Hawaii

Chapter 18

One of the best ways to learn about Maui and experience their culture is to get some hands-on time with their arts & crafts scene. The indigenous arts of Maui range from dancing to spear throwing, and date back centuries. Other crafts on Maui, like quilting, are not as old, but rather symbolize the influence of the mainland on this island, beginning in the 1800s. Lauhala  weaving is one centuries-old tradition in Maui, and incorporates the use of lau, which means "leaves" of the hala tree. The lau were braided and used for lot of things, such as wall thatch, mats, canoe sails, and clothing. YOu can see artisans today in Maui using lau to make handbags and bracelets. You can even learn to make your own lau craft.

From the days of old Hawaii to these modern times, one of the most versatile plants has been the ti (tee) plant. The many uses for its leaves through the ages are remarkable.
Commonly used in Maui landscaping, ti plants have long, broad leaves of green, red, or maroon, sometimes in combination. Some varieties bear white or purple flowers or red berry-like fruit. Widely believed to bring good luck, ti is often planted at all four corners of a home to protect the family against misfortune.
To further ensure good luck and ward off evil spirits, ti is used in the standard practice of blessing a new home or even a place of business. In addition to reciting a prayer, or 'pule' (poolay), the Hawaiian officiant performs a ritual. He dips one end of the ti leaves into a Hawaiian koa wood bowl filled with water and red Hawaiian sea salt, then shakes the leaves to scatter the salt water to all corners. Few people on Maui risk moving into a new place without the benefit of a blessing ceremony.
Around the house, ti leaves are useful in cooking. A popular Hawaiian dish, laulau (lou lou), pork and butterfish wrapped first in taro leaves then packaged in wrapped ti leaves.Ti leaves are excellent for steaming food within. They hold in moisture and lend a distinctive flavor for an ono (delicious) meal.
They are also used for imu (ee moo) cooking. Typically used for roasting a pig, the imu pit contains layers of rocks and banana leaves for heat distribution. Ti leaves cover the pit to hold in steam for a moist and tasty pork meal.
When serving food, Maui hosts use fresh ti leaves for table decorations, scattering tropical flowers on top. This looks particularly dramatic on a crisp, white tablecloth at Maui weddings.  Ti leaves are typically placed on a serving platter under food, making any dish seem fancy.

Sources:
www. maui.org
http://www.mauitraditions.com/

The Northlands

Chapter 17

The transportation in Maui included taxis, buses, car rentals, shuttles and motorcycle rentals.Most visitors to Maui rent a car for the duration of their stay.  Rates are reasonable, less so in tourist season, and the convenience is well worth it.  If you prefer something different, many companies rent Harley Davidsons, Exotic Cars, and mopeds or scooters.  There is now a public bus system on Maui, so if you're planning on staying around town, and prefer to sunbathe at the hotel and shop at the malls to touring the island and seeing the sights, then the bus is probably an economical way to go.  Click on the links in the table below to read more about the various ways to get around Maui.

There are about two dozen taxi companies on Maui offering tours as well as shuttle service.  The fares are expensive and metered by distance traveled (currently $3.50 per mile) and a ride from Kahului to Kaanapali is $85, and a fare to Kapalua from the airport is $100.  Suddenly $40 for a rental car doesn't seem like a bad deal!  Around town, expect fares in the $5-$10 range.  Limo rides from the airport are usually over $200 one way to or from Kaanapali.  Classy Taxi offers rides in renovated old cars from the 1920s and 1930s.

There is a new public bus service on Maui, run by Roberts Hawaii, along with numerous shuttle services operating from the Kahului Airport to South Maui and West Maui, between South Maui and West Maui, and within the resort developments of Kaanapali and Wailea.

The free Wailea Village Shuttle  runs along the Kaanapali strip about every half hour 9am-6pm, stopping at all major resorts, the golf course, and the Whaler's Village shopping complex.  Ask at your hotel desk for schedules.  The Lahaina Express shuttle runs from 9am-10pm, connecting various stops in Lahaina to Kaanapali.  The major pickup point in Lahaina is at the rear of the Wharf Cinema Center along Front Street.   

The Lahaina Express is also free.  The Wailea Shuttle is a complimentary jitney that stops at all major hotels and condos, the Wailea Shopping Village, and golf and tennis courts in Wailea about every 20-30 minutes from 6:30am-8:30pm.   

Sources:

http://www.maui.org/

http://www.mauishuttles.com/

California

Chapter 15


Luau festivities bring great cheer to the tourists in Maui. Luau is a traditional Hawaiian/ Polynesian festival filled with extreme dancing, music activities. This festival usually involves unearthing of the Emu. The most highlighted activity in the feast is that people bury a whole pig with banana leaves and hot coals. They roast it and unbury it and serve the pork with other Hawaiian foods. It is composed of Poi, a Hawaii staple prepared from taro, beef, and chicken. Luau offers a wide choice of vegetarian dishes and hence can also enjoy the feast with their favorite dishes. The culture and tradition are very well explained here. The add-on features with the traditional dance and other cultural events are the inclusion of Cirque du Soleil style acrobatics in the trees and fire dances. Most parts of Luau offer fire dancing. The professional dancers will dazzle the crowd with fire knife and other properties.

Luau is especially meant for kids and family entertainment. The Old Lahaina Luau is considered to be the most authentic Hawaiian of the Luaus. The excitement will be at its peak during the 'Drums of the Pacific', which takes place at the sunset. Every evening will start with the traditional greeting and complementary cocktails will find their presence. The display of native Polynesian crafts and other customary artistic products will enlighten the evening. It will then be followed by the splendid buffet dinner of the traditional Hawaiian cuisine. Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians will find scrumptious food being served by the excellent cooking experts.
Highly energetic dancers will fill the evening with their magical dancing moments. They are fast paced and display a talented showcase of songs and dances portraying the tale of the primitives. Chief Fa'a is one of the most fine tuned dancing experts who will grab the attention of the public with his fire-knife dance. Royal Lahaina Luau will make the trip an unforgettable celebration of dance, music, and food. The extravaganza starts when the cast dancers and musicians climb the stage. The fire artists start weaving their hands before they give their spell binding performances. The stunning movements of the fire dancers in musical rhythm can be exotic experience. The dance will speak volumes about the tradition being followed by the primitives. Fire dancers wave their arms to simulate fire and then reposition themselves for the various dancing activities.

The fire dances might last long till 45 minutes. They may have a theme according to the occasion. Resorts in the oceanfront Luau gardens offer greater views and joyful moments the sand beaches. Once the fire dance is over, people will start eating out their favorite dishes. Presence of an open bar will make the day for most of the men and women. Special "kids" buffet is also available. No other event could finish the day in Maui so perfectly. It is worth spending the money on fire dancing in Maui to collect sweet and adventurous moments of life.

http://www.mauidance.com/
http://www.mauihistory.org/

The Southwest Border Area:Tricultural Development

Chapter 14

Maui has a diverse cultural population where Polynesians, Hispanics, African Americans and Asians dominate the island's population.

Population by race:
White		43,421	52,894	37.4
Asian		39,728	40,061	28.4
Two or more races		28,484	30,756	21.8
Hispanic/Latino (of any race)		10,050	12,032	8.5
Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander		13,730	14,796	10.5
Some other race		1,743	1,806	1.3
Black or African American		509	664	0.5
American Indian & Alaska Native		479	323	0.2

Maui is so unique because of its people. Carrying the spirit of Hawaii through Aloha, you will find this islands residents to be some of the most friendly and welcoming people you have ever met. The ethnic diversity makes the people of Maui even more unique and has encouraged the growth of true community.

Maui Nui (Maui County) also includes the populated islands of Lanai and Molokai as well as the uninhabited island of Kaho`olawe. Today, Maui Nui is permanent home to around 140,000 individuals – or roughly 10% of the state’s total population. Currently Caucasians are the largest ethnic group accounting for 40% of Maui’s population with Filipinos, Japanese and Hawaiians as the next largest ethnic groups. Maui is truly a multi-cultural microcosm with many of its local residents claiming ancestry to one or more immigrant groups including Chinese, Portuguese, Samoan, Tongan, Korean, Puerto Rican, African American and Okinawan.

Sources:
http://www.census.org/
http://www.peopleofmaui.com/

The Empty Interior

Chapter 13
The wildlife of Maui is very diverse and interesting. You can see exotic animals, birds and fish throughout the island where each and every species will amaze the visitors. On Maui you can find Mongooses, Axis Deer, Feral Cats, Wild Boar, Hoary Bat, monk seal, hampback, dolphins, turtles,nene goose and more.


Only two mammals were native to Hawaii, the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinerus hawaiiensis) and the monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). The Polynesians, and later Westerners, introduced a variety of animals, including the cow, goat, pig, rat, cat, and mongoose. All of these in a feral, or wild, state cause considerable destruction and along with man, are responsible for the extinction of many species in the plant and animal community.



The nene, which somewhat resembles the Canada goose, was once nearly extinct due to hunters and feral predators. Protection and propagation programs have increased its numbers, but it is still considered endangered.






Facts and figures:
* There are at least 1000 native species of flowering plants in Hawaii. 90 percent of these are endemic, found only in Hawaii. Of these, 10 percent are extinct and 30 percent are threatened or endangered.
* As far as native bird species go, there are 140 kinds but 85 are now extinct and 32 are endangered.
* Hawaii has only 0.2 percent of the land mass of the United States, but 75 percent of the country’s plant and bird extinctions are of Hawaiian species.

The number one threat to the ecosystems in Hawaii is non-native, invasive plants and animals. Plants native to Hawaii arrived in one of three ways: wind, wings, or water. By these methods, one new species arrived in Hawaii every 10,000 to 100,000 years. Today, alien species arrive, usually by way of humans, either intentionally or not, at a rate of 20 species per year.

The east side of Haleakala National Park, the Kipahulu Valley, is closed to the public and set aside as a Biological Preserve. Only park employees and researchers are allowed in and the area in intensely managed to protect it from invasion by non-native species. The reason I was on Maui for three months was to work for the National Park Service to try to eradicate an invasive plant called Miconia. The park is actually being unusually proactive and trying to address this problem plant before it gets to the park, which is why I was living and working in the Hana area. Haleakala National Park has also spent considerable time and money to put up and maintain 34 miles of fence to keep out non-native animals like goats, cows, and pigs that do not have predators and destroy native vegetation.

Sources.

www. maui.org

www.hawaii/animals.com

The Great Plains and Prairies

Chapter 12
Maui can have extreme weather experiences, where wind, rain, thunder, heat and breeze can mix together and turn in to a horrible weather condition.

Maui wind is a combination of four factors:
Tradewind Effect
Sea Breeze Effect
Venturi Effect
Bernoulli Effect

The most common extreme that you will encounter on Maui us High Wind. Regular tradewinds are funneled by the island's geography and accelerated into some very frequent high winds. These winds are many times more than regular tradewinds. Even on a nice sunny day the trades can reach in excess of  40knots, gale force. This catches people off guard because they usually encounter such winds associated with storms and nasty weather.

High Strom Warning

A high winds warning is defined as 1 minute average surface winds of 35kt or greater lasting for 1 minute or longer, or winds gusting to 50 kt or greater regardless of duration that are either expected or observed over land.