Today I interviewed Kapono'ai Molitau. He is the Cultural Specialist for the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. This was an amazing experience. He is very in tune and connected to his Hawaiian culture and has been since an extremely young age. Before the interview he asked me what I hoped to do with the interviews and information that I gathered. He told me that he had been a part of other oral history projects that simply get shelved and nothing is made of them. He told me that he hoped that it would touch people and make them aware of what is going on in Hawaii and perhaps inspire people to care for the land where they live. I promised him I would do my best. He is a true Hawaiian that spoke of being the physical embodiment of his culture and representation of his ancestors. He spoke of the concept of the land being the chief and man being it's servants. Rather than ruling the land we are to care for it and love it. He talked much of the ancient history of Kaho'olawe and the voyage his ancestors took across the ocean from Tahiti. Honestly this interview was overwhelming. I was on the verge of crying at times because he was so filled with a strong authoritative passion for his land and culture. I will really have to go through this interview a few times to be able to grasp and remember all that he talked about.
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