Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 12, 1 December 1994 — Three kūpuna win "living treasure" awards [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Three kūpuna win "living treasure" awards

A trio of outstanding kūpuna received awards at this year s 'Aha Kūpuna in recognition of their contributions to the Hawaiian way of life. Kupuna Katherine Kamalukukui Maunakea was chosen by the OHA Board of Trustees to receive the Ka Hā Mai Kalāhikiola Nāli'i'elua Award, given in memory of "Papa Kalā," OHA's first kaliu. Maunakea has distinguished herself as a poet, songwriter, and author well-versed in lā'au lapa'au, hula, and the legacy of our ali'i. She has been especially active in honoring the memory and accomplishments of Prince Kūhiō, and a few years ago established the Prince Kūhiō Song Contest toward that end. The 'aha participants chose Violet Leilani Hughes to receive the Kupuna Po'okela Award. Hughes is a retiree from the State of Hawai'i Board of Education but remains active and committed as a kupuna alaka'i in the Honolulu District Hawaiian studies program. She is a native speaker of 'ōlelo Hawai'i and conducts workshops on Hawaiian language and culture at the Mission Houses Museum. She has also been a kupuna with the Kamehameha Schools Explorations Program for many years.

OHA's Kūpuna Team selected Emest Mika to receive the Ka Hā Mai Nālani Ellis Award, given in the name of Kupuna Elizabeth Nālani Mersberg Ellis, the Team's guiding matriarch. Mika is an ordained minister and an Employment Specialist with Alu Like's Hawai'i Computer Training Center, where he is affectionately known as "Papa." His Christian education and his own giving nature have provided him with the capabilities needed to counsel people needing help with marriage, employment, church, and prison. Maunakea, Hughes and Mika eaeh received a kapa quilted wall hanging depicting the ulu, representative of growth in all things. To be eligible for these kupuna treasures awards, awardees must be "keiki o ka 'āina," have lived a lifestyle of preservation and perpetuation of things Hawaiian, be a living model of Hawaiianness, and be an expert in one or more of the following areas: language, education, farming, fishing, govemment, fine arts, hula, music, and medicine.

Katherine Kamalukukui Maunakea (sitting), Violet Leilani Hughes, and Ernest Mika were honored during this year's 'Aha Kūpuna. Photo by Sabra Kauka