As the Brigham Young University Hawaii faculty member who chanted Hawaiian greetings for hundreds of occasions and special visitors to campus, it seemed fitting that BYUH President Steven C. Wheelwright and approximately 50 administrators, colleagues, students and community members marched in a Polynesian procession to the top of Laie Point on the afternoon of March 10 to offer chants and pay tribute to the family of the late William Kauaiwiulaokalani Wallace III.
Wallace, 60, Director of BYUH Hawaiian Studies and captain of the program's traditional Hawaiian sailing canoe, Iosepa — who almost everybody on campus and in the community called "Uncle Bill" — died on March 2 after a year-and-a-half battle with cancer.
The procession formed at the Laie Shopping Center, where BYU-Hawaii alumna and adjunct Hawaiian language instructor Ka'umealani Walk explained, "It's traditional when somebody passed away that families would come and offer small gifts of aloha, which would include food for the family because they're mourning during this time. They have so many things to worry about, that this is one thing they don't have to worry about."
"We're also here to offer our spiritual strength. We offer our aloha because love conquers all. We honor Uncle Bill because of the influence he's had in all of our lives. He's been a true mentor to all of us, so we gladly carry our kuleana [stewardship or responsibility] now that he's on the other side of the veil."
After the group solemnly marched to the top of Anemoku Street, some carrying gifts of food, others leis, they formed in front of the Wallace home where first the Hawaiian Studies students and others chanted in Hawaiian, led by Professor Kamoa'e Walk and his wife.
From inside the house Wallace's cousin Cy Bridges, a Polynesian Cultural Center senior manager and Hawaiian cultural expert, chanted in response. Then Wallace's cousin Kela Miller — a Laie community kupuna [elder] and others chanted again in Hawaiian. Bridges responded. Next, Ka'umealani Walk chanted; and finally, Professor Jon Jonassen, who is originally from the Cook Islands, chanted in Rarotongan.
Following that the group entered the home, sang Pule Maluhia or Secret Prayer in Hawaiian — a favorite hymn of Iosepa crewmembers, greeted the family and presented the gifts.
Moving to the lanai outside, the children and grandchildren sat on mats surrounding Wallace's wife, Amanda, as members of the procession shared additional comments. BYU-Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright, for example, said it was an honor to be there.
"Please know the respect we had for Uncle Bill," he said. "We've been blessed by his life. We're so grateful for the wonderful institution that he has left. Long after many things are forgotten, we'll remember that he lived well and served others."
"We want to express our gratitude and appreciation for all that you have done in sharing Uncle Bill with us," he added.
Dr. Hiagi Wesley, Director of the BYUH Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Studies, which includes the Hawaiian Studies program, then spoke of the "legacy of a lot of aloha" Uncle Bill left. "Uncle Bill belongs to all of us," he said. "That's why we're here to show our love to Amanda and all the kids. He has touched our lives. He has brought us closer to the land, the culture and the people of Hawaii through his legacy of love."
After as procession members were eating, Glenn Kahale Charles, a 2006 Hawaiian Studies graduate and Iosepa crewmember, said singing Pule Maluhia brought back a lot of memories. "It made me think of those times we put in late nights. We used to sing that song and reflect on our kuleana. It brought back a lot of good memories and made coming here a little easier."
Kela Miller recalled going to the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo almost 30 years ago with Wallace when he and Cy Bridges, Keith Awai and the late Enoka Kaina were kumu hula for the Polynesian Cultural Center's halau, Hui Hooulu Aloha. "I remember how firm he was in making sure the men danced like men," she said. "I also remember how he took charge when the Hokulea [canoe] came in at Kahana, and the joy I saw in his eyes when the [Iosepa] logs first came from Fiji and hit the ground here. Those were special times, and he was a brother."
Kamoa'e Walk, who has succeeded Wallace along with Kawika Eskaran as captains of the Iosepa, also recalled dancing under Wallace's direction in those days. He admitted it's been difficult "not having his direct leadership and counsel" in the Hawaiian Studies program" during Wallace's illness; "but the next stage of his voyage has just begun, and we have to continue our voyage here as we continue to make the Hawaiian Studies program better and do those things we have kuleana to do."
"Right now is the time for us to share our love with his family and for each other, and to help each other. We look toward the horizon and sail on," he said.
Wallace [shown at right shortly before he got sick] was born and raised on the island of Molokai. He is of Hawaiian, Scottish, Samoan and Tongan ancestry, and his mother's Hawaiian family has ties over many centuries to Laie. After graduating from Kamehameha, Wallace earned a history degree from BYU-Hawaii in 1972 and then returned to Molokai to teach. Later he graduated from BYU Law School, and after serving as Assistant Attorney General for the Government of American Samoa and practicing law in Laie, he joined the BYU-Hawaii history faculty in the early 1990s, where he was instrumental in establishing the Hawaiian Studies program and overseeing the creation and launching of Iosepa. He also served as a Hawaii Family Court per diem judge. Earlier in his career, Wallace served as a Polynesian Cultural Center officer and president of the Laie Community Association.
He is survived by his wife, Amanda; son William Wallace IV; daughters Lattisha, Tatiana Crosby and Jerusha Magalei; brothers David and Ray; sisters Ziona Huntsman, Dale Kneece and Rayma Laufou; father William Wallace Jr., a former Polynesian Cultural Center Hawaiian village "chief"; and six grandchildren. His first wife, Nihipora "Aunty Nikki" Wallace, a BYU-Hawaii alumna and Maori language instructor, preceded him in death. The funeral is set for the morning of March 14 at Laie Stake Center.
BYU-Hawaii Professor Jon Jonassen chants in Rarotongan in honor of his former colleague, the late "Uncle Bill" Wallace
— Photos by Mike Foley