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Who’s coming up on Monday March 20?

Monday, March 20, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
EKK 2017 – “Music is Our Kuleana”
KUPAOA (Kellen and Lihau Paik) w/ Ke ‘Ala Aumoe Dancers
“Dynamite Team w/ Dynamite Music Tops Off Dynamite Season!”
6:00 – 6:45 ‘Ukulele Circle & Hula Circle
Kaua’i Beach Resort Jasmine Ballroom
Contact: giac05@icloud.com

Here is the link to EKK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ekanikapilakakou.kauaistyle/
EKK Week #8 – Haku Mele Poster Child: Puni Patrick

We get all kinds of presentations at EKK. Some artists are rehearsing during sound check. Some don’t rehearse at all. And a few, like Puni Patrick, prepare a program packed with mele, oli, hula, cultural and historical background and personal stories of her mele inoa, songs that she had composed for special individuals in her life.

“Because I was poor all my life, all I could give as gifts to my friends were songs,” she says. They were songs that she composed about them, which in Hawaiian tradition, is one of the most precious ho?okupu, or gift, that one could receive.

Puni’s program was composed of videos produced with the help of her friend, Stephen Tanji, giving the background of her journey, her mana?o, stories of her subjects and more. The program shared songs played by her special friends and hula danced by the Kupuna Klub and the Daughters of Hawai?i. Should I attempt to write about everything she presented, I would end up with a mini novel instead of a recap of the evening, so herein are some of the highlight moments of Puni’s “Mele Inoa for Special People in My Life.”

First and foremost, Puni is the person that you want to hang with because she is so much fun! She has a raucous belly laugh that you can hear across a parking lot, is always meticulously groomed with a lei po?o framing her gorgeous face, and noticeably growing in her skills in hula, oli and now with haku mele. Her kumu hula, the late Doric Kaleonui Yaris, gave the stewardship of his beloved Kupuna Klub dancers to her before he passed, and she devotes her time to working with them. JoAnne Watanabe, one of her senior dancers, was honored with the happy birthday song on this night for her 86th birthday. If you can look that young at age 86, it speaks well of dancing the hula.

Puni asked if she could be the EKK poster child. Her story as an aspiring haku mele certainly earns her this title. From 2009 to 2012, the Garden island Arts Council sponsored the Koke?e Songwriters Camp as part of EKK for interested persons to learn Hawaiian haku mele from Hawai?i’s outstanding kumu in Hawaiian language, composition and music. Of course, these parameters require a faculty that include Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, Keola Donaghy, Walt Keale, Kenneth Makuakane, Puakea Nogelmeier, Lolena Nicholas, Pueo Pata, Kiope Raymond, Keao Nesmith, and Dennis Kamakahi.

As wonderful as the exposure was for aspiring songwriters, not breaking even on the cost of the workshop and not seeing immediate results in songwriting forced GIAC to put it on the back burner. However, like in teaching, the results of the education on the students is a long-term investment, often not revealing itself right away. Such was the case with Puni Patrick who had been attending the workshops but only recently has been composing haku mele in her mele inoa. This night at EKK was her time to share the fruits of her labor of love.

Puni opened the program with her entrance from the back of the ballroom, chanting Oli Aloha no Kaumualiiokalani as she walked toward the front. She later shared her Mo?okuauhau, or spoken genealogy, and, upon request from the audience, explained in English what she included in her presentation. A family genealogy is considered private, so sharing it was quite special and emotional for her. I recall that when the Royal Hawaiian Band came to Kaua’i last year, she recited their entire genealogy of nearly about 40 members of the group. I remember Thomas Nizo saying he had to listen to her practice the chant for weeks.

Her first video, titled Remembering Uncle Dennis, her most influential mentor, captured her first attempt to learn song composition at the Rugby Shannon Center of Whittier college, where Dennis Kamakahi gave a workshop. Puni was the only person who signed up. When the coordinator asked Dennis if he wanted to cancel, he replied, “If there is just one student wants to learn…I want to teach.” So Puni’s first lesson was a private, one-on-one, 2-hour lesson with one of Hawai?i’s top composers. More than learning about the chord structures, the importance of the “hook,” or paying attention to the wahi pana, or legendary place, the most important lesson for Puni was Dennis’ desire to teach someone who wants to learn. She had the chance to work again with Uncle Dennis in an intimate workshop at the Koke?e Music Camp when Dennis was one of the kumu. Her partner, Thomas Nizo, upon learning the camp would take place, gave her the gift of air passage from California, where she was living, to Kaua`i, so that she could be part of the haku mele workshop.

Puni’s good friend, Bambi Emayo, was with her the day that she found out her kumu hula Doric Yaris passed away, as well as the day she learned of Uncle Dennis’ passing. Dealing with her grief, she and Bambi went home after work and wrote Song for Dennis, Puni’s mele inoa for Uncle Dennis. She entered it in the Kaua?i Composers’ Contest and Concert, where it won the coveted “People’s Choice Award.” Bambi, well known for his “Bambi’s Westside Band” and less well-known as one of the “Kahelelani Serenaders,” was accompanied by Puni’s hula brother, Casey Planas, on the bass.

Puni found out at the funeral of her grandmother, Estelle Magnani, that her tutu was loved and remembered for her many acts of kindness. Every act of kindness, no matter how insignificant, will be remembered by others. Her casket was draped with a lei made of the very tiny ?la?a blossoms, a testimony to how much her tutu was loved. Tutu also taught her “to be content with what you have.” Puni danced the hula to Ka Lei ?la?a Beauty, written for her tutu Estelle “Hoku” Magnani and recorded by Charlie Kiyaha.

Puni lived in California for 16 years while raising her son. She met a woman, Nohea, who took Puni in as her h?nai daughter. As a child, Nohea, meaning beautiful, was moved to California by her longshoreman father for better health care. Nohea had been born with polio and had no teeth. She was, however, a wonderful h?nai mother who was fun, went bowling and drank beer with Puni. Puni sang this mele inoa, Nohea o Keaukaha, for Nohea’s birthday at a bar-restaurant in California. Tonight her good friend, Aulani Viluan, sang the song.

Audience participation is a big deal at EKK. Bambi brought the `ukulele players he’d taught in the first hour to the stage to play and sing the song they learned, Ka Pua Maunaloa. This mele inoa was written for one of Puni’s aunts, the quiet one, who was always there, first to help, last to leave, always steady and could be counted on. She equated that aunt to the humble maunaloa blossom that has little fragrance but sews into a beautiful lei. It was the precursor of a now-popular lei style.

While Bambi was on stage, I asked him to demonstrate how great the mahogany Kamoa ?ukulele sounds. Each week, courtesy of the Kamoa company, we give an `ukulele away after intermission. Bambi started with a little pa?ani and then began singing away. It must have made a great impression, as many of the audience members went straight away to try for a chance at winning the ?ukulele giveaway. The lucky winner was…..drum roll… one of the EKK volunteers — Esther Solomon!!!

After intermission, Puni brought up the group hula Ka Wahine Helekahi with the help of her Kupuna Klub halau. All the dancers who learned the hula in the first hour went up to the stage and performed a truly beautiful hula. Of course, we need to confess that many of those EKK dancers are regulars at EKK and they can pick up a hula in a flash.

A second stunning video gave the background on the song M?lama I ke A?oabout the fire-spear-throwing sport of the ali?i from the high mountain in H??ena called Makana. Puni said the idea behind this song is that there is no time to be shy so the members of her Kupuna Klub Halau did the honors while Michael Keale, Thomas Nizo’s cousin, and Russell Wellington, Thomas’ best friend, accompanied the dancers with this song.

Puni shared a couple of very funny stories. A year after attending the Koke?e Music Camp, she was at the Civilian Conservation Camp (CCC) in Koke?e to set up an event for Leadership Kaua?i, for whom she was the director at that time. As she was going through the drawers, she saw a purple notebook and recalled that she had a purple notebook like that. When she opened it, she discovered it was her own book, left behind after the Music Camp she?d attended. In it she found the song that she had written at that time, when her relationship with Thomas was at a rocky low point. She?d titled the song K?loku.

She later attended a music event at Kaua?i Beach Resort, where she saw Keikilani Lindsey singing. She went to the green room to see him and said, “I think I’m supposed to meet you. My name is Puni.” In reply, Keikilani told Puni, “I’m supposed to meet you,” for his sound engineer Ron Pendragon had told him to look for Puni. Keikilani asked her to write songs for him, upon which, Puni shared the lyrics to K?loku. Keikilani wrote the music for it as well as seven other songs that he recorded on his new CD. Russell and Michael sang the song. Nice to learn that even a low point in a rocky relationship can end up as such a beautiful song.

Puni turned to Michael and Russell and said, “Yes, maybe one day he’ll ask me to marry him, and you can sing it for us at our wedding,” and looked at Thomas with a big smile. Michael asked Puni to share with the audience the YouTube story, his favorite, about how Thomas and Puni got to know each other. Puni asked Thomas to share the story from his point of view.

“Hello!” starts Thomas. “I wasn’t really stalking…maybe more like searching.” (Big laugh from audience). He had come across a video on YouTube of Hoku Zuttermeister singing at a gathering in Whittier, California, when he spotted Puni dancing the hula to Hoku’s song.

Thomas continued, “The video had maybe about 60 hits at that time, but soon it had a couple of thousand hits as I started to watch the video about four to seven times a day just to watch Puni dancing.”

They connected on Facebook but because California was three hours ahead, it was hard for him to wake up at 4:00 to chat with her, so soon he asked for her phone number at which point Puni said she had over 6,000 rollover minutes so that was fine. They burned through those rollover minute in less than two weeks. As entertainment manager for the Waimea Town Celebration, he brought Hoku Zuttermeister over as one of the entertainers and asked Puni to dance the hula to the same song and he videotaped the entire number. (This gives new interpretations to the word “stalking.”

As the evening rolled along, you could tell that Puni had great affection for her “lover” Thomas Nizo who was quietly manning the video projecter in front of the stage. Confirming this was her story about the song Milimili sung by Michael & Russell. She and Thomas have an ongoing challenge to see how many times their names, Puni and Milimili (for Thomas), is heard in songs. When she knows her name is coming up in a song, it helps her to remember the words. She wanted to write a song for Thomas using the word Milimili which represents the Lei Pahapaha or seaweed found on Kaua’i. When the seaweed is dry, it shrivels up; when it goes back into water, it comes back to life. “Thomas has taught me how to love again! I really love this guy,” she announced to the entire EKK audience. This love story played out on the EKK stage in real time was very charming, lighthearted and positive.

The final video focused on Queen Emalani and her many contributions to the people of Hawai’i for whom Puni has great admiration and appreciation. Puni was honored to portray the Queen at the annual Queen Emalani Celebration at Koke’e. The members of the Daughters of Hawai’i and the Kupuna Klub entered, chanting an oli, He Inoa no Kaleleonalani, and then danced a hula toKa Lei Kahelelani o Ema sung by Chucky Boy Chock, and Casey Planas. This mele for the Queen won the Hawaiian Language Award at the Kaua’i Mokihana Festival’s Composers’ Contest and Concert. Kihei and Mapuana de Silva of Kaneohe worked with Puni in writing this song.

Eia ko Ili’au, a song written for Queen Ema in memory of the loss of her husband Alexander Liholiho, Kamehameha IV, and Prince Albert, her son lost at an early age, was sung by Hi’ipoi Kanahele, often called the “Songbird of Niihau.” The Ili’au plant found up at Koke’e which looks like the feather kahili carried by the dancers, takes seven years to bloom and then dies. It was very beautiful to see each dancer carrying and dancing with the white feather kahili.

Puni is always one for surprises and one who takes every opportunity to share her mahalo. Having an evening with the EKK audience, one of the most appreciative anywhere on this planet, meant a lot to Puni. She called on her Waimea Town Celebration crew to present to EKK the donations made to the WTC table for the tee shirts that were given away to the audience. In addition, the members of the Kupuna Klub presented to me a beautiful white feather and kapa kahili that each member of the halau had lovingly assembled. “Every act of kindness will be remembered.”

Michael Keale led the audience in singing our final favorite song Hawai’i Aloha, without which the EKK audience feels the evening is incomplete. In the spirit of appreciation for an aspiring songwriter whose songs stem from a positive inner core of values gleaned from her mentors and the special people in her life, the audience members walked out much richer for the experience.

If you have a disability and need assistance please email Carol Yotsuda at giac05@icloud.com

Carol Kouchi Yotsuda, www.gardenislandarts.org — “Celebrating 40 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”

E Kanikapila Kakou 2017 Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, and the Garden Island Arts Council supporters with support from the Kaua’i Beach Resort.

Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Hawai’i State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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“Celebrating 40 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”