Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 1, 1 January 1987 — Kamehameha First Grader on Commemorative Poster [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kamehameha First Grader on Commemorative Poster

Ho'olako 1987 Features Puamakamae Anahu

Appearing on the magazine cover page of this month's Ka Wai Ola O OHA is the first puhlie presentation of the official "Celebrate the Hawaiian, Ho'olako 1987" commemorative poster. As of press time, distribution of the poster was to begin the first week of January.

The poster was created by Denise Marie Luko, the same photographer who did the popular Kanyaku Imin Centennial poster featuring the wide-eyed Japanese girl with headband and kimono. In the Ho'olako poster, Luko says she gave primary consideration "to what the Hawaiian people are trying to communicate in the Celebrate the Hawaiian observanee". She worked closely with Hawaiian expert Nona Beamer and other members of the Ho'olako Publications Committee. Her proposal was accepted in mid-October, 1986, giving her only two weeks to do the photography and art work in order to meet an Oct. 31 deadline to send everything to the printers. The day after project approval, Luko went to the Kamehameha Schools to look at faces. She chose Kamehameha at Beamer's suggestion because 1987 also marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the school. At the close of school that day, Luko stood watching as children from kindergarten through third grade waited for buses to take them down the hill. Finally, her attention was drawn to one little girl . . . andthat wasit. Luko says: "When I saw Puamakamae I looked at her face and I knew she was the one". Puamakamae is Puamakamae Anahu, a six-year-old first grader, the daughter of Linda and Ben Anahu. After receiving parental approval for the project, Luko's next step was to find a suitable location for the photo. She was looking for a plaee "where the sky meets the earth" . . . to represent the union of Papa, the earth mother and Wakea, the sky father. After a considerable amount of driving around she finally found the perfect spot on Mount Tantalus. Luko now had two days in whieh to do the shooting. On Saturday, Oct. 25, everyone trooped over to Kawaiahao Church where Kahu William Kaina blessed the project including costume, ferns, leis, wristlets, camera and film. Luko says: "We all held hands and Kahu said a blessing and beautiful prayer that we would be able to communicate through the photographic image something of meaning to the Hawaiian people". The weather that day was bad so the shooting had to be done on Sunday, the following day, or not at all. Luko says she could only shoot between sunrise and 1:30 p.m. in order to achieve the effect she wanted. At about 10 a.m. everything looked right. Luko picked up Puamakamae and her mother, father and grandmother; drove up to Tantalus; dressed the little gir! and started clicking away. She took a total of 108 shots, and the picture finally selected was one of the very last exposures.

Luko says Makamae was wonderful to work with. She is very bright and humorous, a real trooper. However, by the third roll of film she was getting worked out and I had to use iittle tricks like reminding her about the promised hamburger and french fry luneh." What does Puamakamae think about the prospect of being a poster girl? "She's very eool about the whole thing. The beautiful thing about her is that Puamakamae is a special child . . . she is handicapped, having been born with only one leg. Handicapped isn't even the right word because she has so mueh else going for her". The costume.worn by Puamakamae is made from unbleached muslin whieh was washed and crinkled to look like white tapa. Kumu Hula Nona Beamer showed Luko the proper method to tie the kikepa. In the poster, the little girl holds a rock, symbolizing the land — the aina. Ho'olako President Thomas K. Kaulukukui Sr. says: "To me, Puamakamae seems to be saying . . . hold onto the aina. The aina is the seat of spirituality for many of us. It is the provider of food, clothing and shelter. The refreshing spring from whieh our culture is revived.

Land is the torch of hope for our children. In her eyes is the look of hope for a better future for her and all the other kamali'i (children) to follow". Photographer Luko says the Ho'olako poster is the second in a planned series of five posters featuring children of Hawaii. Next will be a Filipino child followed by a Caucasian and then a Chinese youngster to eomplete the set.

Distribution plans for the Ho'olako poster initially are for it to be dispensed as part of a pre-sale promotion by a loeal corporation or institution. It also will be sold in retail stores at a planned price of $12.50. Ho'olako will receive the bulk of the profits from poster sales to help underwrite the cost of "Year of the Hawaiian" events and to create art and education scholarships at the Kamehameha Schools.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmn-- ■wHHMHHn Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Thomas K. (Unele Tommy) Kaulukukui Sr. and Photographer Denise Marie Luko hold commemorative poster of "Ho'olako 1987" with Kamehameha Schools first grader Puamakamae Anahu as poster girl. Kaulukukui is also president of "Ho'olako" whieh is the Year of the Hawaiian being celebrated in 1987.