Kealohapauole, A Love That Never Ends is the story of Jim Medeiros Sr., descended from kings, raised on the farmlands of South Kona, trained in the ancient arts, and bold enough to stand up for his rights as a Hawaiian. It is also the story of Protect Keopuka Ohana, the nonprofit organization created to promote and defend the Hawaiian perspective. Throughout the events described in this book, we believe we drew strength from the spirits of the native Hawaiians ancestors, and from principles inherent in the Hawaiian Way.
This book itself is an act of preservation. It is entirely nonfiction — not “based on a true story,” but a true story, told from Jim’s and my unique perspective. It is a story many people thought they knew but will find, upon reading it, that they didn’t. The reams of press coverage about the historic Hokulia court battle shed little light on the actual intricacies of the struggle.
It’s a story that needs to be told — a modern-day history of a place and a people struggling to maintain their identity in the face of rampant development and the incursion of people and cultures from around the world. You don’t have to be Hawaiian to care about these issues. When rich indigenous cultures like that of the Hawaiians are lost, we all lose knowledge critical to our future on Earth. As each generation passes and is assimilated, the light of Aloha grows dimmer.
In the hills and on the farms and ranches of rural Hawaii, this cultural knowledge is maintained and nurtured by the old ones. As their children become educated in Westernized schools and move on to college and urban areas in Hawaii or on the mainland United States, preserving the past becomes more difficult.
Too much is being left out of today’s history in Hawaii, as scholars focus on the past. We — Jimmy Medeiros and I – hope this volume will serve as a slice of recent history, an homage to the past, and a basis for hope that citizen action can still make a difference.
Kealohapauole, A Love That Never Ends 