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“ FAMILY STORIES ARE SO VALUABLE — we have to engage with our elders before they pass away ,” says Kirby Wright ’ 83 , who began writing his creative nonfiction novel The Queen of Molokai shortly after his paternal grandmother , Julia “ Brownie ” Gilman ( pictured right ), passed away in 1983 . In writing Gilman ’ s story , however , Wright had plenty of memories from Brownie to draw from , having spent the summers of his youth with her on the island , carrying on the Hawaiian tradition of “ talking story ” and learning about her life .
“ Especially as a kid , the isolation of Molokai really lent itself to harvesting these memories from my grandmother ,” he says . “ There was so much time for us to spend on the beach or up in the mountains — no TV , just stories .”
In the 1920s , Gilman was a single mother raising two boys — a city girl from Waikiki who pursued the man who would become her husband to Molokai , where she set about finding any work she could : cleaning houses , clearing the stubborn pili brush from ranchlands , mending miles of fences and ultimately becoming a paniolo , or Hawaiian cowboy .
Along the way , she also seized the opportunity to own land on Molokai , eventually establishing herself as a fixture in the community . At that time , the island was considerably less developed than it remains even today , and Gilman made a living by driving cattle , fishing and harvesting
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the leaves of hala pepe trees for use in handmade textiles . She volunteered her time as well , joining the USO to put on variety shows for troops during WWII and joining a group that regularly delivered supplies to Molokai ’ s colony for those afflicted by Hansen ’ s Disease — more commonly known as leprosy — a journey that proved hazardous for Wright when he tried to recreate it . “ It was a 20-mile hike up and down the mountain range , and I went out alone and extremely unprepared . I ran out of daylight and it was definitely treacherous , but I wanted to do what she did .”
In addition to experiential research , Wright used family photos as prompts when talking to his elders ; using them as windows into past memories would sometimes bring out conflicting
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recollections . “ That was interesting ,” he says , “ the different accounts I would get , the variety of perspectives on our family history .” The book even began as short stories inspired by each photo , which Wright would set about linking them , he says , “ like you would link stars in the sky .”
That Wright ’ s book should link his grandmother ’ s life together like a constellation is very much her influence coming full circle . “ She was an artist as well ,” says Wright , “ and she was also the one who always encouraged me in my writing . The book is a way of thanking her for that , and capturing all that she persevered through and accomplished in her life .”
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Tell us about the journeys of your elders : tritonmag @ ucsd . edu |
Photo credit for Wright hero shot : Alicia Countryman
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