The short story in which intrigued my train of thought for this weekends reading would have to be the story of  "Kelea-nui-noho-'ana-'api' api," by Samuel Kamaka. Usually surfing would be seen as a male-dominant sport, but it was a fresh of breath air being able to fully submerge myself into a female centralized importance. The character of Kelea represents a very strong, motivated, self-assured, and prosperous of a kind, which represents in a sense the strength of the ocean if you were to look at it comparing the two forms. She not only fulfills her role as woman, but she also is able to give off a competitive, yet strengthening characteristic, which make the men in her life want to worship her in a sense. The ending of the story was very reversed in a sense when it comes to gender roles because usually men are seen as marrying more than once, especially being in the time it was. Yet here we have Kelea a woman of dignity, ambition, and edge not following the typical tradition of her times by marrying yet again a man of high ranking. Breaking the typical stereotype of men being of higher power, yet here we have a woman whom has people worshiping her, for her effortless bravery.

-PUJA C. PATEL- 10/7/12