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By CATHY BURLINGAME Hawaiian history did not begin with the discovery of the Sandwich Islands by Capt. James Cook on Jan. 20, 1778, according to an Oxnard man who claims as his forebears “chiefs and well-learned people who served kings and queens of the Hawaiian Islands Hienie (Haina’ of Hawaii) Blaisdell — his Hawaiian name is Kalehualahaole — is deter mined to carry the ‘family legend history’’ of pre- Hawaiian history, to all who will listen. Though his name sounds anything but Hawaiian, the tall, sturdy man looks every inch what Hollywood might cast as an island chief of long ago. A self-educated man with a voice like a Shakespearean actor, his diction is flawless. His mother was Hawaiian and his father, he said, was of “Yankee stock.’’ The Blaisdells came from Europe and landed in Maine in 1682, according to the Hapa Haole (half Hawaiian) who has apparently thoroughly researched the family history on both sides. RECENTLY, THE self proclaimed expert in Polynesian history and culture wrote, directed and choreographed a 30-minute “world premiere production” of the Hawaii-Loa Pageant which he presented at the annual Hawaiian Club. (Hui Lima Kokua) of Oxnard’s luau at the Knights of Columbus hall in Oxnard. The pageant told the story of how “‘my people cam to Hawaii” (and where, he says, they REALLY came from), via chants, songs and dances, complete with authentic costumes. “This pageant tells the story of family legend history as it has been revealed to me — as I know it, ’ says Blaisdell. And he calmly admits that “I don’t expect people to believe it,” because “some people have dubious minds.”” The pageant is the first of seven he hopes to produce for the community, telling the entire “legendary” story of the Hawaiian people. His first pageant took his audience back 2,125 years, more than 50 years before the birth of Christ. The principal character is Hawaii-Loa, portrayed by Blaisdell. He lived at Hawaiki on Waialua which, according to Blaisdell’s story, was a narrow neck of land between two very large oceans. *Hawaii Loa was a builder of ships and he made many voyages northward and south ward, and not once, did he travel to the east or to the west. “BUT ONE DAY,” reads the pageant script, “he decided to make a voyage to the east across the very large ocean. So he built a bigger ship because he knew that to cross the ocean he must have much food and much water.”’ When the ship was completed, Hawaii-Loa and his entire family made plans for the long voyage. There were some 400, said Blasidell, crowded on the ship. The dancers and singers, most of whom were Hawaiian Club members, took the audience through the long, difficult voyage, through the storms, and finally to the happy celebration when the journey ended on what is now the Hawaiian Islands. Blaisdell said that “these people who first came to Hawaii were highly civilized people.” They did not come from Asia, he believes, as anthropologists have said. They came from that narrow neck of land which he tells about in the pageant, but the exact location he says he will not disclose. There is a possibility, he admits, that there “‘was an influx of others” from Asiatic countries, but these legendary settlers were not among these, says the Pageant director. “These were any people, Blaisdell continued, telling about his ancient forebears .They were well dressed because they had everything where they were. They were excellent stone masons. Yet, Blaisdell said they were happy to take the long journey to a new adventure and a new land. THE HAWAIIAN lore expert says that there were about six families on the islands who had this information (concerning the Hawaiian legend history) at all times as it was passed from generation to generation. “And I think I am the only one left Women’s World Cathy Burlingame, Editor Karen Palmer who can reveal the story,’ States the tall Hawaiian He says that he began ab sorbing the information at the age of 2. “There is always one child in each family — a son or daughter — who is to receive the information — a chosen one,” he explained. “Call it a spirtual communication, ESP, a revelation, or whatever. Such a child is specially trained to learn and to observe,”’ and to absorb this special information so that it will not be lost. Blaisdell’s great-uncle David Maole was official generalogist and island historian to Queen Liliuokalani in the 1890s, said the pageant director. His grandfather, he said, was blinded “through a curse.’ And though handicapped, he sup ported the entire community (he was chief of the Hanalei area). It was his duty to do so, explained Blaisdell as he told how the blind chief led fishing —— in the ocean for ‘ood “As our people were adept in healing people in the way of the native herbs and they were it at fish tracing,” he explained was the art of locating great schools of fish on which the people depended THE FOOD of the Hawaiians, he said, has always been simple and wholesome and he follows that course today in his own eating habits. Most of their food was raw, not processed, with many fresh fruits, he said. “My great, great, great grandmother lived to be 130. His usual breakfast includes wheat germ, honey, safflower oil, brewer's yeast, lecithin and bone meal. He also spends one half hour to 45 minutes a day trotting — “not jogging.’ “In the old days,’ he con tinued, “there were no com municable diseases, and almost a total lack of respiratory disease. Some suffered from a mild form of arthritis, but that was all. ’ The Europeans in troduced disease to his people, he said. He believes that a pretty good guess as to the approximate number of pure Hawaiians left in the world would be 1,200 with “probably 500 in Hawaii.” The proud Hawaiian wants to make several things perfectly clear. “We were in the begin ning Christian people “The idols which, he said, too often his people are associated with, were brought to the islands in the ninth century, by a conquering Thaitian prince. And his people were not sexually promiscuous. They were forced to commit adultery and such things by others, he stated emphatically As to James Michener's novel, ‘Hawaii,’ he was ex plicit in his ‘‘shock and disgust” at the way the Hawaiians were depicted. “It was very degrading to Hawaiians,” he said, his face grim Blaisdell and his wife Sarah, a retired school teacher in the Hueneme School District (she still does substitute teaching) have lived in Oxnard for 15 years. He spent some 15 years working in civil service. THEY HAVE five children: MaKee, who is a Shakespearean actor with many theater and television credits; Ann Terry, who is a housewife with six children residing in Grand Junction, Colo.; Umi Aliloo who is with Chase Brothers Dairy in Ox nard; and Manolhia, their youngest, who teaches German at Rio Mesa High School. One son Finley is deceased Blaisdell knows all the Hawaiian dances, as he began to dance at an early age. His mother, he said, was an ex cellent musician and dancer “We were never in dance troupes, but our family danced for our own pleasure and that of our friends.”* His work with his pageants comes close to one of his in terests — conducting actors’ workshops in his home (“not for pay, but for love”) and en couraging school dropouts to continue their education. He said he is working on several movies using Ventura County locations for the settings, in cluding a horror movie (“clean and nonviolent”) and a “Cin derella spoof.’ Costumes and wigs occupy various places in his crowded garage and his file cabinets bulge with scripts he’s written, including the manuscript of a book written about the islands and its people “the real Hawaiian story.” But sharing his knowledge of this pre-Hawaiian story-history via his pageants will occupy much of his time in the future Thursday, he left for two months on his islands where he will continue gathering in formation on island culture. He would eventually like to establish a culture center on Polynesia in Oxnard. “TI WANT TO do what I can to preserve our culture and share my knowledge in the time I have left,” he said. He describes present-day Hawaii as beautiful, lovely and progressive. He says the commercialism that some say has spoiled the islands “doesn’t bother me. The part that should be commercialized has been, and you can still find many lovely, wild places, and you can still be alone, if you wish.” YOUNG VOYAGERS These young vovepere are helping to carry their ship to new land during the production of a ‘pre-Hawaiian historical event’. The pageant is one of seven which Oxnarder Hienie Blaisdell plans to present telling the story of the Hawaiian people ‘as I know it.’ PRE-HAWAIIA Hienie Blaisdell (his Hawaiian name is Kalehualahaole) took Hawaiian Club members and guests back to Hawaiki, the land of his forefathers, during a pageant based on family history passed to ‘chosen ones’ down hundreds of years. Blaisdell, center, is flanked by drummers, Maryann Wright and Maxine Wright, left and right, respectively; a Kahili guard, Dan Leo, PAGEANTRY second from left, and chief, David Hedge, second from right, all of Oxnard. The other members of the pageant cast (in the background) represent the family of the ‘father of all Hawaii’, Hawaii-Loa, who, according to the ancient story, brought his le from a faraway place (not Asia) to the lovely islands of wall. Jane Nolan Sunday, June 27, 1976 The Pi HAWAIIAN DANCERS Among the dancers in the Hawaiian Club Rose Wright. The girls were orming dances nne of the Hawaii-Loa Pageant were, and singing songs as the phote, Hawai left, Willie Copeland, Lynette Osaka and Loa and his family made trip to Hawaii
Newspaper Details
Oxnard Press Courier
Oxnard, California, US
Sun, Jun 27, 1976
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Denise A.
NA, 15 Jul 2026
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