The leather briefcase is worn and stained. Its screws and hinges are tarnished. The key to its locks was lost long ago. Dating back well over 70 years, it looks at first glance like something destined for the trash bin. In fact, it is a treasured artifact that provides a rare peek into the history of one immigrant family.
The Kona Historical Society acquired the briefcase in 2006, two years after its owner, Holualoa resident Terumasa Igeta, died. Inside, staffers found immigration and naturalization papers for his parents, Morio and Tsuge Igeta. Morio Igeta came to Hawaii from Japan in 1909; his wife joined him five years later.
Among the documents in the briefcase were Terumasa Igeta’s birth certificate and his diploma from Konawaena High School. A World War II veteran, Igeta served in the 100th Infantry Battalion of the famed 442nd Infantry Regiment, which was comprised almost entirely of second-generation Americans of Japanese ancestry. The case also contained records of Igeta’s service in the Army (including three battles in Europe) and his honorable discharge.
It is one of about 50 objects, works of art, oral histories and historical and contemporary photos showcased in the exhibit “E Hele me ka Pu‘olo: The Gifts We Bring,” now on view at the Kona Historical Society. Curator Mina Elison conceived the idea and collaborated with Executive Director Joy Holland, Program Director Kuulani Auld and Cultural Historian Pixie Navas to plan and mount the exhibit.
According to Elison, the inspiration for it came from olelo noeau (Hawaiian poetical sayings), many of which refer to puolo (bundle, parcel) as it relates to generosity, gratitude and giving. One example goes: “I hele i kauhale, paa puolo i ka lima,” meaning, “In going to the houses of others, carry a package in the hand. Take a gift.”
“To this day, when kamaaina visit friends and family, it is customary to bring a gift to show appreciation and goodwill,” Elison said. “But this is not only a tradition in Hawaii; it’s also important to people around the world. Along with Hawaiians, many of those cultural groups make up the rich tapestry of the Kona community, including descendants of European, American, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Filipino immigrants. ‘E Hele me ka Pu‘olo’ is especially apropos right now, given that the spirit of giving is top of mind during the holiday season.”
The exhibit’s theme is represented by actual gifts as well as the containers used to transport them (hence, the inclusion of Igeta’s briefcase). Items on display are from the society’s collections and on loan from kupuna, cultural practitioners and other members of the community who served as consultants for the project. Artist Gerald Lucena contributed a striking diptych titled “Menpachi and Opelu.”
First, he handmade paper for it from ki (ti) and wauke (paper mulberry) that he gathered from the Donkey Mill Art Center in Holualoa, where he has taught classes for 15 years. He embedded copper wire in the paper to create wavelike effects. With a deft hand, he drew the fish with pencil and watercolors on separate wauke paper, then cut out each one and adhered it to the piece with a clear acrylic, akin to varnish.
The artwork honors the memory of his parents, Joaquin and Victoriana Lucena. Joaquin Lucena immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines in the late 1920s; Victoriana Lucena was born in Hilo and raised in Captain Cook. The couple started their 5-acre farm there after they married in the mid-1940s.
Lucena still lives on the farm. “From the time I was young, the land has provided precious gifts such as coffee, lemons, tangerines, avocados, mountain apples, sweet potatoes, macadamia nuts, orchids and anthuriums,” he said. “My parents enjoyed farming — coaxing beauty and nourishment from the soil. They also loved the bounty from the ocean; menpachi and opelu provided many feasts for our table. Nature continues to bless me and my family with puolo every day — maybe not literally, as neatly wrapped packages, but the gifts are abundant.”
“E Hele me ka Pu‘olo” shows how gift-giving has touched the lives of Kona’s people in countless other ways.
“I hope the exhibit helps viewers see the importance of their stories and Kona’s cultural contributions,” Elison said. “I hope it sparks discussions about our values both as individuals and as members of our communities, no matter where we live. Much of who we are is revealed in the contents and the ways we choose to share our puolo, the gifts we bring.”
“E HELE ME KA PU‘OLO: THE GIFTS WE BRING”
>> Where: H.N. Greenwell Store Museum, Kona Historical Society, 81-6551 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, Hawaii island
>> Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through June 27
>> Admission: $7 per person; $5, kamaaina and military; $3 for children ages 7-17; free for kids under 7
>> Phone: 323-3222
>> Email: khs@konahistorical.org
>> Website: konahistorical.org
>> Notes: Construction of a 1,000-square-foot gallery at the Kona Historical Society is set to begin in the spring and be completed by the end of next year. Its exterior will mirror the 19th-century look of the existing buildings. Inside, however, will be a climate-controlled space that will showcase traveling exhibits, pieces from the society’s collections and art on loan from institutions such as the Smithsonian.
ABOUT THE KONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Kona Historical Society is a community-based nonprofit organization that was founded in 1976 to collect, preserve and share the history of the Kona districts.
It maintains the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum, the Kona Coffee Living History Farm and the Jean Greenwell Archives, which safeguards the largest collection of photographs on Hawaii island; films and videotapes; more than 140 maps; many rare and out-of-print books; and historical records, including manuscripts, pamphlets and oral histories.
The society offers special events and living-history programs, including Portuguese bread-making in a large wood-fired “forno” oven 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays. The interactive Hands on History program takes place 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at its Kona Coffee Living History Farm 1.5 miles away. Upcoming topics are “Balanced Bento: Pickling as a Mainstay of the Japanese Table” (Wednesday), “Backyard Groceries: Sustainability in the Kitchen Garden” (Friday) and “A Japanese New Year Tradition: Mochi Making” (Dec. 31).
In addition, the society presents the free Hanohano o Kona lecture series from January through October. Talks begin at 5:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of those months at the West Hawaii Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway in Kailua-Kona.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
