I'm Off...

Very excited for so many reasons...

Mauna Kea...

There has been something going on here for the past few weeks.

I've tried to be informed on both sides.  I understand both sides to some

extent.  One thing I know without a doubt is that Mauna Kea is

a very special place.

I've always had a feeling about the Big Island.

It starts as soon as Mauna Kea is seen from the airplane window.

I've driven around the island and had that feeling.  Tomorrow

when I go to Hilo, I'm sure I'll have that feeling again.

I found an article that explained exactly why Mauna Kea is

so special.

THE SACREDNESS OF MAUNA KEA EXPLAINED

BY: 

CHRISTINE HITT

We pored over historical references, oral histories, testimonies and archaeological reports to help give you a better understanding of the profound reverence given to the wahi kapu (sacred place) of Mauna Kea. A shield volcano rising to 13,796 feet, it’s one of the most prominent landforms in Hawai‘i, but the sacredness of the mauna in Hawaiian culture goes far deeper than its physical features.

Mauna Kea as seen from Mauna Loa.
Photo by Windy McElroy

Genealogy

In Hawaiian traditions of creation, the earth mother Papahānaumoku and the sky father Wākea created the islands, with Hawai‘i Island being the first. “Mauna Kea is considered to be kupuna (elder), the first born, and is held in high esteem. In native traditions, Mauna Kea is identified as ‘Ka Mauna a Wākea’ (The Mountain of Wākea —traditional god and father of Hawai‘i—who’s name is also written as Kea),” described Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele in a 1999 oral history study by Kumu Pono Associates. Because Mauna Kea was the firstborn child of Papa and Wākea, the mauna is considered the piko (navel) of Hawai‘i Island.  The reference of Ka Mauna a Wākea is also seen in mele hānau (birth chants), like this one for Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) as written in the book, “The Echo of Our Song: Chants and Poems of the Hawaiians”:

O hānau ka mauna a Kea, (Born of Kea was the mountain,)
‘Ōpu‘u a‘e ka mauna a Kea. (The mountain of Kea budded forth.)
‘O Wākea ke kāne, ‘o Papa, (Wakea was the husband, Papa)
‘o Walinu‘u ka wahine, (Walinu‘u was the wife.)
Hānau Ho ‘ohoku he wahine, (Born was Ho‘ohoku, a daughter,)
Hānau Hāloa he ali‘i, (Born was Hāloa, a chief,)
Hānau ka mauna, he keiki mauna na Kea… (Born was the mountain, a mountain-son of Kea…)

Source: Wikimedia

Lake Waiau

The water of Waiau is associated with the god Kāne, and it’s been documented that its water is used in ongoing practices by native healers. Its water is collected, used for ceremonies and for healing. In 1881, Queen Emma visited Waiau and swam across its waters “on a journey of spiritual and physical well-being.” Interviews have also been conducted with residents who reported that it was a practice to take a child’s piko (or umbilical cord) to Waiau.

Burials

In the uppermost zones of Mauna Kea, one pu‘u, or cinder cone, has been confirmed to contain burials—Pu‘u Mākanaka, which literally means “hill crowded with people.” Four other pu‘u are also considered likely to contain burials. Oral histories passed down through families have also shared that there are burials on the slopes of Mauna Kea. Alexander Kanani‘alika Lancaster in the 1999 oral history report by Kumu Pono Associates mentions that he went up the mountain “for ceremonial. They go up there bless the whole mountain for all our ancestors who’s buried up there… the old folks always said, ‘Our family is up there.’”

Piko deposition also occurs in the form of a burial on Mauna Kea, and it’s become a practice for some people to scatter the cremated remains of loved ones on the mountain.

An isolated "marae" on the western edge of the 13,000-foot plateau looks down onto the Hāmā​kua coast, Waimea plains, Kohala mountains and across to Haleakalā on Maui.
Source: AIS of the Astronomy Precinct in the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, Ka'ohe Ahupua'a, Hāmā​kua District, Hawai'i Island, Hawai'i.

Gods and goddesses

Within the Mauna Kea Science Reserve (roughly 11,215 acres centered around the summit), there are “263 historic properties, including 141 ancient shrines,” according to the 2010 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the TMT Telescopes. While the intended purposes of each historic property is unclear, the Mauna Kea Science Reserve Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS) speculates that they could be related to gods and goddesses on the mountain: “It now seems likely that the simple shrines were built and used by small family groups as originally thought, but that the larger, more complex structures were built and maintained by a priesthood … First, on the assumption that each upright stands for a separate god, the larger number of uprights on these sites points to a larger pantheon of gods (major and minor gods) that probably most Hawaiians would not have known.” The AIS report also suggests that some of the historic sites mentioned could be related to “astronomical phenomena” and uses the above photo of the shrines facing out towards Haleakalā on Maui as an example idea that needs to be investigated further.

Place names on Mauna Kea, like the many pu‘u, are also named after these gods and goddesses. Westervelt, in his book “Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes,” mentions that Poli‘ahu was one of four snow goddesses. Līlīnoe was her younger sister and Waiau is also mentioned in legends as a goddess. The summit area is also called Kūkahau‘ula and is referenced as being the name for the husband of Līlīnoe.

This image shows historic properties (black triangles), traditional cultural properties (gray areas) and find spots (red circles). The find spots are defined as modern features.
Source: AIS of the Astronomy Precinct in the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, Ka'ohe Ahupua'a, Hamakua District, Hawai'i Island, Hawai'i.

The summit of Kūkahau‘ula

Early accounts from the mid-19th century by William Ellis, James Jarves and James Macrae write that their Hawaiian guides would not go near Mauna Kea’s summit due to “superstitious dread of the mountain spirits or gods.” The Mauna Kea Science Reserve’s AIS supports references to the top of the mauna as being kapu (forbidden) and only accessible to the highest chiefs or priests by noting the lack of evidence of human activity at the summit in relation to lower elevations.

In the 1999 Kumu Pono Associates’ oral history study, Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele stated: “Mauna Kea was always kupuna to us … And there was no wanting to go to top. You know, just that they were there … was just satisfying to us. And so it was kind of a hallowed place that you know it is there, and you don’t need to go there. You don’t need to bother it … And it was always reassuring because it was the foundation of our island … If you want to reach mana, that [the summit] is where you go.”

I know that there's  more to this story that I don't know but

I've seen what too much development can do.

Once these places are gone, they're gone forever...

that's sad.

Carmageddon 2015...

I started getting the alerts on my phone late morning about a traffic problem.

It kept getting worse I could tell by all the things coming over my phone.

Here  they have something called "zipper lane".  The "zip mobile" puts out a barrier that

adds another lane in the direction of the most need.  It's a form on contra-flow.

Apparently, the zip mobile broke down and couldn't open.

It caused a huge traffic nightmare.  Hours and hours of people stuck on the freeway and

surface streets...STOPPED.  Not moving.

6+ hours!

Reading comments on social media and the news sites people seem to be split...

"...rail will be the answer to this problem"

"...just too many people, not enough room.  nothing will help"

A few years ago something just like this happened...an Army crane hit an overpass.  Everything

came to a halt.  We happened to be together in town and ended up driving all the 

way around the island,  got home 5 hours later.

It's a mess.  No easy solution.  State is paying billions for the rail project.  3 new

housing developments going in on the westside.

Got an alert on my phone that said "...zipper lane open to all vehicles, no restrictions"

(not just for car pools)

The news just reported that HPD is giving tickets to people in these lane because

they aren't carpooling...

lack of communication, could that be a problem?

Crazy Country Corn...

there's something new in Haleiwa...

roasted corn!

We  love corn on the cob.  

This is the best...

sweet, perfected cooked and big!

We usually just cook our corn the regular way, by boiling it in water.

This corn is roasted

a whole new flavor.  I loved it.

Hubby and I have been known to just eat corn and fruit for dinner.

I can hardly wait for the next time to have this corn, it was that good!

Now I Get It...

I've been in Foodland and even Malama and seen

tourist standing in front of the shelves with looks of wonder

in their eyes.

I got that same feeling today when I went to Albertson's.

So many choices...

it's almost overwhelming.

I get it now.

Even at our little Foodland or even smaller Malama

more than a few choices in cereal can actually be overwhelming.

Have Courage and Be Kind...

 I took Emme to see "Cinderella" today.

Her brother didn't want to go "...its for girls!).

This little 4 year old sat through the whole thing.  You could hear

the other little girls talking about different parts of it during the movie.

Hubby and I had gone to see it the other day.  We'd seen so many previews

that he actually wanted to see it!  Must say he really enjoyed it.

I think that I appreciated it even more this time.  I had read about the dress, so

I paid even more attention to it (all those bitsy lights that make it sparkle).  Amazing!

Me said her favorite part was the pumpkin turning into a coach and

all the animals.

I can actually say that the ball dance scene is probably my 

favorite.  I know that the actors worked really hard on that because of the dress.

(so I wonder if Disney will rework all of their Cinderella products to go along with this updated version?) 

I was thinking about the overall theme to the movie.  It's really not "every girl gets a prince".

it's...

even as Cinderella and the Prince are leaving her house, she shows kindness

to her step-mother by forgiving her.

Isn't this what we want for all of girls?

Girls can do anything as long as they have the courage to try.

Kindness is so unselfish.

This are the traits that I want for my granddaughters (even their mothers).

** Emme told me that I couldn't be a Fairy Grandmother, even if I knew all the words,

because I didn't have a magic wand!  well that makes sense.  Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

I've got my corned beef in the crockpot

and making some mint brownies.

A day when everyone is a lil' bit Irish...