Biography Hawaiʻi; Maiki Aiu Lake; Interview with Gordean Bailey 6/6/02 #2

On weekends, and all the women would sit and quilt. That's from my tutu, the quilt there. That's from my tutu. When we were married, she included that in a hope chest. You know, with linen and things. So I would always be there with the horses and all the quilts and the women would be quilting. Yeah. So I grew up like that. Thing is Hawaiian. And I found that in Auntie. Yeah. I guess what I was wondering is, you know, I'm a little bit younger than you. But it didn't seem to me like there were too many places in the community where you could go. Is that a bee? Excuse me. Okay. Where you could go and learn about being Hawaiian. In my mind, I guess I'm thinking that Mikey provided this space in the community. She did. So did Auntie Nona, though. Auntie Nona was very, very beautiful in the way she presented herself. Yeah.

And how to be Hawaiian. You know, always would share the stories of her tutu and Puna and all the songs that belong to the Beemer repertoire. You know. Yeah. Yeah. So a different background. Auntie was, while Auntie Nona had a mother and a grandmother to raise her. Auntie Mikey had a grandpa who raised her. And later on in life was introduced to her mother, you know. So, and that was not so long relationship too. So then she learned to be Hawaiian with her tutu Helen, I believe. Yeah. Who was the caretaker for the church in Paoa. Yeah.

So I think she told me that she used to dance out and became affiliated with that church as a teacher. And then moved on to Kaalmoku or wherever else. She moved after that. It seems like the Hula was really a focus of perpetuating not just the dance, but so many other things that were connected. Yes. With Auntie, it was mostly things of the Hula. And when you got to perform, you learned about who you were with and the occasion. And by knowing those people you entertained, you understood Hawaiianness again. How each person expected you to behave in a certain way. And depending on which party it was, your behavior was according to that.

And I never traveled very much with Auntie, so I can't really speak in my young time. I had to focus on school as well. So it was just Hula and performing in the Honolulu area. But I couldn't travel with her. Was that fun for you? Yes, it was fun. It was hard work, but it was fun. A lot was required of you. And I guess I like that discipline only because I learned from that as well. I took everything as a learning situation, as a new experience. And so it was mostly fun and learning. Did you feel when you were with Auntie Mikey and one of the dancers that you were kind of protected by being with her or being around her? I felt special.

Being around her, I felt special. She had a way of making you feel special. And so that brought out the best in what you could offer as a dancer. Here I go again. Anyway, I felt special. And yes, I did feel that I was being embraced all the time. She took me on a cruise. But this was after I was Miss Hawaii. We went on a cruise to Vancouver and down to Acapulco. And we entertained aboard the Chousam. Auntie, myself, and a fellow named Roger. Cunoho, Roger Cunoho. Did you feel like that relationship that made things that she gave you extended into the other parts of your life, too? Yes.

She would always be watchful of my boyfriends. Because I was 14 when I joined her and she saw me through the junior prom, the senior prom, and then Miss Hawaii. So she would say, and who is that gentleman? You better bring him. I need to check him out in her way. And so I would introduce my friends to her. Yes, she was very watchful, but on our wedding day, she was there decorating the church. So I, yes, I've had her in our home as we had our children. Both are adopted. So she would come and visit with us and help us nurture them a little. And always sending books and goodies for our children. And then later on, she and my husband would always be planning my life.

Little did I know that she was talking to him about me some day teaching as well. So here I am. She had that part of your life planned out? She did with him, yes. Did you start teaching? Well, after she died, the greatest prodder was Uncle, Uncle Kay, who I've been friends with forever as well. Auntie married him after Mr. IU, and he's been my mentor since Auntie's died in whatever I need to know that I don't. He also had a florist at one point until just a few years ago, and Auntie would come with him to buy flowers. And then I would, at some point, prepare for our Christmas reads, which I still do, and Uncle would market our Christmas reads.

And he would always be there to put her energy into what she liked. And as a kid, walking down to Hula, I would gather seed pods and leaves and take to her. And it would always be something she would put into a wreath at Christmas. She'd save the things. And she'd say, you know, you taught me how to do these things when you used to bring me all those pods, remember? And so it kind of revealed itself for me later on as we became farmers, and she joined our family here in Kula. And we still were friends and family more as we had our own family. That must have been a very interesting romance between Mikey and Mr. K, because they both loved the music and dance.

I felt it was. I could, being in the same room, you would know. And I could see the electricity there at our sessions when we would be preparing for concert or private shows. Yes, there was a love for the dance and a love for the music, and combined they were dynamite, I felt. It was just very special energy between the two. Auntie Momi has said that, and I would like to ask you this too, that she felt when Auntie Mikey started to use Mr. K's music that it somehow changed the... I don't know exactly how she's putting it, but it's just, she says it's like, his music really in live and her and do her like the combination for the dance was really.

Well, I, you know, I like Auntie Momi. I danced with Paul Alameda with Auntie, and we would do the Lucky Luck show. And because I, as part of Auntie's line of dancers at the Royal, I was at the Monarch Room with Auntie. Ray, Ray Kinney came on board, and I was 17, I was a senior at Roosevelt at the time, and we were auditioned, and I was lucky to have been chosen to be the soloist for Ray in the Monarch Room at that time. I had danced with her with different music over the years. Laouichai provided a different group. I believe Paul Alameda did Ray Kinney's music when we were dancing with Ray Kinney in the line. Let's see who else played for us. I believe Louie's Kalei Key played our music. Uncle Joseph, Kahola Leo, sometimes played music for us.

They all provided a certain energy, but when the lake trio started to play Auntie's music, there was a whole new and yet an old energy. While it was new on the scene as a music group, it was a very polished, old, regal type of music that had not appeared up until then, I feel. So putting Auntie's love for Hula in uncle's wonderful compositions, they were just very special. So you'll see that a lot of what we do is still old, because it's uncle's music mostly.

I think she did. I'm not so sure. That kind of is a little, while it happened, it was a little blur in my life. I was the dancer at the Monarch Room at the time, and I know what happened. I had just helped Matzen with their Miss Maritime Contest. The Maritime Association sponsored a Miss Maritime every year. So that year, Matzen decided they wanted me, and my husband happened to have been the guy in charge of that, and that's how I met him.

So it's been a while. My husband John Bailey was with Matzen navigation, and we both worked for Matzen. I had a dancer, and he down in the administration. Well, you represent Matzen in this Maritime thing, and I said sure. So I did, and that was kind of a stepping stone to the next Miss Maritime Contest, which was a couple months later. And so that year, they were inviting young women to participate in that, and with Auntie Mikey's prodding, yes, now I remember, and help with the music and dance. We created a medley that was sung by Ray Kinney for me that evening. I'll go ahead and come on the scene yet.

Was that unusual for Miss Hawaii Contestant to do the Hula? No, that's all we did, mostly. It was Hula. It was not to accept it at the national level, though. But we did Hula anyway. I tried to educate them a little. And that year, Auntie didn't travel with me, but Carol Whedomire was my chaperone, but we were in touch. And Auntie, for the local pageant, helped me put a medley together, which I still do today. What do you tell us the story that you told us earlier about your own? Oh, I believe it was in March of 1983. Auntie died in 1984. March 1983.

And Auntie brought a group of her papala-wae class that was to be renegade in September to Maui to help with Prince Cujillo celebration at Pao Cucallo. And she spent the evening at Diane Fairbanks' summer home up the way here. Who Lenny called me when they arrived to come and join Mom at Diane's house. And it was there in the garden that she sprung this possibility of me joining papala-wae. She said it was going to be her last class, and she was hoping that I could be part of it. And I suppose I had no choice. I said I would think about it, but from how it was left that day, I had no choice. Chanting on the phone was going to be okay.

And yes, I was in retrospect lucky I decided to take her up on that offer and joined her for her last Uniki. What was that? That was at Kaava. We had a place across from the ocean that she rented. And I just don't know how I got there, but I was there for a couple of days. I guess we drove. I think Edward Kalahiki drove me. What's that special occasion for you? Yes, it was. Because I had been a farmer for a number of years and getting back to the real hula, the basic part of the hula was a challenge and very rewarding for me. Even though I was reminded her, I was well into my middle years.

But that's okay, I'm glad I did it. Here I am. So when you teach, how did she influence the way that you teach today? Well, I try to just carry on whatever she taught me the best to my recollection. And I've kept all my music and dance sheets and I just share her mona-oha, her thoughts that she shared with me. I try to just pass that along, along with our basic hula methods. And in joining her papala, what she would come in and study with me in hula as well and bring me books and remind me of ways things needed to be done. So she tutored me as well along the way until that happened.

And so now I try to carry on what was taught in every way, whether it's foundations, lay, protocol, behavior. And we're not competing, hello. So we are here just to enjoy the expression of the hula as what's taught to me from both anti- and the beamers because I have been able to experience the best of both. And so I share that with those who come here. Is there anything that you would really like to tell us about anti-fake before we wrap up? Well, I just, in this her 77th birthday year, I just try to remember the good times we had.

I every may teach her song that uncle wrote for her, and it helps us to carry on. So I'm going to stop for a minute. Could you tell us what, you know, you know, you know, like these dancers are real identifiable, but we're wondering what to look for if you're looking for like a style and a dancer. Is there any physical things that that mark her style?

I think it's a combination. When you look at a dancer that was part of anti, it's a carriage, a behavior, a manner, a spirit that marks who that person came from. For me, it's a movement, the way they move their bodies and their basic hula. All of that tells you or connects you to anti, and it's an attitude in a way of life almost that you will see in those who have come from her. Okay, I don't have any more questions. Thank you so much.

That was wonderful. I hope it wasn't too hard for you. Well. Okay, this is a photo of Milton E. with Leila Cunningham at a garden party for the Maui Historical Society in Haiku, Maui. In the background, I see Uncle Alvin Machita and I think a little piece of Uncle Kay and the base. And we are here to help with this garden historical party. We're just going to roll on this for about 20 more seconds. Leila Cunningham was one of my mentors when I was a dancer at the Beamer School. And in this time, she helped anti with some private performances, and here she is with Milton.

I think that's Halal Miley. He and Kimo were there at the same time that was great. They're both in good shape. Probably, I don't know that name though. I don't know how I hear. My cousin Mary Ann Camara. Mary Ann. My auntie Lulu Mansfield. Her sister is Olan. This is a picture of anti at the same garden party in Haiku for the Maui Historical Society.

We came with her from Honolulu to help with the garden party. And this is anti on the front lawn of the Frank Baldwin Estate as we prepare to dance. I think it might have been about 1961 or 62. Oh, yeah.

I think it's a picture because I tried to clean the glass. It's that classic black and white speck. Oh, reproductions, yeah. Because it's all in here too. And even her face? Yeah, look. We never saw this one. Oh, that's good. Because anti-momi had a big collection. Oh, yeah. I'm sure anti-momi was kind of her librarian.

Thank goodness. It's a very good book. Costco has it. Good price. Yeah, it's it. So shall I go ahead? This is a picture of anti when she was a lohoic queen. It was a gift to me. So I don't believe I was there when this picture was taken. But I know it's a picture of her when she was a lohoic queen. In 1981. It looks like she's at the Yacht Harbor, Alabama. This music and Mrs. Papa, I guess Clayton Papa brought this to me then at that concert.

And I really don't know when it was taken or too much about it. Maybe you folks know more than I do. It was just a gift to me. I think so. I think about the same time maybe when that was painted, maybe. Beautiful. Thank you.

Thank you. Can you talk a lot to your students about dancing? Yes. It's been interesting because we went to a roller coaster in Canada.

I know I always honor her as we start our basic hula because it's from her that we get our basics. So they know who this person is and we honor her every birthday every May.