When the King’s Parade and Celebration kicks off Saturday, Joe Sugai will be trading in his horse for a ride atop a convertible.
Sugai, married to Melissia Aki, the current King’s Parade and Celebration Kauai commissioner, is this year’s pa‘u marshal. It will be the first time in six years that he’ll grace a convertible instead of riding a horse.
“It’ll probably be safer,” he said. “But it’s still hard work.”
Recently turning 70 years old, Sugai was born and raised on Kauai, and he and his family reside in Anahola. The family has six daughters, four grandsons and three granddaughters.
Sugai served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged. He worked for 30 years for Amfac Lihue Plantation Co. before retiring as a supervisor.
Losing his mother at an early age, Sugai was cared for by his mother’s brother’s family, the Ornellas family from Kealia Camp, and attended Kapaa School. His uncles were part of a generation of paniolo and ranchers that taught him about life as a paniolo, skills he passed on to some of his children.
He could train horses, rope, brand and castrate cattle during roundups, and was also able to fix and repair saddles and ropes. He also learned the art of “floating,” or repairing horse teeth.
Joining Sugai is pa‘u queen Lori Wong of Wailua. One of three children of Dennis and Cheryl Wong, she attended Kapaa High School and the University of Hawaii-Hilo. A third-generation pa‘u parade rider, Wong is currently a patient access representative at the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.
Lori started riding as a pa‘u princess 17 years ago representing Kaho‘olawe and has continued to ride in all of the island units, this year qualifying for the pa‘u queen.
“This is something I always wanted to do,” Wong said. “I started when I was 3 years old, and I became more involved as I grew up, realizing that this is something I needed to do. Being able to ride as the pa‘u wueen is my biggest honor.”
Her uncle Kealoha Saffery was a big influence on her pa‘u skills when, at the age of 12, she learned how to make horse lei and floral adornments from Saffery.
Wong comes from a family of paniolo and ranchers. Her father was a roper and raised cattle, bringing in Santa Gertrudis bulls. At 10 years old, she became active in rodeo and started 4-H at 14. She enjoys helping sort and work cattle with uncle Corky Bryan and her family and friends at Ha‘upu Ranch.
William Neil Rapozo Sr. said he was “drafted” to be the parade’s grand marshal, pointing toward Theresa Caires who works at the county’s Agency on Elderly Affairs.
“I was surprised at the honor,” Rapozo said. “But I was ‘drafted’ by my granddaughter who does a lot of work for all the kids.”
Rapozo said when he rides Saturday, he’ll be joined by his wife Mildred in the front seat, and beside him, his sister Grace Ching.
“We used to do this all the time,” Rapozo said. “From the days they staged the parade at Isenberg Park. We were with the horses all the time. My father, Joseph, was a jockey, he was a supervisor with the Lihue Plantation.”
Horses have been a huge part of Neil’s life, and at 87, continues to maintain two horses on a daily basis with his daughter Diane.
He and his father operated the Garden Island Riding Academy at Nukoli‘i where he provided horseback riding for military personnel during the war years, continuing the stables by providing rides for visitors following the war until closing in 1984.
“We never like get hurt,” Rapozo said of training horses. “My brother Tommy — Thomas, he’s Mel Rapozo’s father — used to go to Hanamaulu River and take the horses back and forth. My grandfather always used to watch us, and the horses couldn’t buck because they were in the water. After a while, they got used to us, getting a saddle put on, and eventually, someone riding.”
Mildred said Neil’s love of horses and paniolo even resulted in a hat for then-mayor Tony Kunimura.
“He found out we were going to a convention in Nashville,” Mildred said. “He told Neil, ‘Get me a hat.’ When we got to Nashville and visited a hat shop, Neil just said he wanted the largest size they had because Uncle Tony was a big man. After bringing it home, they presented it to Kunimura who tried it on — it fit perfectly — the black hat he used to wear at many of his appearances.”
Uncle Charles Naihe, described as a humble man, one of 15 brothers and sisters originally from Waimanalo and Hawaii island, will portray Kamehameha during the King’s Parade.
“I won’t be wearing my family cloak, a replica of the one belonging to King Kekaulike, my seventh grandfather,” Naihe said, being escorted by his sister Olana Naihe-Flores. “Instead, I’ll be using the one provided by the King Kamehameha Commission — a yellow one signifying the sacred ali‘i of Kauai. A lot of the old families married into people from Kauai so they could use yellow in their family colors. The black on my father’s side represents being not just a priest, but a high priest for Kamehameha, and the red represents all of the ali‘i.”
Naihe is a corrections officer at the Kauai Community Correctional Center, serving for the past 25 years as a lieutenant and watch commander.
“This is my last years at KCCC so I thought this is the right time to do this, and I am honored to be asked,” he said.
Naihe’s mother has family ties to Kauai, being associated with names of Kaeokulani, Kekaulike, and Kalaiopu‘u in her genealogy. This makes him an ideal choice for Kauai’s ali‘i nui, said the King’s Parade Committee.
“The lady sitting outside the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School is one of my grandmothers,” Naihe said. “I wear my family cloak which is a replica of the one belonging to Kekaulike; one of my great granduncles, the courthouse is named in his honor. It’s very rare that I wear this, the last time was during a Kuhio celebration a few years back.”
He was accompanied by his sister, Naihe-Flores.
“This is important to me,” he said. “It’s not just ‘Flores,’ it’s ‘Naihe-Flores.’
“As you see, I always have my hand on my weapon. The royalty always did this because they were prepared.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
Who are these so called “ali’i” trying to fool, their source of royalty of the Kamehameha line is one of the lowest, having a rank of Wohi, which means Kamehameha had the right to walk BEHIND other higher ranking Ali’i. So anyone else connected to him could not have a rank higher than that, unless they married into a higher ranking Ali’i.
The oldest and highest ranking Ali’i usually came from Kauai, not the Big Island and the priest ranking of was of war and human sacrifice unlike those of Lono. Garden Island should do its homework before promoting “want-to-be-s” impostors of fake historical records.