Kaʻanoʻilani Fuller

Mānaleo Series

These short clips of native speakers on Ka Leo Hawaiʻi talking about their lives and practices are invaluable windows into our past, our language, and ourselves. Our mahalo kūhohonu goes out to Larry Kimura and Puakea Nogelmeier for their foresight in preserving the voices of these hulu kupuna.

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Kaʻanoʻilani Fuller and Aunty Lolena Nicholas talk about the annual festival of surf on Niʻihau.

Kaʻanoʻilani Fuller (KF): A, ko mākou wahi i hele ai i ka heʻenalu, i kahakai o Kamoamoa.

Puakea Nogelmeier (PN): Kamoamoa?

KF: Kamoamoa, Puʻuwai, I mean, uh, Pukaiki.

Lolena Nicholas (LN): ʻAe, heʻe nalu lākou.

KF: ʻO mākou ka poʻe heʻe nalu. Ko ia nei pāpā, papa heʻenalu…lōʻihi.

LN: ʻO Tūtū pū, eh? ʻO Tūtū.

KF: Koʻu pāpā, koʻu pāpā, like pū. Koʻu makua hānai. Kahu hānai.

PN: ʻEā?

LN: Kaulana ʻo ia nō ka heʻe nalu.

PN: ʻO ia?

LN: Ma Niʻihau.

KF: Ohhh, mākou ka poʻe heʻe nalu o leila.

PN: Papa heʻe nalu…

LN: Mālama ʻia kekahi pāʻina, ʻahaʻaina.

PN: ʻO ia kuʻu lohe.

KF: Mahina ʻo ʻOkatopa.

PN: ʻOkatopa? Kēia manawa, ʻeā?

KF: Ka mahina kēlā i hana ʻia ai ka pāʻina.

LN: Pāʻina heʻe nalu.

PN: No ka wehe ʻana o ka, ke kau heʻenalu, ʻeā?

LN: ʻAe.

PN: Kēlā pāʻina heʻe nalu, he mea nui kēlā pāʻina.

KF: ʻAe.

LN: Hele nui ka ʻohana a pau.

PN: ʻĀkoakoa ma kahakai?

LN: ʻAe. Ma ka ʻahaʻaina.

KF: Hoʻokahi pule e pāʻina ai.

PN: ʻOia nō.

KF: Kalua puaʻa, hele i ka lawaiʻa, hoʻi mai. Ka poʻe Hawaiʻi, eh.

PN: ʻEā. A lohe wau ua lawe ia mai nā papa heʻe nalu, a he mele ko nā papa.

KF: ʻAe. Ka inoa o ka papa heʻe nalu.

PN: He inoa ko ka papa, a he mele.

KF: Lōʻihi kēia manawa, poina.

LN: Koʻu tūtū, ʻo Haʻaheo ka inoa o kona papa.

PN: ʻO Haʻaheo?

KF: Haʻaheo, ʻĀinahau.

LN: Nui. ʻĀinahau, Mōlinawaikula.

KF: Mōlinawaikula.

LN: ʻAe ua hana ʻia kēlā mele, ua haku ʻia.

PN: A ma kēlā inoa?

LN: Na Tūtū Kipola, eh, i haku kēlā mele?

PN: A laila haku ʻia kona mele inoa, me he mea lā he kanaka kēlā papa heʻe nalu.

KF: ʻAe!

LN: ʻAe.

Unuhina (Translation):

Kaʻanoʻilani Fuller (KF): The place we would go surfing was at Kamoamoa.

Puakea Nogelmeier (PN): Kamoamoa?

KF: Kamoamoa, Puʻuwai, I mean, uh, Pukaiki.

Lolena Nicholas (LN): Yes, they would surf.

KF: We were the surfing folks. Her father, his surfboard was…long!

LN: Grandpa too, yeah? Grandpa.

KF: My father, he was just the same. My adopted father. Who raised me.

PN: Really?

LN: He’s famous for surfing.

PN: Is that so?

LN: On Niʻihau.

KF: Ohhh, we were the surfers of that place.

PN: Surf board…

LN: A party was held, a feast.

PN: That’s what I’ve heard.

KF: In the month of October.

PN: October? Around this time, yeah?

KF: That’s the month this party was held.

LN: Surf party.

PN: To open the surfing season, yeah?

LN: Yes.

PN: That surfing festival, it’s a big deal, that gathering?

KF: Yes.

LN: All the families go.

PN: Gather at the beach?

LN: Yes. At the feast.

KF: We would party for one week.

PN: Oh really.

KF: Cook a pig, go fishing, come back. Hawaiian style, you know.

PN: Right. And I heard that surfboards were brought and the surfboards have their own songs.

KF: Yes. The name of the surfboard.

PN: There’s a name for the board, and there’s a song.

KF: It’s so long ago now, I forget.

LN: My grandpa, Haʻaheo was the name of his board.

PN: Haʻaheo?

KF: Haʻaheo, ʻĀinahau.

LN: ʻĀinahau, Mōlinawaikula.

KF: Mōlinawaikula.

LN: Yes that song was made, it was written.

PN: And under that name?

LN: Tūtū Kipola, yeah, wrote that song?

PN: And then the name chant was written, as if that surfboard was a person.

KF: Yes!

LN: Yes.