Mary
Mary Kehaulani was born on East Maui. With her mother being brainwashed by the missionaries it was forbidden to speak Hawaiian at home or dance hula. When she turned eighteen Mary Kehaulani decided to learn hula despite her mother’s wish. Here is, in her own words, her “journey to hula” .
Today, she teaches hula to her daughters and grandchildren rather as a kumu than as a mother. She understands but does not speak Hawaiian because her mother kept telling her that her Hawaiian was not good enough. Today, Mary Kehaulani teaches Hawaiian words to her two-year-old great granddaughter. She always tells her children to be stubborn and to never give up. Maybe as a result, one of her daughters recently biked up Haleakala!
Back then Maui was a very quiet place to live. When she moved to Honolulu in her youth she “freaked out” she says. It was difficult to adjust to the concrete jungle and she was shocked to see girls smoking and drinking. Later, Mary Kehaulani wanted to explore the world. She worked in an insurance company and then hopped on a plane heading for the west coast without her mother’s consent. There, she worked in another insurance company. After a two-year eye-opening experience she went back home.
One day, as she was working at Foodland, a young man approached her. He had seen her at a party on the mainland. She had stayed there only for a brief moment but it had been long enough for him to fall in love with her. A mutual friend told him where he might find her and so he came to look for his love. When he finally found her they married. Hula plays a very important role in Mary Kehaulani’s life and has helped her through the difficult last years of her husband.
Mary Kehaulani recommends to all young people to travel the world and seize the opportunities the world has to offer. Her favorite place in Hawaiʻi is ʻĪao Valley on Maui.
Mary Kehaulani, mahalo nui loa for sharing your story and your aloha with us!
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