Posted by Robert Ebanez on February 2, 2009 at 5:00pm
It was just before my older brother Keli'iKahi's Ka'u High School graduation in 1967. They had to prepare for his graduation party by going Holo Holo (fishing),you not suppose to say fishing just holo holo. I was 10 years old and my nephew Ryan Carlos was 11 years old.Yeah, I was an uncle when I was born in 1957. Imagine that; try explaining this to your hanabata friends while growing up in Ka'u. They thought I was joking. So to avoid a long presentation of how I am an uncle, I would introduce Ryan to my friends as my cuzin. That they understood.It made me feel like a grown man at 10 years old, being an uncle for 10 years. I remember telling mom since I'm an uncle can I drink beer with Uncle J.B. and Uncle Sam. She pulled my ear...it still hurts....We left Pahala in the evening and headed out to South Point (Kalae) it means the point in Hawaiian, my first-born grandson name is KaLae, He is 3 years old today. We were in two vehicles since we had about 12 people. Their goal was to catch a'ama crab. The black crab you see crawling on the rock.The night sky had no moon which means pitch black . They told Ryan and I to wait up at the cliff while they catch crab and fish in the pools below. We had our flash lights as we proceeded to follow them along the top of the cliff as they were fishing and crabbing .Then Ryan and I saw a large stone wall on the makai side of where we were. We shined our flash lights trying to see what this wall was. Then our hairs on our bodies stood up...You know what I mean...Freaking obake....We starting yelling at my brother that we wanted to go down to them. They yelled back at us saying NO. Stay up there, too dangerous down here, they said.Now, what would you do in our situation? Stay and maybe see your ancestors..or run down the cliff and get licking from your big brother. I chose to see my ancestors...Then we heard people talking. It got louder and louder and it was in Hawaiian. Then we heard someone playing the uke...That was it .. licking or not...I'm not hanging around here...I bolted down the cliff and left Ryan crying on top the hill...every man for himself brah...besides he is a city boy visiting Ka'u...I gotta break cuzin into the family..right?..he he.. I'm sorry Ryan...My brother was pissed with me not so much running down the hill but, leaving Ryan on top the hillcrying. He eventually came down and we finished our crabbing and fishing with nets.Driving home full of a'ama crab and some fish for Keli'iKahi's graduation party,we were now on the main highway heading towards Wai'ohinu, something that we saw crossed the road and our car stalled. Now, our other group in the other car behind us also stalled. So here we are stalled on the main highway at 3am heading back to Pahala and no one is on the highway for miles except us.Our head lights was still working,but we could not start the cars. My Uncle John Keliikahi Brown all of his 6 foot 7 body climbed out of the car and started to chant in Hawaiian. It was ire watching all this unfold in time. Uncle JB took some fish and crab and place them on the highway on both sides of the road. Then he came back and pissed around our car. I remember seeing his ding ding..what....that's the truth....that's how I know he was pissing.He got back in the car and told my brother, okay we can go.. he turned the key and the car started and so did the other car. off we went....The lesson here is that we all should pay attention and respect to our aina and our culture...no be kolohe like me...he he..Aloha noBobby E
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