Tutu's Suitcase
How this Exhibit Came to Be:
During Spring 2019, the Makawao History Museum (MHM) and Montessori School of Maui (MOMI) Middle School pioneered a partnership in which six students created an exhibit featuring artifacts from Makawao. Observation, research, and finding personal connections in the spirit of wonder and imagination conveyed through poetry were part of the process.
Several visiting specialists volunteered to guide their work. Patt Narrowe, MOMI parent alumni and professional graphic designer on the MHM board of Directors, helped with design concepts and the exhibit installation. A scale model mock-up learning how to use Adobe InDesign, and stakeholder conversations all within a fixed timeframe proved to be rich with challenge for the students to master.
Author and long-time Maui resident Paul Wood provided instrumental instruction on the Ode, as a fun and loose way to connect with the historical information and curiosity about the artifacts. An emphasized point was that a poet should attempt to use all the senses for a piece. Iterations of each poem moved into the recent style favored by the late W.S. Merwin. A champion of finding the awe in nature as he did by transforming 19 acres of Haiku (Maui) agricultural wasteland into one of the world’s most diverse palm forest collections. we attempted to bring that joie de vivre to the relationship of object-person and object-person-Makawao.
Our third guest was Katie Matthew, a professional archivist at Haleakala National Park and also on the MHM Board of Directors. Katie opened the window to how and object’s mystery is revealed through extensive research relative to its time, place, and culture.
This integrated academic experience brought us closer to Makawao’s past and present. It was an amazing chance to acquire new knowledge and skills while happily sharing with our community. We hope that you enjoy.
Haleakala Dairy
After many years I see this bottle.
Not an ordinary bottle,
the bottle has a beautiful plant on it that you can find on Haleakala.
The Silversword.
A silver plant with flowers, you can only find it here, on Haleakala.
The lable also has the words written on it “haleakala Dairy.”
Was he milk good that Haleakala dairy would give to their
customers?
The bottle is old looking.
There are stains on it.
The lable is faded.
This one bottle contains a large amount of Vocabulary.
One small object,
Yet
With a large amount of words.
By Luz Bridgford
Ode to Holoku
Faded
Like some stars in the sky
As if Stars were flowers
Thrown across a cotton gown
Gentle ruffling
Of soft fabric.
Like the ruffling of leaves at night
It smells of the dust that lines a piano
Or the dust of a pressed flower
Soft like cotton, yet rough.
This dress on a living being,
Some one expected to look
Like a clean ironed
Crisped piece of fabric
Always perfect.
Ode to Holoku
Restricted from the comfort of our
Clothes now.
By Thi Mevis-Teuber
Ode to Jodhpers
When I look at the Jodhpurs
I imagine the noises of horses galloping
The pants smell old and Dusty
They feel like an Old fabric
Soft on the outside and stiff in the fabric Jodhpurs are very interesting
They originated in Jodhpur India
Then to England
I’m not so sure
how Jodhpurs
Connect
To Makawao
Maybe it was cause there are
Polo games in Makawao
By Luz Bridgford
The USO (United Service Organization) was a club for World War II soldiers to go and hang out and spend time while waiting to be called. It was located in Makawao where present day Casanova’s resides.
Many were killed in war
they could wait and take their last breaths
grateful
they feel warmth drained from their side
maybe they feel happy to finally war
to have a burden lifted as you close your eyes and
go to sleep in the unknown
or regret
hatred
upset
or they pushed through piles of bricks and bones
for a chance to see someone
or a chance that never came
they still don’t look sad in this photo
they wait for their call
knowing their fate
all I need is an answer
but I just need to wait.
By Maggie McMannus
I see a photo
an old dark one
full of pain
sorrow
joy
I Stare but they don’t stare back
forever trapped in their little world
doomed to be forgotten
lost
they shouldn’t be forgotten
soldiers of war
in uniform waiting for their chance to help
I don’t know them
they wait behind this wall
do they feel the same about the paintings
never able to make contact
do they feel
trapped
sad
The Interisland Polo Championship was won by Maui in 1936. This is the trophy from that day.
I wonder if this was just an award
or maybe
actual plate people ate off of
maybe both
this plate makes me think of the polo field
up near the ranch
we could imagine it would taste like
like sweet air
the touch of it is smooth
but not flat smooth
its like mountains but still smooth
when my fingers hit it
it sounds like the church bell
one I hear weekly.
By Elena Parente
Silver and rusty, mosly
this elegant pose the horse is stuck in
her or his head held high
the rider about to hit the ball of the ground
all the names here and
the year 1936 on it
the names are probably the winners
it smell
like a necklace of mine
which is also made of metal,
as this was being written
there’s a reflection of a plant on the plate
the color of it seemed to be mixing
with the silver
