Autobiography of George Kalakahi Kalehua

All the holiday celebrations having been concluded and routine work and school activities commencing, nanny Elizabeth Kalehua Ah Sing was conceived by a visiting nephew of Martha Katie Kalani Stevens Smith at Mahukona, Hawaii. When the apparent condition became more prominent, she resigned her nanny-ship and moved to Honolulu, and lived with her great grandaunt Peke Kainapaukaumakaole. All attempts vities commencing, nanny Elizabeth Kalehua Ah Sing was conceived by a visiting nephew of Martha Katie Kalani Stevens Smith at Mahukona, Hawaii. When the apparent condition became more prominent, she resigned her nanny-ship and moved to Honolulu, and lived with her great grandaunt Peke Kainapaukaumakaole. All attempts vities commencing, nanny Elizabeth Kalehua Ah Sing was conceived by a visiting nephew of Martha Katie Kalani Stevens Smith at Mahukona, Hawaii. When the apparent condition became more prominent, she resigned her nanny-ship and moved to Honolulu, and lived with her great grandaunt Peke Kainapaukaumakaole. All attempts for fathership was not acknowledged, when I was born on July 30, 1917. At the advice of Aunt Peke, I was named George after her husband and ancestral lineages of Kalakahi and Kalehua. Henceforth, I am George Kalakahi Kalehua. The Kainapaukaumakaole home was on then the Asylum Road in the back of the Kaumakapili Church, in the Palama area of Honolulu. Mother went to work for the American Can Company next to the Hawaiian Pineapple Cannery and other places while living in Honolulu. During my early childhood days, I would ride with Uncle George as he drive the back horse driven carriage taxi in town. After great grandaunt Halua Kalehua Komaia died and widower John Komaia got old, requested mother to inherit the Kokoiki homestead of which we did move back to Kohala. We stayed at Mahukona and were housed in the Japanese camp for economic circumstances until great granduncle John died. The interesting part of the Japanes camp was the community Japanese furo bathhouse. In the meantime, the homestead land was leased to a cane planter, the Yara family. A new home was built to replace the old Komoaia home. The Kokoiki Branch of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints was in existence. At the lower corner of the Kailikini property stood the chapel building. Christmas celebration at the chapel with a large fir tree with live lit-candles and decorations and garlands at midnight of the 24th. In the early evening, all the children of the Lincoln Bell and Stevens Ohana and guests had a sleeping party at the Kailikini home. At another occasion, I went riding on a homemade wheelbarrow wheels wagon with the Lincoln brothers and sisters. While wheeling down the hill road near the Kailikini home in Kokoiki, I fell off the wagon when the wagon rammed over the wooden bridge. I broke my shoulder collar bone. I was treated by herbal lapaau for five weeks by Mrs. Kaaihue of Mahukon. At the age of eight, prior to my birthday party Elder William Holding baptized me in the plantation reservoir next to the Hawi Camp 17. On the night of my fifteenth birthday, mother gave birth to my twin brothers, Alfonso Samson and Joseph Kalehua. Then, William C. Smith Jr. had acquired a homestead land at Kokoiki. Hence, Mrs. Smith moved her teaching job from Mahukona to Kokoiki. I attended the Kokoiki School until the end of my second grade, after which the Kokoiki School was abandoned and all to go to Honomaka’u Elementary School. There at the time there was no school bus transportation, so we walked to Honomaka’u, which was about three miles. While at the Kokoiki School, there was a garden farm. We all looked forward to Friday’s lunch as sweet potatoes were harvested and cooked, and ate with salted salmon and dried opai(shrimp), Friday’s treat. In the mean-time, mother got acquainted with John Mithchell-Juan Melchor and they got married, we lived a year of two at the Mahukona Hawaiian Camp. Later, we moved back to live on the Kokoiki homestead. Since I had to walk to and from home to the Honomaka’u Elementary School, I had many neighboring Japanese schoolmates on the way home. On the way home after school all of them stayed at the Hawi Japanese school for classes, to begin at 3:30pm. We played homemade rag ball baseball before classes. As I was to walk home alone, when Japanese classes commenced, the schoolmates influenced me to attend the classed with them. I did so for several years, doing reading and writing and attending ceremonies. One day at Honomaka’u Elementary School, before classes started in the morning, I was trying to remove a pinecone stuck in the reel of the push lawnmower, a fellow schoolmate pushed the mower. My middle finger of my right hand was injured and was stitched. Since then that middle finger has been a bit deformed with a split fingernail. When the Great Depression struck the nation, the sugar plantation discontinued the harvesting contract with all the cane planters at the Kokoiki homestead. We then utilized the land to truck farming of corn, watermelon, sweet potatoes, irish potatoes, and peanuts. Including planting, caring, harvesting, and marketing. We also raised pigs, chickens, and rabbits for domestic use and also fighting cocks, roosters for sale. Since there was no electricity available, we relied on kerosene lamps and lanterns, stove and oven and charcoal iron. Also, having no indoor toilet plumbing, an outhouse was used and a separate bathouse. Since there was no cesspool, all water ran off from the kitchen and bathhouse were into the yard ditches lined with Hawaiian varieties of sugar cane and banana. Laundering was done by hand with the wooden washboard in the separate bathhouse. Piped water was available in the kitchen and bath and laundry houses. Every Sunday, late afternoon we always looked forward for the traveling grocery wagon. We bought flavored ice cakes, which we ate with evaporated milk. On many Fridays and Saturday nights, I accompanied my stepfather on fishing trips to the Haena-Honoipu area. First, we’d catch puhi(eel) for bait that would be attached to the hook on the line from a pole wedged at the edge of the ocean cliff. The baited hook would be dangling in the ocean and with a bell attached at the top of the pole, an ulua(crevalle/jack) when a strike would be notified. In the meantime, pole fishing for mu(bigeye/emperor), u’u(menpache soldier) and upapalu(cardinal). On one occasion, a fieldtrip hike of 15 miles starting from the Pololu Valley lookout up to and along the Kohala Ditch to Honokane and Awini intakes and back down along the seacoast. At another camp at Hawaii Volcano National Park hiking down the Kilauea Iki Crater which years later erupted and filled the crater. When I entered the seventh grade, we then had the largest ever, of four classes of thirty or more students. But this situation dwindled down to two classes in the ninth grade when each student was assessed ten dollars a year to attend school. By the time I graduated from high school, my graduation class composed of only twenty-four students, the Kohala High School class of 1936. The boys wore black suits while the girls wore white gowns which they made from rice and sugar sacks. During my high school years, early morning or home study seminary was not available, but religious class periods were offered, on a release time at school. While in high school, I participated in many extra-curricular activities. The Hi-Y Club always had conventions at different school locations throughout the state during Thanksgiving weekend, while the Future Farmers of America held the conventions during the Easter vacation, and at times joined with the girls Future Homemakers. In sports, I participated in the varsity volleyball, basketball, and track and field events. At the agriculture course of study, an extra activity was offered by the plantation to cultivate twenty acres of sugar cane land with labor payments to be given to the Future Farmers convention fund. This experience helped me get into the plantation sugar cane experiment division, after I graduated from high school, where I was employed for two years. To supplement my junior and senior years in high school, I was permitted to be out of school and go to the Mahukona Port Terminal to labor loading sugar bags when the mainland sugar ships were in port, for four or five days. After graduating from high school and was employed by the plantation, I moved to live at the plantation boarding houses in Hawi, more accessible. With the closing of the Civil Conservation Corp. at Waimea, many of the young men came to work for the Kohala Sugar Co. and housed at the Hawi Boading House with large kitchen and dining room buildings, surrounded by quadplex cottages. There were also two tennis courts and a large gymnasium. With al these young men, a senior basketball team was formed and participated with the community league and became of champion caliber. During one of the games, I fractured my deformed middle finger and was out of work for a month while having a banjo sling, thus terminating my work with the experiment division. When I got back to working ability, I worked on the sugar cane transporting train from the fields to the mill. During early 1940, the United States government was going to federalize and activate the entire state national-guard unit for a year prior to drafting all young men at the beginning of 1941. Many of the men that came from the disbanded Civil Conservation Corp were from the Hilo area and were in the national guard convinced me to join their activating national guard unit and get a head start before the draft. I lefted the Kohala Sugar Co. employment in September 1940 and enlisted in the Company E 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry National Guard, based in Hilo, Hawaii. I was inducted as a private on October 15, 1940, and the units were transported to Schofield, Wahiawa, Oahu stationed at tent city area. By the time the draftees came to Schofield in January 1941, I was promoted to squad leader corporal after attending many classes and trainings. During weekend passes, I took the train from Schofield to Honolulu and stayed at the Kinolau’s on 12th Avenue in Kaimuki, Honolulu, and also the Kahanu’s on Gulick Ave. in Honolulu. In the late spring of 1941, the 2nd battalion units were sent to the island of Maui and then back to Hawaii and our company was stationed at the Hilo Armory. The units were to build barracks in the area where the Hilo main post office is now. A fellow guardsmen invited me to accompany him to the Parker Ranch Fourth of July rodeo in Waimea, but to spend the eve in Honokaa where his fiance’ was working for the telephone company. That evening, there was a public dance at the high school gymnasium, so we decided to attend. At the dance, there were also fellow draftees from my squad who were originally from the Laupahoehoe Ookala area. They introduced me to a Laupahoehoe schoolmate, who was MaryAnn Akao who had come to the dance with some relative from Waimea. We dance all night and bid goodnight and farewell after the dance was over. A fellow guardsmen and I spent the night at the Honokaa Club Hotel and attended the rodeo the next day and then returned to Hilo. Since Saturday and Sunday were free time for all the guardsmen, many went browsing in town or went swimming at Coconut Island. Several weeks later, while a fellow guardsmen was browsing in town, they met MaryAnn Akao and she inquired of where I was. They came to the armory and told me of the inquiry. Having nothing else to do, I went into town and met her and browsed through until she caught the Yamada bus back to Laupahoehoe. This got to be an every other Saturday activity, as well as other Laupahoehoe weekend activities as a guest of a Laupahoehoe guardsmen. Having finished the basic construction of the barracks at the Hilo Airport area, the company units were dispersed in various locations on the island. My company unit was sent to the Kohala area, and the main base at the Waimea abandoned Civil Conservation Corp. camp. There many outposts throughout the North Hilo and Kohala districts. Prior to our movement, I was made supply sergeant. During the weekend passes, I made alternating visits to Kokoiki and Laupahoehoe while stationed at Waimea and at Pahala Kau. After the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and World War II was declared, all units of the 299th Infantry, 2nd Battalion on the island of Hawaii were moved to station in the Ka’u District and Company E headquarters Pahala, which was stationed in the Ka’u High School gym. The 2nd Battalion outposts stretched from Volcano Hilina Pali towards South Point and Manuka, Ka’u. In the spring of 1942, all guardsmen of Japanese ancestry were removed from all units and sent to the mainland, thus reforming the unit into the 100th Infantry Battalion. This caused a reduction in strength of the infantry, we were sent back to Schofield and combined with the 298th Infantry, which was also reduced in strength and was promoting staff sergeant in charge of a platoon. This unification lasted for a year with intense training in the Schofield, Oahu, North Shore, and Oahu North windward areas. Weekend passes as usual to Honolulu, to the Kinolau’s who introduced me to the Auoholani’s on Algaroba Street, MaryAnn’s mother’s sister and brother-in-law, and also her sister and brother-in-law Maria and John Lindsey at Kaimuki 2nd Avenue who had moved to Honolulu from Laupahoehoe a year prior. Since then my weekend pass visits to Honolulu were to the Lindsey’s. MaryAnn paid a visit to the Lindsey’s and subsequently we were engaged. MaryAnn suggested that we should be married before the contemplating shipping out took place, but I refused and promised we would if I came back and she would wait until then. After the extensive training our infantry unit was boarded on the troopship President Johnson with only two destroyers as escorts headed for the South Pacific. Passing through the Solomon and Mariana Islands, which was still occupied by Japanese forces. We landed and stationed in the New Hebrides islands now called Vanuatu. After the U.S. Marines had secured the Guadalcanal Island, our units were sent there, until the spring of 1945. The 298th Infantry was sent back to Honolulu and decommissioned and the soldiers were disbursed with other units. A group of us local soldiers were assigned to the military port unit stationed at Sand Island until the war ended. On October 15, 1945, I got my honorable discharge and came back to Kohala and Laupahoehoe intermittently. As all veterans were asked to file with the Veterans Office in Hilo on one’s military status. My mother tried to find employment for me in Kohala and also MaryAnn’s father in Laupahoehoe since he being a widower with two sons and MaryAnn at home, the woman of the house. On December 31, 1945, Elder Bower of the Hilo District married MaryAnn and me at the Kihalani Branch chapel of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a large luau reception at the Laupahoehoe Congregational Church hall. March 29, 1946 was David Kaheaokalani Akao’s last day of employment as Laupahoehoe School custodian and on April 1, 1946, the destructive tsunami wave struck the islands, and a few weeks later, I got a call from the Veterans office to go to the Hilo Memorial Hospital for an interview for a storekeeper position, since my military service showed that I was a supply sergeant. I was employed in May 1946 and was housed in the hospital men’s cottage Monday through Friday and caught the Yamada bus to Laupahoehoe for the weekend and on the bus Monday morning back to Hilo. After a year of this routine, the family model A car was turned in for a Dodge coupe, changing home status with the arrival of our first son George Hoaka Kalehua. Sharing the ride every working and school days was a niece attending Hilo High School and three other working women from Hakalau, Wailea, and Honomu. The route on the old winding road through the gulches took at least an hour, before the present highway became in existence. Holding many various church callings at the Kihalani Branch, at a special church district conference at the Kukuau Chapel at the corner of Kinoole St. and Kukuau St., I received the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordained and elder by Hawaii Mission President E. Wesley Smith. A year later after Eldred Kailipuuwai was born, MaryAnn and I were sealed for time and all eternity and also our two sons at the Hawaii Laie Temple. I was also sealed to my mother and stepfather, Elizabeth and John Mitchell. In later years our sons Lambert Nawai and Wendell Kahui and daughter Lizanne Keanokawahineanoole were born into the covenant. In the early 1950’s, MaryAnn’s sister came back from Kula, Maui to live at Laupahoehoe, thus making us possible to move to Hilo. We were able to be housed at a triplex cottage in back of the Hilo Memorial Hospital and while there Lambert Nawai was born. In 1952, the Church bought the Waiakea Sugar Mill manager’s home property and the Kukuau Chapel and gymnasium property was sold, thereby causing the Kukuau Branch to hold their church meetings at the Waiakea Settlement Complex on Kamehameha Avenue in Waiakea town and later in army type billet building in the back of the acquired Waiakea Mill manager’s property on Kilauea Avenue. I was then on the Kukuau Branch presidency and in the late summer of 1953 construction of the branch building was commencing. After celebrating mother’s 60th birthday, a few months later I took her along with sister Mina to Waimea, Kauai in search of my maternal genealogy from the Blackstads family. That was the first time mother had visited her birthplace, since she as a child and her mother fled to Honolulu. Months later got my paternal genealogy from young Suse Soares and Louise Cozimero Matsu of Kohala and Precious Puniwai of Hilo. Thus completing my roots to include the legacies of Puniwai and Kalakahi. It was then when Wendell Kahui was born, after we had acquired and moved to the home at 839 Kaumana Drive. In early 1954, the construction of the Keaukaha Chapel was also commencing and after the construction completion of the chapel building on Kilauea Avenue, the Kukuau Branch was dissolved and the Kilauea Branch was created and I continued to be on the branch presidency. Afterward, serving as District Sunday School President covering from Kukuihaele, Hamakua to Waiohinu, Ka’u, during this period Lizanne Keanokawahineanoole was born, and later to be Kilauea Branch President. After being released from the Kilauea Branch President, served as district councilor when the East Hawaii District was created, including Hamakua, North and South Hilo, Puna, and Ka’u. The work of combining Kukuihaele and Kalopa branches to Honokaa Branch; Kihalani and Aleamai Branches to Honomu Branch which eventually to Kilauea Branch; Kalapana and Pahoa Branches to Olaa Branch which eventually to Pahoa Ward; and Pahala and Waiohinu Branches to Ka’u Branch. I was also involved in the construction of the Kilauea Chapel, Keaukaha Chapel, and Ka’u Chapel. When the Hilo Hawaii Stake was formed, which encompassed the entire Big Island of Hawaii, I served as Stake Clerk and later was ordained a high priest by Lester C. Hawthorne. When the Hilo Stake was divided into the Hilo and Kona Stakes, served on the Hilo Stake High Council and subsequently in the Kilauea Ward Bishopric and also on the creation of the Honomu Branch presidency. Have been on the Hilo Hawaii Stake high council continually from February 1983 until June 2001. Then was called by the Kilauea Ward bishop to serve as assistant executive secretary in charge of the home teaching program in the Kilauea Ward. Stake high councilor responsible for all the stake buildings, calendaring, and church cemetery, as a Stake Physical Facilities representative greatly involved in the construction of the present Hilo Hawaii Stake Center completed in 1992. After the Laie Hawaii temple was renovated, I was a member of the Hilo Hawaii choir at the rededication. At the Kona Hawaii Temple dedication was Co- chairman of the Housing and Hospitality Committee. At the pioneers in the Pacific celebration at Laie, I was one of the Pioneer Representatives from the Hilo Hawaii Stake. During the Summer of 1990, Al Rounds renowned church artist and his family were vacationing here in Hilo. Requested to visit all the churches and church sites of long ago and of present. Tour directed him from Kamaoa, South Point, Ka’u through Puna, South Hilo, North Hilo, Hamakua, South Kohala, North Kohala, North Kona, and South Kona. He made photographs of the existing chapel or making sketches of chapels as described by local members. One of such sketches is the result of the painting of the Waipio Valley Chapel now in the foyer of the Kona Hawaii Temple. While at the Hilo Memorial Hospital, was a Unit No. 3 steward in the Hawaiian Government Employee’s Association for many years, also a member of the hospital’s mens softball team and mixed bowling team. In 1960, before the combining of the county Hilo Memorial Hospital and new Puumaile Hospital to create the Hilo Hospital then to the Hilo Medical Center. I then transferred to the County of Hawaii Board of Water Supply as a storekeeper in the field operation division. Later, I was made purchasing agent in the office division. When the new baseyard was completed on Leilani Street, moved to the field operation office as an account clerk/operation assistant. From the Department of Water Supply, I was the County of Hawaii 1979-1980 Employee of the Year nominee. At the end of December 1982, I retired my employment from the Department of Water Supply, County of Hawaii. When we were living in Laupahoehoe, got involved in kulolo making with Sarah Kaolowi. When I was commuting to work in Hilo, I often ordered kulolo from John Malo who made in the imu at his house garage on Kalanianoole Avenue. When we moved into town, got involved with Lydia Ishibashi on King Avenue in Keaukaha. I got acquainted with Joseph Lono Waiki of Kalaoa of the Aleamai Branch during my church visit there. I assisted many times in making kulolo at his home and in his yard imu. When we moved to 839 Kaumana Drive and wanted to make kulolo by myself, an imu could not be built. Having heard and inquired Suilen Pang Ching Kobayashi of cooking in the home kitchen oven. With the recipe of Waiki and Kobayshi cooking technique, a grater and container were needed. With a sketch of a grater disk, John Lindsey made a stainless steel disk. Fellow workers at the operation base yard attached it to an electric motor on a portable stand. A grater thin metal can hood was attached to the grater motor stand and the cooking container was also a thin sheet metal container. Since then, stainless steel hood and stainless steel container with a stainless steel cover and a stainless steel oven flow catchment tray replaced the thin metal can type. Using this technique, made many cans of kulolo for church, school, and other organization fund raising functions. Another hobby is video camera picture taking of various family, church, and school activities, including editing and multiple copying. Since 1962, have been a dedicated scouter, serving as Unit Committee Member, Cub Master, Webelos Den Leader, and District Committee member. In 1988, I was awarded the District Award of Merit and in 1995 was awarded the Silver Beaver. I was initiated as Mamo Fifth Degree of Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Mamalahoa Heiau Elua Moku o Keawe. Later, I was promoted to Ali’i Seventh Degree. Then served as Kakaolelo, Talking Chief Orator, then to Mamo Ali’i Past Talking Chief/Orator and also Alihikaua Battelfield Commander.