Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 10, 1 October 1993 — A great chief has fallen [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A great chief has fallen

by Jeff Clark The Hawaiian community lost a great leader, cultural expert, chanter, educator, and friend when Parley Jansson Kanaka'ole passed away Aug. 14 at the age of 52. Kanaka'ole devoted his life to the perpetuation of Hawaiian eulture. Drawing on resources honed while growing up as the son of Luka Kanaka'ole and hula master Edith Kanaka'ole, he shared his expertise with numerous organizations and at many functions. Some of those he assisted included the Protect Kaho'olawe

'Ohana, the Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance Commission, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the state Shark Task Force, the 'Onipa'a Centennial Committee, Nā Koa o Pu'ukoholā, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Most recently he presided over the launching of the traditional Hāwaiian canoes Mauloa and Hawai'i Loa. He was the vice-principal of Hāna High and Elementary School, where, as a complement to traditional education, he implemented programs to promote cultural awareness. OHA trustee A. Frenchy

DeSoto, Kanaka'ole's close friend, said Kanaka'ole's personal mission was to reinstate the Hawaiian male to his rightful plaee in Hawaiian society and culture. "What was important about him was his idea that the young men of Hawaiian ancestry were lost, that since the kapu were abolished, the men had no plaee. And so it was his desire to teach the young Hawaiian men and be an example for them in being pono," DeSoto said. "He was pono in how he lived and

how he worked." He co-founded the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, whieh provides scholarships and presents Hawaiian cultural workshops. Those wishing to make a donation in his name may write to the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, Box 5134, Hilo, HI 96720. On Aug. 3 1 the OHA Board of Trustees passed a resolution expressing fond aloha "for the 'Great Chief whose spirit and vision will be long remembered."

Kanaka'ole is survived by his wife Ku'uipo, sons Kema and Kealaka'i, daughters Haunani and Kau'i, sisters Edith, Ulunui, Pualani and Nālani; brother William, five mo'opuna, various aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins; and many, many friends, supporters, students and admirers who were influenced by this great man. His humility, kindness and inexhaustible work for the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture will live on in the hearts of those whose lives he touched.

Parley Jansson Kanaka'ole, 1940 - 1993