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May 17, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Train Terminal, Depot

Benjamin Franklin (Frank) Dillingham’s OR&L company, created in 1889, changed the landscape of west Honolulu. Its first train depot was created between a fishpond and North King Street, next to Prison Road, later renamed Iwilei Road.

The first section of track extended only as far as Aiea, but by the 1920s, tracks had been laid all over the island. The train was the primary mode of transportation. (Burlingame)

“Among the most important works now in progress of rapid construction, is the Oahu Railway to Pearl Harbor, which is already approaching completion, so far as grading is concerned.”

“Eleven miles of this line will have the grading completed in two weeks; and of this length ten miles are already finished. The material for the bridges is already on the ground, and the work of driving the piles has been begun at the larger estuaries of Kalihi and Moanalua.”

“A few of the bridges on this line will be of considerable length; but, with the present energy being displayed only a short time will elapse before the gaps in the line will all disappear.”

“Many of the smaller bridges and culverts have been already built. There will be altogether twenty bridges between Honolulu and Ewa, of various lengths—from 16 to 300 feet, with an aggregate length of 1250 feet.”

“Plans have been approved by which the main depot will be placed 180 feet from King street in what is now a fish-pond dividing Oahu prison from the royal stables.”

“A large portion, if not all of this extensive fish-pond will be filled in without delay, and this substantial and eligible building ground, artificially firmed, will become of great value by close proximity to the main depot buildings.”

“The depot itself will be of imposing size and made as ornamental in appearance as convenience and traffic requirements will allow. The grading of the whole division of this line, twelve miles, will be completed within the next month; and the laying of the rails will commence immediately upon their arrival by the bank Deutschland now nearly due from Germany.”

“The progress of this important work has been so rapid during the month of July that we give it first place among works in progress. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, July 27, 1889)

The inauguration of the OR&L rail service was November 16, 1889. (LOC)Eventually, the railroad ran west out of Honolulu to Waianae, around Kaena Point and on to Kahuku, and is significant in the development of the sugar industry on the island of Oahu.

As a result of the development of this rail line the lands of western and northern Oahu were able to be opened for the cultivation of sugar, with plantations started at Ewa, Waipahu, Waianae, Waialua, Kahuku and other areas. Besides freight, the OR&L also provided plantation workers with easy access to Honolulu. (NPS)

In 1924-1925, a new Depot was constructed to replace an earlier 1889 wooden terminal building, and was the main Honolulu rail terminal for OR&L’s passenger operations.

The building was designed by local architect Guy N. Rothwell. The contract to erect the terminal was officially given to the Hawaiian Contracting Company (a company that was owned by the Dillingham family), though much of the work was performed by OR&L’s in-house construction crews.

Upon completion, the building had dual functions, with the 2nd floor providing offices for the company’s daily railroad operations, and the 1st floor accommodating passengers. The 1st floor layout included a porte-cochere, a ticket office and lobby with a restaurant and bar, as well as a news stand.

The offices upstairs were occupied by OR&L’s president, general manager, superintendent and treasurer, as well as the station’s dispatcher.

Both floors also included spacious restrooms for travelers and employees. As soon as the building was completed, an extension was constructed on the north side, to accommodate the company’s growing freight department.

The railroad prospered until the 1930s when the advent of improved roadways led to its decline. The railway continued in operation through World War II, but in 1947 all operations outside of Honolulu were abandoned. (NPS)

The company continued to use Depot building as a terminal well after rail passenger operations ceased at the end of 1947. The property was acquired by the State of Hawaii in 1961. After OR&L moved off the premises eighteen months later the building was used as office space.

A 1975 renovation completely reconfigured the interior of the building for office use, and an elevator and expanded stairwell were added at an unknown date. Various state organizations have occupied the offices, with the current users being the Division of Accounting and General Services, Department of Human Services in the terminal building. (HABS)

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First day of operation Nov 16, 1889.

OR&L Railroad Depot 1890

OR&L Honolulu Depot-1890

OR&L Railway Depot

OR&L Railroad Yard, November 1941

OR&L Railroad Depot

OR&L Railroad Station 1890

OR&L Honolulu Terminal Roundhouse-Adv

OR&L Honolulu Depot-1914

OR&L Honolulu Depot_1890

OR&L Alakea Street Honolulu

OR&L Honolulu

OR&L Honolulu Depot-1901

OR&L Station 325 N. King St. Honolulu, late 1940s

OR&L-Iwilei-map

OR&L-Oahu-Map

OR&L-Map

May 16, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Timeline Tuesday … 1980s

Today’s ‘Timeline Tuesday’ takes us through the 1980s – bombing halted at Kaho‘olawe, Alexander Young Building demolished, enactment of State Water Code and over 1,000 ancient human remains discovered on land being developed by the Ritz-Carlton on Maui. We look at what was happening in Hawai‘i during this time period and what else was happening around the rest of the world.

A Comparative Timeline illustrates the events with images and short phrases. This helps us to get a better context on what was happening in Hawai‘i versus the rest of the world. I prepared these a few years ago for a planning project. (Ultimately, they never got used for the project, but I thought they might be on interest to others.)

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May 14, 2017 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

‘Ūkēkē

“While the ‘ūkēkē was used to accompany the mele and the oli, its chief employment was in serenading and serving the young folk in breathing their extemporized songs and uttering their love-talk— hoipoipo.”

“By using a peculiar lingo or secret talk of their own invention, two lovers could hold private conversation in public and pour their loves and longings into each other’s ears without fear of detection”. (Emerson)

“The ūkēkē was used for amusement as well as for love making and by husbands and wives as well as by those who had illicit love affairs. The tones, though faint, were sufficiently strong to be heard either side of a wall of a grass house.” (Roberts)

“This display of ingenuity has been the occasion for outpouring many vials of wrath upon the sinful ‘ūkēkē.”

“The ‘ūkēkē, the one Hawaiian instrument of its class, is a mere strip of wood bent into the shape of a bow that its elastic force may keep tense the strings that are stretched upon it.”

“These strings, three in number, were originally of sinnet, later after the arrival of the white man, of horsehair. At the present time it is the fashion to use the ordinary gut designed for the violin or the taro-patch guitar.”

“Every ‘ūkēkē seen followed closely a conventional pattern, which argues for the instrument a historic age sufficient to have gathered about itself some degree of traditional reverence”. (Emerson)

Kauila wood was almost universally agreed to be the best wood to make the ‘ūkēkē (however, hau, ʻiliahi (sandalwood,) and other woods were used. Some suggest koa was too firm to make the ‘bow.’) (Roberts)

“One end of the stick is notched or provided with holes to hold the strings, while the other end is wrought into a conventional figure resembling the tail of a fish and serves as an attachment about which to wind the free ends of the strings.”

“No ‘ūkēkē seen by the author was furnished with pins, pegs, or any similar device to facilitate tuning. Nevertheless, the musician does tune his ‘ūkēkē, as the writer can testify from his own observation.” (Emerson)

“The strings of this ‘ūkēkē … are tuned to ē, to b and to d̄. These three strings are struck nearly simultaneously, but the sound being very feeble …”

“… it is only the first which, receiving the sharp impact of the blow, gives out enough volume to make a decided impression.” (Elsner; Emerson)

“When asked to give a sample of his playing on the ‘ūkēkē, he first gave heed to his instrument as if testing whether it was in tune. “

“He was evidently dissatisfied and pulled at one string as if to loosen it; then, pressing one end of the bow against his lips, he talked to it in a singing tone, at the same time plucking the strings with a delicate rib of grass. The effect was most pleasing.”

“The open cavity of the mouth, acting as a resonator, reenforced the sounds and gave them a volume and dignity that was a revelation. The lifeless strings allied themselves to a human voice and became animated by a living soul.” (Emerson)

“There was some stopping of the strings with the fingers, but very little … (u)sually the player struck but one string at a time, alternating between (the strings,) thus producing a little tune.”

“(A)lthough only one was struck, the other string would vibrate in sympathy, so that without the closest attention to the movements of the player’s hand it was most difficult to tell whether it, too, was being struck.” (Roberts)

“Experiment with the ūkēkē impresses one with the wonderful change in the tone of the instrument that takes place when its lifeless strings are brought into close relation with the cavity of the mouth.”

“Let anyone having normal organs of speech contract his lips into the shape of an O, make his cheeks tense, and then, with the pulp of his finger as a plectrum, slap the center of his cheek and mark the tone that is produced.”

“Practice will soon enable him to render a full octave with fair accuracy and to perform a simple melody that shall be recognizable at a short distance. The power and range thus acquired will, of course, be limited by the skill of the operator.”

Mahi La Pierre and the Ūkēkē:

“One secret of the performance lies in a proper management of the tongue. This function of the mouth to serve as a resonant cavity for a musical instrument is familiarly illustrated in the Jew’s-harp.” (Emerson)

However, the ūkēkē was not a Hawaiian Jew’s Harp; the Jew’s Harp is structurally different, with a vibrating tongue fastened to on end of the body and free from the other. (Roberts)

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Ukeke-james-temple

Ukeke maker Mahi La Pierre plays the Hawaiian musical instrument-StarAdv

Ukeke-StarAdv

Ukeke-HPR

Sketch of Ukeke Stems-Roberts

Ukeke-Tunes-Roberts

May 13, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Pahukini Heiau

Ko‘olau volcano started as a seamount above the Hawaiian hotspot around 4-million years ago. It broke sea level some time prior to 2.9-million years ago.

About 2-million years ago, much of the northeast flank of Ko‘olau volcano was sheared off and material was swept more than 140-miles north of O‘ahu and Molokai onto the ocean floor (named the Nu‘uanu Avalanche) – one of the largest landslides on Earth.

About 6,000 years ago and before the arrival of the Hawaiians, Kawainui (“the large [flow of] fresh water”) and Ka‘elepulu (“the moist blackness”) were bays connected to the ocean and extended a mile inland of the present coastline. (This saltwater environment is indicated by inland deposits of sand and coral.)

A sand bar began forming across Kawainui Bay around 2,500 years ago creating Kawainui Lagoon filled with coral, fish and shellfish. The Hawaiians probably first settled along the fringes of this lagoon. Gradually, erosion of the hillsides surrounding Kawainui began to fill in the lagoon with sediments.

About 500 years ago, early Hawaiians maintained a freshwater fishpond in Kawainui; the fishpond was surrounded on all sides by a system of ʻauwai (canals) bringing water from Maunawili Stream (winding/twisted mountain) and springs to walled taro lo‘i (irrigated fields.)

Pahukini (many drums) is a heiau located on the slopes of Kapa‘a and at one time overlooked the site of an ancient adze quarry. Below the heiau stretches the expanse of the Kawainui wetlands.

Said to have been built by 14th century Tahitian Chief Olopana, it has also been listed as being named Moʻokini (many lineages) and also Makini (contraction of make kini (many deaths.))

These last two names suggest this heiau was designated as po’okanaka (human head or skull) and functioned as a a luakini where rulling chiefs proayed and human sacrifices were offered.

The stacked rocks measure approximately 120 x 180 feet with an adjoining 32 x 38 foot structure on the north wall. Several interior terraces are found where the grass houses, oracle tower and perhaps wooden carvings stood.

Pahukini heiau commands a sweeping view of low hills, the spreading expanse of the abandoned Kawainui fish pond once used by the ancient Hawaiians, and the present city of Kailua where a major Hawaiian settlement was on the shores of Kailua Bay.

In several respects, the heiau resembles Pu‘u O Mahuka heiau which is above Waimea Bay. Both heiau are rectangular, located on natural promontories affording excellent view of the Pacific, and both show evidence of disturbance for native agriculture within the confines of the heiau themselves. (NPS)

In 1750, Kailua (two seas (probably two currents)) was the Royal Center of power for the district of Koʻolaupoko and a favored place of the O‘ahu chiefs for its abundance of fish and good canoe landings (and probably enjoyed the surf, as well.)

Farmers grew kalo (taro) in the irrigated lo‘i along the streams from Maunawili and along the edges of the fishponds. Crops of dryland kalo, banana, sweet potato and sugarcane marked the fringes of the marsh. Fishermen harvested fish from the fishponds and the sea.

In 1845 the first road was built over the Nuʻuanu Pali (cool height – cliff) to connect Windward Oʻahu with Honolulu. It was jointly financed by the government and sugar planters who wanted easy access to the fertile lands on the windward side of Oʻahu. Kamehameha III and two of his attendants were the first to cross on horseback.

(In 1898 this road was developed into a highway and was later replaced by the Pali Highway. When the current Pali Highway and its tunnels opened (1959,) the original roadway was closed and is now used by hikers.)

Lili‘uokalani wrote “Aloha ‘Oe” (farewell to thee) after an 1878 visit to an estate in Maunawili. She and her brother King David Kalākaua were regular guests and attended parties or simply came there to rest.

Guests would walk between two parallel rows of royal palms, farewells would be exchanged; then, they would ride away on horseback or in their carriages.

Modern quarrying operations have carved away major portions of the hill upon which Pahukini is located, leaving it in a somewhat precarious condition today, for one edge lies just at the top of a precipitous 100-foot quarried cliff. (NPS)

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Pahukini_Heiau

PahukiniHeiau

Pahukini Heiau

Pahukini Heiau – HVB Warrior Marker

Pahukini Heiau – SFCA

Pahukini Heiau – interpretive sign

Pahukini_Heiau – pohukaina

Pahukini Heiau – pohukaina

May 12, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Mālama – Respect & Care for All

E na kanaka e mālama oukou i ke akua a e mālama hoi i kanaka nui, a me kanaka iki, e hele ka elemakule, ka luahine, a me ke kama, a moe i ke ala, aohe mea nana e hoopilikia. Hewa no, make!

O people, respect the gods, respect also the important man and the little man, and the aged men and aged women, and the children sleep along the trailside, and not be bothered by anyone. Failure to do so is death! (Kānāwai Māmalahoe – Law of the Splintered Paddle)

Mālama ke Akua

E noho ana ke akua i ka nāhelehele
I ālai ‘ia e ke kī‘ohu‘ohu, e ka uakoko
E nā kino malu i ka lani
Malu e hō e
E ho‘oulu mai ana ‘o Laka i kona mau kahu
‘O mākou nō

The gods dwell in the woodlands
Hidden away by the mist in the low-hanging,
blood-red rainbow
O beings sheltered by the heavens
Confer upon us your protection
Laka inspires her kahu
Free us! (DLNR, Wao Akua)

Ola no ka mea akua, make no; ka mea akua ʻole.
He who has a god, lives; he who has none, dies. (ʻŌlelo No’eau, 2492)

Hawaiian traditions surrounding ritual practice allowed for the reciprocal exchange of mana (spiritual power) between the ʻāina, the akua, and kānaka. These rituals varied from strict ceremonies accompanied by mōhai (offerings) of food and sacrifice, to the utterance of a chant or prayer. (Pukui)

Mālama ka Honua

At the core of traditional Native Hawaiian spirituality is the belief that the land lives as do the ‘uhane, or spirits of family ancestors who cared for the ancestral lands in their lifetime. The land has provided for generations of Hawaiians, and will provide for those yet to come. (McGregor)

The land or ʻāina was the provider, and the tenants who were beneficiaries of these resources were obliged to “mālama” or take care of the land.

On some occasions, users would offer chants, “hoʻokupu,” or a symbolic offering to pay respect to the deities; or in other cases, they would clean an area or even encourage the growth of a wild resource (i.e., maile) by providing food and water to insure its continued health and regeneration.

E mālama i ka ‘āina, a e mālama ho‘i ka ‘āina iā ‘oe
(Care for the land, and the land, in turn, will care for you) (Maly)

“Malama ʻāina from an Americanized vision is often about beautification, like picking up rubbish. But from a Hawaiian perspective it’s a reciprocal relationship based on working with the land, getting to know it, tending it and harvesting food from it.” (Johnson; Punahou)

Mālama ke Ali‘i

I aliʻi no aliʻi no nā kānaka
A chief is a chief because of the People

O ke ali’i lilo i ka le’ale’a a mālama ‘ole i ke kanaka me ke kapu akua, ‘a’ole ia he ali’i e ku ai i ka moku.
The chief who is taken with pleasure-seeking and cares not for the welfare of the people or the observation of the kapu of the gods, is not the chief who will become a ruler. (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 2451)

Kamakau states that there were no chiefs in the earliest period of settlement but that they came “several hundred years afterward … when men became numerous.”

As the population increased and wants and needs increased in variety and complexity (and it became too difficult to satisfy them with finite resources,) the need for chiefly rule became apparent.

As chiefdoms developed, the simple pecking order of titles and status likely evolved into a more complex and stratified structure. This centralization of government allowed for completion and maintenance of large projects, such as irrigation systems, large taro loʻi, large fish ponds, heiau and trails.

Mālama ke Kānaka

E mālama i ka mākua, ho’omakua auane’i i ka ha’i.
Take care of [your] parents lest [the day come when] you will be caring for someone else’s.
(Mākua includes all relatives of the parents’ generation, including their siblings and cousins.) (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 347)

I kanaka no ‘oe ke mālama i ke kanaka
You will be well served when you care for the person who serves you. (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 1185)

O kau aku, o ka ia la mai pelā ka nohona o ka ʻohana
From you and from him, so lived the family (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 2441)

Nāna i waele mua i ke ala, ma hope aku mākou, nā pōkiʻi.
He [or she] first cleared the path and then we younger ones followed. (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 2265)
Said with affection and respect for the oldest sibling (hiapo).

‘Ohana represents a “sense of unity, shared involvement and shared responsibility. It is mutual interdependence and mutual help. It is emotional support, given and received. It is solidarity and cohesiveness. It is love – often; it is loyalty – always. It is all this, encompassed by the joined links of blood relationship.” (Pukui)

Reciprocal Responsibility

I hea ʻoe i ka wii a ka ua e loku ana?
“Where were you when the rain was pouring?” (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 1156)

A reply to one who asks his neighbor for some of his crop. If he answered that he had been away during the rains, he would be given some food; but if he said that he had been there, he would be refused. It was due to his own laziness that he did not have a crop as fine as his industrious neighbor’s. (Pukui)

Hoʻokahi ka ʻilau like ana.
Wield the paddles together. (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 1068)
Work together.

“The combination of laulima and kōkua means ‘teamwork.’ Each member of the group has a clearly defined assignment, but all members are collaborating in lōkahi, or unity, reaching the goals of the whole group.” (Kanahele)

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Ka’anapali 200 Years Ago-(HerbKane)