2013 HANAPI REUNION - ANAHOLA - 3 DAYS LEFT

The days are winding down to 3 days left before the reunion starts. We, on our end are finalizing the applications, food arrangements, blogs, etc. So I thought it's time to showcase Anahola if you are inclined to visit where our ancestors settled from Molokai.

KOOLAU HUIIA ANAHOLA CHURCH

Koolau Huiia Anahola Church

This is the church that Rev. Robert Puuki Hanapi started when he and his brother Rev. George Puuloa Hanapi were assigned after graduation on Maui from the Chief's school at Lahaina. They were both raised on Molokai and Maui. After graduation, the missionaries announced that they needed volunteer ministers to go to Kauai and preach the gospel. The two brothers volunteered. If you go to the link for the KOOLAU HUIIA ANAHOLA CHURCH, you'll see the location on the map.

WAIOLI CHURCH IN HANALEI

Waiohi Hanalei Church

This is the other church Rev. Robert Puuki Hanapi started which is in Hanalei. You can see the location for the WAIOLI CHURCH which is just past the Chings Young Village Shopping Center within the next two blocks along the mauka side of Kuhio Hwy on the way to Haena.

GRAVESITES IN ANAHOLA

When you visit the five gravesites at the Koolau Huiia church in Anahola there will be markers with a picture of the Hanapi T-shirts indicating the location of these graves. The following graves will be marked:

Rev. Robert Puuki Hanapi

REV. ROBERT PUUKI HANAPI

It was said that when Rev. Puuki Hanapi was a minister at Waioli Church in Hanalei, Kauai, he also went to Kalalau Valley on Kauai to preach to the Hawaiians living there. (These Hawaiians were smaller in stature compared to other Hawaiians and they lived off the land, eating taro, potato, breadfruits, wild fruits, and fish from the ocean and streams.) The only way to get to Kalalau Valley was via the surrounding ocean by row boat.

ARAI BUNGO (BUNKICHI MURATA)

Arai Bungo Gravesite

As of yet, we do not have a picture of Arai Bungo. He arrived in 1868 on the very first ship from Japan along with 168 Japanese immigrants. He was a Samurai under the Meiji government which was being replaced by the Shogun.government. Aunty Babes Reid who I met while I was living in Los Angeles told me she was raised by Lucy and Bungo while growing up. She said he spoke Japanese, Hawaiian and Emglish. He was used as a translator in court whenever they needed someone to translate. While working for the plantation at Hanamaulu, he worked his way up to a Luna (Supervisor). After working for the plantation, he became a cook with his own restaurant and ended up as a cook for the Rice family in Nawiliwili.


RUTH (LUKA) EWALIKO WILCOX WONG TEXEIRA

Aunty Luka was the oldest of the Anahola sisters. She married three times. Her first husband was Robert Wilcox and she had Flora as her firstborn. Her second husband was Michael Wong from whom she gave birth to Annie, Solomon, Clifford, Joe, and Ruth. Luka loved to sing and play her wash tub bass (Clifford still has her wash tub bass) with all her sisters who I call the Anahola singing sisters of Luka, Virginia, Mary and Elizabeth (my mother). After Michael Wong passed away, she married Joaquin Texeira but had to no children with him. She grew up in Anahola Village and raised up her family there and later moved to a Hawaiian Homes house in Anahola where Clifford now lives.

MICHAEL WONG

I don't remember Uncle Michael too much because he died at a young age of 40 years old. He was a good cook, carpenter and provider. Clifford was about 8 years old when he passed away. As mentioned above, he had 5 children with Aunty Luka. They are Annie, Solomon, Clifford, Joe and Ruth.

WILMA CARRILLO FARIAS MEYER

Cousin Wilma was the 3rd child of Aunty Virginia Ewaliko Carrillo and was raised in Anahola Village before moving to Hawaiian Homes in Anahola. With her first husband, Stanley Farias, she had Stanley, Jr., Darrell, Frederick and Anthony. She had two children from William Kaleleiki who are Glenn and Virginia. With her second husband, Arthur Meyer, she had Wilma. When we moved back from Seattle she had a little get together for my wife and I. I still remember the times when my parents would bring us to visit our family in Anahola. So nice to see them all grown up with their own kids and family.

Well, that covers the gravesites you will visit this coming weekend. I hope it was informative so when you visit the gravesites you'll know a little more about them.

My next blog will cover Anahola Village and the families who lived and currently live there.

A Hui Hou