Wai‘anae Ecological Characterization

Interview with Verna Landford-Bright

I was born in 1951, so that makes me 52 [years old] now.

I was born and raised here. My family has been here for over a hundred years in Wai‘anae. My great-grandfather is William K. Landford, my great-grandma is Keahimakani Landford. She's in the Wai‘anae book published back in the 70's about Wai‘anae Coast and my great-grandmother is in that picture with my grandfather on her lap on the horse.

We come from up Wai‘anae Valley. Back then it used to be called Puea, if you knew that place as Puea, then you would have had to come back from that time up to maybe the 60's. But hardly anybody knows except the old folks or maybe [those] my age.

My great-grandfather was a harness maker back in the 1880's, he needed land to let the animals roam so they leased from the Territory. They had nine boys. My grandfather's name was William Landford, Jr. He went into the military. I was 18, when he died, he was 63. My grandparents raised me, I was hanaied to [them]. My dad is Richard Landford, my mom died when I was nine, [then] my dad married again. My grandparents lived next door so I was always next door with my grandparents in Ma‘ili.

My mom used to always like to go riding to Ka‘ena Point. Every weekend we would go to Ka‘ena Point and visit some friends. Used to have the road out there past Mākua. I remember I used to count the orange balls on the [telephone] wire 'cause I used to get car sick so I had to do something to keep my mind on it and they never use to drive fast back then so take forever for reach where we're going. And had nothing out there. But had shacks at Ka‘ena Point, but no electricity. I think they caught [rain] water, [used] kerosene lanterns. The Lalawais used to live out there. They would walk to the school but school wasn't as important as it is now.

We would go early in the morning 'cause was one whole day thing. On the way home, we used to go around Water Park on that old road. Used to be so spooky, you know, coming home night time. We used to be so scared!

They always said the White Lady was over there. We no like see the White Lady, 'cause was one ghost, The White Lady! I remember everybody used to say, "You guys seen the White Lady?"

"No we nevah see the White Lady!"
But, yeah, I seen. You know how they imagine things?

I remember I was going Wai‘anae Elementary School and you know how you sitting in your class and you looking out the window – you not paying attention to the teacher – and you see something moving up on the mountain. And then your imagination get carried away.

You say, "Ohh, I see one lady, one Green Lady up there!"
So you tell your friend, "Aiiiee, you see that Green Lady up there?"
And your friend looking and he go, "Ahhh, yeah, I see 'um!"

And before you know it you tell the next person and everybody see the Green Lady and it goes all over the school and in like three weeks everybody see the Green Lady. Get one mountain right next to Wai‘anae Elementary School, that's where the Green Lady was and the kids would say, "Yeah, the Green Lady came down by the graveyard."

And nevah even have one Green Lady, OK?

I think about those days, you know, 'cause at that time you convince yourself there was one Green Lady. It started off when you imagine it, I remember saying that in class – "get one Green Lady" – I was second grade and before you know it everybody say "Oh, my God, get one Green Lady!"

Then afterwards you get older and I think about it. The other day I was flashing and looking at the mountain and I was telling this co-worker what had happened when we was young, when I was in the second grade. And she said, "You see that white stuff in the mountain?"

Was funny, you know? And I go, "Stop it!"
She go, "No! But you seen 'em move?"
I said, "Shut up already!", 'cause was spooky.

The White Lady and the old road just past Honokai Hale, get that back road yea?, and get one turn. Supposedly the legend was get one White Lady that sits there on the steps – used to have [steps] I don't know if still stay but – and they said that if the Lady comes out to the road, you get one accident.

That was just a legend. I think people just miss that turn or they drunk or something and they get into one accident. That's the only White Lady they see. But I've never seen any of that; but that's all kid stuff.

But it's funny because you remember those things, you know, and then when you sit down and you talk to your friends from hana buttah days, no matter what, they laugh... so you know, well, talk story!

My grandmother used to catch squid all the time, she loved to go pick squid, "poke squid," they called that. She liked to do limu and squid. See in the '40's they had barbed wire all along the beach front. But she would go and cut the wire and climb inside for holoholo, go kahakai in the beach. But she was the only person in my young life that was in the ocean all the time. My dad worked, my mom worked, they all worked! Just me and her go down the beach: she pick limu, she poke squid, pepe‘e, limu kohu. She knew where all the spots was. The beach was very, very empty.

But by the time I came along, nevah have barbed wire, was gone in the '50's, so you know I remember the beaches full of limu and everything else. We would go Ma‘ili Point, over there get the papa, the reef, that's where she would always go. No, I don't go there now, not in the last ten years, very few times.

Not like when we were younger, every day you're at the beach, every day, you hurry up do your chores, [then] you're out down the beach. All day until the sun go down, you get home you get lickin', you do all your chores, then first thing in the morning you go down to the beach. So the beach – we lived there!

I think for me today at my age and through life experience what I appreciate the most – 'cause I lived in Ma‘ili for 18 years – it took me that time to realize what I had in my backyard. What makes this place special is our traditional culture, our ‘ohana, the family. I remember when we was young, everybody in the neighborhood was family. It's different now, but your friends is still basically your family, your extended family.

It's different though, because it's so full of people, so much people. I think we cannot keep up with everybody and give them the old tradition that we had but what I hope that happens is we leave the legacy with our children and that they can carry it on and teach their children the meaning of ‘ohana and we keep the culture alive. Also what makes it for me is my heritage here. My family has been here for over a hundred years. We have participated in the community activities and did our part. I have seven children. I'm also proud of my ancestors in Wai‘anae Valley. There's a purpose for all of us, that's why I still live in Wai‘anae.

Reference Cited

Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Hawai. 2003. Record of a personal interview regarding life in Waianae between Lehua Lopez-Mau, Ethnographer, and Verna Landford-Bright, Waianae Resident. October 25.

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