A century ago, President David O. McKay was at a Laie Elementary School's flag raising ceremony where he was inspired by the multicultural student body. One hundred years later, three members of the community connected to that ceremony, said the future depends on how the younger generation remembers that legacy.
President Cy Bridges, second counselor in the Laie Hawaii Temple presidency, said he is connected to the flag ceremony and his roots to the ceremony run deep. Bridges grew up in Hauula.
“Our family was at the ceremony to purchase the land for the gathering of the Saints. We were there long before other pioneers arrived,” he said. “This place was selected long ago. President Gordon B. Hinckley proclaimed there is nothing like this place,” he said.
Bridges said people in Laie would not be here without that history. “Laie was built on love. It was built on faith.”
Kekela Miller, a member of the Laie Community Association, said the ceremony is significant to her because her family was also there. “There was a school here for Latter-day Saint children before BYU–Hawaii existed,” she said. “Raising the flag honored our kupuna, or our ancestors, who paved the way for that to happen.”
Laie was built on love. It was built on faith.
Bobby Akoi, BYU–Hawaii’s university chaplain, a BYUH alumnus and a retired Polynesian Cultural Center leader, said there is nothing like Laie in the world. He said historically “Laie was a city of refuge, and it still is now.”
Akoi said he learned about Laie at BYUH, and the ancient Hawaiian temple, or heiau, was what made Laie a safe haven. “The temple protected those who were escaping crime, war and turmoil.”
As Laie recognizes the centennial anniversary of the flag raising, Bridges said some people shrug it off, but others, like him, revere the moment. He added the flag raising ceremony commemorated the dedication of the land for the gathering of the Saints.
To Miller, the continuation of Laie will depend on the younger generation. “The biggest commitment is to listen to our kupuna,” she said. Miller said the youth have so many tools to learn about their ancestors, but they don’t know it yet. “Learning won’t come if the youth stay home. They have to get nosey and ask a lot of questions.”
Miller added, “The youth must feel real love from you, and you must show real love to them. They should ask themselves, ‘Are you able to help them?’ or ‘Do you understand your family?’ Perhaps the youth could also start by evaluating how to treat their parents.”
Miller said families must feel they are important and remain open-minded, no matter what family members may believe.
Akoi said the younger generation has barely scratched the surface of fulfilling the prophecies about Laie. “The only way to connect and learn from the past is to learn about your ancestors,” he said. “The youth today have more tools to learn about them and are more spiritual.”
Akoi said he hopes his children can contribute to Laie by furthering their education. “Prophets have counseled members of all ages and genders to get a degree,” he said. “This generation will be the one to prepare the way for the Second Coming.”
Akoi said Bridges has a memory “like no other” that allows him to remember the teachings of his kupuna. “I’ve never heard anyone chant their genealogy back to Kamehameha,” he said.
Bridges said, “One relative once told me their family history was not important.” Bridges said he replied that family history connects everyone. He added he should be called a Hawaiian culture and history enthusiast, not a researcher. “I just tell people it is a part of my life,” he said.
Bridges added what he shares with others is a fraction of the history he has learned through his constant desire to ask questions. Bridges noted his enthusiasm for Hawaiian culture drew him to the Merrie Monarch Festival, which he has been involved with for years as both a kumu hula and a judge.
Miller said she knows Bridges from their time working at the PCC in the Hawaiian Village in the 1960s. “It was great working with Cy because we were both learning about the culture,” she said.
Miller recalled Bridges ran a hula halau as the kumu hula, or the teacher. “If you needed to know something about hula, Cy was there,” Miller said. She added his halau was the only one that did men’s and women’s dances together. “He is strict in his own way. If you’re doing something wrong, he corrects you in an understanding and loving way.” Miller explained she now runs her own halua called Halau Hula ‘O Kekela.
Akoi’s group, called the Singing Bishops, performed the music for Bridges’ halau. He explained Bridges not only taught the hula to his halau, but also taught them the history of the hula. “He helped his students understand the meaning of the movements and words. They were not just dancing to dance,” Akoi said.
Akoi said he feels closest to the Hawaiian culture while singing about it. “You can’t help but feel close to the language and even those who wrote the music,” Akoi said. He added it is important to learn the language in order to understand the meaning of what is sung.
Miller said Bridges helped her understand certain hula movements while she was practicing. “I needed help from Cy because I kept forgetting a certain move,” she recalled. “He not only corrected me, but he also suggested something I could improve.” She added asking for help is sometimes forbidden, or kapu, in some halaus, but she said Bridges would help her anyway.
Besides the hula, Bridges said the ultimate connection to the history of Laie comes from family. He remembered driving home from a lecture on family history with his wife. “My wife said to me out of the blue, ‘You’re so lucky.’ I replied, ‘Lucky?’” Bridges continued, “She explained that she only knew one grandmother. I knew all my grandmothers.” Bridges said he knew his grandmothers well because he asked questions to them about his lineage, did arts and crafts with them and many more activities.
Miller explained because Bridges learned his history from the best—his ancestors—people never refer to him as a researcher. “People who do research and write books on history never had the opportunity to learn one-on-one, like Cy does,” she said. However, she said, Bridges does not share his knowledge lightly. “He is very particular, but his aim is always to make you better.”
Even though he seems strict, Miller said people should not be intimidated by his presence, adding Bridges is a fun person to be around.
Miller said she tries to do the same with her family by keeping connections alive. “Our kupuna laid the foundation for Cy and me,” she said. Miller remembered one of her aunts was part of the flag ceremony, and her grandfather remarked Laie would be a place where people can share their talents and get an education.
Miller said Laie was not always peaceful. “The prophets had to teach the people to cooperate and work together,” she recalled. “Many Native Hawaiian converts still worshipped multiple gods and did things contrary to the restored gospel. Change was not easy for them.”
Bridges explained sharing scriptures from the Book of Mormon teaches others about the privilege of inheriting the land.
“If you really understand the scriptures, they talk about the land of your inheritance over and over again,” he said. “We all came from the House of Israel. … All these stories are connected. It is part of who we are.”
Akoi said it can be difficult for people to understand the principle of the land of inheritance. “The challenge is to guide people on the right path, but you must let them find their own answers,” he explained. “Whatever happens, you must respect [their choice]. Cy understands because he was in the exact same position.”
Miller said Bridges is an example of love and faith. She said he has strived to put the Lord first, no matter his calling. “It’s hard for Cy and I to put the Lord first because we don’t want people to think we are different,” she said. However, Miller said it became second nature after a while since their hula halau does not dance on Sunday.
Bridges added Laie drew many people in, including King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani. “Kalakaua was so concerned about the Hawaiian race dying out, but when he saw all the children playing [in Laie], he was very happy,” he said.
Bridges said the queen tried to create her own Relief Society with the help of his ancestor, but it only lasted two years. “No one could figure out why, but we knew better. It was not connected to the authority of the priesthood,” Cy said. “That’s the reason why the Relief Society has continued to this day [in the Church].