Mauna Kea Oral History Appendix - Office of Mauna Kea Management

KM: Hmm.
RG: I don’t know if it’s correct or not, I don’t know that Willie was a real…had a lot of church
faith, or whatever you might say. He might go to church once in a while but not too often,
so that might have been the reason that there were no prayers or something.
KM: That’s kind of your recollection
RG: I’m sure there was no prayer.
KM: How about…and that is an interesting thought too about… Was there ever a time when
you know, you folks were out in the field and…have you ever heard of night marchers
They talk about night time or the spirit or you might see lights coming down one of the old
trails Do you remember there being a time where someone broke out in chant or calling
out in Hawaiian to somebody to leave them alone or
RG: I just heard stories on the Mänä Road someplace. There was something like that, and
then Saddle Road going up to Waiki‘i, down by the turn off out here. Somewhere around
there, there was a light that used to come on and off. Those are the only things
[chuckling].
PG: The fire ball, it followed you on the way to Kona .
RG: Chanting, no.
KM: Do you remember, you mentioned that intersection on the Waiki‘i Road, off of the
Waimea-Kona Road. Did you hear that there was a prison out on that road, near that
road intersection somewhere at one time
RG: There was. You know where those eucalyptus trees are
KM: Uh-hmm.
RG: Just as you turn up on the right, makai side of the road. That’s where the prison camp
was.
KM: Do you recall what time that prison camp was from Was it after when you were here
RG: No, no, nobody was there. When I was there it was already pau.
PG: It was for building the road wasn’t it
RG: Yes.
KM: Uh-hmm. Do you know who the primary prisoners were
RG: No.
PG: No friends of yours, Rally
RG: No.
KM: [chuckles]
RG: That was, I think from Waimea to Ke‘ämoku, that’s the road that they put in.
KM: Yes. You know what’s amazing! I’ve just been doing this large indexing project of
Hawaiian Language Newspapers. In 1895, there was that attempted…the Wilcox
rebellion, when they were trying to restore the Queen to the throne
PG: Yes. Is that Sam Noland and Wilcox
KM: Yes. You should see the articles in the Hawaiian language about the guys being shipped
over from Honolulu, like animals, as it’s described into Hilo Harbor. Being put to prison
labor on at that time, the new Hilo-Volcano road and the roads out here and stuff. I was
just curious, you know about that prison site
Mauna Kea– “Ka Piko Kaulana o ka ‘Äina”
Kumu Pono Associates LLC
A Collection of Oral History Interviews (HiMK67-050606) A:38