The Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii has announced its 2012 Living Treasures of Hawaii award winners, which include a world-class ukulele player and the co-founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
The five recipients of the 37th annual award will be honored at a Feb. 4 luncheon at the Sheraton Waikiki. They are being recognized for demonstrating continuous growth in their field of business or study, significant contributions to society and a high level of accomplishment.
The winners:
» Barbara Kawakami, born in Japan and raised on an Oahu sugar plantation,is a historian and award-winning author who specializes in Japanese heritage and immigration studies, specifically Japanese immigrant clothing.
She’s had a successful entrepreneurial career, and at age 53 returned to school to earn a master’s degree in Asian studies.
Kawakami was also the recipient of the Plantation Legacy Award in 2010 and received the 1994 Association for Asian American Studies Outstanding Book Award.
» Ben Finney is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Hisexperiences as an anthropologist and Polynesian navigation historianled him to become the co-founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in the 1970s.
Finney is known for building the first 40-foot Polynesian sailing canoe replica and took part in the design, construction and navigation of the Hokule’a on its maiden voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976. He has written many academic journal articles about Polynesian seafarers.
» Goro Arakawa is known as a community leader and business entrepreneur with a passion for Hawaiian history and culture.
He is an avid volunteer, founding member of the Waipahu Plantation Village and also served as kupuna for Communities in Schools Hawaii, teaching students and their families about the significance of Waipahu.
» Gordon Mark is known as one of the greatest ukulele players, especially for his classical compositions as well as his groundbreaking fusion of Western classical and Hawaiian music.
He has a repertoire of more than 1,000 songs and taught himself how to play the instrument by ear. He’s also known for creating a set of ukulele neck and fret images to help students learn to play the instrument faster.
» Lynette Paglinawan is a practitioner of ho’oponopono, the ancient Hawaiian practice of conflict resolution and peacemaking principles.
She has traveled around the world to spread the practice to other indigenous cultures and is internationally known for her expertise as a cultural practitioner.
Her list of awards and honors includes the 2010 Native Hawaiian Education Association’s Educator of the Year Award, a 2008 induction into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and a 2004 Malio Award for the perpetuation of Hawaiian music.
