UNCLE CHIPPER of Molokai

by Kirby Michael Wright

Chipper lost his wife and his land. He built a small house and teenage wahines and paniolos from Pu’u O Hoku Ranch frequented his luaus. The house was his outpost and he saw himself as the leader of a defiant tribe on the ranch he once owned. He could stay on the land as long as he lived and he planned on living it up. The more noise he made the happier he got—he knew Julia would hear it from the beach house. He was sure she was drinking. Drinking alone. At least he had friends and plenty of wahines. He loved the imu and the aroma of steamed pig. Men cheered as girls danced around his bonfire. Gambling, brawls, and wild sex marked his luaus. Sometimes he woke up with three wahines in his bed not knowing whether he'd slept with any or all. Chipper got two girls hapai and paid off their parents. Then Anika got crazy drunk and drowned in the swamp.

Nook

First published April 14, 2010

About the author

Kirby Wright is an American writer best known for his coming of age island novel PUNAHOU BLUES and the epic novel MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA, which is based on the life and times of Wright's paniolo grandmother. Both novels deal with the racial tensions between haoles (whites) and the indigenous Hawaiians, and illustrate the challenge for characters who, as the product of mixed-race marriages, must try to bridge the two cultures and overcome prejudice from both camps.
Wright's work is primarily concerned with the complexities of multicultural Hawaii, Killahaole Day, prejudices against (and within) island high schools, and the tricky matter of interracial dating. He incorporates the local creole language into his novels and was the first author to document the pidgin English spoken by the paniolo cowboys on the east end of Molokai.