Aloha,
Mahalo for visiting Kekonaart.com!
We will be having much more on our website in the future so please check
back with us. We welcome you to share our site with your email friends
and family or even your local store owners and galleries. We feel the
indigenous cultures of the world have much in common with Hawaiians
and share a similar nature and spirit connection. Hawaiians call this
"malama aina" or the care, protection and honoring of the
land.
We plan to include links to traditional and new Hawaiian music as well
as updates on what is going on for Hawaiians in their quest for cultural
identity and self-determination. We will also be offering new items
such as Kekona art t-shirts and cards, the latest art pieces and new
designs of inlayed Koa boxes.
A hui hou! Until the next time,
Island Time
Island Time is our company name, but it is also a concept! It
reflects a time in Hawai'i when life moved at a slower pace and you
took the time to enjoy the simple things.
Richard and Susan Dancil are the creators of Island Time products. Richard
Waiwaiole Dancil is native Hawaiian born on the slopes of Haleakala
Crater on Maui. He remembers the days when he knew just about everyone
that passed through his small hometown of Keokea. Richard grew up in
what is known as the plantation days. Many immigrant workers lived in
communities known as camps. They were often grouped by their nationality
such as Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Portugese, etc., to make them feel
more at home with their language and customs. Since the Hawaiian people
were harshly discouraged from using their native language, there was
need for all the cultures to communicate and blend in with each other.
To some degree, this is how the "pidgin" dialect came to be.
Another way that helped bind all these races together was the comraderie
they shared through music, food and a sharing of their cultural celebrations.
Richard's father was a Filipino immigrant that arrived in Hawai'i as
a young boy in 1917 and was raised by a Hawaiian family. His mother
is Kanaka Maoli (full Hawaiian bloodline) born in Hana, Maui. Richard
did not grow up in a camp as his parents were not plantation workers.
Both were life long nurses at Kula San, which was a tuberculosis sanitarium
for many years. Richard continues their legacy and works at Kula Hospital
today. It is now a health care facility which has gone thorugh many
changes. It's rich history prompted Richard to begin producing a documentary
about the talented, dedicated and diverse workers of Kula San. Richard
is also an accomplished musician of traditional Hawaiian music. He plays
the ukulele, slack key guitar and Hawaiian nose flute.
Susan moved to Maui in 1988. Her love of nature prompted her to live
on Maui so she could focus on organic gardening year round. Besides
growing food, Susan cultivates flowers and herbs around her home. She
has begun Hawaiian studies in la'au lapa'au, (Hawaiian plant medicine),
Hawaiian chant and cultural mythology. She met Anthony Kekona in 1998
and was deeply touched by his art and spiritual connection to his culture.
Her background experience in graphic design, photography, art, and sales
inspired her to become Kekona's art representative. Since 1999, Susan
has been part of the He U'i Art and Cultural Craft Fair held under the
famous Banyan Tree in Lahaina. This is a refreshing outdoor venue where
Richard's music group, O KULA NOE plays two weekends a month and Susan
sells the Island Time products and Kekona art.
If you're coming to Maui, Susan and Richard invite you to contact them
to find out what weekend they will be under the Banyan Tree at He U'i.
Come by and take the time to enjoy!
Island
Time . P.O. Box 1281 .
Kula, HI . 96790 .
(808) 878-1534 . phone/fax .Islandtime808@aol.com
The © symbol means all rights to the art have been registered and copyrighted. No portions of the art may be used or duplicated. We ask you 'ihi ka pono ... treat with respect ... come forth and ask permission. Mahalo
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