Gender

Female

Birthday:

January 22

'O wai kou inoa? What's your name?

Marsha Leilani

No hea mai 'oe? Where are you from?

I was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i in 1949 at Kapiolani Maternity Hospital to Thomas Kahalu'u Aipa & Frances Sin Bok Kim-Aipa. I am the oldes of four siblings; two brothers, Nathan T.K. Aipa & Russell W. Aipa (deceased) and two sisters; Faith I. Aipa & Joyce L. Aipa-Lambert. Our father did not know how to raise us in the Hawaiian way but, our kupuna; Aunties Georgina Kahawai, Lani Madali, Keawe Patrocinio, Helene Aipa, and Grace Lee all tried to share what they knew to share with our dad in helping us grow up in a Hawaiian home (ie. food, culture, and values). My mother did her best to help nuture some of the Hawaiian ways as she was of 100% Korean; born to my grandparents from Korea she and her siblings were raised in a Korean style home in Hana, Maui; then Hilo, Hawai'i then eventually they made their way over to Honolulu, O'ahu where my mom and dad met and married. Although, I am a native Hawaiian my knowledge is minimum of my own culturalistic make-up due to my own doings because I have never taken advantage all that was made available to me while living in Hawai'i. Yes, I did graduate from Kamehameha Schools for Girls in 1967; but, no, we were NOT taught about our Hawaiian ethnicity because it was NOT part of our curriculum as it is today. Never-the-less, I do embrace who I am because of my kupuna because of I am a decendant of those who "survived". Me ke Aloha o AKUA!!!