Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 4, 1 April 2011 — DAVID FUERTES -- "He Makana O Kohala" [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DAVID FUERTES -- "He Makana O Kohala"

wish I knew David Fuertes 62 years ago. We would have been pals; together we would have walked many "a road less traveled," been partners

in mischief. At Waimea School in Second Grade (1956) Miss Toledo would have sat on us after spanking our knuckles with a yardstick just for doing some of the things "some" boys like to do to annoy the teacher. It was meant to be we grew up on opposite ends of the Territory; him on Kaua'i, me on Hawai'i.

David is a "Jack of all Trades" and "Master of All." Although a retired teacher; mentoring youth remains a genuine Passion for him. He served as Managing Director under former Hawai'i Mayor Lorraine Inouye; is a "Mover and Shaker;" Civic and Community Leader, one you ean count on to get something done. David carries himself with quiet dogged determination. Don't ever tell him "no ean" because telling him "no ean" for him only means "ean." He wears an infectious smile across his face and a rascal twinkle in his eyes. It's easy to assume behind that ever-present smile and impish look something kolohe (mischievous) is lurking. There's that old eliehe, "Don't judge a book by its cover." That caution applies to David. Yep, he is up to something; something good. He gave a briefing to a Hawaiian Studies Group about Kohala at the Kohala Intergenerational Center (KIC) on March 12; just hours after the Earthquake and Tsunami devastated Japan. I was there as his guest. Using a mural painted by the youth of Kohala on the Center's South Wall, David gave us his version of The Kohala Story. The mural starts on the east end with sunrise over Pololū Valley and terminates at the west end with the sun setting at Māhukona. Embedded between sunrise and sunset are 1,500 years of Kohala history cleverly captured in colorful

images; the rise of Pai'ea, the arrival of cattle and the genesis of ranching and our paniolo traditions, the ascent and collapse of sugar, the building of the Kohala Ditch,

the train that ran from Pololū to Māhukona, the migrant groups who eame to work kō (sugar eane). Above the Center's entryway a sign beckons "KA MANA IWI OLA O KOHALA" - "The Strength and Power of the Bones of Kohala." In his sharing, one feels the Pride, Aloha and Kuleana David feels for Kohala. It's conta-

gious. David is clear, when he and the people of Kohala see a need they respond to meet the need. Kohala in 1998 had the highest incidence of teen pregnancies and teen abuse of aleohol and drugs in Hawai'i. Something had to be done to restore sanity and stability to a onee proud plaee. The Kamehameha Intergenerational Center (KIC), made possible through a USDOE Grant in partnership with the Partners in Development Loundation, is the vehicle David and the Kohala Community works through to help Kohala's youth stay on 'the straight and narrow.' The Philosophy he emphasizes is, "You want 'um you make 'um. You break 'um you fix 'um." The focus is on "Positive Thoughts" and "Positive Actions." Lor Kohala through KIC, all young people need to know four fundamental things: "one's Origin, Values, Purpose, Destiny." And there are nine Mentoring Description Doors young people ean choose to walk through: Small Animal Husbandry, Culinary Arts, Hawaiian Saddle-Making (whieh David teaches), Sustainable Gardening, Traditional Taro Larming, Hula, Aquatic Resources, Machinery and Journalism. Mahalo David and KIC for all you do for our people using the Kohala Style, Kohala Approach to Leaming. ■ Next month: Solimene 's Restaurant - Hawaiians making Italian food

Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. TrustEE, Hawai'i