Molokai Pictures
A Glimpse of Old Hawaii

Molokai boasts the tallest sea cliffs in the world. If you don't believe me why don't you come here and see it for yourself. Its majestic beauty will take you on an ancient journey. We are also known as the most hawaiian island. The last of the 8 major islands to fully live a subsistent lifestlye of hunting and fishing for our food.

Many islanders still practice today.

Why is Molokai called the Friendly isle? Each island in the Hawaiian chain has a nickname. Molokai was known to be gracious hosts to visitors of the island, often times inviting strangers to luaus and parties.

Recent times, however, have not proven to be so much so.

The island is my home. A little community of only 7500 people, give or take a few hundreds during certain seasons, and it is only about 38 miles long and 10 miles wide, no joke. We do not have malls, fast food restaurants or traffic lights. Our quaint little town is run by small mom and pop businesses.

Our island flower is the kukui nut and our island color is green. The Kukui nut tree is a symbol of light both spiritually and physically. Hawaiians utilized the kukui nut oil to burn their lamps. The nut can also be cooked and turned into a local seasoning called "inamona". Molokai Demographics

I, personally, am torn between economic stability and subsistence lifestlye. I grew up on a farm. My father planted on more than 90 acres of farm land, on Hawaiian homelands. It's a shame I did not take on that farmer lifestyle carried on from my great-grandfather. However, I do boast in living an entrepreneurial lifestyle.

You may have also heard the story of Father Damien and the Leper colony called Kalaupapa. Sad but true. When a person was diagnosed with leprosy they were exiled to the little peninsula off the island of Molokai. This was to keep them away from the rest of the people.

Ships, being too large to come in close to the port would drop these people out about a 100 yards or more from land and let them swim to shore on their own.

Today, there are less than 20 original lepers from that era in Hawaii's history. They are slowly dying off. Kalaupapa is now a National Park and is managed by them.

The first link is the Molokai Chamber of Commerce site, they host a vast amount of information about Molokai and it's businesses.

The second link will take you to the Molokai Community Service Council website. Very informative with great information and more molokai pictures.

The Molokai Chamber of Commerce The Molokai Community Service Council

Molokai Ranch Closing

With the upheavel and buying out of long time residents of the old plantation town of Maunaloa the ranch has met it's match....economy.

Loosing billions of dollars a year the ranch finds an escape goat to blame it's business follies and reckless investments on the people of Molokai for not allowing them, the molokai ranch, to develop the prestine, untouched, sacred lands of La'au point.

La'au point boasts beautiful unobstructed views of the ocean, just minutes away. A planned gated community of about 200 one acre parcels selling at outrageously, greedy prices of at least 1 million dollars or more.

The locals demand to know: *How will we be able to use our legal hawaiian gathering rights if it is a gated community? Where are the access points to fishing and gathering opihi and limu from the sea?

Scarce Water Issues

What is it's source?

With water being scarce during these times of drought how will it affect the current water tables, what is the environmental implications of so many homes at such a distance from the water well?

The Molokai Ranch wants to tap into the farmer's source of water and divert it to the rich and greedy.

We are a small island. Now that the world is falling apart for loss of jobs, income and security Molokai can still survive.

Why? because we have always lived off of the land and have done without a lot of things. We live a subsistence lifestlye.