Aldine Amiel et Eric Roettinger

 

Aldine and Eric are researchers in biology at the Kewalo Basin. They met in France at Villefranche-sur-Mer while doing their Ph.D. They study the development and evolution of invertebrate. Hawai`i was a logical destination to pursue their work because interesting species of sea anemone, worm and jellyfish live here.

Fascinated by the marine environment, the couple is also passionate about photography. After high school Eric had to choose between his two passions and he picked the second. Aldine has been passionate about analog photography since childhood. Together they started documenting the marine life in France by making a portrait gallery. In 2009 they created a bank of images on Internet. This project became an association in 2010. Their pictures are now used on covers of scientific journals and they collaborate with journalists to illustrate books. They also distribute calendars and posters to raise people’s and students’ awareness about biodiversity and marine life. Aldine and Eric post explanations on the pictures they are taking on their website and on their Facebook page. They also collaborate with the Tara crew to document the marine organisms found during their expedition around the world.

Aldine and Eric satisfy their two passions with enthusiasm and determination. They are a source of inspiration for us all!

Thank you Aldine and Eric for sharing your aloha with us!

Melanie Hutchinson

Melanie Hutchinson works as a Ph.D. student at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology on Moku o Lo'e (also known as Coconut Island). The island and its research facilities have a rich history . The institute is one of the very few research facilities built on a coral reef. About a hundred scientists work on the island. Corals are extensively studied leading to major discoveries such as their thermal tolerance. Besides studying corals, acoustic research is done on false killer whales and new techniques are developed such as the “super sucker” to remove invasive algae from the coral reefs in Kaneohe Bay. Other scientists study the opakapaka (Hawaiian pink snapper) and try to find ways to develop aquaculture of those delicious but endangered fishes. The opakapaka is a long-lived fish that need about fifty years to become mature! Melanie also showed us yellowfin tuna tanks, stingrays, and her main interest, sharks.

Melanie grew up in Northern California far away from the ocean. When going to a camp by the sea in 6^th grade she immediately fell in love with the ocean. A few years later she visited an aquarium with her parents and decided to become a marine biologist. Before coming to Moku o Lo'e four years ago, she was a fisheries observer in Hawai'i. This experience made her worry about the bycatch of sharks and she decided to study the relation between sharks and fishes. Sharks are a long-lived species and they need many years to become reproductively mature. The shark population is in a major state of decline due to fin trade and lack of shark management for fisheries. Melanie showed us a large basin filled with a dozen of young hammerhead sharks she studies. Kaneohe Bay is a breading ground for these endangered animals. They eat buried animals, which produce electromagnetic fields that sharks can detect thanks to their almost-360° vision. Together with her team she catches hammerheads sharks in the Bay and implants acoustic tags to monitor their activities and movements. The data she collects give her a better understanding of the sharks’ behavior. Melanie is also a scientific diver, a skill that comes in handy to check and maintain the receivers that gather information from the tagged fishes. Once she got bitten by a baby hammerhead shark. “I deserved it”, she recalls with a smile. But the most painful experience so far, was the sting of a stingray on the back of her hand. The accident happened while she was tagging the animal, which tail came loose.

Once a research project is finished, the scientists release the animals back into the ocean. Melanie can follow them thanks to their implanted tags, always a little bit worried about whether they are still doing fine. Scientists have also used these tags to study the relation between sharks and tour boats. They found that sharks respond to the very specific sound of the boat engine and once they hear “their” boat up to fifteen of them can show up at once! On Moku o Lo'e fishes and sharks are fed from a distance so they do not associate food with humans.

Melanie finds the scientific program at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology excellent and she enjoys the nice community where everyone is grateful for working in such a beautiful environment. She says Moku o Lo'e is the greatest place on earth for her!

If you would like to know more about Melanie, the island, or the institute, visit this website.

Mahalo Melanie for sharing your aloha with us!

The Naked Cow Dairy

 

We met Sabrina St. Martin and Victoria Hauger at Haleʻiwa Farmers’ Market. Victoria offered us some lavender-flavored butter and we wanted to learn more.

Sabrina St. Martin came to Hawaiʻi four years ago to help her sister who is the owner of Oʻahu’s last dairy farm, the Naked Cow Dairy. The farm in Waiʻanae used to have twenty thousand cows and the milk was sold to Meadow Gold Dairies. Today there are only twenty cows left and the dairy products are sold in a boutique. A local favorite is butter flavored with fine local ingredients: sea salt, herbs, garlic, coconut, fresh pineapple, and even lavender. The only non-local product used in the farm is the grass, which has to be imported from the mainland.

When Sabrina started in the dairy business, people thought she was crazy. Coming from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sabrina finds Hawaiʻi unique because people are very supportive of local and sustainable agriculture. With an increased awareness for the importance of eating local, her business is now flourishing. Her dream is to expand the farm, have more cows and buy three hundred acres on the North Shore for more pasture.

Her favorite place in the island is the Haleʻiwa Farmers’ Market where she enjoys meeting customers, colleagues and friends. You can taste the flavored butters and even Maui’s beef burgers at her stand in farmers markets at Haleʻiwa, KCC, Kailua and Waiʻanae.

Thank you Sabrina and Victoria for sharing your aloha with us!

James

Back in Tampa, Florida, where he was born and raised, James was a DJ for a radio station. He studied recording engineering but has always been passionate about photography. He started taking pictures at the age of three! Before moving to Hawaiʻi about ten years ago he thought of the island of Oʻahu as a wild and quiet place. He secretly dreamed of living in a grass hut. Seeing this overdeveloped and hectic island was an instant shock for him. He now lives in Kaneohe and has seen it under construction ever since he arrived. Another shock for him was to see how nice and friendly people are, and that made him feel immediately welcome and at home.

He became a self-taught professional photographer about eight years ago. Even though people here appreciate and support local artists, very few of them can make a living out of their work. James does commercial photography but he wishes he could focus entirely on his community-oriented projects. In 2006 and 2007 during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month of October, James was invited to present his work at a gallery. He decided to make portraits of 23 women fighting breast cancer. Thanks to him, those women felt beautiful again and in 2008 a book called "The Survivor Spirit: The Beauty, Passion, and Power of Breast Cancer Survivors" came out of this project. The Kapiʻolani Hospital sponsored it and gets a share of the profits in return. James stays in touch with these women on Facebook, via emails or by having lunch with them. You should see James’ eyes sparkling when he mentions that the women of the project laugh and hug like teenagers when they meet each other! This project was, and still is, very important for the community by helping and inspiring people in similar situations. Did you know that men could suffer from breast cancer, too? Even though such a project takes lots of energy and time, James wants to devote his career to similar topics. He is now working with children diagnosed with terminal illnesses, and their families. He plans on making a movie about his work to get the children involved in the process in a fun way.

James has three children who are thirteen, five and two years old. The middle one is following his father’s footsteps taking pictures of everything. James likes to draw or enjoy a cup of coffee on the beautiful and inspiring beach of Lanikai.

If you want to learn more about his work, visit his website.

James, mahalo for sharing your aloha with us!

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!

Prime

 

John Hina (everyone calls him “Prime”) was working on his latest mural when we met him. His daughters Shanalisa and Arieta were observing him. The mural is part of a series of ten worldwide having water and its local issues as a central theme. One was made in Los Angeles, another in Oakland, and others are planned in the Philippines, Palestine, El Salvador and Colombia. Estria Miyashiro started the whole project. After having seen the mural on Pāwaʻa Street he asked Prime and about ten other people to join the adventure. Prime’s latest mural represents the water cycle in Hawaiʻi from the land to the ocean, “mauka to makai” in Hawaiian. The mural shows cold rainwater that makes taro grow. The water flows downhill into fishponds and continues downward in sugarcane and other crops before it finally returns to the ocean. The Hawaiians formed a thriving community before the arrival of the military at Pearl Harbor, breaking this cycle. His mural also presents a vision of Hawaiʻi’s future for water and energy supplies with solar panels, wind farms and vegetation-covered buildings. This future is already happening on the windward side of Oʻahu, in Waiāhole, where water turbines, solar panels and hydroponic gardens provide electricity and energy-independence to a whole community living on about twenty acres. Queen Lili`uokalani is the centerpiece of the mural because she was instrumental in making water a public trust before the overthrown of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She is depicted with David Kalākaua’s cape and crown to honor the monarch who embraced technology and change without compromising the Hawaiian culture.

Prime grew up on Oʻahu. His mother is Samoan and his father Hawaiian. As a child he used to swim in the Ala Wai canal. Now the water there is too polluted and his children cannot play anymore where he used to. They have to go elsewhere, away from the crowd. Prime remembers that when he was a child people knew each other and if “dad didn’t get paid” the grocer would put it on his tab. This personal relation disappeared when the convenience stores and large department stores arrived. Even though they were only three at home when Prime was a child, they used to cook for twenty and share with neighbors and with people who had no time to cook because of their work. Nowadays people are scared to share and to connect with each other. Prime’s father was not allowed to speak Hawaiian so Prime learned English and Samoan. Prime speaks Samoan to his children and today he is happy to see that Hawaiian children speak to their parents in Hawaiian. This knowledge has jumped a generation but is still very much alive. Prime now lives in Waiʻanae where he enjoys going to the beach with his five children. According to him, the aloha spirit still exist in the country but it is twisted in the city because the many different cultures can sometimes be a source of misunderstanding.

Prime came to doing graffiti via locking and popping, the ancestor of breaking (also known as break dancing). This movement was born in New York and it came to Oʻahu in 1984-1985. Graffiti is one of the “four legs” of hip hop. The other “legs” are DJ, MC (rapper) and B-Boy (break dancer). The graffiti community is mainly underground. When Prime decided to go public and to convey his messages on murals he did not have any support from his community. Today, things have changed and some of the graffiti artists participate in his murals. Prime has worked with people from Paris, Australia, Germany as well as with many other international artists who visited the island. Meeting them is the occasion for him to exchange experience and knowledge. The younger generation uses Internet instead. They learn much faster but they loose information about the creation process according to Prime.

Prime grew up in the city. He thinks that the concrete jungle creates lots of opportunities for graffiti. After all, aren’t the buildings a form of graffiti, too? Today there is a renaissance of graffiti and kids are interested in it. For the past five years, Prime has been working with teenagers living in difficult neighborhoods. He is teaching them the history, the etiquette, the respect, the rules of graffiti, and the lifestyle that goes with it. When the kids take part in the eight-week workshop he organizes, they have to maintain a GPA and he checks their attendance and stays in touch with them and their families. The kids start with “Graffiti 101” and once they reached the next level it is their turn to teach “Graffiti 101” to the newcomers. This way, knowledge is passed from one to the other. Murals are the most evolved form of graffiti and some of those kids come to his latest mural to watch and learn from the experienced artists.

Prime’s agenda is already filled for the rest of the year. He will organize a workshop on Maui in July and he will have a solo performance at the Fresh Café in Kaka'ako in August. His latest mural will be unveiled on July 7^th between 4 and 7pm at 905 Kokea Street. There will be a big party with hip hop and traditional Hawaiian performances.

If you want to learn more about Prime, visit his website or his Facebook page.

John, mahalo nui loa for sharing your aloha with us!

Krisha

  

 

Before coming to Hawaiʻi twelve years ago, Krisha Fairchild has traveled around the world. She visited India, France and used to live in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle. Krisha is a nomad. Three years ago she started “Nomadic Bags”, creating unique bags made from recycled fabrics. She finds most of them in thrift stores and people sometimes give her old clothes or rugs that she reuses. She feels a spiritual connection with the fabrics and says that they are choosing her rather than she is choosing them. Just as if they would be talking to her: “Please pick me and give me a second life!” And she gives them a second life, transforming old belts into bag handles for example. Krisha thinks Hawaiʻi is a great place to find treasures because retired people usually have lots of collectibles and military people often get rid of their belongings before moving off the island.

Krisha also feels a strong spiritual connection with Hawaiʻi. What she loves most and made her settle down here is the ʻaina, the spirit of the land. She loves the Hawaiian spirituality and the way the ancestors, the ocean, the land, and the family are honored. She is grateful for Hawaiʻi’s beauty and lives in the aloha spirit. Her favorite place is Malaekahana on Oʻahu’s North Shore where she lives. Malaekahana literally means “serene turning point” in Hawaiian and as she talks to us she is serenely radiating happiness.

You can see her creations at the Haleʻiwa Farmers’ Market where we met her or on her website.

Krisha, mahalo for sharing your aloha with us!

George 

 

George Garcia was the first person to introduce tango in Hawaiʻi. When he started learning the steps in the mid 90’s he found them crazy and had trouble with leading on the dance floor. Since then he has performed on the mainland, in Japan and in Buenos Aires. 

Tango acts as a magnet bringing people together. George is addicted to it and so is the growing tango community in Honolulu. The cosmopolitan tango community in Honolulu is relaxed and more interested in social connection than competition. Visitors and newly arrived people from around the world are welcomed in the community like family members. In a way, the dance floor is the mirror of our island society.

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, George saw Honolulu’s skyline change a lot throughout the years. The aloha spirit, however, has not changed and is still alive maybe because newcomers easily adapt to the Hawaiian life style.

His favorite place is the “Monday night Milonga” in Kakaako where everyone is welcome to dance Tango. If you would like to know more, visit his website.

Thank you George for sharing your aloha with us!

 Roberta

When she was a kid, she was a very picky shopper and knew exactly what she wanted to wear. But she could never find the outfit she had created in her mind. Today, Roberta Oaks designs colorful and vintage-inspired clothes and jewelry. Born and raised in an artistic family in Missouri, she studied graphic design and photography in London and she has spent some time traveling in New Zealand. In 2003, she joined her sister who was living in Honolulu and never left the island since then.

Roberta sells her creations to shops around the world and on the Internet. About a year and a half ago, she opened a shop in Downtown Honolulu to better connect with her customers. The feedback she gathers from them helps her become a better designer.

Roberta has seen Honolulu changing a lot during the past three to four years. Downtown’s artistic life is blossoming and the lively neighborhood attracts an increasing number of young people with different origin and stories. The island is like a small town where the very supportive local people make it easy to build-up a network. This is what makes Hawaiʻi unique for Roberta.

Her favorite place is the Mercury Bar in Downtown. If you would like to know more, visit her website or drop by her shop, which was completely decorated by her relatives, friends and herself, to discover her creations, including her fall collection available in mid-July.

Thank you Roberta for sharing your aloha with us!