User:Beverlynanihiga/Hawaii Memories of the Past

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When I was a little girl, I remember some of the special things that I did with my grandparents. My tutuwahine and tutukane were very simple people who lived in the town Kaawa. When we were kids we love going to Kaawa and visit with our Kupuna. Our tutuwahine was probably in her middle 50's. I was around 9-10 yrs old. My Dad was the 4th elders in the family. Our family would meet our other cousins at our tutu's home in Kaawa. It was always fun to knowing we were going to visit our Kupuna. We would get very excited that we could go swimming, look for shells, look for limu (seaweed) and play with our cousins. We would visit during the summer with our tutuwahine and tutukane in the month of August. Our tutukane taught us how to swim. We would all get on the boat and tutukane would move his pole out to sea, just about a certain place where it was not too shallow or neither too deep as he made sure we could not touch the bottom floor. He then would throw the coconuts in the water and make all of us jump off the boat and hang on to the coconuts so we can learn to swim. I was the scared one. I would be screaming and yelling because I was always afraid of what was in the ocean. When we all knew how to swim, tutukane would show us where to fish. Tutukane was an excellent fisherman. He knew all the names of the fish; he knew just where the caves in the rock of certain fishes lived. He would teach us how to get the fish out of these caves. He knew where the good fishes live and what caves were easier to get the fishes. He taught us how to build the rock up to make houses for the fish. Tutukane taught us how to fish, and how to eat them, and when to fish for them. He would teach us about the rising of the tides and lowing of the tides. I would say that we were luckiest grandkids to have a tutukane like him. As good of a fisherman he was, he was also was a good hunter. He would hunt for pigs and goats and always made us happy that we not only ate from the ocean, but as well as the mountain. Our tutuwahine in her own unique way had her own specialties. She would take us grandkids (all first cousins) with her to pick up limu (seaweed). She knew the exact spots where her favorite limu was at. When, where, what limu to pick up and how to pick out the right limu. She knew all the names of the different variety of the limu (seaweed). She would take us walking on the beach for miles just looking for the right limu. She taught us how to clean the limu, and look at the right color, and where it would be growing. Our tutuwahine was also talented as a weaver. She loves to make lauhala (Pandanus tree) mats for the floors. She would gather all the leaves from her hala tree in bunches and drag it to the beach across the street and wash the leaves in the salt water. Then when that was done she would bring the leaves back home and strip the thorns off the leaves. Then she would let the leaves out to dry, and later when it was dried, she would smooth the leaves with her long bamboo knife, removing all the rough spots off, including all the dirt and dust which settled in the leaf. She would make many rolls at a time and making sure she have right amount of rolls to make her floor mats. As we watch tutuwahine weave her mats, she seems happy and relaxed moving her hands designing her patterns. Tutukane told us a story of how he met our tutuwahine. He was fishing with his Papa on the boat one day. As they paddle in to shore, he got off the boat and while helping his Papa secures the boat, he then notice tutuwahine under the coconut tree waiting for family. As he was securing the boat he winked at her. She remembered that wink. As time went by they were always bumping into each other and began to get friendlier. I would say that tutukane was about in his early 60's as I was a young child and describe him as his hair was all white and he's skin was wrinkle and old and he had eyes of color. Our tutuwahine was slender and around in her middle 50's Chinese looking with her hair pulled back into a bun. She love to dance with our tutukane who never like to dance except to sing and laugh out loud. That was a long time ago.