I was so happy to read the story in the Star Bulletin about Kunia. Koo-nee-AH. KU-nee-ah. If you’re old school, if you are true to da pidgin English, IF you from Kunia - dey say: KOON-yuh!
http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/29/news/story01.html
One plantation village saved. They have the greatest view and it would be so sad to see that place riddled with condos and so miss labled - AFFORDABLE HOUSING. In whose lifetime? But I digress.
I have a lot of fond memories of Kunia. My first job was there. My bestest friends are from there. I think I was 12 or 13, when I first went to Kunia. I got drugged there, you know back in da day wen parents say WE going here or there. There was no debate, you just went like it or not, go or get licking and you going still end up going so may as well just go. We went for a rosary/prayer thingee watchamacallit. What was its a catholic thing? Hmmmm
Santa Catalina? No its not Santa like Santa Clause, you have to use your bookbook Spanish accent: Sun-TAH KahTAHleenah. LOL Or something to that effect.
We had to pray then eat. Cause you know if you are gonna make people pray, you betta feed’um. Kunia has a lotta mana’o. It juss does. I think that has to do with aina and the people there. It is rich in “stories.” I always think I know plenny stories about Kunia anden I hear my friends tawkstory and its too much fun.
Kunia people are…. FUNNY. Drama, dysFUNction, like any other small village town, its where everybody knows your business before you do.*L* Anyway back in day da day was la dat.
I was reading the comments made about the article and some of that shitjusspiss the crap outta me. Cause everything is political and its all about something else and dis dat an the other. Kunia is not getting developed into a Mililani, you guys cannot just be happy about dat? Kunia remaining as is for now, people no have to get uprooted and move to “affordable” housing.
Kunia has all these landmarks & notable places nothing thats on a map or anything; Pregnant Lady, Tree Rocks lol Three Rocks, da bridge wit da crying baby. Some of the stuff I was told was BS, cause I was da outsider and my friends told me anykine lolo stuff that I kinda believed and moe worst I remember.
Like last time I was talking story with my #1 Kunia friend; I asked “Woteva happened to da hermit dat live up in da mountains?” She looked at me like I was nuts, “wot hermit?” I told her da stories dey told me. She looks at me and says “you know I tink we told you plenny bull lie-ya kine stories yeah; moe worst you rememba’um.” *L*
Kunia Store was da place to be wen pau hana in da pineapple fields. OH as da only place get. Our Luna & ada peoples use to call us da Hollywood gang. Had all da 15-16yr olds from Kunia and me; instead of wearing goggles on da truck us all wore sunglasses. We were bad. LOL Anden we would put our goggles over our sunglasses, da luna use to come check if get space on da side. If get space gotta hemo da sunglasses but if da goggles touching against da skin den ok. Speaking of Lunas, who was my luna? HAJIMI!
Anden I had Mr. Funai too. Mr. Funai was one teacha from Wailua HS I think. He was funny. One of da ada girls from Waipahu, even doe her Filipino her last name was O’Clary. Mr. Funai was like ha’come Filipino get Irish last name, I going make my name O’Funai moe betta. I had fun working pineapple fields. One lesson I learned working pineapple field is no drink in da hot sun cause da pineapple fields start moving up and down ja’like waves.
One person in Kunia use to call me Gawjess. Too funny, Timoche. I neva mean to get him all “messed up” on Boonseberry or Key Largo or woteva cheap wine had at SS’s graduation party. Bugga was walking down 2nd street (or is it 3rd) yelling for GAWjess. Nobody could figgah out who GAWjess was including me. Who knew? Dey took him home and next ting you know he was walking down da street looking fo’GAWjess. GAWjess you get som’moe fo’drink, you my friend hah GAWjess? *L* Cause see way earlier, Timoche was sitting next to me and we talking country right so people pass da bottle or cup around share. So if I got it I pass it to Timoche, I neva know everytime I gave it to him he would drink. I didn’t drink all da time, I pass’um on. Well somebody drank enough for both of us. Good memories.
Kunia is funny la dat. One of my ada Kunia friends wants her ashes spread on the yard of the house that she grew up in (YEAH RD! lol). Um’ hello, somebody still stay live deya? *L* Kunia people are da best. Da stories are even betta. hehehehhe
Get Kunia Village reunion every other year (the even years) at where else; California Hotel in Las Vegas. They just had one this past May so the next one is first weekend May 2010. I like go just to hea da stories…….
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May 30th, 2008 at 1:13 am
So Lika, how come u neva geev dis to Kamaka so he put em’ in da Hanabudda stories? He find out u wen put em’ in ea he goin’ hav da Jaws wit u. Nah! I seen dat story too an thought ho, at least deah still savin’ some places on Oahu. Waianae sai still lookin’ good like almost use to be. I wen walk behind Hanabusa’s da lass time an neva change da house’s back deah, well except mebbe couple peeps livin’ insai deah car. An jus’ recently we wen git wun small box from da lady dat work da regitah at da Waianae stoah cause we wen send her wun Christmas box. Wenwe wuz deah she wen geev us wun box mangoes an wuz so ono along wit some avacado’s too. Das aloha tho. She dunno us dat well but see us alla time wen we come visit an she always say, “Ho, u guys stay back?” An all in dat sing song voice dat most of us wen fogit yah? But eh, mahalo fo’ sharin’ Kunia dreams an memories now go send em’ to Kamaka.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I agree wit da babooze. Send um foa hanabata days stories. NOW! It’s a wonderful story.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Lika that was a nice story about Kunia. Az the only plantation camp left on the islands! All the other plantation camps all no moe!!!! I am so glad for the people who can stay back and as the ones who going work for the agricultural company that taking ova the place and the retirees. If you not going work for the new company you gotta find one other place to live. When we use to live in Kunia my dad told us the rent was $32.00 a month! Then the compnay went raise the rent to $400.00 just before Del Monte went close down. Now the new company stay charging those guys between $600.00 and $900.00 depending how many rooms your house get. Thet have 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses ova dea!!! My old house still dea and I still remember climbing in and out my bedroom window. Those were the memories of my high school days. Kunia was a nice looking camp then. The company who was CPC then Del Monte use to paint the houses every so many years to make it look decent and we had cut grass man who cut all the grass for us, so our yard look nice. If you see water bottles in the yard, you know as to ward off the loose dogs from making poo poo in your yard. I remember I use to know all the loose dogs and turn corners to avoid them. And I use to walk ova that bridge they said they hear baby crying at nite!!! Nobody I knew from Kunia walked over that bridge at nite, they all ran from the light on the first hill to the light at hill past the bridge. But Kunia was a place I will remember my days as a little kid till I graduated and had that party where Timoche called Lika “gawchess!” Poor Timoche he died several years ago. But our memories with him was fun memories. He was a funny guy, but too bad he died young! And I think my name still carved up there at “Three Rocks!” Beautiful memories of us riding our bicycles up there! Marsha was usually the leader!! I had a blue Schywnn bicycle. Oh well Kunia is the days of my youth and I still go there just to reminise. The last time me and my two brothers and sister went infront of the house we grew up in to take pictures. We have all left Kunia and we live around Oahu, but Kunia is where we go back to remember the memories of mom and dad jamming every Friday nites, or Santa Catalina where we walked around the camp with candles to honor the Virgin Mary then we all meet at the gym and eat!!! That was the good part. Our May Day programs, our Christmas Programs where the company gave us gifts and a fruit and nut package!!! Yes that were days of my memory of Kunia. and oh working in the fields. No I wasn’t in the glamour gang, because my gang was made up of Kunia girls who was called “The Hubbah Hubbah Gang!” or Tamba’s girls. We worked hard and made “contract” almost every nite! If you was glamour you wouldn’t last in our gang, cause we no take breaks at road side like the glamour gang. We tell the machine operator who driving to “go! go!” that way he know not to stop at the roadside. Oh well Kunia “I will always remember the memories!”
May 31st, 2008 at 11:29 am
Aaaah Mahala fo’dat Sand ~ Da MAY day Queen! How’s da King, still hum-bugging? LOL
June 1st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I dunno where my King is at! But he lost in this world. The last I heard of him he had all kine of drama’s! See he wasn’t a real king, because he always ran away from his problems! A real king would not do that! Okay I finally got my 10% discount at Ross, so I go there on Tuesdays!!!! But next Kunia reunion in 2 years!!! And thank God that Kunia is saved!!!!
“See ya!”
June 1st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Whoa, too funny dat story. I rememba going to Kunia when I was small with my parents and my bruddas and sista. We would go visit my uncle Erenio, one really big jolly and sweet man. He wasn’t married so he lived in da single-man section whea get plenty chicken coops and to get to his house, we had to drive ova dis road and felt like one rollah coasta wit steep hills. My faddah would speed up so we feel da trills (lol) and we’d all laugh! Was fun. My uncle would fight chicken too and had some good prize fightahz. I tink he and my dad would practice cauz my faddah was a great knife tyer (he’d make extra $ just by doing dat). Anyway, dat’s what I rememba from good ole Kunia (Koonyah!)
June 4th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
So now Sach an Marian git some moa Hanabuddah stories fo’ send Kamaka. So wen u guys goin’ send em? An wot about u Lika? U wen send em’ in yet to Kamaka?
June 5th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I did send mines and I told’um you guys said as why. BUT Kamaka stay busy walau-ing whereeva and howeva. And stories do get DENIED. LOL Oh and Sach get one or two of her Kunia stories posted awreddy too.
September 11th, 2008 at 4:57 am
You no can foget kunia homestead behind the store. Me and my braddas got raised the best way eva. We use to run around the pineapple field try out run the security gaurd in his truck. Use to have the big grass bowl where we use to stick eachata then we end up scrapen fo real. After they plow the field we use to play dirt rock fight then somebody get nailed one good one then we end up scrapen again. At homestead we made fire every night for make hot water for showwa that only gave us one excuse to stay up late and blast the radio. We was nuts, we use to play fire like the thing no can hurt us. We was free, you can drink and jam all night in kunia homestead and nobody batta you. I livin arizona now but I doing everythin I can to return to that lifestyle. If I eva raise kids they going be raise like the way I was.
No forget the Tubon family
No forget Kunia Homestead
No forget to pick the green mango
September 19th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I remember the good old days in Kunia. Mary Ann Tubon and I went to school together, worked together and hung out at homestead with the family. Kunia store hanging out after pawhana and drinking after a long days work in the fields. It was nice to enjoy other people who came from Wainae, North Shore, Waipahu and Wailua to work in the pineapple fields. Kunia was a peaceful place and the people that lived there were the best ever. We all had much Aloha for one another. I remember the wonderful parties that used to be celebrated with all the filipino food that the men prepared for the feast. I miss hanging out at the park across from where we used to live. Back in the days before the houses were moved in front of our house on LuaWai Street everyone used to play softball and blocks. We used to do skate on the roads. It was a nice time we all had. The Matute’s house used to be where all the ladies used to prepare their vegetable to prepare for lunch the next day for work. The used to talk story and watch the kids play. You could always know when the men are going to work in the morning when the chicken’s start crowing in the morning. That means they work going through the gulch to go to the plantation. I remember Kunia school, they used to provide very good meals . Those were the days when the manapua man, taste freeze ice cream truck, store bus and material man came by to sell their goods. I remember the chicken fights too back in the days. Good filipino can (cancanin) I miss all the beautiful people in Kunia.l My bradda still lives there.