5 selected as ‘living treasures’ by Honpa Hongwanji Mission

Masters in ancient Native Hawaiian arts and a Korean dance and cultural teacher are among the five elders chosen as this year’s Living Treasures of Hawaii, a program created by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii.

The 43rd Living Treasures of Hawaii recognition luncheon will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 10 in the Coral Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. The program, created in 1976, honors those who give unselfishly and continue to make a significant contribution toward enriching society, the Hongwanji said.

The following individuals have been chosen as the 2018 winners:

>> Mitchell Eli perpetuates and preserves the heritage of the Hawaiian culture as a master of the arts, medicine and ancestral health practices. Considered a “master” in the Hawaiian martial art of lua, Eli has emphasized the development of character and leadership through the values of discipline and self-defense through his school, Pa Kui a Holo.

Eli, also a highly trained chiropractor, continues his work as an author, consultant and mentor at the Royal Hawaiian Academy of Traditional Arts.

>> Mary Jo Freshley supports the preservation, nurturing and promotion of Korean culture through her teaching of traditional Korean dance for more than 50 years. She taught health and physical education at the Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, where she integrated dance into the curriculum.

Freshley, who is not of Korean ancestry, founded the Halla Huhm Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Korean cultural activities and maintains the Halla Huhm Dance Studio’s archives. At 83, she is the studio’s volunteer director and teacher.

>> Hailama Farden is most recognized as one of Hawaii’s leading language and cultural resources. He is often consulted as a name giver, a significant honor, and for cultural advice and translation, as well as for names of community developments, buildings, recording projects and musical groups.

Farden is also called upon as a wailer/chanter for funerals, using a distinct style of chant (oli) for Hawaii royalty and those of respected position. He is also a language, chant and music judge for hula competitions in Hawaii and Japan.

>> Gordon “Umi” Kai has been crafting traditional Hawaiian weapons or na mea kaua (“things of war”) for more than 40 years. He has become one of the world’s foremost practitioners of the art, considered one way to connect to life and cultural identity.

As a master in the martial arts (lua), he cofounded the nonprofit organization Aha Kane, where he shares his expertise in both lua and Hawaiian artifacts.

>> The late Takejiro Higa was one of the youngest Military Intelligence Service team soldiers in the Pacific at age 17 during World War II. He is credited with saving as many as 3,000 lives by using his language skills, learned while living in Okinawa as a youth, to persuade Okinawan civilians hiding in caves to surrender rather than be killed or commit suicide.

Takejiro’s team interpreted Japanese intercepted military information to enhance U.S. combat strategy and tactics.

Takejiro received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal on Dec. 17, 2011. He contributed to the Center for Oral History and the Hawaii Nisei Project, both under the University of Hawaii.

A retired tax examiner, he served as a volunteer for Hui Makaala, a public speaker at schools, and board member of the Jikoen Hongwanji Mission. He died in October at the age of 94.

For more information, visit hongwanjihawaii.com/living-treasures.