They call themselves the "troublemakers." Lawmaker, researcher
push HawaiianaRep. Kawakami and Earl Tenn
team up to make culture officialBy Lisa Asato
Star-Bulletin"The troublemakers of good things," chimes Earl "Pa Mai" Tenn.
Tenn and his good friend of 20 years, Kauai Rep. Bertha Kawakami, poke fun at themselves, but they're serious about getting their cultural bills passed in the state Legislature.
For the past four years, the two have successfully persuaded lawmakers to approve bills that assigned each island a specific color and flower or lei, made surfing Hawaii's official individual sport and hula its official dance.
The pair also is behind the state's new law officially recognizing May 1 as "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii," a practice dating to 1928.
Tenn laughs at himself when he reveals his thwarted plans to serenade a Senate committee with the tune "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii" -- a staffer talked him out of it. Considering his tendency to softly break into song during conversation, the revelation isn't too surprising.
"I just envisioned they were all going to join me in singing," he says in his lilting voice.
Kawakami and Tenn's partnership is simple: They agree on one topic to lobby for each session, Tenn does the research and Kawakami writes the bill. Her office informs him when the bill is up for a hearing, and he testifies.
Kawakami says some of her colleagues remark, "Oh no, she got one of those bills again," but it doesn't bother her. The laws may not impose fines or ask for funds, but they're important, she says, because they perpetuate Hawaii's uniqueness in an official, living form.
Last year when the flower bill came up for discussion in caucus, she won over naysayers with humor. She recalls pop-quizzing Maui Rep. Joe Souki on the flowers and colors of his island. Everyone had a big laugh when Souki couldn't correctly name "pink," she adds. Others didn't fare much better. By the end of the meeting she had everyone agreeing, "Yeah, we need this bill."
On Tenn's end, he thrives in the research process, saying his reward comes when he discovers gems in the details. Like discovering that Princess Kawananakoa judged the first lei contest, and all of the islands sent their lei to Honolulu to be scrutinized by the princess and her committee.
And that the pageants and courts, later embraced by May Day celebrations, had originated almost half a century earlier. "That's very interesting because during the year 1882 we still had a monarchy," Tenn says. "That was during the time of Kalakaua."
Although Tenn has a tourism bent -- besides serving on the Tourism Training Council under every governor since George Ariyoshi, he also ran a one-man tour company for 3 1/2 years, preaching world peace as he shuttled visitors to Punchbowl's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and Pearl Harbor -- his background is far more diverse.
In the early 1980s, Tenn accompanied Morrnah Simeona, a kahuna lapaau, or Hawaiian healer, to the United Nations, where she gave hooponopono workshops to delegates and their staff. His travels also have taken him to Mexico, where for the past 10 years he's taught Mexican hula teachers the fundamentals of hula auana.
And years ago when the state Capitol was erected, it was Tenn, who as traffic manager of Honolulu Iron Works arranged the transport of the Capitol's large, circular state seals, one of which is visible from Beretania Street.
Kawakami says Tenn has been "doing Hawaiiana" since he was born.
"He's the only guy I know who has so much Hawaiiana flowing from his mouth," she says. "He lives Hawaii, he's somebody who has all this in him, and it's a shame if you don't draw from him. Every time I talk to him I try to draw from that."
Describing his approach to life, Tenn says, "I go from moment to moment doing things as they come up. So if I'm led in interest to research for a bill, I do that. If I'm led to pull out a mele from my files to reawaken my hula teacher, I do that. If I'm led to kokua to (other projects), I do that. It really is a moment-to-moment thing. And making the best of each moment in a positive way."
As for the 2002 session, Kawakami and Tenn are already lobbing ideas back and forth. One idea they're excited about is inserting Hawaiian diacritical marks into the 14 volumes of Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Tenn, having put his editorial pen to paper, says, "I've already done the first volume."
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