Casting a small net
By Kilinahe Noa
for big lessonsALOHA is the word I heard each day as a child. I was born and raised in a very remote part of the Hawaiian islands, in the district of Hana -- often referred to as heavenly Hana -- on Maui. At birth I was given the name of my great-grandfather Kilenahe. He was said to be the best kilo (fish spotter) in Hana.
We lived on a peninsula called Kawaipapa (the water rocks). This area is true to its name, for there was fresh water all around us, and the ocean as well.
When I was about 11 years old, my grandfather made me a throw net that was designed for my height and weight. This net was about 10 square feet wide. The normal size of a net is about 16 to 24 square feet wide. The better you are at using the net, the bigger the net size that you are able to handle.
Before I could put my hands on the net, my grandfather told me where to place the net when I was finished using it. My grandfather made me put it in a pillow case that was in his room. Before I put the net in the pillow case, I had to rinse the net. I had to hang it up so the net was fully stretched out, then let it drip dry. He said that if he ever found it somewhere else, this net would no longer be mine.
I realized that his strictness was meant to teach me respect for tradition and respect for the ocean. He often reminded me that one only takes from the sea what one is going to eat. Fishing was the only real entertainment that I knew in isolated Hana, and fish was a big part of my family's daily diet.
Before I learned to throw the net in the ocean, my grandfather made me throw net in my front yard. It took about two weeks before he let me throw the net into water.
On my first try in the water, I didn't aim for anything, I just let the net go. I didn't catch a single fish. But I got better as time passed. Papa Noa continued to monitor my skills.
However, Papa was getting old and moving slow. I realized that his days of sharing his knowledge were coming to an end. November was here and winter set in.
One day, I heard him call me. Grandpa asked a favor of me and bestowed on me the privilege of handfeeding the iwi bird. One week later, Grandpa Noa passed away.
I have since graduated to a bigger net, but I still have the first net I owned in Hana. Whenever I go to the beach to throw net, I try to remember what my grandfather taught me.
In spite of my grandfather's instruction, I sometimes forget to put my net away. My dad gets on my case and reminds me what Grandpa told me when I first started. When he brings up Grandpa's name, I don't say a thing. I just do what is needed.
Kilinahe Noa is a junior at Kaiser High School. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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