen times.

This is the same Landgraf who authored and compiled a book on Windward kupuna, "E Na Hula Kupuna Na Puna Ola Maoli No." It is translated to mean, "By The Treasured Kupuna, The Living Springs of Knowledge." The photo exhibit showed homes, people, faces, keikis, taro, forest, land and Kahakuloa Stream whieh runs down the center of the valley. "The stream is the heart of the valley. Without it the valley dies," Landgraf said. It is Landgraf's hope to eventually put together a book about Kahakuloa whieh would be her second. She says her photographic project of the valley is not complete. "There are always new things to photograph," she declared. For instance, she notes, she'd like to photograph taro patches and inside the homes. To help her in her work, she is also taking an advanced course in Hawaiian language to assist her in her interviewing. She hopes to continue doing oral history and photographic projects when she graduates. And what about another "Kahakuloa, Maui" exhibit? "It all depends," she says. "If there are interested people or organizations, I'm willing to listen," Landgraf declared. "Who knows," she added, "I may take it to Kamehameha or even to Maui."