Catherine Tarleton
Cathey has been a freelance writer on the island since 2007, following a long career in the visitor industry. She is a regular contributor to Ke Ola and other Hawai‘i publications, and is the author of “Potluck: Stories That Taste Like Hawai‘i,” and “Mr. Mauna Kea,” a biography of longtime boss Adi Kohler. She encourages everyone to find the way to tell their story.
Buzzy Histo “Ola Kupa‘āina”
By Catherine Tarleton How can you not give them 10+? Everybody deserves a 10. They’re all winners,” says hula instructor, lei-maker, and floral artist Buzzy Histo from his Kalikokalehua Hula Studio in Waimea. A judge for the Hawaii Kupuna Hula…
Living, Breathing, Eating Music: Hawaii Performing Arts Festival’s Music Education Program
By Catherine Tarleton These kids have to spread their wings,” says Genette Freeman, Executive Director of Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (HPAF), an annual summer music immersion program that pairs professional teachers with potential stars. HPAF creates opportunities for Hawai‘i’s young…
Puakea Ranch: Sustaining the Land, and the Story
By Catherine Tarleton The high green hills of North Kohala have evolved over generations, from forests and farms to blankets of sugar cane and rolling ranch country. As do most places here, Puakea Ranch has a story to tell in…
Master Hawaiian Quilter Aunty Stella Akana
By Catherine Tarleton Lined with echoing ripples that mark her journey’s years, her face tells the story of smiles and joys and meticulous craftwork. With needle and thread, Aunty Stella Akana (“Granny” to her extended ‘ohana) creates master works in…
Mark Yamanaka: “Just a regular dude that loves music”
By Catherine Tarleton Only in Hawai‘i. Only in Hilo, actually, can you buy a car, turn on the radio, and drive away listening to a hit song by the guy who sold it to you. Nine-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winner…
Kolohe Diamond: Aunty Maile Spencer Napoleon
By Catherine Tarleton It could be “Twilight at Kalahuipua‘a,” or another cultural event on Hawai‘i Island where people gather to enjoy music, hula, and camaraderie by the ocean. As the audience waits for the first strum of ‘ukulele, the sun…
Crafting the Rhythm of Hula: Vea’s Polynesian Gifts
By Catherine Tarleton I had to make an ‘ulī‘ulī for hula class. If you don’t know, ‘ulī‘ulī is a rhythm instrument, a gourd rattle, decorated with a circle of kapa cloth to which feathers are sewn. Finished, it looks kind…
Sounding the Pū: An Echo of the Past Resonates Today
By Catherine Tarleton The tropically iconic conch shell trumpet, or pū, is often seen at the lips of malo-clad beach boys, sounding the start of sunset and tiki torch lighting time. The tradition of the pū is ancient, sending out…
A Mele Kalikimaka to All: ‘Elves’ Around Hawai‘i Island Helping ‘Ohana in Need
By Catherine Tarleton This is the first in an occasional series where Ke Ola Magazine highlights some of the important work of our on-island nonprofits. Enjoy learning about these two organizations and please support them. If you have a favorite…
Sounds of Peace: A Joyful Noise in Honoka‘a
By Catherine Tarleton What does peace sound like? In Honoka‘a, on Peace Day, September 21, it sounds like marching bands and taiko drums, ‘ukulele music, bon dance, bells, and gongs. It might sound like rock and roll with a mix…
Grace Under Stress: Kona Orchid Society
By Catherine Tarleton Older than the volcano, with roots in dinosaur days, orchids were alive and well as far back as 80 million years ago, according to the Harvard biologist who managed to date fossilized pollen from a now-extinct bee…
Giving Back, Paying Forward: Kona Brewers Festival
By Catherine Tarleton What do potato chips, compost, microscopic algae, high school seniors, runners, recyclables, bicycles, beer, and some of Hawai‘i Island’s best chefs have in common? They’re all part of the Kona Brewers Festival (KBF), a three-day celebration March…
Leo Sears: Curtain Going Up
By Catherine Tarleton Little did Leo Sears know, back in Kansas, that his first onstage experience in a local high school play, Curtain Going Up, would be an appropriate title for his own life drama and career. Even though his…
Waimea Plantation Daughter Remembers Georgia O’Keeffe: A Conversation with Patricia Jennings
By Catherine Tarleton “I know you paint flowers and skulls in the desert,” said Patricia Jennings, 12, to her family’s famous dinner guest, “and that you have a wonderful brush technique,” she added, recalling an article she’d read in Time…
Pages from Cowboy Romance and Reality: Paniolo Preservation Society Saddles Up
By Catherine Tarleton When I was a little girl, I caught horse fever early and as fervently as a suburban D.C. kid could. I read every horse book in two libraries, drew pictures, wrote stories and fought my brother for…
Gary Washburn: Jazzing Up a High School Band
By Catherine Tarleton It’s a bright, windy afternoon in Honoka’a for the Peace Day Festival, and the Honoka‘a High School Jazz Band is rocking the field with some big, belted-out blues by a diminutive female vocalist. The kids play with…
At Home with Mary Koski: Artist, World Traveler, Lover of Fairies
By Catherine Tarleton In the Waimea home of artist Mary Koski live flowers in windowsills, in bottles and pots on cupboards and table tops. There are two overstuffed puffy cats in the chairs, and smiling children framed on every wall.…
Gentle Rhythms—Becoming Kapa.The Arts of Marie McDonald: Kapa, Lei, and the Art of Lifelong Learning
By Catherine Tarleton When Marie Adams McDonald was an art student at Texas Women’s University, she was required to take a course in Texas History. “But I was never required to take Hawaiian History,” she said, “Even though I went…
“A Gift, Not a Bill”—Hi‘ilani Ecohouse
Sustainable, carbon-neutral, 4,000-square-foot, two-family residence—created by stewards of the land as a model for others By Catherine Tarleton Walking beside building innovator Robert Mechielsen along the steep path leading to his current Hāmākua Coast project, we pass 90-year-old Hāmākua coffee…
Roses in My Heart: Aunty Marjie Spencer
By Catherine Tarleton Marjorie Naholokahiki Burke Spencer has a little while to talk story before she teaches ‘ukulele class at the resort. Her Hawaiian bracelets jingle on smooth, unspotted hands as she waves and gestures, occasionally touching her face, occasionally…
A Paniolo Family’s Tale: Ichiro Yamaguchi, Son of Parker Ranch’s First Japanese Cowboy
By Catherine Tarleton In 1920, American women voted in their first presidential election; commercial radio was born; and the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 and a curse. In the Territory of Hawai‘i, Waikiki boasted five…
John Tanaka: WWII Hero, Inventor, Artist, Novelist
By Catherine Tarleton John Tanaka’s life spans 80-plus years across two centuries and throughout, he has remained youthful, inventive, positive and forward-thinking. His ageless face and energetic voice make one wonder if there’s a fountain of youth hidden in John…
Inspiring Visions in Glass: Artist Calley O’Neill Teams with Stained Glass Artisan Lamar Yoakum
By Catherine Tarleton If eyes are windows to the soul, then windows must be the eyes of a house’s soul, particularly a house of God, where stained glass windows cast cascading colors to illuminate the people. In the quiet little…
The Bread Line Stops Here
By Catherine Tarleton It’s a party at the Parker School Farmers Market, and Waimea is at her blue-green, sunny Saturday best. Evangelista and Palafox are rocking and reggae-jamming near the entry gate, between Woody’s tomatoes and the Hamakua coffee stand.…
