Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 1, 1 January 2023 — Mourning the Passing of a Beloved Cultural Resource [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mourning the Passing of a Beloved Cultural Resource

LAMAKU HO'OKIPA V ^ A BEACON OF HOSPITALITY *

By Mālia Sanders It is with a humhle heart that the 'ohana of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA) mourns the passing of one of our own, Joseph

Pekelo Kekipi Bright Recca. Given the title of "kumu" for his historical and cultural contributions to the legacy of the organization, Joe Recca, affectionately referred to as "Unele Joe," served as our Waikīkī cultural historian and as a lamakū ho'okipa (cultural resource) for NaHHA for 25 years. Unele Joe was well known for his walking tours in Waikīkī, where the rich history of this wahi pana would eome to life through the weaving of his mo'olelo.

In a March 2022 interview with NaHHA, Unele Joe recalled his introduction into television and music as a student at Kamehameha Schools, where his then-choir master Daniel Akaka (who would go on to heeome a U.S. senator), escorted him on the Dinah Shore Chevy Show on NBC in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, his vocal talent caught the attention of Haunani Kahalewai and he joined her Polynesian Review at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. He would later go on to heeome standing talent on the Hawai'i Calls radio show from 1972-1975 at the Moana Hotel, a live broadcast featured on 750 stations across the globe with millions of listeners worldwide. In 1977, he released his first alhum A Child OfThis Land. Unele Joe also entertained with Tihati Productions for more than 30 years. His sweet, nahenahe voice

took him throughout Hawai'i, the U.S. and abroad. My time spent with Unele Joe began in July 2011, a decade after his entertainment and musical career and well into his new kuleana as a cultural guide and historian. Unele Joe was a generational connector; existing at the huina - the intersection between the age of my parents and the bygone times of my grandparents. His stories would spark strong emotions of his love affair with the wahi pana of Waikīkī where he relived days of his childhood spent in its spouting waters. His enduring aloha for what was unseen was a gift he shared with residents and visitors alike. Through him I, too, was able to fall

kVaikīkī. We did so many walks together over the years and although I had heard his stories hundreds of times, he always mangaged to stick in something new he had never mentioned before. Joe Recca never allowed me to stop learning. He exemplified strong values, carried himself with great aloha and always did what was pono. He was a mentor, a treasured kūpuna and most importantly, he was my friend. The voice of Joe Recca and his connection with

Waikīkī is one that will never be forgotten; he will forever be a part of the mo'olelo of this wahi pana. I will miss our walks together my dear friend, but know that in my heart, you are there...and we will always have Waikīkī. "Walk with me, talk with me, Waikīkī." -JoeRecca ( Sep . 22, 1946 -Nov. 18, 2022) ■ Mālia Sanders is the executive director of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA). Working to better connect the Hawaiian community to the visitor industry, NaHHA supports the people who provide authentic experiences to Hawai'i's visitors. For more information go to www. nahha.com Follow NaHHA on Facebook, lnstagram, and Twitter @nahha808 and @ kuhikuhi808.

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in love with V v/l Joseph Pekelo Kekipi Bright Recca