R.I.P. TIGER 1946-2005 While living in Hawaii, I had the great blessing and privilege of creating Tiger's many tattoos. They depicted his family history and spiritual path in traditional tapa design. Over the years of tattooing, fishing and sharing life, Tiger offered me another great blessing and honor ; he hanai (adopted) me into his ohana (family). Tiger was my Kumu, kumu a'o (teacher) , my Kaikua'ana (brother) and my Hoa aloha, makamaka (friend). So much of what and who I am is due to his influence in my life. The world is a smaller place because of his passing, and a larger place because of his having been here. Mahalo, 'ihi, ho'ihi to my teacher, Mahalo Nui Loa to my brother, A hui hou to my friend. Me ke aloha, Bobby Lee Black Clement "Tiger" Espere, a Renaissance man of Hawaiian culture trained to be a healer. His healing work was for anyone in need, He was a person who loved everybody. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor or what culture you were from. He was there for anybody and everybody. Tiger grew up in Waimea Valley with his grandparents, where he learned how to dive and fish. His grandfather was the last Hawaiian caretaker of the iwi, or ancestral remains, in Waimea Valley. Tiger Espere was trained to take over his work before the city and the National Audubon Society assumed management of Waimea Falls Park. Being the eldest brother he also assumed the spiritual leadership of his close-knit extended family when their mother died 19 years ago. A talented surfer by the age of 10, he was nicknamed "Tiger" by the older Waikiki beachboys because he was so aggressive in the water. He is perhaps best known for the "Tiger Espere Longboard Classic", an annual surf contest/beach party he started in 1992. Held at Kawaihe on the Big Island, it has brought together surfers from this island and other areas in the state to compete in an atmosphere of friendship and fun. Additionally, it has given many of us the awareness of the importance of this area, both as a recreational reserve and an historical/cultural resource. Through Tiger Espere's efforts and leadership, the dream to create a cultural surf park at the breakwater site has become a reality. Tiger was not only a solid North Shore surfer but also a master traditional canoe builder, teacher and Hawaiian historian. He was a member of the Canoe Voyaging Project and had made the voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti on the traditional craft, while also holding canoe-building workshops around the world. He was also a veteran of voyages on the Hokulea and Makalii.Tiger lived in Japan from 1997 to 2000 to fulfill a mission given him by "Tahiti elders." He went to verify the ancestral connection between Japan's pre-Buddhist settlers and native Hawaiians. Tiger obtained physical evidence of similarities between the two cultures, helping to establish the Japan-Hawaiian Voyaging Society. -He will be missed.