Interview with Chuck Leslie and Krista Johnson
Date
3/7/2022
Authors
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Narrator
Transcriber
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
Description
Charles Kealoha Leslie, better known as “Uncle Chuck,” has been a lifelong fisherman. Born in Nāpo’opo’o fishing village on the shores of Kealakekua Bay in 1941, his mother’s family were the last to live at and caretake Kaʻawaloa on the north side of the bay. His father’s family built the wharf at Nāpoʻopoʻo and ran commercial operations there through 2007. When Chuck was five years old, his parents and grandparents began training him in traditional net-making and fishing. He knows 18 different types of fishing practices from his ʻohana, currently focusing on ʻōpelu. Today, Chuck is one of the last living net-fishing elders (kupuna lawai’a) in Hawai’i. Through the years, he has taught community members and focused on sharing traditional fishing methods with Hawaiian children, including the specialized art of net-making. Chuck is a respected kupuna based on the ʻike kupuna of his family. He has become a community advocate by working with government and non-government entities to ensure the revitalization and sustainability of Kealakekua Bay.
Krista is a long-term resident, fisherman, and community advocate for Nāpo’opo’o. She has and continues to develop numerous partnership connections and educational programs for K-12 Hawaiian Immersion as a state-licensed kumu. Most recently, Krista brought the Community Action Plan Process (CAP) to Kealakekua Bay working with The Nature Conservancy and Kai Kuleana Network having seen this process succeed in empowering communities in Kaʻūpūlehu and Kīholo. She has been instrumental in the finalization of the Master Plan for the State Park working to apply the Paʻakai Analysis to the plan. She also initiated the two coral restoration projects currently underway in Kealakekua Bay. Krista is driven to see the perpetuation and long-term success for her partner, Uncle Chuck Leslieʻs ʻike lawaiʻa and net-teaching programs, as well as to ensure the community successfully stewards Kealakekua Bay.
Keywords
Kealakekua, Nāpōʻopoʻo, ʻōpelu, fishing, CBSFA, ʻōpaeʻula
Citation
Extent
57 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Related To (URI)
Table of Contents
Rights
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Collections
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.