I Ulu I Ka Aina: Land

Kēia ‘Āina: The Center of Our Work

99 99 Dr. Lilikalā Kame‘eleihiwa is a teacher, an activist, a leader, a researcher, a daughter, and mother. She is also a loyal kupa ‘āina, as she shares in this candid interview, committed to the rediscovery, reclamation, and reconnection of Hawaiians to the land of our ancestors. In the excitement of her voice, you can hear her commitment and passion for land and research. Her stories and words convey an unwavering, deeply rooted, lifelong aloha for her ‘āina, her kūpuna, and her lāhui. Childhood Stories: Where Is the Land? Punihei: What made you interested in land? Lilikalā: When I was a kid, we moved a lot because we didn’t own land and we didn’t have a house. By the time I was thirteen, we had moved eleven times. And when we lived in Kahana when I was a kid, it was the cheapest place that we had ever lived in. It was so beautiful there; I loved living in Kahana. I loved living in the country. Most people just built shacks on the land. They didn’t own the land, but they had to pay for water. So we paid two dollars a month for the water to live in a little shack that someone had abandoned. But Mom always used to say to us as children that we shouldn’t misbehave in certain ways; we shouldn’t misbehave in public, run around yelling, and make noise like other kids. She had expectations of us that other kids didn’t have of them. She said, “Don’t forget we come from a chiefly lineage.” And as I got older, I said to her, “Chiefly lineage? Where’s the chiefly money? Where’s the chiefly land? How can we come from a chiefly lineage and have nothing?” On Being Poor Lilikalā: We were so poor I always had hand-me-downs to wear. I didn’t have a new dress until I was seven years old. It was Easter. Mom bought me a blue dress. I remember her telling me it cost seven dollars. It was very expensive. I don’t know why she bought me a new dress for Easter. We didn’t go to church. But I was very happy to have a new dress; I was thrilled that I wasn’t wearing a hand-me-down! That’s how poor we were. Kēia ‘Āina: The Center of Our Work Kaiwipuni Lipe 100 | I Ulu i ka ‘Āina Punihei: You were financially poor. But you obviously had lots of other assets. Lilikalā: We didn’t have money. That’s true. And we weren’t hungry and that was great. But we were always looking for food. One year Mom stayed home with us. She didn’t work, so money was very tight. So we were always looking for food: bananas growing in the mountains, or avocados, and guavas. We raised pigs and chickens and ducks, and had fish that people brought by. And we always had a roof over our heads, so we weren’t homeless, like some people were. But when we lived in Kahana, we had an outside toilet and no hot water; we were lucky we had running water, but the water ran very slowly. I remember the lady next door, Esther Domingues, had a fight with the guy who owned the water, Mr. Watson. I remember her yelling at him, “How dare you charge us any money for this water. The water pressure is so low even my mimi is stronger than this water!” So we were poor, and as I grew up, I wanted to know more about Hawaiian history and chiefs that had land. If indeed we came from chiefs, I wanted to know why we didn’t have land. Chiefly Lineages Punihei: Did you ever ask Grandma why she said that you came from chiefs? Lilikalā: I did. I said, “Mom, if we are chiefs, how come we don’t have land and we don’t have money?” Punihei: And what did she say? Lilikalā: She couldn’t answer. She never talked about the overthrow. Nobody talked about the overthrow. Nobody knew about it. None of us did. It was a tabu subject. Punihei: So she never said why you came from chiefs? Lilikalā: Well, she knew we came from the Pi‘ilani lineage. Punihei: How did she know that? Lilikalā: I guess her mother must have told her…Oh wait, I know how she knew...