Taro plant

I MAIKA’I KE KALO I KA ‘OHĀ

This is roughly translated to mean:

“The goodness of the taro is judged by the young plant it produces.”

This wise phase is said to be a commentary of the behavior of children being a reflection of their parents.

O KA MAKUA KE KE KO’O O KA HALE E PA’ A AI

roughly translated means:

“The parent is the support that holds the household together.”

NASA's view of Mauna Loa Volcano

I KA MOA I HĀNAI IĀ I KA LĀ
I ‘IO AKU MAMUA O KA MOA I HANA I IĀ I KA MALU

roughly translated means:
“A rooster fed in the sun is stronger than one fed in the shade”

NO KEKAHI O KĀKOU KA PILIKIA MALAILA PU KĀKOU A PAU

roughly translated means:
“Should one of us get in trouble we will all go that way”

2010 Hawaiian Rain Forest Stamps

These handsome stamps feature a Hawaiian rain forest painted by John D. Dawson to remind us all of the important of preserving this habitat for the plants and animals that need shelter from civilization.

from the US Postal Service site:
Featuring a Hawaiian rain forest, the 2010 Nature of America issuance is the 12th stamp pane in an educational series focusing on the beauty and complexity of major plant and animal communities in the United States.

The setting for the colorful acrylic painting on the stamp pane is a rain forest on Hawaiʻi’s largest island, which is also named Hawaiʻi. Artist John D. Dawson painted the scene and each of the previous ones in the Nature of America series.

To illustrate the spectacular biodiversity of a Hawaiian rain forest, the artist depicted more than 24 different species. The scene itself is completely imaginary. Such a dense grouping was necessary in order to show as many plants and animals as possible in the stamp pane format. Even so, every species depicted could be encountered in a Hawaiian rain forest, and all of the species and their interactions are appropriate and were recommended by scientists.

A description of the rain forest and a numbered key to the artwork appear on the back of the stamp pane, along with a corresponding list of common and scientific names for 24 selected species.

In 1928 poet Don Blanding, sometimes referred to as the poet laureate of Hawaii, wrote an article in the Honolulu newspaper suggesting that a day be set aside to create leis, to keep this important tradition alive in the hearts of all Hawaiians. It was made an official territory holiday just a year later. It remains today an important day of celebration with parades and people wearing their hand crafted leis.

When Don Blanding died. in 1957, his ashes were scattered from lei adorned canoes off the beach in Waikiki a fitting farewell to a man who carried Hawaii in his heart.

KA HANA A KA MĀ, O KA HANA NO IA A KEIKI

roughly translated means:

“What parents do, children will do”

Aloha Spirit

The tradition of giving a kiss when presenting a lei was said to have begun by a USO dancer in World War II. She was dared by her peers to kiss an attractive Navy man and when she did she gave him her flower necklace and told him it was a Hawaiian tradition and made it so from that point forward. Hard to know if this is the true beginnings of this tradition but it certainly makes a great story!

Hawaiian Statehood stamp

First issued in August 2009 to celebrate 100 years of Hawaiian statehood this stamp was designed by the great Big Island artist Herb Kawainui Kane who died recently. Here’s what the postal service said about this stamp he adorned:

“Artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kane, who has dedicated much of his life to studying Hawaiian culture and history, created the painting on the stamp. In the art, a surfer rides a wave on a longboard, a popular choice among surfers for centuries. Next to him, two people paddle an outrigger canoe to shore. Kane has extensive knowledge and experience in surfing, a favorite pastime, and in canoe construction, a skill he developed from building a traditional sailing canoe himself.”

Herb Kane whose images keep Hawaiian history alive