Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 12, 1 December 2015 — 90th Anniversary of the Hoʻolehua-Palaʻau Homesteads Celebrated [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

90th Anniversary of the Hoʻolehua-Palaʻau Homesteads Celebrated

By Cheryl Corbiell Festive banners bearing the names of 34 Ho'olehuaPala'au Hawaiian Homeland families hung prominently from the ceiling at Lanikea Community Center, Ho'olehua, Moloka'i for the 90th Anniversary of the second homelands settlement in Hawai'i. FromOct. 28 to 30, 2015, the Ho'olehua Homestead Association members and guests reminisced about the perseverance, hard labor, and resilient families of the original families during the nightly paina. An anniversary display honored Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, the congressional delegate, who zealously led an initiative to pass the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. In 1921, the inihal 37 Hawaiian families were settled in Kalama'ula, Moloka'i. Then the homestead experiment was expanded in 1923 when 34 families were awarded 40-acre lots in Ho'olehua-Pala'au.

By 1934, Territorial Governor Farrington praised the Ho'olehua settlement in a Star-Bulletin article. "If Hoolehua is not a plaee where real human, spiritual and material values of great worth exist and are being renewed and further developed, I do not know where an American community ean be found that will fill such a qualification. The critics may eomplain all they please and the doubtful ones may be dubious as they like, the fact remains that these people have prosperous homes, thev

are at work, they are leaming to be more skilled in agriculture, they are interested, they are taking care of their children . . . They are growing in health, happiness and good citizenship. If that is not a good investment I do not know what it is." The anniversary theme was

"Huahua nā pulapula 'āina" and was composed by Kilia Purdy-Avelino, a sixth generation descendent of original homesteaders Harry and Emma Purdy. Purdy-Avelino said, "Huahua means productive and abundance. Pulapula means the sprouts or the descendents of the plaee, and 'āina is

the homestead, whieh translates to fruitful/productive are the descendants of this land, Ho'olehua." Purdy-Avelino explained the anniversary celebration was important to her family because her great-grand-mother had the courage to start a new life. PurdyAvelino discovered a letter from her great grandmother to people who thought she was making a mistake moving to Ho'olehua. Emma Purdy wrote, "I'm happy on this land and I see the truth in evervthing that was said, that

this land is truly a blessing. It is a land of milk and honey." Purdy-Avelino said, " My great-grandmother's spirit is inspirational and reminds me we need to appreciate our lands." Edwin Kawaa, moved with his parents to Ho'olehua in 1929. Kawaa's mother, Ann Kawaa,

convinced her reluctant husband, William, to leave Honolulu and his parents to homestead in Ho'olehua. "In 1941 my dadleftforemployment in Honolulu, and the family went with him, but quickly we returned home and farmed the land while my dad eame home on weekends. We grew taro, pumpkin, tomatoes, sweet corn, cabbage, beans, and sweet potatoes. I wouldn't change anything about how I was raised in Ho'olehua," said Kawaa. Homesteader Joseph Mawae fondly remembers hand-watering crops before any irrigation infrastructure was installed. "We made do, and manual labor was the foundation for successful farming because equipment was expensive. The homesteaders cooperated with eaeh other. A hui of people went to a person's land and cleared it, fenced it for cattle and pigs, and SEE HO'OLEHUA-PALA'AU ON PAGE 6

Homesteaders view a display showing lots and awards in the Ho'olehua-Pala'au homesteads during a celebration at the Lanikea Community Center on Moloka'i. - Photo: C heryt Corbiell

HO'OLEHUA-PALA'AU Continued from page 4

planted crops. Then, we went to another homesteader's farmto work and so on. The farmers had a loan system financed by the homesteaders to purchase equipment. Onee a loan was paid, then the next person could borrow money. Cooperation got the work done." said Mawae. State Representative Lynn Pualani DeCoite, a fourth generation Ho'olehua homesteader, said, "The original farmer's entire family worked hard and made what Ho'olehua is today. Farmers need to embrace farming just as the original homesteaders did." "We were viewed as an investment and now are a living treasure," said Zhantell Dudoit-Lindo, event commentator. ■ Cheryl Corbiell is an instructor at the University o/Hawai'i.Maui CollegeMoloka 'i. and coordinatorfor TeenACE andACE Readi.ng programs.