Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Nā Wai ʻEhā

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands, and covers about 730 square miles.  Maui consists of two separate volcanoes with a combining isthmus between the two.

The Mauna Kahālāwai (West Maui Mountain) is probably the older of the two; Haleakala (East Maui) was last active about 1790, whereas activity on West Maui is wholly pre-historic.

Nā Wai ʻEhā (“The Four Great Waters”) – Waiheʻe River, Waiehu Stream, Wailuku (ʻĪao) Stream and Waikapū Stream are in central Maui.

The headwaters of Waine’e and ‘Īao extend to or near the summit of the Mauna Kahālāwai at Pu‘u Kukui and are among the largest streams, in terms of stream flow, on Maui.

The headwaters of N & S Waiehu Streams are cut off from the summit area by the valleys of Waine’e River to the north and ‘Īao Stream to the south, they later merge to form Waiehu Stream.  Waikapū Stream is the only Nā Wai ‘Ehā stream that drains to the southern coast of Maui.

The abundance of water in Nā Wai ʻEhā enabled extensive loʻi kalo (wetland kalo) complexes, including varieties favored for poi-making such as “throat-moistening lehua poi.” (CWRM)

Nā Wai ʻEhā once “comprised the largest continuous area of wetland taro cultivation in the islands.” Its “complex agricultural system of wetland kalo cultivation,” together with the abundant protein sources in the streams and nearshore waters, supported one of the largest populations on Maui.

The fertile kalo lands, complex system of irrigation ʻauwai (ditches) and abundant fresh water from Nā Wai ʻEhā sustained Hawaiian culture for 1,000-years.

In addition to extensive agricultural production, other practices thrived in Nā Wai ʻEhā, including the gathering of upland resources, such as thatch and ti, and protein sources from the streams, including ʻoʻopu (goby fish,) ʻōpae (shrimp) and hihiwai (snail.)

The waters of Nā Wai ʻEhā were renowned for the practice of hiding the piko, or the umbilical cord of newborn babies. “(T)he spring ʻEleile contained an underwater cave where the people of the area would hide the piko of their babies after birth.”  This practice affirms the individual’s connection to the land.

The practice of hiʻuwai, also known as kapu kai, often occurred here around the time of makahiki, when individuals “would go into the rivers or into the ocean in order to do a cleansing for the new year”.

This type of cleansing, which required immersion in the water, was also conducted “before you start or end certain ceremonies”.  For ceremonies dedicated to Kāne, “having a hiʻuwai in a stream magnifies the mana”.

Given the makeup of the Nā Wai ʻEhā, Waiheʻe River and ‘Īao historically would have flowed continuously to the coast; Waiehu Stream would have flowed continuously to the coast at least 95 percent of the time; and Waikapū Stream would have flowed continuously to the coast less than half of the time.  (USGS)

But the streams were diverted, to quench the thirst of the thirsty sugar plantations.

By 1866, a letter published in the Hawaiian language newspaper Nūpepa Kūʻokoʻa lamented “the current condition of once cultivated taro patches being dried up by the foreigners, where they are now planting sugar cane”.

These diversions and ditch systems historically supplied two sugar plantations: Wailuku Sugar and Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S,) which belonged to the plantation-era “Big Five” companies C. Brewer and Alexander & Baldwin, respectively.

Wailuku Sugar was organized in 1862 by James Robinson, Thomas Cummins, J Fuller and agent C Brewer.  In 1878, through his friendship with King Kalākaua, Claus Spreckels secured a lease of 40,000-acres of land on Maui and by 1882 he founded the Hawaiian Commercial Company (later known as Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company – HC&S.)

This quickly became the largest and best-equipped sugar plantation in the islands (in 1898, Spreckels lost control of HC&S and Alexander & Baldwin took over as agents at that time.)

Water wars have been waged way back.

Back in 1882, Wailuku Sugar and Spreckels fought over portions of the ditch system and purported rights to the water in the streams.

Lately, complaints were filed by downstream users arguing public trust, traditional and cultural practices (including kalo farming.)  In part, the diversions and ditches are capable of diverting all of the dry-weather flow available at the intakes – and often times, downstream conditions resulted in dry streambeds.

More recently (March 13, 2008,) the State Commission on Water Resource Management designated Nā Wai ʻEhā a surface water management.

In addition, on August 15, 2012, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court vacated a Water Commission decision and that included instream flow standards.

Instream Flow Standard is “a quantity or flow of water or depth of water which is required to be present at a specific location in a stream system at certain specified times of the year to protect fishery, wildlife, recreational, aesthetic, scenic, and other beneficial instream uses.”

The technical language of the law is complicated; I simplify this to say that the instream flow standard allows a stream to be a stream.  (Lots of information here is from associated court papers and descriptions.)

The image shows a map of Nā Wai ʻEhā (CWRM.)  I added a couple of other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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© 2014 Hoʻokuleana LLC

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Public Meeting
Waikīkī – Kauhale O Hoʻokipa Scenic Byway

What:
Public Meeting to discuss Status of designation and Corridor Management Plan for Waikīkī – Kauhale O Ho‘okipa “Home of Hospitality” Scenic Byway

When:
Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.

Where:
Capital One Café (upstairs;) 1958 Kalākaua Avenue; Honolulu, HI 96815

Admission:
Free and open to the public.

The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA) will be holding a community meeting to discuss the status of State designation and preparation of the Corridor Management Plan of the Waikīkī – Kauhale O Ho‘okipa “Home of Hospitality” Scenic Byway as part of the Hawai‘i Scenic Byways Program. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this meeting.

Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA,) serving as the sponsor for the Waikīkī – Kauhale O Hoʻokipa Scenic Byway, has retained Hoʻokuleana LLC to assist in the application, designation and planning processes for the Byway through the Hawaiʻi Scenic Byway Program.

The Hawaiʻi Scenic Byways Program is designed to complement the National Scenic Byways Program, a nationwide effort to identify, promote, manage and invest in roadways that are the most significant in their region with regard to these scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archeological and natural qualities.

The purpose of the Hawai`i Scenic Byways Program is to formally designate Hawaiʻi Scenic Byways and to establish and implement Corridor Management Plans (CMPs) for our corridors.

The Hawaii Scenic Byways Program identifies and recognizes:

  • roads that “tell a story” that is special;
  • roads with outstanding scenic, cultural, recreational, archaeological, natural and historic qualities; and
  • roads that will benefit from a coordinated strategy for tourism and economic development

The Scenic Byways program serves to identify “Intrinsic Qualities” along the corridor; these include Scenic, Natural, Historic, Cultural, Archaeological and Recreational.

These intrinsic qualities break into two clusters:
“Land” (Scenic, Natural and Recreational,) and
“People” (Historic, Cultural and Archaeological)

Sites and Stories of Waikīkī, as illustrated through its Intrinsic Qualities, help tell the stories of the Land (ʻĀina) and its People from the earliest beginnings of Hawai‘i to today.  Waikīkī – Kauhale O Hoʻokipa will be incorporating several core story themes:

  • Royal Residences
  • Visitor Industry 
  • Military 
  • Natural/Geologic
  • Socio-Economic-Political 
  • Side Trips

Although many of the sites and structures of Waikīkī from the ancient times are long gone, many of these pre-contact Hawaiian places, environment, people, history and culture still convey the sense of earlier importance through continued use of original place names for areas, streets, surf sites, symbols, etc and other references to these people, places and times.  Though gone, they are not forgotten and continue to express the ways of the past.

Through the telling of stories of Waikīkī (and a goal of the establishment of a Scenic Byway (and dream of NaHHA founder, George Kanahele,)) we help to restore Hawaiianness to Waikīkī in a positive, productive and respectful way.  The sense of place of Waikīkī lies within these stories, under the overarching contexts of “Aloha” and “Hoʻokipa” (Hospitality.)

“Waikīkī’s significance is as a place of history, not destination.” (George Kanahele)  Restoring some of Waikīkī’s historical and cultural integrity through Waikīkī – Kauhale O Hoʻokipa Scenic Byway will help to illustrate “I ka wā mamua, ka wā mahope” (The future is in the past.)

https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/817/

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

No one knows when the first western Thanksgiving feast was held in Hawaiʻi, but from all apparent possibilities, the first recorded one took place in Honolulu and was held among the families of the American missionaries from New England.

According to the reported entry in Lowell Smith’s journal on December 6, 1838: “This day has been observed by us missionaries and people of Honolulu as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God. Something new for this nation. The people turned out pretty well and they dined in small groups and in a few instances in large groups. We missionaries all dined at Dr. Judd’s and supped at Brother Bingham’s. … An interesting day; seemed like old times – Thanksgiving in the United States.”

The first Thanksgiving Proclamation in Hawaiʻi appears to have been issued on November 23, 1849, and set the 31st day of December as a date of Thanksgiving. This appeared in ‘The Friend’ on December 1, 1849.

The following, under the signature of King Kamehameha III, named a day in December as a day of public thanks. The Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1849 read, in part:

“In accordance with the laws of this Kingdom, and the excellent usage of Christian Nations, it has pleased his Majesty, in council, to appoint the Thirty-first day of December, next, as a day of public thanksgiving to God, for His unnumbered mercies and blessings to this nation; and people of every class are respectfully requested to assemble in their several houses of worship on that day, to render united praise to the Father of nations, and to implore His favor in time to come, upon all who dwell upon these shores, as individuals, as families, and as a nation.”  (Signed at the Palace. Honolulu, November, 23, 1849.)

“It will be seen by Royal Proclamation that Monday, the 31st of December has been appointed by His Majesty in Council as a day of Thanksgiving. We are glad to see this time-honored custom introduced into this Kingdom.”

The celebratory day of Thanksgiving changed over time.  On December 26, 1941 President Roosevelt signed into law a bill making the date of Thanksgiving a matter of federal law, fixing the day as the fourth Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving is a major holiday celebrated in the United States, with origins dating back centuries to Colonial times.

The faith of celebrating a harvest of plenty was a dramatic event in early Colonial America, since food supplies were far from dependable. Years of massive starvation were as common as times of plenty.  Their celebration of Thanksgiving continues today.

Although Native Americans were known to have harvest celebrations for centuries, if not millennia, before arrival of Europeans, the heart of Thanksgiving is a time of sharing the bounty of autumn and celebrating common survival.

The site and date of origin of Thanksgiving are matters of great dispute, with regional claims being made by widely disparate locations in North America. The chief claims are: Saint Augustine, Florida – 1565; Baffin Island, Canada – 1578; Jamestown, Virginia – 1619 and Plymouth, Massachusetts – 1621.

In Hawaiʻi, the Makahiki celebrated the harvest and Lono, the god of fertility and rain. It is similar in timing and purpose to Thanksgiving, Oktoberfest and other harvest celebrations (beginning in late-October or early-November when Makaliʻi (the Pleiades constellation) is first observed rising above the horizon at sunset, the Makahiki period continued for four months.)

Tributes in the form of goods and produce were given to the chiefs.  Success of the harvest was commemorated with prayers of praise made to the Creator, ancestral guardians, caretakers of the elements and various deities – particularly Lono.

The land was allowed to rest and rejuvenate for the next growing season; it was a time of peace.  The image shows Makaliʻi, the Pleiades constellation (NASA-WC.)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

© 2013 Hoʻokuleana LLC

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kāʻanapali Historical Trail & History and Legends Tour

A 10-stop walking trail, sponsored by the Kāʻanapali Beach Resort Association, gives residents and visitors a little look into the past of this now-flourishing resort destination.  Following is a summary of the 10 points of interest and a little bit about each stop (all of the content here comes from their on-line information on the trail:)

1. Kāʻanapali Airstrip and Windsock Lounge

From 1962 until 1987, the Kāʻanapali Airstrip and Terminal occupied this area adjacent to the beach, which was surrounded by cane fields. In fact, the north side of Kāʻanapali Beach became known as “Airport Beach.” In the early years, prop jet air taxis from Honolulu would land at the strip and were able to pull up to the Royal Lāhainā Beach Hotel.

During its last ten years, the airstrip was closed to general aviation and operated by Royal Hawaiian Air Service whose fleet of Cessna airplanes averaged 60 flights a day in and out of Kāʻanapali.  The Windsock Lounge, as the name indicates, was located at the top of the terminal (whose interior walls and ceiling were covered with business cards from all over the world.)

2. Plantation Farm and Ancient Village of Kekaʻa

During the first half of the 20th century, this site flourished with mango trees and grasses. It is most remembered by local families for its pig farm, in which hogs were raised to feed the many sugar plantation workers. There were several plantation houses near the beach, where families of Japanese sugar plantation workers lived and maintained the farm.

In ancient times, the area around Royal Lāhainā Resort held the royal gardens of old Hawai‘i. A kalo (taro) patch and other food crops were cultivated here, aided by a freshwater spring.  Kekaʻa was a fishing village nestled against the beach, where fishermen and farmers would gather bounty from the sea and cultivate lowland crops.

3. The Stones of Moemoe and Wahine O Manua/Wahine Peʻe

At the south end of Maui Eldorado Resort behind the tall hedge, lie two large brown pōhaku, or stones, which are steeped in legend. Over six feet long, the larger of these is called Moemoe and resembles a reclining or sleeping person. Moemoe preferred to lie down at Kekaʻa and sleep for his own contentment.

The smaller stone has been the subject of several legends and two different names. The popular name is the Hiding Woman Stone (Pōhaku o Wahine Peʻe) which relates to a love story between her and Moemoe, but there’s also legend of the abused, or fighting, woman (Wahine o Manua) who was hidden by the stone.

4. Kekaʻa Landing Pier

The Kekaʻa landing pier, that once stretched quite a distance into the ocean, operated for many years as the primary loading spot for shipping processed sugar from the island and bringing in supplies for the plantation camps.  Railroad tracks led from the sugar cane fields to the beach, and warehouses for storage were erected near the pier.

Logs used for lumber were also transported to the pier, but would often be loaded into the water first. Submerged in the salt water, logs were left there to cure for a few months. Many plantation era homes were reportedly termite-free due to this method of wood preservation.

5. Pu‘u Kekaʻa and Chief Kahekili

This famous dark lava rock promontory is named Pu‘u Kekaʻa in Hawaiian (which translates as “the rolling hill.” It is revered as a sacred spot known as “ka leina a ka ʻuhane” – the place where a soul leaps into eternity. Each island has these significant places (usually at its western-most point.)  This

It was also a point for lele kawa,” or cliff jumping.  Chief Kahekili (ruled circa 1766-1793) was known to have jumped into the sea from heights of 300 to 400 feet. Here, he gained respect from many warriors, as most were frightened of the spirits who lived in the area. These days, every evening at sunset, a Sheraton Maui Resort diver gracefully leaps from the top of the rock into the ocean, symbolizing the great chief’s dives, as torches are lit for the coming night to honor the souls of the departed.

6. Chief Kākaʻalaneo and Legend of Kaululā‘au

Kākaʻalaneo was a high chief of the land at Kekaʻa (Maui’s capital circa 15th century). The chief reigned over a thriving community of many people, as his land was fertile and rich with groves of breadfruit, bananas, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, and taro. He and his wife had two children who were born here, their son Kaululā’au and daughter Wao.

The family kahuna (priest) predicted that Kaululā’au would be destructive, but that the lands would eventually be blessed by his strength and deeds. Kaululā’au would uproot young taro and sweet potato plants for fun. His father finally banished Kaululā’au to the island of Lānaʻi to live among the spirits there.  Kaululā’au eventually rid the island of all the ghosts and later became the ruling chief of the island.

7. Koko O Nā Moku Race Track

This is named after the famous battle between two royal brothers who fought in the area; a race track stood right on Kāʻanapali’s sandy beach. The track stretched from Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel, past The Whaler and Whalers Village to The Westin Maui Resort.

It was built for horse racing, which was a favorite sport of many members of Hawaiian royalty during the Gay 90s era, as well as plantation owners and laborers.  The race track thrived through the World War I era, until the last official race was held on America’s Independence Day, July 4, 1918.

8. Battle of Koko O Nā Moku

Upon great chief Kekaulike’s death, younger son Kamehamehanui was named heir to rule Maui. In 1738, his older brother Kauhiʻaimokuakama (Kauhi) began to wage war to win the title of ruling chief. Kamehamehanui engaged the forces of his uncle from Hawai‘i to fight with him, whose troops numbered over 8,000, and Kauhi brought troops of warriors from O‘ahu.

Battles were fought across West Maui, from Ukumehame to Honokōwai. The war ended with the most famous battle, Koko O Nā Moku, which translates to “Bloodshed of the Islands.” Over several days, the blood of fallen warriors from both sides flowed from the mouth of the stream into the shorebreak and caused the ocean to turn red.  Kamehamehanui triumphed and ruled Maui in peace for many years.

9. Lo‘i Kalo (Taro Patch)

Across from the south end of Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, at the 17th green of the South Course, the ground dips slightly lower. This area was used to cultivate taro (kalo) in abundant terraced patches (lo‘i) in old Hawai‘i.  The Hahakea Stream flowed from the mountain to the sea; earthen berms were built up to channel the water between rows of this staple food.

Kalo is believed to have the greatest life force of all foods. According to the ancient creation chant, the Kumulipo, kalo grew from the first-born son of Wākea (father sky) and Papa (mother earth). He was stillborn and buried in fertile soil. Out of his body grew the kalo plant, also called Hāloa, which means “everlasting breath.”

10. The Owl Cave Legends

At the Lāhainā end of Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa is the mouth of the Hahakea Stream that originates way up the mountain.  On Kāʻanapali’s South Course, near the Hahakea, streambed is the site of what once was known as the cave of Pueo, or the “Owl Cave,” the actual location of which is a guarded secret.

According to one legend, it was where Hina hid her son Maui so he would not be sacrificed; in another legend, it is referred to as the home of the guardian spirit owl who protected the villagers of Kekaʻa. The Pueo protected children from warriors by leading them to another cave located in Pu‘u Kekaʻa. They hid there, until the warriors became frustrated and ended their search.

The image shows the Kāʻanapali Historical Trail points of interest over a Google Earth image.  In addition, I have added other related images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Waikīkī Natatorium War Memorial

In 1921, the Territorial Legislature authorized the construction of a memorial dedicated to the men and women of Hawai‘i who served in World War I, on the former Irwin property – it is known as the Waikīkī Natatorium War Memorial.

The Natatorium was completed in the summer of 1927, the first “living” war memorial in the United States and as a symbol of the way of life those who served fought to defend.

It is a “living” memorial in that it included a 100 X 40 meter saltwater swimming pool, built to honor 102 who died and the nearly 10,000 others who served in WWI from Hawai‘i.

The pool is surrounded on four sides by a twenty-foot wide deck which is enclosed on the three ocean sides by a three-foot high wall.  On the fourth, mauka side, concrete bleachers rise thirteen levels in height and provide seating for approximately 2,500 people.

Olympic Gold Medalist and icon of modern surfing, Duke Kahanamoku swam the first ceremonial swim at its opening on August 24, 1927, his birthday.

An AAU National championship swimming meet, with swimmers from Japan and South America participating, capped the opening activities.

Olympic champion, Johnny Weissmuller, broke the world’s record for the 100-meter freestyle swim, and in the following three days of competition, set new world’s records for the 440 and 880-meter freestyles, cutting more than ten seconds off the previous world marks for these events.

Clarence “Buster” Crabbe, a local swimmer, who would later replace Weissmuller in the famous “Tarzan” series, won the 1,500-meter contest.

During its heyday, the Natatorium hosted celebrity swimmers including Esther Williams, as well as 34 members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

It was later also used by the DOE for its mandatory elementary school Learn to Swim Program (lots of kids learned to swim here.

Owned by the State but operated under an executive order to the City, the Natatorium was closed in 1979 due to thirty years of neglect.

The Natatorium is on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places.  In 1995, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed it on its Most Endangered list.  In 2005, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation listed the site on its inaugural Most Endangered Historic Sites list.

In November 2009, Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced that he will accept the recommendation of the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium Task Force to preserve the historic Natatorium’s memorial arches by reconstructing them further inland, and to create additional beach space by demolishing the crumbling swimming pool and bleachers.

Despite the announcement, the natatorium didn’t get torn down anytime soon (it’s still standing.)  Demolition requires an environmental impact statement, permits, extensive planning, design and funding – about $15.1 million, according to the city.  The process could take eight years.

In May 2011, Mayor Peter Carlisle stated that the City is in the process of developing an Environmental Impact Statement according to the recommended option of the Natatorium Task Force and advanced the recommendation to tear down the long-closed Natatorium.

The Friends of the Natatorium, which maintains this site, advocates for the preservation and restoration of the Waikīkī Natatorium War Memorial, seeking the return of this facility to active recreational use by the families of O‘ahu and by visitors to Hawai‘i.

However, recent reporting notes that the City and State intend to tear down the Natatorium pool and replace it with a new beach and park area; the war memorial arches will be moved away from the shoreline.

Like a lot of other kids in those days, I swam in the Natatorium pool and walked its decks.

The image shows the natatorium in 1928.  In addition, I have added other related images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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