Janet Matsumoto
A Different View

Youth in Molokai

Janet Matsumoto

A deckhand, his wife, and the Segawas are the only ones living in Kolo. The Segawas' home is surrounded by kiawe [algarroba].

Seven miles away is Maunaloa, a pineapple plantation town, with a store, a theater, and a post office. Janet and her siblings attend Maunaloa School.

Chores include laundry and house cleaning. The girls make a fire in the yard, boil the clothes in a big tarai (washtub) and scrub them by hand.

There is no electricity in the area.