Thankful to be in "Beautiful Hawaii"

 

We visited the "Bishops Museum" in Honolulu and spent a few hours there. You could actually spend a few days there because there is so much information about the history and culture of all of Polynesian and Micronesian history. We had fun and I now even more appreciate all these amazing cultures that have accumulated in Hawaii.

They also call all these cultures the Migration of Oceana and have mapped possible routes and time of these remote island migrations and voyages as they unfolded through time.

(They forgot to put on the Book of Mormon  migrations of Lehi and his family and the Jaredites...LOL)

The next adventure was the Hokulea Celebration at Hukilau beach. The group who arrived are recreating a cross ocean adventure that many years ago ended badly. This is a crew of people that replicate the navigation and sailing techniques that were used anciently to find so many remote island and sail the open seas using the primitive methods once used. They were met by a huge group to honor and support them. Some of the people are from BYUH both students and faculty, in different studies.

One our wonderful volunteers from the settlement, who teaches the Hawaiian alphabet at the school house, was part of the greeting group to welcome the dignitaries. Her name is Palapala and she is a very dear lady, who is diligent and actively serving others and has the sweetest spirit about her. She was part of the hula group that were beautifully dressed and did a lot of singing and chanting.

                                       

               This is Palapala who volunteers teaching Hawaiian at the Settlement Schoolhouse.

                                      Joan, Palapala and Ihilani, who also works at the Settlement

This is Kypo. He  greeted all crew members with a traditional forehead touch. Not sure what that means ...I will find out. He is our manager at the Settlement, employed by PCC. Back in the day he was a dancer and musician at the PCC. He is so talented. He leads our team in devotional daily and we are learning a Christmas song right now in Hawaiian to sing at the Christmas Devotional.

We attended The BYUH Studio Orchestra production of "The Golden Age of  Kiddie Record" directed by Dr. Daniel Henderson. It was pretty awesome. This was a compilation of stories and music from an age where cartoons were accompanied with the background music of some of the best orchestras in the world.This evening was special because it was the first time that this music has been played in concert by any orchestra since some of it was recorded over 70 years ago...thanks to Dr. Henderson.  This music was written by a musical genius Billy May, who was also an arranger and conductor for famous talents like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.  Billy May wrote and arranged over 70 kids albums. 

Dr. Henderson while doing his PHD in music got a grant at BYU Provo and wrote from the cartoons and stories all this famous children's music which is now cataloged in music archives there. During that time Billy May, then 86 years old, became Dr.Hendersens friend, mentor,  hero and greatest inspiration.

S

Some of the tunes played were 

"I Taut I Taw a Puddy Cat", "Daffy Duck Rhapsody", "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead", "Bugs Bunny Meet Elmer Fudd"," Puttin on the Ritz", Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah"

All of them so familiar to baby boomers and maybe even some younger generations!!!What a great talent!!