LEGENDS OF HAWAI'I: Madame Pele (with Lopaka Kapanui)

Summary

So Supernatural: LEGENDS OF HAWAI'I – Madame Pele

Host: Racha Pecorero & Yvette Gentile
Guest: Lopaka Kapanui, Native Hawaiian storyteller
Date: November 21, 2025

---

Overview

This special episode explores the supernatural and legendary culture of Hawai‘i, with a focus on Madame Pele—the volcano goddess and figure of tremendous reverence in Hawaiian tradition. With celebrated native Hawaiian storyteller Lopaka Kapanui, the hosts dive into stories of personal encounters with spirits, the ancestral connections to Pele, and the ways in which ancient spiritual beliefs continue to shape family, culture, and healing on the islands. Lopaka shares his personal accounts, lineage, and storytelling expertise, making this a vivid, intimate, and often humorous journey through mythology, family tales, and generational healing.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

---

Lopaka Kapanui’s Background and Method

• Passing Down Ancestral Knowledge
  • Lopaka was taught Hawaiian lore orally by his mother, with no written or recorded notes.

    “I talk, you listen, and you absorb it.” (03:36, Lopaka Kapanui)

  • Memory and oral repetition were central:

    “Now tell me everything I just said, like, repeat it.” (03:36)

• Channeling Stories
  • He describes almost “blacking out” during storytelling, channeling knowledge from ancestors.

    “A lot of times when it’s over, like, my wife will tell you, I don’t even remember anything happening. I blackout.” (04:20)

The Nature of Psychic Ability & Spiritual Encounters

• Universal Intuition
  • Lopaka says everyone is inherently psychic, especially women, and spirits often try to communicate but humans are too distracted.

    “Everybody’s inherently psychic … at its core, your natural psychic ability is called intuition. … Intuition is a lot stronger in women.” (06:38)

• Personal Accounts of Spiritual Contact
  • Both hosts and Lopaka recount feeling spirits, including loved ones and ancestral presences, especially in vulnerable moments.

    “She is there all the time. … but we have to get ourselves to a certain point where we’re not so laden down with all this extra stuff.” (09:23, Lopaka)

Lopaka’s First Encounters with Spirits

• Childhood Near-Death Experience
  • Story of seeing the spirit of a boy, Scotty, in hospital, and hearing conversations between spirits and his grandmother during surgery.

    “I can hear my friend Scotty going, ‘No, no, no, I’ll take him.’ … And my grandmother’s voice going, ‘No, no, I will take him.’” (12:15)

  • His mother explained the spiritual sensitivity as being “because you’re Hawaiian.” (13:09)

The Legend of Madame Pele

[16:06–24:49]

• Mythical Origins
  • Pele and her siblings were born from different parts of their mother Haumea.
  • Lifelong rivalry with her sister Namakaokaha‘i, the ocean goddess, over familial and elemental domains.

    “Pele and her siblings are born from different parts of their mother’s body, Haumea. … her older sister is Namakaokaha‘i, the goddess of the ocean.” (16:54)

• The Journey Across the Pacific
  • Pele is exiled for burning her sister’s land, pursued by Namaka.
  • Details of visiting islands and leaving spiritual guardians, e.g., the legend of the “Crouching Lion” as Pele’s waiting dog.

    “So the dog climbed on this hill and waited so long he turned to stone…So today, that’s the crouching lion.” (21:20)

• Pele’s Deification
  • After being killed by her sister, Pele’s bones are deified, transforming her into a goddess.

    “They deify her into an aumakua, into a god. And so that’s how she becomes Pele, the goddess of fire.” (23:01)

  • The volcanic eruptions are her “mahi” (menstrual cycle), a metaphor for destructive and regenerative cycles.

    “When the volcano is erupting, they won’t say the volcano is erupting; they will say Pele is having her mahi.” (24:08)

  • Duality of Creation and Destruction:

    “She’s a destroyer, a cure, an eater of land and soil. But when everything’s over, it’s new life again.” (24:30, Lopaka)

Personal and Local Encounters with the Supernatural

[27:14–34:40]

• Menehune (“Little People”) Stories

  • Racha describes seeing unexplained footprints, Lopaka confirms Menehune legends are prevalent in the area and shares eyewitness stories.

    “There are Menehune in that area from Waileiki to … Calvary by the Sea.” (27:48)

• Manifestations of Pele

  • Recounting sightings of Pele in human guise, often appearing to test or help people.
    • Pele as an old Hawaiian woman seeking food or a ride:

      “When the old Hawaiian woman appears for a ride or for food…whatever she wants…those two or three minutes she’s saving you from something worse.” (47:02, Lopaka)

• Humorous/Adult Legends

  • Telling of the “Kohelepelepe” (“Flying Punani”) story, linking the geography of Koko Head Crater to a tale of Pele’s sister’s sacrifice to save her from a violent lover.

    “She removes her own personal body part and waves it in front of the pig god… The second it lands, he’s just…going to town on it.” (33:13, Lopaka)

Cultural Identity, Family, and Healing

[35:56–57:37]

• Hosts’ Family Heritage

  • Racha and Yvette’s personal connection to Hawaiian culture, despite not having native blood per DNA, centers on upbringing and spirit.

    “I’ve always been taught to respect the Hawaiian culture… it’s the only culture I know.” (36:41, Racha)

  • Their mother chose Hawaii to raise biracial children, seeking healing from the racism she endured elsewhere.

    “She felt Hawaii was the melting pot.… And she knew from that instance that this is where I want to raise my children.” (37:03, Yvette)

• The Work of Ancestors After Death

  • Discussion of inviting all ancestors for prayers and healing, not just “nice” ones; the obligation of family to support descendants spiritually.

    “No matter what the circumstance was in life, they’re still your family. So you ask everybody. … they have to come and protect you.” (50:05, Lopaka)

• Breaking Generational Trauma

  • Lopaka and hosts share candid stories of childhood pain, the challenge of forgiveness, and the importance of loving oneself to break cycles of harm.

    “I was so intent on seeking, receiving his love that I forgot to love myself.” (52:57, Lopaka)

  • The universality of “ohana” (family) in Hawaii, where love and connection can transcend bloodlines.

---

Notable Quotes & Powerful Moments

• On Ancestral Communication:

  “You talk to them the way you did in life, same way you talked to them before. You speak to them now.” (50:51, Lopaka)

• On Forgiveness and Breaking Cycles:

  “If you don’t have [love for yourself], how can you love anybody else? ... Maybe those people who abused us, they didn’t get that.” (53:00, Lopaka)

• On the True Test of Love:

  “Loving yourself and loving people … and thinking about ways to make other people’s lives easier… that’s hard.” (56:48, Lopaka)

• On the Symbolism of Pele:

  “She’s this fiery woman that, of course, we know, but she’s also very loving, all encompassing. … Once you’re her family, that’s it, and woe betide the person who screws with Pele’s family.” (57:49, Lopaka)

• On the Cultural Power of Hawaii:

  “Once it gets a hold of you, you become Hawaiian in ways you don’t think you are Hawaiian, but you are.” (40:41, Lopaka)

---

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic Highlight | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:36 | Oral tradition and how Lopaka learned to tell stories | | 06:38 | On psychic ability and intuition | | 09:23 | Communicating with spirits, presence of deceased loved ones | | 12:15 | Childhood near-death experience and spirit visions | | 16:54 | Origins of Pele and her myth | | 21:20 | The “Crouching Lion”/Pele’s dog legend | | 23:01 | Deification of Pele and meaning of volcanic eruptions | | 27:48 | Racha’s first-hand experience with Menehune | | 33:13 | The Flying Punani (Kohelepelepe/Koko Head) legend – adult humor in mythology | | 47:02 | Modern encounter with Pele as a kupuna (elder) and its underlying message | | 50:05 | Family, ancestors, and obligation to protect descendants | | 52:57 | Lopaka on self-love and breaking cycles of trauma | | 57:49 | Final reflections on Pele’s duality—loving, fierce, and protective of her family |

---

Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, reverent, honest, and full of laughter and respect, blending spirituality with humor and contemporary relevance. Both hosts and guest are tenderly candid about generational pain and healing, painting a vivid, living picture of Hawaii’s supernatural and cultural world.

---

Summary for New Listeners

This episode weaves personal stories, myth, humor, and spiritual insight into a powerful exploration of what it means to connect with ancestry, heal legacy trauma, and celebrate the awe-inspiring presence of Madame Pele in Hawaii’s land and people. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the messages of respect, belonging, and cycles of renewal ring universal.

Transcript

[Icebreakers Narrator]

Let's face it, everyone's juggling long, busy days. That's why Icebreaker's gum is made for the go getters. With flavor crystals that deliver a bold cooling effect, Icebreakers keeps you refreshed and ready to take on whatever's next. And here's a bonus. The pack fits perfectly in your car, cupholder or bag, so it's within reach when you need it most. Grab Icebreakers gum online or at a store near you.

[Nordstrom Narrator]

This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. Oh, what fun. Holiday invites are arriving and Nordstrom has your party fits covered. You'll find head to toe looks for every occasion, including styles under 100 dresses, sets, heels, and accessories from Bardot, Princess Polly, Dolce Vita, Naked wardrobe coach, and more. Free styling help. Free shipping and quick order pickup make it easy in stores or online. It's time to go shopping at Nordstrom.

[Icebreakers Narrator]

Insurance may all seem the same on the surface, but having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like getting a granola bar with a candle in it. When you wanted a three layer birthday cake, you wouldn't settle for just any dessert on your birthday. So don't settle for just any insurance. When it comes to getting the help you need, State Farm is the real deal. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Racha Pecorero]

Aloha e como mai. So, supernatural listeners, I'm Racha Pecorero.

[Yvette Gentile]

And I'm Yvette Gentile. And do we have a surprise for y'.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

All.

[Racha Pecorero]

We have the most beautiful and amazing human we have ever encountered in our entire lives sitting right next to us. And his name is Lopaka Kapanui. He is a native Hawaiian storyteller, Konaka Maoli. He is an author, an actor, a kumu hula, a cultural practitioner, former professional wrestler.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

What is that doing in there?

[Racha Pecorero]

And Lopaka is a proud husband, father and grandfather. Sometimes known as the ghost Guy, Lopaka makes a business of leading guests into some of the darkest, spookiest, and, dare I say, supernatural places on the island of Oahu, in our hometown and in Honolulu, Hawaii.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Aloha. Aloha Mai kako. It's nice to meet the both of you. Well, we've met previously, what, almost 12 hours ago.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

On a night market tour.

[Racha Pecorero]

Ghost tour with Mysteries of Hawaii, which was absolutely incredible.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Thank you.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes, it was fantastic. You know, it was so profound and so beautiful to hear the stories that you were telling and to walk the path and to feel the energy, but just the history, the history that you tell, it's so needed, Lopaka. It is so needed. So tell us a little bit about how you go preparing for the ghost tours or how it started for you and why you're doing it.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

The short story is my biological mother had things she wanted to pass on. And the even shorter story is in the process of passing it on, I wasn't allowed to write anything. I couldn't record anything. So it was basically my kona ka ike. You know, I talk, you listen, and you absorb it. So some lessons were, like, 20 minutes, and other lessons were like, until the sun came up. Every single lesson at the end, my mama would say, okay, now tell me everything I just said, like, repeat it. She's like, everything. Oh, my God. But now, you know, all these years later, like I said.

[Yvette Gentile]

But it's so deeply embedded in your spirit, though. Right?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know, you don't even realize it. That's. You know, it's part of the. The fabric of who you are. It's almost like once I start, whether it's a ghost tour or a storytelling concert, something just clicks on. And a lot of times when it's over, like, my wife will tell you, I don't even remember anything happening in Blackout. Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

That's so interesting that you said that, because we witnessed that last night on tour.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Absolutely.

[Yvette Gentile]

We were all just mesmerized. From the moment you started talking, the whole group was just, like. Right.

[Racha Pecorero]

Transfixed.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

Transfixed is the perfect word, Raj.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yes. A lot of times after it's over, that, you know, beginning part about, you know, if you've got issues with your father or, you know, any kind of medication.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You heard me talk up. I was like, wait a. I'm like, wait a second. I'm like, am I allowed to be here? Because my Kuleana with my father is not good.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Sometimes people are like, wait a minute. Dramamine, methadone.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I know.

[Yvette Gentile]

We were talking about that actually last night. Right. Because. And we didn't get that on recording. When you address that, you know, asking, you know, if anybody had any particular situations going on. And then when you said, if you have an ex that is looking for you or trying to get to you or jealous, like, all of that started to make sense in that moment. Right?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. And the beauty of the whole thing, as I was saying last night, is the experience is up to you.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know, I'm just the person leading the way. So everything you come with determines what happens and what doesn't happen. So some nights, nothing, which is like, the best nights, and other nights, everybody has Stuff, and everything goes to heck.

[Racha Pecorero]

It was a beautiful night. I definitely felt it at night when I was sleeping.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And I felt like there was a.

[Racha Pecorero]

Sitting ghost with me on my leg last night. And I didn't remember it until my sister asked me this morning, how did you sleep? And that's why I had to tell you that this morning.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I'm like, Uncle Lopaka. I had a sitting ghost with me.

[Racha Pecorero]

Can you describe to me why you think that the sitting ghost was there?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

What a lot of people don't realize, and this is academically documented, everybody's inherently psychic. Everybody has some level of a psychic ability. And so that inherent psychic ability is like a muscle. If you don't exercise it, it doesn't work. So at its core, your natural psychic ability is called intuition. And as we know, intuition is a lot more stronger in women than it is in men.

[Racha Pecorero]

Because women.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Men are dull. It takes a while to get to the point. But women.

[Racha Pecorero]

I mean, I wasn't gonna say anything.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Present company excluded, but women are right there. So it's a lot more prevalent, you know, with women than it is with men. That's essentially what it is. And in your case, you're probably at a level where you don't even realize you've developed it to a certain point. So it's like I said, if you and me are in a ballroom full of people from Wisconsin, but we're the only two Hawaiian people, I'm gonna find you. Yeah, you're gonna find me. I'm gonna find you. We're on the other. Our difficulty in communicating is because between us is all this dissonance, right? So spirits are trying to talk to us all the time, but the reason they can't get through all the time is because we as human beings are focused on job, family, relationship, money. So problem, right? Everything that's humanly possible that prevents us from communicating to spirits. That's what it is. So if there's a spirit that's coming through that's trying to get you a message, but it can't because you're having all this stuff happening. It will go to the person closest to you is your sister.

[Yvette Gentile]

Oh, yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So it might be your auntie who will tell her. Can you tell Rasha? I don't mind when she come, leave food on my. My headstone, but please tell her, take it away.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And the bugs.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

The bugs is driving me crazy.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Eyvette is much more receptive, I think, to the spirit world for sure.

[Racha Pecorero]

I get kind of scared about it.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

But as I'VE shared with you.

[Racha Pecorero]

We both, Eyvette and I desperately want, like, our mom, her spirit, to visit us. And I feel like she's come in dreams, but I want to physically feel her.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah. We were talking about that last night on the tour with another woman that was on the tour, and she was saying that, I want to see it. I want to see the ghost. I want to feel the ghost. And I said, rasha, you know, especially Rasha. She wants mom to come and pull her hair.

[Racha Pecorero]

Because mom said, I'm brushing my hair.

[Yvette Gentile]

She was going to do that. Right. And I think that, yes, we want that. But there are times that when you're sleeping or you feel their presence. I know that when I fall asleep and something may be going on, and I'm just calling out to mom, like, help me, Mom. Help me, Mom. And I can feel her touching my head, you know? And sometimes you think, well, is that just in my mind? Am I just conjuring this up? But the reality is, no, I'm not. She is there.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whether you know it or not. I mean, she's there all the time. But for us as human beings, we have to get ourselves to a certain point where we're not so laden down with all this extra stuff. That's what leaves you in this capacity to receive communication from your mom or whoever it is that's trying to get through.

[Racha Pecorero]

How old were you when you first recognized that you could feel or see spirit or.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You really want to know that answer?

[Racha Pecorero]

I would love to.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Okay. When I was six years old, I was adopted by a Portuguese Catholic family. So when I would go to the bathroom, there was blood, so I had to go to Children's hospital to take care of that.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, my goodness.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So the short story is, when I was in the hospital, there's a kid next to me, and his name was Scotty Boyd. And he was famous because he was on this TV commercial. The commercial was him sitting on this fence at Parker Ranch, and his dad was playing teukulele. And, you know, Scott was singing this.

[Racha Pecorero]

Song on Hawaii Island.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. And so that's, you know, that's how he was a celebrity. So we play all the time. One evening before dinner on his side of the ward, there's, you know, light shining this way. So here comes a doctor, his parents, and they come up to his bed, and they close the partition between us, this white curtain. So because there's this light on this side, you can see all their shadows. And there's crying and just grieving and then I see all the shadows leave, but I can see Scotty's silhouette like this on the bed. I see him get up like this. And he gets off this side of the bed and comes around this way. And on this, his side of the curtain, he's going, friend, friend, let's go play. Come on. It's like they left. Let's go play. So I'm swinging my feet over to, you know, get off the bed. And up until that point, every afternoon my adopted father's mom, Grandma Lucy, would come and sit with me until they would show up like an hour before she'd leave. And as I'm going to get off the bed, I hear her voice from behind me. She's get off the bed. And I think it's strange because she was supposed to have left at 5. And I saw her, I said, why? She goes, you know, what's paying attention to what was happening? I said, no. She said, that boy make. He died. So she said, you get off that bed, your feet touch the floor, you go play with that boy. You never come back. So she said, you stay right there. Don't move, no matter what happens. And so there's Scott, his shadow on the other side of the curtain, going, friend, friend, let's go play. And then it just stopped. And then a couple of days later, there's this 11 year old kid in this side of the ward. He was from a Kiki. So this guy went downstairs to the kitchen after lunch and stole like a six pack of Coke. Coca Cola.

[Racha Pecorero]

Okay.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And remember, Coke was a real thing back then.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All the sugar, all the things. Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

There we are on the steps, you know, hiding down the steps and we're drinking Coca Cola and me with my kidney condition.

[Racha Pecorero]

Is that what you had when you were in the hospital? Okay.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So I ended up having to go get surgery. So during the surgery, I remember being on the table in this spotlight, and on the outer perimeter of the spotlight, I can hear my friend Scotty going, no, no, no, I'll take him, I'll take him. And then this. And my grandmother's voice going, no, no, I will take him. And then this woman's voice saying, no, no, he's coming with me. And my. I heard my Grandma Lucy said, no, I will take him for life. And I remember coming out of the surgery and I'm still kind of groggy, but I hear my adoptive mom talking to the doctor. And the doctor said, yeah, we, we lost him, you know, but, you know, we brought him back. And my adoptive mom said, for how long? He said, oh, I think less than a minute.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

I remember her screaming at him, what do you mean less than a minute? You know, so ever since. Ever since then, it became a lot more prevalent than it was before.

[Racha Pecorero]

From the age of six.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

From the age of six. So when I finally met my biological mom, that's one of the things I told her. And she said to me, oh, it's because you're Hawaiian. I was like, yeah. She goes, you know, later, later, when, you know, when you're older, I'll tell you. She goes, but she goes, don't worry. It's because you're Hawaiian.

[Racha Pecorero]

Huh?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

She said, but I'll explain it later. So once I started to learn from her, she said, it's who we are as a people. She said, I cannot speak for the whole Raisa Gwan. She said, I can only tell you what's in our family.

[Racha Pecorero]

Your lineage.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. And so, yeah, that's how it all started. So I flew the short story.

[Yvette Gentile]

And as you're telling that story, the light is flickering over there.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah. Do we need to do an ollie?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yes. Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes.

[Racha Pecorero]

Aura Frames keeps your family connected even. Even when you're miles apart, making it the perfect gift to give. With Aura Frames, you can share photos and videos effortlessly straight from your phone all year long. Plus get unlimited free photos and videos with the Aura app. Just connect to WI fi. I've gifted the Aura frame many times, but it's been my favorite gift to myself. I upload Facebook memories and photos every single day on my Aura app and it's pretty epic. For a limited time, visit auraframes.com and get $45 off Aura's best selling Carver map frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code Supernatural at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code supernatural. This exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year. So order now before it ends. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.

[Lowe's Announcer]

It's never too early for Lowe's. Black Friday deals. Snag some of our biggest savings of the season right now. Like 25% off select pre lit artificial Christmas trees. And get yourself free select dewalt cobalt or Craftsman tools when you buy a select battery or combo kit before the Black Friday rush. Because everyone loves free stuff, right?

[Yvette Gentile]

Lowe's.

[Lowe's Announcer]

We help you save valid through 123 while supplies last selection varies by location.

[Racha Pecorero]

Well, I would love to ask because I know that you are a direct descendant of Madame Pele, and I personally, and my sister Yvette, we've always, always been so engrossed, enthralled, just so drawn to her. So drawn to Madame Pele. We have artwork all over home. We both have.

[Yvette Gentile]

We both have a big painting of her. You know, I have one in my studio. You have one in your living room, which is given to us by our mother, Fauna Hodel.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Wow.

[Yvette Gentile]

And we've always had this affinity. Yeah. This connection to her. So can you tell us a little bit about the legend of Pele and.

[Racha Pecorero]

Your connection to her?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Some. On my mother's side, our connection to Pele is through the kahuna of Pele. And the story goes that Pele and her siblings are born from different parts of their mother's body. Haumeo. And so, as Pele is growing up, her older sister is Namakokai, the goddess of the ocean.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

So they don't get along, not like us.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So Khome said, look, you stay on this side of the island. Your sister will be on the other side. You guys just stay out of each other's way. And the person who eventually teaches Pele how to stoke the fires of the volcano is her uncle, Lonomakua. And in one legend, it says that Namako Kahai's husband was this Ali' I au kele nui aiku. And that at some point when Namaka was away, Pele just happened to wander on her sister's side of the island, and she got together with Aukele and, you know, they did biology together.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah, biology.

[Yvette Gentile]

We all know what biology is.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And so that's strike one, right?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Huge strike.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Strike two is when Lonomakua is having another lesson with Pele. How to stoke the fires, call it forth, calm it down. And he says, all of a sudden, I forgot I have an appointment. I'll be right back. So just wait here. And like, you know, Fantasia, Mickey Mouse, the apprentice. Pelle is, like, stoking the fires. Fires get out of control, and it burns down her sister's side of the island and kills everybody. So when Pele goes to her mother, Homer, and says, oh, away, you know, this is what happened. And Homie says. She says, okay, look, she says, this is not going to turn out good for you, so you have to leave. And so she tells pele, get all of your siblings. The kanu honua I akea will be waiting for you. And your brother Kamuali, the shar God, will guide the way. But make sure you get everyone that belongs to You. And so the canoe is ready to sail, and Haumea says, you can't leave now. You have to wait until sidereal time.

[Racha Pecorero]

Then you go when sidereal is that so?

[Yvette Gentile]

Explain that.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

According to Haumea, it was the time when, you know, it's like the sun is directly overhead and it casts no shadow. She said during that time you leave. And the time comes and Pele is leaving with all of her siblings. And she jumps off the canoe and goes to her grandmama. And her mama says, don't look back, just go, you know, we'll see each other again. And so up Pele took off. So of course, when Namaka gets back and sees all of this devastation, she's like, mom doesn't even stop her. So Pele is being pursued across the Pacific by this giant tidal wave with Namaka and her two mo', o, you know, her dragons. And so when Pele arrives to Nihua, she can't make a volcano because it's too small. And so she goes to Niihau. And this isn't one version that I heard growing up on Ni', ihau, she sees perhaps she cannot make a volcano either. So she leaves her one of her brothers, a shark God, Kuhaimuana, and says to him, you become the guardian of these Niihau people. Because if my sister comes to inundate the island, you know, it's through no fault of theirs, it is mine. So she says, protect them and be their. So today on the island of Ni', Ihau, the Nii people are not afraid of sharks. And so next, Pele goes to Oahu and tries to make a volcano. And the Mako kahi shows up and peels out the fire. So Salt Lake Aliapakai was an actual lake of sea salt, which she tried to dig out. So today, when the volcano is erupting, there's Pele sightings in Salt Lake, you know, in the neighborhood. But she stops at Ka'. Awa. And so they take a break. And Pele's like, you know, guys, take a break, you know. You know, she said, you know, so they're taking a break. And as they're leaving, Pele has this, this pet dog size like of a baby elephant. And so she says to this, this Elio, she says, you wait for me until I come back. And the dog says, when will I know this? She said, when you see a raging orb of fire through the night sky, she says, that will be me and that, that is my return. So the dog climbed on this hill and waited so long he turned to stone. So the people of the area didn't know the dog's name, so they called him Kauhi Makoanalani, the red eyed one who gazes toward the heavens. So today that's the crouching lion.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

We just drove by there yesterday.

[Racha Pecorero]

And that's always been such a magical place for us.

[Yvette Gentile]

So growing up, we would always take a drive around the island. We'd go there, we'd have lunch. And I'm a Leo, so every time.

[Racha Pecorero]

As is Lo Faka. Yes. And our beautiful mom fan of but we.

[Yvette Gentile]

I was always drawn to that area. Always, Always.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Right, Rasha?

[Racha Pecorero]

Yes, always. So it's not a lion. It's an Elio.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

It's a dog.

[Racha Pecorero]

It's Pele's dog. How sacred.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

I know. How. Like we never had lions in ancient Hawaii.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right.

[Racha Pecorero]

But now looking back, like we just drove by there yesterday.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

Like, it looks like an Elio. It looks like a dog.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right, right, right.

[Racha Pecorero]

A crouching, crouching dog.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So he's still waiting for him. And so, you know, pool lineup, punchbowl, Diamond Head peeled out. You know, Pele was unsuccessful.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And even like Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe are just unsuccessful. So when she gets to Maui, you know, at that point she's like, you know what? I've had it. So she's gonna turn and fight. And she does. She fights bravely. But because Namaka has her two mo', o, they end up killing Pele and they scatter her bones at a place called Kaiwi, Opele and Hana. And so Pele's family take her bones and they deify her through this ceremony called kupaku. So they're taking the mana of her bones and they're going to deify her into an aumakua, into a God. And so that's how she becomes Pele, the goddess of fire.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So when the Maka looked toward Hawaii island and saw, you know, just this fountain of flames from what is now Kilauea, she knew, okay, you know, I kind of kill my sister now. And so there's sort of like this. This thing. All right, you know, you do you, I'll do me.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. We'll leave each other alone.

[Racha Pecorero]

And there's been peace ever since between them, pretty much.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And I find it's funny, like when hurricanes are coming with, you know, rains and horrible waters, the big island always buffers that hurricane.

[Racha Pecorero]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And so the rest of the archipelago doesn't. Doesn't feel it. So a lot of people who are from places like kalapana or kau. When the volcano is erupting, they won't say the volcano is erupting during. They will say pele is having her money.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, she's been having her money a lot lately.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

A lot.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But as my mom said, you, know, she has her mahi. There's nothing you can do about it. You just gotta wait.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah. You gotta let her bleed.

[Yvette Gentile]

Literally.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. Because, you know, the earth is a woman. But after all that devastation, you, know, New life takes place, New growth.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right, Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know, so that's the beauty of this duality of elle. She's a destroyer, a cure, an eater of land and soil. But when everything's over, it's new life again.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right.

[Racha Pecorero]

It's a circle of life.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Absolutely. It's. And it's also sort of indicative of, you know, the circle of life and death.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Death happens. So life can begin in you.

[Racha Pecorero]

I have a question for you. I mean, I'd love to know more, of course, about, you know, your amukua. And how you are a descendant of pele. But on a personal level, I just want to know if this is something that you think actually happened. So, you know, yvette and I have different fathers, and I always went 50, 50 between my father and stepmother. And we lived in manoa from when I was the age of 5 until 15. And then we moved to waila iki. And then, you know, the other 50% of the time, I was with mom and yvette, and we lived all over the island of oahu, but in manoa, Even though I felt like manoa protected me inside, the home was very tumultuous. And I still have nightmares about it. I still have all these things that happen to me. That I'm processing Through therapy and all the things. But when I was in the waileiki home, There were two things that were supernatural that happened. Well, more than two things, but two big things that I wanted to ask you about. So one of them was we had three bedrooms, and it was only me, my father, and my stepmother. And in one of the bedrooms, we would always see Little menehune footprints by the window. And it was, you know, parallel to the ground. We'd always see the footprints. And I'm like, what is that? I mean, and my dad would, like, vacuum like crazy on the carpet, and the footprints every morning would come back. So, like, I always was convinced that menehune Were, like, were there. And it felt like a very, like, spiritual land. And the reason I tell you that story Is just because I always felt protected. I was never hit in that home. I had emotional and verbal abuse in that home. But I just felt like there was a barrier Trying to protect me. And my father used to say that he would be visited in the shower by tutupele. And my dad is a big haole guy. He moved here in the 70s, you know, like, he. He wouldn't say tutupele, But I'm saying that respectfully. He would say, I think pele is talking to me in the shower. She's got, you know, the. The salt and pepper, like, hair, the bun, the long white dress. And I've never heard him say that he was scared before. And he said he was scared of her. And for me, like, I kind of giggled inside. I was like, it was like a.

[Yvette Gentile]

Warning call to him.

[Racha Pecorero]

I'm like, madame pele. Yep. I'm like, madame pele is protecting me. And that's, you know, the first time, like, I tried to speak up. I tried to get mom and, you know, yvette to get, like, full custody of me. And then I backed down Because I was too scared. But do you think that madame pele and the menehune Were really there? Or do you think it was more of just. I mean, he smoked a lot of pakalolu, too.

[Yvette Gentile]

There is that.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

There is that.

[Racha Pecorero]

But the menehune footprints, I physically saw for myself, and I had other, you know, Things that happened in that home that I knew there was amakua or some type of spirit watching over me.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

There are mene muna in that area from waliki to. What's the bear state? It's right next to calvary by the sea.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, almost to ainahaina.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. So the bear state was used in Hawaii 500 as Steve McGarrett's house, but.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Right, the original Hawaii 5.

[Yvette Gentile]

Zero days.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

It's a place where they have japanese weddings.

[Racha Pecorero]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So it's a two story, really nice little place on the beach. And I know the owner. And so one year, she allowed me to have this ghost story thing at the bear state. And when it was over, she says, you know, can I share some stories with you? I'm like, oh, absolutely. And she brings out these pictures, and she's handing it to everybody. So she says, you know, nobody knows this, but, you know, there's menehune on this property. And so the husband is a retired attorney. And when susie's done telling her part of it, Husband says, I'm a retired attorney. I grew up in a Japanese family, plantation. Japanese family, like, very, very samurai. You know, we don't have time for this connecting. And he said, you know, when the wedding guests come, the bride goes upstairs, does her makeup and all that. Then they come here on the beach to get married. And he said, one day, I'm bringing the bouquet up. And he said, the stairs are like this. And, you know, you can see between the stairs. And he said. He looked down. He said, this is a little boy, like this tall. And he said, dark. Dark skin, like, black, shiny hair, like, big eyes. And he said when he did a double take, he said, it's not a little boy. It's a man, fully formed man, like, over there. And he said, it took off. He chased that. Great. It was gone.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And so he said it kept happening with such frequency that, you know, they're kind of freaked out, you know, should we close down their business? And so the husband asked me, like, you know, what. What should we do? Because it's still happening. I said, you have to leave out a certain type of pink banana as an offering. Starchy one. And then a particular kind of shrimp, if you can find it. So, you see, leave out those two things. You should be fine.

[Racha Pecorero]

Raw or cooked shrimp?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Raw.

[Racha Pecorero]

Okay.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And, you know, when you make the offerings, you know, just. I'm so and so here's my offering. You know, kalamai, let's work together. And so I'm standing here. Everybody's seated here. Susan, her husband are talking over here. I glanced this way in the living room, just, you know, momentarily. You know how this leg is on.

[Racha Pecorero]

This table low to the ground? Yeah, yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So table's kind of taller, but, you know, the table leg. And I glance, and I see this little Hawaiian boy, Dark, dark skin, knees up to his chest, shiny hair, big eyes like this. And he looks at me, and he goes like this. He goes.

[Racha Pecorero]

He blinked.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

He blinked. And then he got up and walked that way. And it's like this toss, like, so. I didn't know what to do. I had a creamsicle. So in the wine, in my mind. And, like, we call them opening this creamsicle.

[Racha Pecorero]

So I'm validated knowing that there were menehune Waileiki. What do we think about tutu Pele?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Well, plus, you know, what's that place? Coco head.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know the story of coco head? No, no, that's kohelepe lepe. I'm gonna turn beet red.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

So I see it happening right now.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know, I said last night, you know, I'm a gentleman. I don't swear in front of women. Yeah. So this is not swearing, but Kohelepe Lepe is that.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Look at him.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

He really is. And he's a beautiful, gorgeous Hawaiian dark skinned man. He is peak for sure.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

It's.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I need to take a photo with you right now. I have to.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Let me put it to you this way. Pele got involved with this guy that her family told her was absolutely the wrong guy. And you know when you tell your family member that's the wrong person, the first thing they do is go after.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes, we know this very well.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I should say I do.

[Yvette Gentile]

You do?

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So. So of course you know, when it's the wrong person, this person ends up living with Pele. Doesn't have Pele live with them. And so this person is Kamapua, the pig God. So when they consummate the relationship, like the lovemaking goes on like weeks and weeks. It's just good being a God.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Yeah, get it, girl.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But at some point Pele is like lava pow. That's enough. But Kamapua is like, no. She's like, I only took this part of the blue pelvis. Like, get.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Now we're turning red.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So at some point, Kamapua is like restraining her. He's starting to bite her to hold her down. And so Pele's sister, Kapooloki Na' U sees this and knows her sister's in trouble. So she removes her own personal body part and waves it in front of the pig dog like this to destroy. Yeah. And then takes her Kohei and throws it until it lands where Koko Head Crater is. What? Kohelepe Lepe, the flying. So Kamapua chases that thing in. The second it lands, he's like just, you know, going to town on it.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So.

[Yvette Gentile]

So it's like the flying punani.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

Well, Kohei is here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

As Roger Daltrey said, your squeeze box.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Something I didn't know I was gonna learn today.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Mama never sleeps at night. So a couple years ago, well, actually, before COVID these two women asked me to perform their wedding ceremony at the beach on the reef at Sandy Beach.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, beautiful.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

As the sun's coming up. So I turn around and I see the back of Coco Head Kuehelepe Lepe. And I tell them the whole story. They're like, what? And I said.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

The lesbian wedding? They're loving that. Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

I said, look at the back of Cocoa Crater. I said, what does it look like?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

They're like, I'm never going to be able to organize it again.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

They're going to drive straight there. I was like, oh my goodness.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

You turn listeners google koko head on.

[Racha Pecorero]

The island of Oahu.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

This is your comment.

[Yvette Gentile]

I know.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Put them back in, not the front end.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Pele said, you know, warents warrants are kupuna, just poetic geniuses. I mean look at it.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh my goodness, that's so funny.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So Pele has, you know, dominion in that area as well.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So if she was appearing to that man in the shower and that in that capacity, she certainly had something to.

[Racha Pecorero]

Say, you know, and it was several times. Several times.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Just in thousands of winter arrivals at your Nordstrom rack store, save up to 70% on coats, slippers and cashmere from Kate Spade New York, Vince Ugg Levi's and more.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Check out these boots, they've got the best gifts.

[Yvette Gentile]

My holiday shopping hack, join the Nordic.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Get an extra 5% off every rack purchase with your Nordstrom credit card. Plus buy it online and pick it up in store the same day for free. Big gifts, big perks. That's why you rack.

[Bob Evans Announcer]

Bob Evans. Creamy Mac and cheese and buttery mashed potatoes are made for the moments you can't plan, like last minute school costumes, glitter explosions, or when little Liam brings three friends for dinner. No plan, no problem. Say hello to plan B O B from Bob Evans. Because when you bring out the Bob, you can take comfort in knowing you'll always have something delicious on the table, no matter what the day brings. When you need comfort, bring out the bomb. Available now in your refrigerated section.

[Racha Pecorero]

I've always immersed myself in the Hawaiian culture. Like I wanted to be Kanaka Maoli so bad. And there was rumors our biological grandmother, she, you know, had told me that we had family from Molokai. So in my mind I'm like, oh, I have cocoa.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

We have Hawaiian blood. I'm like, I know it.

[Racha Pecorero]

I was like, I know it.

[Yvette Gentile]

I told you.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I told you.

[Racha Pecorero]

And then, then, you know, before our mom passed in 2017, we all did 23andMe DNA. Sure enough, no Hawaiian blood, no coco.

[Yvette Gentile]

But we did have a little bit.

[Racha Pecorero]

Of Japanese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish. Like, yeah, this blonde blue eyed girl.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Is not all haoli, is not all white.

[Racha Pecorero]

You know, I've always been taught to respect the Hawaiian culture that like it's the only culture I know. And of course, you know, with mom. And mom decided to raise Yvette and I in Hawaii because she didn't want us to experience any of the Racism that she went through because she wasn't white enough, she wasn't black enough.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah. She felt Hawaii was the melting pot. And when she came here, you know, the energy, the mana, right? And the aina of the land, you feel it. And she knew. She knew from that instance that this is where I want to raise my child, my children. She didn't have Rasha yet, but she had me, who was this biracial child. And she thought, this is the perfect place, you know? And, you know, I didn't get here till I was probably 8 years old. And it was hard at first because we came from San Diego. You know, there's Disneyland, SeaWorld, all the things. But. But as I started to grow up here, there's just something that is so magical, it's so precious that every time I come home, and I come home often, as soon as I get off the plane, everything just melts away. So every day of our lives, we thank mom for bringing us here, raising us here in Hawaii.

[Racha Pecorero]

And she got haupai. She got pregnant with me here. She even had an appointment to have an abortion. And she flew from Honolulu back to San Diego because she's like, this is the first white guy I've ever slept with. Like, am I really going to have a kid?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And I, like, I don't know him.

[Racha Pecorero]

And I. She told me later that I came to her in a dream the night before she was supposed to have the abortion. And I remember it as. Because the way she described it, she said I was, you know, 5 years old at the time. It looked like I ended up looking when I was five years old. And I remember saying, I'm supposed to make a difference in the world. Please, you know, save me. I'm supposed to.

[Yvette Gentile]

She said, you were screaming.

[Racha Pecorero]

She said, I was stopping your love.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

She said, screaming. And so she was so scared that she had to have me.

[Racha Pecorero]

But I remember it romantically, which is.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

That it's not the truth.

[Yvette Gentile]

I want to be.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

And so I truly believe that was the greatest gift, was to be born.

[Racha Pecorero]

In Honolulu, Hawaii, and to have my sister by my side, even though mom not here. And forever.

[Yvette Gentile]

Forever, yeah. And forever and always, you know, she united us so deeply, and we will continue to carry her legacy with us wherever we go, you know, that's beautiful.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

It really is. So there's, you know, there's a purpose for you being here. I'm not sure if you guys ever actually going to move back here.

[Racha Pecorero]

I know we've talked about it many times.

[Yvette Gentile]

I want to.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

I know you Know, but who knows? This might be actually the springboard to where you need to be financially to actually move back here.

[Racha Pecorero]

That's so true.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah, yeah. Universe.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Manifesting. We can podcast from anywhere.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Anywhere. That's the reason why your mom is hanging around. But she's just waiting for the both of you to get to the point where she can actually come through, you know, and say something, you know, do something physically. So it's probably something that only the both of you would know.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know, that's specific to her.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

My Kumuhula is Japanese. Last name is Miyasato. He grew up in Haha on when it was just pig farms and orchid farms. But he said growing up there, everybody. Everybody, Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese. He said everybody spoke Hawaiian. So my Kumo's is that dialect from that time.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know, but he said everybody, even though they weren't Hawaiian, were Hawaiian. Everybody spoke it like it's not something unusual. And so he said, you know, that's. That's the beauty of this place is, you know, once it gets a hold of you, you become Hawaiian in ways you don't think you are Hawaiian, but you are. So I think that's the case for the both of you.

[Racha Pecorero]

Tell our listeners more about Pele being a makua to you or ohana to you.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So my sister explained it. She said in our lineage, part of our ohana on the Kona side were kokuna to Pele. So it's through that lineage that our bloodline is to Pele. In some circles, they say that Pele and Kamapua actually had a child, and the child's name began with Lono. Supposedly, that's how the human connection comes into that line.

[Racha Pecorero]

I see.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And we have Lono in our bloodline. Was it PI? PI and Lono. So as my sister says it, when Kamehameha came into power, there was something about this priesthood that he felt was a threat. So when he came into power, he wanted to get rid of that priesthood. So as my sister said it to me, you know, that part of our family had to go underground and hide and try to live among commoners until this got over it.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow. And he eventually got over it.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

I don't know. I mean, some of us still around, which explains why in the late 80s, early 90s, my mama went home to Kalawa, which is upland in Kona, to visit her auntie Mary Green. They wanted to surprise Auntie, so they didn't tell her they were coming. And my mama says, you know, as she's walking up the steps from inside the house, she hears my auntie going, ooi komo mai. Come inside. My mom said, how do you know where you're coming? She said, the wind told me you're coming. And so a couple of days later, they're all gonna go drive to Hilo to go shopping. And my mom wanted to stay home. You know, she was tired. And she said, just sitting down in the living room, you know, enjoying her solitude. And there's this knock on the door. And from outside she can hear, hui. We're the people in this house. And so my mom said, she went to the front door and she said, standing there, beautiful, beautiful Hawaiian girl. Dark skin and just black, black curly hair. And she said, and the hair was like flecks of ehu. And she said, almost looks like. Like flames. And the girl's wearing this kikapa. And she said the material was like, black with red designs. The girl was barefoot. And so the girl asked if. If there was any cold water, you know, with ice. And my. My mom went to go get it, and she said, but the ice in the tray hadn't frozen over. So she. When she came back, she told the girl, you know, ice is not ready yet, but I still have, you know, this water. And the girl took it. And she said when the girl touched the cup, this film of ice formed over it.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, wow.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And she drank it and gave it back to my mom. And my mom said when she grabbed it, you know, when ice is like, really, you know, kind of like the fingers stick to it.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yes.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

She said. The girl said, mahalo, you know, mahalo, nui. And so my mom said, where did you come from? And the girl said, I've been walking. So I was, you know, vela, just, you know, makiva. I was thirsty. The girl said, but, you know, I'm going now. And so the girl is, like, going down the driveway, and she starts walking up this way. My mom asked her again, where are you going? She goes, oh, my home is over there. And my mom said, that's nothing but, ah, it's like dry lava. And so my mom said, why don't you wait? We'll bring the car around and I'll take you. And the girl is gone. So when my auntie them came home, my. My mama told her what happened. And auntie said, oh, that makes sense. He said, we. We stuck at Halemaumau. We had to make, you know, hookupu to Bella. And she said since he wasn't there, she Said, I made one hookupu for you. So when I pull it and I throw the whole Koopa inside, the wind brought it back. So she said, maybe Pele wanted to see why you never come. And my mom was like, just jaw to the ground. And so my mom said, yeah, that was Pele. But she said during that encounter, like, she doesn't remember sounds, smells. It's just like everything was, like, hyper focused on this one thing that was happening. Wow. So in 2005, when we're living off of Date street, we're coming back. And so I drop off my daughter and her mom at our apartment, and I go park on Date street across the football field from Kaimuki High School. And so I get out of the car on the driver's side as I close the car door and look over the hood on the other side of this old Hawaiian lady. And she's kind of clunky the way she's dressed, because, you know, turtleneck sweater.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And plaid skirt and these mog boots, you know, from the 60s. Like, this woman is crazy. Wow. But Hawaiian woman. And she goes, pulu. She goes, I'm hungry. She goes, take me to Zippy's.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Girl after my own heart.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So I said, well, I'm going to the Jack in the Mox Kapahulu, so, you know, I can take you to the Zippy. She goes, no, not that one. The one in Wahiawa.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So I said, oh, Tutu, I'm not going that way. She goes, but, you know, pololi, maki pololi. I want to go that.

[Racha Pecorero]

Zippy's insisting.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So I glanced down, and I noticed that in the backseat, my daughter left her cheese pizza from Chuck E. Cheese. So I went like this, and I said, tutor, I have cheese pizza if you want it. And she's gone. So Date street is situated in such a way that no matter where anybody walks, you can see them coming and going.

[Racha Pecorero]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So she's gone. A second later, this car, just, like, zoom isn't even the word. It goes by me so fast. Like, you know the jet wash, like, kind of, like, pushes you.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And it blows the traffic light in the intersection. It gets T boned. So that was supposed to be me.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow. So she protected you.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. So it turns out when, you know, the old Han woman appears for a ride or for food, I always tell people, no matter what she's asking, give it to her brother. Ride, Give her the food, whatever she wants. I said, because those two or three minutes that she's saving you from something Worse.

[Racha Pecorero]

Wow. And that's two touples.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Even today, I think, why would she wear a turtleneck sweater, flat skirt, and mod boots?

[Racha Pecorero]

I know.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I'm used to her like a turtleneck.

[Racha Pecorero]

Like white, not turtleneck, but the high collared white, you know, beautiful, like, dress.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But then I thought maybe that's why she appeared like that.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Because you're like, who made this crazy clothes?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Wtf, right?

[Yvette Gentile]

Right? Made you stop, right? Yeah, yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

And that was in 2005.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

2005. You know, and the belt didn't match the shoes, but who cares?

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

But you remember.

[Yvette Gentile]

As I would remember.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But, you know, that's how our kupuna, our ancestors, work from the other side. Whether you need help or you need that moment of affirmation or knowing you have to go right, but you intend on going left. You know, that's what they're doing. And sometimes they have to come through and physically slap you in the head. What are you doing?

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Just in thousands of winter arrivals at your Nordstrom rack store, save up to 70% on coats, slippers, and cashmere from Kate Spade New York, Vince Ugg, Levi's and more.

[Racha Pecorero]

Check out these boots.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

They've got the best gifts.

[Yvette Gentile]

My holiday shopping hack. Join the Nordic.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Get an extra 5% off every rack purchase with your Nordstrom credit card. Plus, buy it online and pick it up in store the same day for free. Big gifts, big perks. That's why you rack.

[Racha Pecorero]

Our extended ohana. Our extended family is very complicated. We have a lot of generational trauma. That trauma was pal. It stuck with our mom. Our mom just radiated pure light. Like how you said last night, how the light always overpowers the darkness. That was our mom. And so for me, now, she. I just wanted to ask you, like, she's now an ancestor because she's passed on. Right. And we can. Because I always want to do everything and everything from a place of aloha and love and represent her and that this is our dream job, working together and.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

And it was created through her. You know, how it all began was because of her.

[Racha Pecorero]

So I just want to make sure that she's the only ancestor that's with us and not the scary ones or other scary ones still there. And we have to learn to.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Here's the thing. When you're asking for protection, prayers, guidance. Yeah. From your ancestors, no matter what the circumstance was in life, they're still your family. So you ask everybody.

[Racha Pecorero]

Okay.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And everybody has to come. Because, you know, in our culture, when you ask with sincerity, with intention, they're obligated. They have to come and protect you. So even your jerk uncle, you know, your jerk stepfather, you know, they have to come too, because you're asking, and they're obligated no matter what the circumstance.

[Racha Pecorero]

Okay?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So you ask everybody, and they'll come. And the great thing about communicating with our people is that even though they're no longer flesh and blood, the personality is still the same. So when you ask of these particular kinds of people who have passed, you talk to them the way you did in life, same way you talked to them before. You speak to them now.

[Racha Pecorero]

And even if we didn't know them, still. Yeah. To them and give them respect, I guess. Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Right.

[Racha Pecorero]

I have to let go of the.

[Yvette Gentile]

Pain coming from a place of. Of healing. Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And so your job now in this capacity, because this is all generated from your mom.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Is to express the kind of communication that makes a family whole and makes them, you know, tight knit. I'm speaking only for myself, but, you know, I found that it's because of a lack of communication that we have physical, mental abuse and sometimes, you know, the other kind. Because my adoptive father, I realized later on, was never given the tools to say, I love you.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Or to hug.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So growing up, he made it a point to remind me all the time, you're not Mariel son.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So when we go out to restaurant or wherever we're going, and, you know, his friends would show up, and he'd introduce my Hanai mom, you know, my older Hanai brothers. But when he got to me, he goes, oh, that's my adopted son. And I remember in 1972, there was this thing, father, son, baseball thing, where if you win, you get to go all expense paid, everything to go see the Red Sox play. Oh, wow. So my Hanoi father saw that and went to my two older brothers and said, hey, go do that. And, you know, my brother's like, I got girlfriend. I gotta work on my 55 Chevy. I was like, dad, dad, let's go. I'll do it. He goes, oh, we can. He goes, but you're not my real son. No. And he showed me the article. He said, see? This says father and son. Yeah. And so, you know, I promised myself if I ever had a. A child that I would never do that.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But I also realized, you know, I was so intent on. On seeking receiving his love that I forgot to love myself.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So for me, I. I believe that's where it begins, you know? But love for yourself first, because if you don't have that, how can you love anybody else? Then maybe those people who abused us, they didn't get that.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

You know?

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So in a way, in spite of what they did, it's kind of not their fault.

[Racha Pecorero]

Right? Hurt people. Hurt people.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes.

[Racha Pecorero]

You break the cycle.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. And they can't give you what they don't have.

[Icebreakers Narrator]

Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

And you can't hold on to that anger because that will destroy you. You know, your light, that's just dimming.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Your light, that's fine. My adult sons that I share with my wife, her boys, I wait until they're not expecting it, and I go up to them and I grab them, like, I love you. I love you. You know, they're kind of like taking advantage. Like, tell me you love me. It's like, oh, dad. Well, you gotta do that.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Oh, my God.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And so, you know, my little grandson said, oh, his grandmother love you. I love you so much, you know, and they're like squirming out of my arms and I'm like, you'll thank me one day.

[Racha Pecorero]

But that's what you're supposed to do. That's. That's how you broke the cycle, by loving yourself and passing that aloha on to your ohana. And it doesn't matter. I can tell. It doesn't matter if someone is blood to you or not. They're your ohana.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

It doesn't matter that you didn't, you know, physically have them.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So when my, my grandkids, their grandparents, like, wanted to reconnect with them on Kauai, our oldest granddaughter wanted to stay. And so I was upset because I said those people don't deserve, you know, her love because they treated her mom, my daughter in law, like, really bad. And my wife, too.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So, you know, I told my wife, I said, you know, even though they're not biologically mine, like, they're mine. Yeah. Yeah. They've been in my house. I raised them, you know, they're kids. Like, they pooped on me.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

That's the ultimate thing.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Like, they threw up to me. I said, they're mine. She's like, I know, I appreciate it. She goes, yeah. You know.

[Racha Pecorero]

Oh, my goodness.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. Oh, wow. So family is, you know, extends well beyond. Beyond Coco.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah. Beyond lan.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But the universality of what you're sharing is just what's important. You know, we raise those people coming up with clear communication, with a clear understanding that, you know, they're loved and they know how to love themselves.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

It's easy.

[Yvette Gentile]

And that's who our mother was. You know, despite all the hardship that she went through, she still loved everybody, you know, and. And that is what shined through her and what drew everyone to her. You know what I'm saying?

[Racha Pecorero]

And I feel the same way about you.

[Yvette Gentile]

Hold on to it.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Yeah.

[Yvette Gentile]

Yes.

[Racha Pecorero]

But I feel the same way about you because I know that you've had a crazy, crazy upbringing, and you are this leader and this true warrior, and we are just so honored to know you and now love you.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Same here. Absolutely. I was just talking about war this morning to my second oldest son, and I said, there's no glory in war, no matter how much they pay it. Like, people have to die.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And I said, and it's. It's horrible that brilliant scientists, you know, generals, are always finding new ways to. To kill other people.

[Racha Pecorero]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

So that's easy, I said. That's easy, I said, but loving yourself and loving people, you know, and thinking about ways to make other people's lives easier, less complicated, I said, that's hard.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yeah.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

I said, killing somebody is easy. It's not a problem. But that other stuff, you know, because I told him, once you start realizing that you want to do better for people, I said, the scary thing that happens is you begin to realize, I want to do better for myself.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Yeah.

[Racha Pecorero]

Yes.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

And some people don't know how to do that. You know, it's sort of, like, disconcerting. Wow. You know, really, me, you know, I'm something, I matter. I did that. It's unfathomable for some people. But, you know, this podcast that you're doing might actually help somebody get to that point.

[Yvette Gentile]

And that is. That is the goal. That is why we do what we do, you know?

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Racha Pecorero]

He went from Madame Pele to healing the world. Pele.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. I mean, she's this. This fiery woman that, of course, we know, but she's also very loving, all encompassing. So it's like, you know, in any situation, you know, once. Once you're her family, that's it, you know, and wo betide the person who screws with Pele's family.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Look at me.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

But believe me, you know, I don't suffer fools either. You know, I don't do stupid.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I just saw Anya come out in you.

[Yvette Gentile]

He's like, you better recognize.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Oh, my God. Yeah, I mean, I hardly get upset, but, you know, my wife knows once I'm there and the switch is on, it's hard to come back. So I do my best not to get to that point.

[Yvette Gentile]

Right.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Unless you do something really dumb.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

I mean, you are human.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yes.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

Oh, my gosh.

[Yvette Gentile]

Well, that was an incredible story. And, you know, just telling your lineage about, you know, where your family comes from. And then the legend of Pelle, Pele herself was beyond anything we could have even anticipated.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Absolutely. You know, it's a story about a woman who had to bear the responsibility of bringing her entire family with her and having this fight with her sister and making sure that, you know, these people are taken care of and fed and all this stuff. So in that journey, Pele herself grew, you know, from this impetuous young woman who just was all over the place, you know, she finally had to be responsible for something other than herself.

[Yvette Gentile]

And that is a lesson to humankind right there.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Yeah. And so symbolically becoming this, this goddess of the fire is her transition to, you know, the station in her life that where she was meant to be. Yeah. Because who was it that said, we're afraid of the fact that we can be more than we are good? Maya Angelou. Something to that effect.

[Racha Pecorero]

Let's go with that.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Okay.

[Guest or Additional Speaker]

It sounds like something Maya would have said. And some wise words for sure.

[Yvette Gentile]

This is so supernatural. And adio, Chuck. Original produced by Crime House. You can connect with us on Instagram @sosupernaturalpod and visit our website at SewSuperNaturalPodcast.com Join Rasha and me next Friday for an all new episode. I think Chuck would approve.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Score holiday gifts. Everyone wants for way less at your Nordstrom Rack store. Save on Ugg, Nike, Rag and Bone, Vince, fr, Kurt Geiger, London and more.

[Lopaka Kapanui]

Cause there's always something new.

[Yvette Gentile]

I'm giving all the gifts this year with that extra 5% off when I use my Nordstrom credit card.

[Nordstrom Rack Announcer]

Santa who join the Nordy Club at Nordstrom Rack to unlock our best deals. It's easy. Big gifts, big perks. That's why you rack Bob Evans.

[Bob Evans Announcer]

Creamy Mac and cheese and buttery mashed potatoes are made for those holiday moments you just can't plan for. Like when the neighbors burnt their holiday meal and you invited them over. Or that time when everyone's flights home were were canceled and they stayed an extra two days. So when there is no plan, say hello to Plan Bob. When you bring out the Bob, you can take comfort this holiday season knowing you'll always have something delicious on the table, no matter what the holidays bring. When you need comfort, bring out the Bob available now in your refrigerated section.