Hali‘a Aloha no Skylark - Jacqueline Leilani Rossetti

A most soothing and inspiring voice, with relationships that crossed our generations in sharing and broadcasting her mana‘o in keeping our culture alive.

“It is possible that the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970’s would not have the impact it had, were it not for a women whose passion for preserving Hawai`i’s recorded heritage and support for your musicians not only gave moments, to the cultural rebirth but set the course of her career and that of so many others.”

Skylark came to us PKO early warriors at a critical and pivotal time: our “occupations” led to arrests and convictions, and George Helm and Kimo Mitchell disappeared:

• it was after Eddie Aikau was lost in the Kalohi channel, Boyce Brown looked me up in my clinic to tell me that before Eddie left he told him that if something happened to him to kokua George Helm in his work to end the bombing of Kaho‘olawe.
• it was Skylark who gathered us at her Tantalus home to organize us to prepare for Federal Court negotiations for a  settlement of the Protect Kaho`olawe Association’s (PKO and PKF) suit against the Navy, which was filed by George Helm in 1976.
• It was Skylark who helped set up our legal team of Boyce, Cynthia Theilen and the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii.
• it was Skylark who helped organize the second ‘legal’ access with kupuna and resource folks from our islands.

It was Craig who each time he saw her asked if she was ready yet to return to Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe. Luana and I attended her Hilo ho‘olewa yesterday, and on her prompting I spoke to those gathered of Skylark’a leadership and aloha ‘aina for the island.  It was great to see Zennie Sawyer there helping with the floral arragements. 

A PKF monitory gift was left for her ‘ohana from donations by Sr. ko KUA’s.

“Long Story Short” - see Leslie Wilcox PBSHawaii.org interview. Photo courtesy of PBS Hawai‘i. 

Written by Noa Emmett Aluli.