Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 1, 1 January 2009 — Rudy Mitchell [ARTICLE]

Rudy Mitchell

I read in Ka Wai 01 a that Rudy Mitchell passed away. Rudy was a big help to me. We visited many of the archaeological sites on the North Shore together, including Kupopolo Heiau, Keahu o Hāpu'u, and Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau. It was

because of Rudy's encouragement that I relocated Kohokuwelowelo Heiau, thought to have been destroyed. It was with Rudy's help that I investigated reports of the discovery of human bones, and it was Rudy who let me know when the buried petroglyphs at Pūpūkea had been exposed by winter surf. Rudy made frequent visits to Kalaupapa, because he was related to a resident, Sarah Benjamin (Miala Meyer), herself a recognized expert in Hawaiian language and culture. On one of those occasions he showed me how to make koelepalau, a kind of sweet potato and coconut pudding. Rudy gave me the rare Moloka'i white hibiscus tree I had growing in my Hawaiian garden at Kalaupapa. Rudy also gave me a beautiful Hawaiian shirt that I still wear to this day. He was a good friend. Buddy Heller Ellensburg, Wasbington