Page 6 - MidWeek Kauai - March 3, 2021

6 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK MARCH 3, 2021
O n a sunny Westside morning in Nānāku- li, the sculptured bodies of two humpback whales reflect an iridescent radiance. They represent the largest copper whale structure in the world, and are the handiwork of artist Muthukumaru Sooriyakumar (known by most as Sooriya), a 71-year-old Sri Lankan man whose values of unity, harmony and compassion go wherever his bare feet take
a nearby temple.
“I was very fascinated by
The master copper artist known as Sooriya not only inspires many with his larger-than-life sculptures of whales and dolphins in Nānākuli, but also with his peaceful messages of caring for the earth and serving others with aloha.
The largest copper humpback whale sculptures in the world can be seen swimming along the side of Agnes Kalaniho‘okahā Community Learning Center at The Nānākuli Village Center.
around here are beautiful.
“I worked in many plac- es around the world and I helped the people here, there, everywhere. But I wanted to give something back to the island and the people be- cause gratitude is so import- ant in our lives,” Sooriya says about why he decided to open the nonprofit. “We are a part of nature, so we SEE PAGE 7
the sound and rhythm. Ev- erything is rhythm,” says Sooriya. “I knew that’s the way I wanted to do artwork.”
From being named one of the Living Treasures of Hawaiʻi by Honpa Hongwanji Mis- sion of Hawaiʻi to becoming a Hero of Forgiveness from Hawaiʻi Forgiveness Project, Sooriya, who lives humbly in a 10-by-10-foot Waiʻanae cottage, overflows with con- tinual gratitude, a virtue he credits to his parents and grandparents.
ey, wealth or any of that. Whatever I have, I will share it and give it away,” he con- tinues. “I don’t want any- thing. I don’t take anything whenIgo—onlymysoul and the good things I have done here. One day, my jour- ney will end. Why should I get attached to unnecessary things? I create — that’s all Ido.Iworkonthefarm.I help people who need help. It’s a different path that I’ve taken.”
It comes as no surprise, then, that the bulk of his art- work in the decades since is made from copper, an ele- ment that produces a distinct chime and vibration when manipulated.
“They did so much for the people,” he says. “I learned how to share, how to give, how to feed; this really took me all around the world. It’s already in my lineage — the gratitude, serving, helping and coming together.
range, the compound is a hub where people can learn about traditional visual arts and farming, while becoming one with nature and each other.
him. AsayoungboyinaCey-
Sooriya’s lifelong dedica- tion to the craft, along with his devotion to helping com- munities, has garnered him accolades and recognitions from nearly every corner of the world — most predom- inantly, here in the islands.
Through his nonprof- it Mouna Arts & Cultural Village, Sooriya shares a lifetime of lessons with all those who visit. Found be- neath the Waiʻanae mountain
“I felt connected to this part of the island because the first thing I saw were the trees — all of the trees grow in the village where I was born,” he says. “Also, the mountains, the ocean, the sacredness and the people
lon village, Sooriya devel- oped adoration for art after wandering upon workers who were shaping stone for
“I’m not attached to mon-