Kaponoʻai Molitau
Department of ʻŌiwi Resources Director, Maui County
as told to SAVANNAH DAGUPION
Photograph by Chris Amundson
“I grew up on the island of Oʻahu in an area known as Pālolo. I attribute a lot of my upbringing to my makua hānai (adoptive parent), Kumu John Keola Lake of Wailuku. The foundation I gained from him – in the world of Hawaiʻi and across Moananuiākea (the vast Pacific) – was wisdom I could never have learned in a Western institution. It has been invaluable to the work I do today, to my hālau (hula school), and to my kuleana (responsibility) in the community.
Papa Lake was a tough educator. He wanted the best outcome for you. But if he knew he could get more from you, he would challenge you. With hula, he didn’t care if you made mistakes – he cared if you loved the practice. If you loved hula, the rest would fall into place. He would say, ‘If you’re going to do something, do it really well and make sure there’s no question afterward.’
That way of teaching shaped me. I try to teach my own students the same way: not settling for mediocrity but inspiring them to love what they do.
I moved to Maui about 33 years ago to join “ʻUlalena,” a theatrical production in Lāhainā that traced Hawaiian history – from our origins to the overthrow to the present day. After seven and a half years with “ʻUlalena,” I worked at the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission, helping rewrite the cultural use plan and doing on-island work. When the economy collapsed, I was laid off. That was when I started writing a business plan.
Sixteen years ago, my wife and I opened Native Intelligence in Wailuku. I first approached the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for funding and was turned down. We decided to move forward anyway. At our blessing, a few hundred people were waiting at the door. My wife and I looked at each other and knew the community had been waiting for this.
My wife, Jen, is the backbone of Native Intelligence. Later, when we expanded, OHA supported our growth. For that, we are grateful.
Around the same time, I opened my hālau. I formally graduated to kumu hula (hula teacher) when I had just turned 21.
I remember a noisy flight to Hawaiʻi Island when Papa leaned over and asked, ‘Are you ready?’ I asked, ‘For what?’ He said, ‘I’m going to train you to be the next kumu of this hālau.’ At that moment, you don’t say no. You say yes, and you give your best effort.
Today, I see my own students growing. Some of them now bring their children to hula. That is legacy. I wish Papa were still here so I could turn to him. Instead, I recognize that my students are now turning to me in the same way.
I serve as director of the Department of ʻŌiwi Resources, County of Maui – the first of its kind in Hawaiʻi and in the nation – focused on ʻōiwi (native). For the first time, kanaka (Native Hawaiians) sit at the table with other county departments to help make policy and decisions that place ʻōiwi perspectives at the center.
It is a responsibility to represent our people in government. The Department gives voice to those who care for our places and ensures that development is guided by values rooted in ʻāina. We work to plan correctly, care for our spaces and create room for future generations to step into these roles.
The kūpuna (elders) and kumu (teachers) of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s laid the groundwork for the cultural resurgence we experience today. We have always been progressive. We must continue moving forward, demanding excellence of ourselves and holding ourselves accountable for the places we hold dear. We have one Hawaiʻi. We have one Maui. Caring for them is our kuleana.
Papa Lake once told me, ‘nānā i Hawaiʻi i kuʻu mau maka’ – look at Hawaiʻi through my eyes. What he meant was that if you look at Hawaiʻi through the timeline of history, you see differently. I wanted to emulate him so fully that if I chant and sound like him, I know I am channeling ancestral voices. That connection is what allows us to teach those who come after.
Learning happens wherever you allow it. Surround yourself with people who will grow your ʻike (knowledge) – and you will benefit.”
