Mauna Kea Oral History Appendix - Office of Mauna Kea Management

AhFat and Barbara Lee
Recollections of Mauna Kea and the ‘Äina Mauna:
Operations of Parker Ranch and the Territorial/State Forestry Division
May 16, 2002, with Kepä Maly
AhFat Lee was born in
1914, at Hälawa, North
Kohala. His parents were
pure Chinese, though his
mother was born in
Kohala as well. At age
fourteen, AhFat’s mother
died, and he went to Hilo
to live with Lee Chow, a
store owner in town.
While in Hilo, AhFat
continued school, and
developed an interest in
poultry farming. When he
graduated from Hilo High
School in 1932, AhFat’s
Agriculture teacher,
Clarence Watson,
introduced him to A.W.
Carter, and in that way,
AhFat moved to Waiki‘i,
where he eventually
became Superintendent
of the Parker Ranch AhFat Lee (Photo No. KPA-3389)
Poultry Farm where
turkeys and chickens were raised.
While at Waiki‘i, AhFat lived in ranch quarters, spent time with the families, and learned about the
area. Because of an allergy problem, AhFat left Waiki‘i in late 1936. He returned to the mountain
lands in the 1950s, as a part of the Territorial Fish and Game program, where he oversaw a project
that facilitated restoration of the native nënë population (for a while, also working with the endangered
‘alalä). AhFat later, joined by his wife, Barbara, lived for many years at the Pöhakuloa Cabin, the area
now behind the Mauna Kea State Park.
As a part of his job, AhFat also traveled most of the ‘äina mauna of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualälai,
and the plateau lands. Through his travels, most of it by foot, he personally saw many sites and
features of the mountains. He also learned first hand, of sites and traditions from elder kama‘äina.
Interview No. 1, with AhFat and Barbara Lee.
KM : I want to say, thank you very much to both of you. May I please ask you your full name
and your date of birth
AL: Yes. My name, this is my full name [handing a paper to Kepä].
KM: AhFat Lee.
AL: Yes.
KM: You were born you said, 1914
AL: Nineteen-fourteen, yes.
Mauna Kea– “Ka Piko Kaulana o ka ‘Äina”
Kumu Pono Associates LLC
A Collection of Oral History Interviews (HiMK67-050606) A:361