Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 11, 1 November 2007 — Helen Walrath [ARTICLE]

Helen Walrath

Auē, hū ka Pu'ulena, ōla'i ka honua, nū ke kai ma Puna paia 'a'ala i ka hala. Ua hala ka mo'opuna a 'Āhia. The Hawaiian community grieves the loss of another precious elder. Born in Kalapana, Hawai'i Island, on Nov. 3, 1919, Helen Walrath passed away at her home on Maui on Oct. 6. She was 87 years old - a hulu kupuna. Mrs. Walrath was a retired

kupuna in the D.O.E. Hawaiian Studies Program on Maui. She, along with other Maui kūpuna now passed, shared traditional healing remedies and herbs with others, especially the kūpuna, for whom she had a special affection. She was a mānaleo, or native speaker of the Hawaiian language, and a member of the 'Ahahui 'Ōlelo Hawai'i, speaking frequently on lā'au lapa'au (herbal medicine). One of her goals was the reprinting of Hawaiian-language material from the early churches on Maui. Kupuna Walrath was a member of the 'Ahahui Ka'ahumanu and Hale o Nā Ali'i o Hawai'i. Marge Kealanahele, advisor to the regent of Hale o Nā Ali'i, remembers her as "stalwart, committed and loving." Hailama Farden, state president of Hale o Nā Ali'i o Hawai'i, remembers her as a leader who made him feel welcomed and loved when he entered the society as a young teenager. She is survived by two daughters, Ilona Kaholokula and Helen Purdy; a hānai son, Robert Purdy Sr. ; a stepdaughter, lulie Walrath; and five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Aloha paumākō.