Everyone has their favorite holiday. Some of my friends like Christmas because they get presents like candy or a new knife. Others like Thanksgiving because of all the different food, but my favorite holiday is Sign Day.
On the last Thursday of every July, groups from all over the island gather in Lahaina to eat poke, honor how much work it was to rebuild things, remember how much can get done when we work together, and celebrate the toughness of those who survived. Everyone likes celebrating Sign Day but many don’t know the history behind the celebration.
Nobody remembers when the Lahaina sign was made or who put it up, but whoever it was, they did a really good job. The Lahaina sign was made sometime before the big accident and is one of the few things to survive the fires, winds, and rains. The Kanaka say the sign is filled with their love of the island and is protected by the spirits of their ancestors who fought and died for Lahaina. They believe that as long as the sign survives, so will the Kanaka. My dad says that it was probably some kind of resin that protected the sign and not ghosts.
The time right after the fracture was hard for everyone. People were scared and my grandma says that people do bad things when they’re scared. The Kanaka and the people here in Pu’u didn’t trust each other for a long time. Sometimes they would run away when we’d send people down the hill to look for food and water and sometimes they would threaten or attack us. Nobody knew what to do, but then someone noticed how the groups always seemed to run into each other by the sign and they had an idea.
The people of Pu’u surrounded some canteens of clean water with hibiscus flowers so it would attract the Kanaka’s attention and left them by the sign. A few days later, the people noticed the canteens were gone and there was fish wrapped in banana leaves with a few pieces of polished coral. The Thrivers and the Kanaka exchanged gifts like that for a while. When my Grandpa’s friends got the wells to the West working again, they left a map for the Kanaka under the sign. The next day, they went back only to find a group of Kanaka warriors waiting for them.
At first they thought that the warriors were going to attack but they didn’t. Instead, the Kanaka thanked them and gave them some spears and drew a map to show where they could find the biggest black crabs. That was when everything started to change.
The people and the Kanaka started trading all kinds of things by the Lahaina sign. The people of Pu’u would leave caches of clean food and water there for Kanaka scouts who were on long hunts. The Kanaka would leave healing herbs and rolls of dyed cloth for us. Soon the groups were trading everything and buying things with rai by the sign. Before the Battle of Black Rock Beach, Chief Ikaika made an agreement with the people of Pu’u to help fight the monsters that the veil created. Almost all important agreements are still made there today.
People leave gifts and messages there all year but Sign Day is special. The day starts with everyone gathering around the sign. Appointed leaders from each group make a speech about what they’ve done, and what they hope to get done in the upcoming year. Each group leaves a gift in front of the sign, usually something like water, salted fish or bandages, and the leaders rub tree oil into the sign together. When their done, they shake hands and everyone can start having fun! I like seeing all the different people and eating the weird food on Sign Day.
If you ever need help with a job or advice you can leave a note by the sign and someone will answer. My dad says you should never trust an answer that someone left at the sign though, and that I should ask him first. It’s also a good place to find something eat or drink when you’re out exploring but you’re only supposed to take something if you really need it. Every Thriver in Pu’u is taught at a young age that if they are hurt or need help, they can wait by the sign and someone will come along soon.
I really like Sign Day and seeing what gifts everyone leaves. I hope one day I get picked to give a speech about what we’ve done and what we’re going to do in front of everybody. But I don’t want to get the tree oil all over my hands. I think we should just paint the sign instead.
