Date: February 9th, 2022

Location: Lehia Grassy Field

Keaukaha, HI

Interviewer: ʻĀina Ioane and Haʻawina Wise

Interviewee: Hana Vititua

Summary:

In an interview with Hana Vititua he explains that the sovereignty Movement brought him into Lehia. At that time, the houseless Hawaiians at Onekahakaha and Break Wall were being evicted and went to Lehia for refuge. He further explains that life in Lehia was like “one big family,” everyone helping out each other. He remembers fishing and teaching the kids and families how to live this lifestyle. He originally built the ahu, which sits at the grassy field at Lehia Park, to represent those friends and family members who had passed and preferred to have their final resting place be the shoreline of Lehia, as well as those who passed at the old Pu’umaile Hospital. He recently rededicated the ahu to represent the new generations usage of the place. 

Hana Vititua:

K, what brought, started the whole ding was sovereignty, because sovereignty was a new ding at the time and I was just learning about sovereignty.. And I moved in I would say like in da late eighties, yah in the late eighties and das when I started to occupy Lehia and at the time I was, I was occupying Lehia, i had some friends from Moloka’i dat came in and help me with da Hawaiian (? merds) Program and das how I occupied in here, and den just so happen the ocean came up and when clean da ‘aina, so I had to move out for a while den I moved back in and dis all happened at the same time Onikahakaha beach people was getting evicted and not too long afatah dat, break wall peoples got evicted, and dey all started to move down into Lehia. Back den everybody was helping one anadah, it was living like one big family. I had a good time fishing in hear and teaching a lot of kids and family how to survive dis life. It was pretty interesting. Dey, dey learned a lot and it was a good example while I was living in heahh and da ahu was cause I have a lot of friends and family that had passed away and had preferred being put out in da front of Lehia and das so I build dis ahu back here for represent dem and da hospital das used to be heaahh and today I had to update da ahu for da purposes of da new generation dat moving in. Two years ago I was having some difficulties out front and I came in and asked M.A.H.A if I could move back in and I had to go on the waiting list like everybody else and apply with Hawaiian Homes Lands first make sue you got all your records done with Hawaiian Homes Land and den I came in seen M.A.H.A and M.A.H.A O.K’ed everything and I had to return back to hawaiian Homes and den Hawaiian Homes said yah, o.k cause M.A.H.A said o.k. And das why I chose to live in heah and if my family member want to get on board I would put them also on it, and if dey dont da place go back to M.A.H.A