Kaiāulu

Deep Water. At least that's what it felt like. 

 

In the past week, it seemed as if someone had taken me way out in the ocean, picked me up, and tossed me over.  

 

What better way to see who lives beneath the surface?  

 

A great way to learn to swim.

A great way to feel like you are part of the ocean.

The Hawaiian word kaiāulu refers to community, neighborhood, village.

“Communities, at all levels, are what comprise Hawaiʻi. At the community colleges, we strive to encourage and empower our kaiāulu of students, faculty and staff on-campus so that they can empower the broader kaiāulu of which they are a part.” —Ākea Kiyuna, Assistant Professor, Hawaiian Studies, Hawaiʻi Community College

This past weekend, I attended five unique festivals, fiestas, and funerals in Waipahu.  I was either invited as a special guest or helping out.

 

This was the Deep Water

 

The first event was May Day at Waipahu Elementary School.  As a special guest, I was given a lei designed for the school, made of kukui nuts.

 

 

The event was centered around the keiki (children), but it certainly was a celebration of kaiāulu (community) of everyone, of all ages.  This was my first attendance at a May Day in Hawai'i.

I was moved by so many aspects.

 

Friends asked afterwards, "How was it?"

 

I didn't really have words at that point.  I still don't.  Just a smile, and the word "beautiful."  

 

I told my friends that, as a parent who raised children in Michigan, "we didn't have anything like it."  We had school assemblies that were certainly beautiful and moving, making me just like the parents who were at May Day.  But the events in Michigan were not on a cultural integrative scale like May Day.  They were not done in a way that seemed to tie the whole community together.  I still don't have good enough words to describe what I experienced.

At the event, three high school students shared a song they wrote in honor of Waipahu Elementary School, to debut on this day.

 

 

I continued to swim in Deep Water.

 

Later I attended the Senior Fair at the Okinawan Community, located in Waipahu.  

 

 

Booths with resources and contacts for all issues related to aging were present.  This was not my first Senior Fair.  However, it was the first where the people in the booths looked at me as a potential client!

It was appropriate for this unique cultural center to host the senior fair.  After all, Okinawa has the highest life expectancy in the world, and Hawai'i has the highest in the United States.

 

 

Two funerals kept me swimming in the Deep Water.

 

One was a very large Chuukese (Micronesia) funeral, where I was invited to pay respects to the family and donate money.  This was despite the fact that I was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts.  I shook hands with two dozen people, all of whom were extremely thankful for my condolences.

 

Another was helping a Samoan church get set up for their service.  They set our two Tapa mats.  These were obviously hand made, and of great cultural significance.  Without being told, I did not step on them. 

 

 

As with the Chuukese group, the Samoan family was warm and welcoming.  They explained that the circular design on the first tapa was the traditional kava bowl.

 

The pièce de résistance was the Filipino Fiesta.  

 

I had a friend who was part of women's group called "The Soul Sisters."  They put on a short dance show.

 

 

 

 

As I've mentioned, Waipahu has become a very Filipino town.  I was helping out with parking, but it was nice to get to look around as well.  People of all backgrounds came to celebrate with food, information booths, performances, and non-profits.  KNDI was there.  

It is worth noting that many of the booths were for organizations in the Philippines or in both the Philippines and Hawai'i.  For instance, the University of Philippines Alumni Association of Hawai'i, as well as the Consulate General of the Philippines.

All in all, it was the Deep Water of kaiāulu in Waipahu.  

I learned to swim a little more, and feel a little more like I am part of it all here.