March 2023 | eNewsletter | Issue 9

Waimea Resilience and Emergency Plan Survey

As mentioned above, our Waimea Resilience Hub team initiated a survey several weeks ago to help our understanding of how we can move forward - together - to build resilience and improve our capacity in times of emergency.  We have worked hard over the past several weeks to collect survey responses from the community to assess major concerns our town faces.  

If you haven't already done so, we ask your kōkua in completing this survey, and as a mahalo for your participation, please consider entering our drawing where 10 lucky residents will receive a compact solar radio. Of course, you may also choose to remain entirely anonymous. Whichever you decide, your input is most valuable!

Celebrating the Resilient Artistry of Waimea's Own Roen Hufford!

Roen Hufford, Kapa Master from Waimea, is Hawai'i's 2023 National Heritage Fellow! 

For more than 40 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has annually presented lifetime National Heritage Fellow honors to a rare handful of individuals from across the country whose dedication to cultural traditions and artistry have contributed to the art form's preservation and growth. 

Waimea kapa master Roen Hufford is one of nine from across the country to be named a 2023 Heritage Fellow, recognizing her exemplary dedication to ka hana kapa (making barkcloth) and sharing her knowledge with the next generations.

“She is a leader in reclaiming this nearly lost art - following in the footsteps of her mother, the late Marie Leilehua McDonald of Waimea, also a revered kapa master who won the same award in 1990 for lei making.” 

In early March, NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., said the 2023 National Heritage Fellows “rich and diverse art forms connect us to the past, strengthen our communities today, and give hope to future generations in ways that only the arts can. Our nation is strengthened through their meaningful practices, expressions, and preservation of traditional artistry.”  

When learning of the award, Roen said, “I was overwhelmed. I cried because my mother wasn't here to see it.”

Roen began working with kapa by helping her mother gather materials, which included learning to grow, harvest and prepare wauke, or paper mulberry, the native plant used to make bark cloth.  From the wauke she grows on her 10-acre Waimea homestead farm, she beats out kapa and then uses natural plant dyes and traditional tools and techniques to "dress" the pieces in both traditional and contemporary designs.    

In a recent interview with Hawai’i Public Radio, Roen said: "Kupuna would tell you 'Oh, the flowers spoke to me,' or, 'The forest spoke to me.' And that's just kind of a lovely way to put it."

"Once you touch the material and you move it around, it tells you what it can do, what it is not able to do, what it wants to do. And then you create something — you change it from that plant into this useful practical material."

Roen can be found many days sharing her knowledge with haumana – students – from here and all over the world.  For Roen, passing on the traditional art is as important as making stunning new pieces. 

Several of Roen’s most recent kapa pieces are featured in Bishop Museum’s just-opened Ola Ka No’eau exhibit as well as here at Isaacs Art Center. 

We salute Roen for her passion, perseverance and exemplary resilience in refining, preserving and perpetuating ka hana kapa.   Hoʻomaikaʻi, Roen!

Another Glimpse of Exemplary Resilience - Our Waimea Paniolo ʻOhana!

Kamehameha School's 103rd Song Contest this past weekend saluted Waimea's proud Paniolo Heritage, and among the honored guests were two of our remarkable "living treasures" - paniolo Sonny Keakealani and Kimo Ho'opai, pictured here with (L-R) Liana Honda, DeeDee Keakealani Bertelmann, Ku'ulei Keakealani, Kai'o Keakealani, and Lehua Ho'opai.  The televised program opener also featured an interview of Waimea's revered paniolo historian Dr. Billy Bergin.

MAHALO Kamehameha Schools for helping perpetuate and cherish the living legacy of our hard-working, resilient paniolo families!  Mahalo, too, to the Paniolo Preservation Society for helping us remember and continue to support ranching and a living heritage that runs deep! 

Kamehameha Schools will reprise the song contest broadcast as follows: 

• Friday, March 17 @ 7PM on KGMB
• Saturday, March 18 @ 2PM on KHNL
• Friday, March 24 @ 7PM on KGMB

Waimea Resilience Hub will collaborate with our island's First Responders, Firewise, CERT, and about two dozen other community organizations and agencies to help families and friends become better prepared for emergencies.  

It will be free, family-friendly, and a fun, easy way to help your family, neighborhood, school, community group, sports team, church congregation, and others become more resilient.  

It'll be very informal - you are invited to stop by when you can and stroll thru to talk-story with many experts and friends.  We suggest planning to stay at least an hour or so, and we have some special guests up our sleeve that may compel you to stay longer!    

We will have more details soon but for now, please save the date. 

We also welcome groups and agencies dedicated to supporting Waimea's health, well-being, and resilience to join us by clicking HERE to get involved as presenters.  The event promises to be a valuable way to tell your group's story, share your expertise, and make new connections, too. 

Please stay tuned - and please let us know if you want to join in as a presenter!  

Tūtū's House - Another Waimea 'Treasure' That Supports Resilience and Well-Being!

Tūtū's House offers programs every week year-round open to everyone at no cost!  Check out their March 2023 calendar and reserve a spot today for one or several of their offerings! 

If you see an activity you would like to attend that is happening in person, please call 808-885-6777 to register ahead of time. If it is an online activity, please email newsletter@tutushouse.org for a link to register on Zoom.

Tutu's House also welcomes us to use their facilities for events/activities that support well-being...just give them a call.  Not only is the staff super-helpful, they are also very tech-savvy and have state-of-the-art technology to support hybrid and Zoom meetings.