Mauna Kea Oral History Appendix - Office of Mauna Kea Management

KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
KM:
JY:
Wow!
And she always asked us, “When is 4 th of July” We was thinking, “I wonder what she
mean, waiting for the Parker Ranch show or what” But came that morning…she was in
the hospital that time. I was up at the restaurant ready for haul cattle for the show, 4 th of
July. My boy said, “Mama wants to see you.” I tell, “What she want” “Talk to you,” so I
came over, I said, “What happened” Mat never tell you, I said, “No.” Your mother just
passed away at six o’clock in the morning.
She waited for that day, just like she was waiting
Waited long time, about over a year you know. “When is 4 th of July” Till today, my
brother from mainland, he always asks me, “I don’t know what the old lady wanted.”
What was the significance, yeah
Yes. Why she wait for 4 th of July Gee, I don’t know.
Interesting. Hmm.
Yes. My father was 41 years old when he died. He made his 41 year old birthday party
on a Sunday, Monday morning he left us two o’clock for go up there drive sheep. Then
he got hurt, the following morning, two o’clock, he died.
‘Auwë!
Called the hospital.
He was working out with the cowboys, just a group of them had gone out to herd the
sheep down
There’s a group, cowboy bunch of them, start from outside.
Yes, amazing! You started working, like you said, you were really young
Yes.
Fourteen years maybe, or something like that
Before fourteen, before thirteen [chuckles].
Wow! Where did you…when you started working, what did you do for the ranch
I worked in the mountain, take care of the water pipe up here [gesturing to the Kohala
Mountains, Alakähi-‘Äkölea Intake sections].
Oh.
Where start off.
Where did the pipe start up on the mountain
Way up in the mountain.
Up high
Yes, we call ‘em ‘Äkölea.
‘Äkölea
Yes.
Was that the pipe that they were laying to make the water
Yes, goes all the way till Waiki‘i.
Waiki‘i, Pä ‘A‘ali‘i
Pä ‘A‘ali‘i mauka.
Mauna Kea– “Ka Piko Kaulana o ka ‘Äina”
Kumu Pono Associates LLC
A Collection of Oral History Interviews (HiMK67-050606) A:255