C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h A u n t i e C a r o l

This series of seven oral history interviews with Caroline Kuliaikanuʻukapu Wilcox DeLima Farias was conducted in Hawaiʻi between 1992 and 1993. The following excerpts from the annotated introduction and list of interviews are a precursor to the publishing of both the transcripts of the interviews, as well as the recordings themselves. The print and audio editions of this book will offer different supporting content. While both provide short introductions prior to each interview, the print edition has an index for each. In addition, the print edition provides: a table of contents; a brief summary for pronouncing the Hawaiian language; an annotated glossary including biographic, geographic, and Hawaiian terms; and, a master index. The audio book will offer one feature not included in the print version—notes I recorded when Carol joined my husband, (John Burrows-Johnson) and me on a trip to Mount Haleakalā in May of 1993.  The project was begun toward the end of my two-decades of living in Hawai`i...somewhat fitting since Auntie Carol was one of the first people to greet me when I moved to the Islands in 1972.

To hear a sample of Conversations with Auntie Carol, and to learn more about Jeanne's fiction and non-fiction books and other projects, please visit  Jeanne Burrows-Johnson.com.  

These interviews are observations on childhood, family, and events that reflect the inner spirit of the interviewee, who lived from 1923 to 2001. Caroline Kuliaikanuʻukapu Wilcox DeLima Farias was a descendant of Hawaiian aliʻi and a grandniece of Robert W. K. Wilcox, a leader of the unsuccessful 1895 Hawaiian royalist rebellion that strove to restore Queen Liliʻuokalani to the throne of a sovereign Kingdom of Hawai`i. My knowledge of the facts of Carol’s life rests on our many conversations during the years of our friendship, as well as her family records and the seven interviews that comprise this book. 

The interviews that comprise this book are observations on childhood, family, and events that reflect the inner spirit of the interviewee, who lived from 1923 to 2001. Carol K. W. D. Farias was a descendant of Hawaiian aliʻi, a grandniece of politician Robert W. K. Wilcox (a leading revolutionary who strove to restore Queen Liliʻuokalani to her throne), and the second cousin of Johanna N. Wilcox (the first woman registered to vote in the Territory of Hawaiʻi). 

The recordings of most of our conversations were conducted in a sitting room filled with antique koa furniture, heirloom furnishings, books, and photographs. Usually clad in a muʻumuʻu, Auntie Carol’s enthusiasm for life was demonstrated in her animated dialogue with the many people she greeted with her warm voice, frequent nods, and a jangling of bracelets made of carved wood, jade, or gold engraved with distinctive Hawaiian lettering.

My visits to the home of Auntie Carol began shortly after I arrived in Honolulu in January of 1973. The timing of my arrival in Honolulu coincided with Island celebrations of the ever-popular birthday of Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns, for which I had been booked as an entertainer. At a tea sponsored by the Daughters of the British Empire, I met Carol Farias and other people who expressed interest in having their daughters study Scottish Highland Dancing. I soon began teaching Carol’s younger daughter Lorna and one of their neighbors in the Farias home.

As Carol said repeatedly, she was most concerned that the heirloom possessions of the Wilcox Sisters be placed where they would be appreciated, so that future generations could learn from their family’s history. Within two years, Carol established a financial aid endowment fund at St. Andrew’s Schools in the name of Eleanor Wilcox Carney, who was a 1909 graduate. Carol also donated most of the Wilcox family library and a few koa furnishings to the school’s Queen Emma Library. My deepest appreciation goes to Carol for the trust she placed in my bringing her stories forth to future audiences. Despite the dated quality of the recordings, I feel that Auntie Carol’s observations are enriching to those of us who can share in her recollections, glimpsing the rainbows that filled many of her days. 

OUR CONVERSATIONS

INTERVIEW I, October 30, 1992 

Hawaiian Quilting in the Maui Wilcox Family 

INTERVIEW II, May 5, 1993 

A) Trinity Episcopal Church by-the-Sea 

B) On the Grounds of the Koa House

INTERVIEW III, May 26, 1993 

From Maui to Oʻahu

INTERVIEW IV, May 27, 1993 

A) John DeLima and Life After Marriage

B) Hawaiian Quilting and Other Handicrafts

INTERVIEW V, July 28, 1993 

A) Johanna Wilcox  

B) Frances DeLima

INTERVIEW VI, August 5, 1993 

Holidays in `ʻUlupalakua

INTERVIEW VII, November 24th, 1993 

A) Pāʻina  

B) Planning for the Future