Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Laukanaka Ka Hula … “A Multitude of Hula Groups Gather” – Prince Lot Hula Festival

The 35th Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival is taking place at Moanalua Gardens on Saturday, July 21, 2012, from 9 am to 4 pm, hosted by the Moanalua Gardens Foundation (MGF.)

The largest non-competitive hula event in Hawai‘i, the festival is held each year to honor Prince Lot Kapua‘iwa who reprised the once banned hula in the district of Moanalua.

“Our theme is based on a traditional ‘oli that talks about groups of hula people coming together to celebrate hula.  Our theme Laukanaka Ka Hula … “A Multitude of Hula Groups Gather” speaks to people from all over who appreciate and love all aspects of hula.,” said Alika Jamile, MGF Executive Director and President.

“Our opening ceremonies will include a special ho‘ike (show) in honor of noted kūpuna who have made important contributions to our Hawaiian culture and the hula,” Jamile stated.

“Some of Hawai‘i’s most celebrated hula hālau will be invited to next year’s festival,” said Alika Jamile, MGF Executive Director and President.  “In 2012, we plan on adding more cultural activities and workshops to enhance the experience for visitors and local residents alike,” Jamile said.

The event will feature both hula kāhiko (ancient) hula and chant, and ‘auana (modern) hula performances.  Dancers will perform on one of the few remaining pa hula (hula mounds) in Hawai‘i.

Local food and refreshments will be available for purchase throughout the day. Limited edition tee shirts and a souvenir button will be on sale. Proceeds from these merchandise sales will help cover the costs of the festival.

Festival sponsors and supporters include the Hawaii Tourism Authority, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the City and County of Honolulu, the National Endowment for the Arts, Aloha Pacific Credit Union, Hawaiian Airlines, Kamehameha Schools, ING Direct, Servco Foundation, the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau, the O‘ahu Visitors Bureau, the Honolulu Star Advertiser, MidWeek and other businesses.

A non-profit organization founded in 1970, Moanalua Gardens Foundation (MGF) is committed to preserving and perpetuating the native culture, environment, and people of Hawai‘i through education, celebration and stewardship of Kamananui Valley and Moanalua Gardens.

Named in memory of King Kamehameha V, Prince Lot, the festival was founded in 1978 by MGF and now attracts up to 10,000 residents and visitors each year.

Moanalua was a favorite recreation spot for Prince Lot, who is credited with reviving the hula in the district of Moanalua. His summer cottage can be found on the gardens’ grounds.

There is no charge to attend the festival, however, a button donation to MGF is requested to raise funds to support the event.

The public, and visitors, are welcome and encouraged to bring their beach chairs and mats and enjoy the fun, food and festivities under the shady monkeypod trees of Moanalua Gardens.

In addition to the festival announcement here, I have posted some images from Moanalua Gardens Foundation on last year’s Prince Lot Hula Festival in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ahupuaʻa – Hawaiian Land Management System

In ancient Hawai‘i, most of the common people were farmers, a few were fishermen.  Tenants cultivated smaller crops for family consumption, to supply the needs of chiefs and provide tributes.
Kapu (restrictions/prohibitions) were observed as a matter of resource and land management, among other things.
Access to resources was tied to residency and earned as a result of taking responsibility to steward the environment and supply the needs of aliʻi.
The social structure reinforced land management.
Dwellings were thatched structures designed primarily for protection against inclement weather.  Floors of the houses were raised platforms of lava rock, with small pebble layers.  Pili grass was strewn about and all of this was covered with woven lauhala mats.  Most activities (i.e. cooking and eating) took place outdoors.
The traditional land use in the Hawaiian Islands evolved from shifting cultivation into a stable form of agriculture.  Stabilization required a new form of land use and eventually the ahupua‘a form of land management was instituted.
For hundreds of years since, on the death of all mō‘ī (kings or queens), the new ruler re-divided the land, giving control of it to his or her favorite chiefs.
Each ahupuaʻa in turn was ruled by a lower chief, or aliʻi ʻai.  He, in turn, appointed an overseer, or konohiki.  (The common people never owned or ruled land.)
The konohiki served as general manager responsible for the use of an ahupuaʻa as a resource system.  He, in turn, was assisted by specialists, or luna.  For example, the luna wai was responsible for the fresh water flow and irrigation system.
Ahupuaʻa served as a means of managing people and taking care of the people who support them, as well as an easy form of collection of tributes by the chiefs.  Ultimately, this helped in preserving resources.
Shaped by island geography, ahupuaʻa varied in shape and size (from as little as 100-acres to more than 100,000-acres.)
A typical ahupuaʻa (what we generally refer to as watersheds, today) was a long strip of land, narrow at its mountain summit top and becoming wider as it ran down a valley into the sea to the outer edge of the reef.  If there was no reef then the sea boundary would be about one and a half miles from the shore.  
Each ahupuaʻa had its own name and boundary lines.  Often the markers were natural features such as a large rock or a line of trees or even the home of a certain bird.  A valley ahupuaʻa usually used its ridges and peaks as boundaries. 
Additional markers were placed to note the ahupua‘a boundary – so called because the boundary was marked by a heap (ahu) of stones surmounted by an image of a pig (pua‘a,) or because a pig or other tribute was laid on the altar as tax to the chief.
People living in one ahupuaʻa were free to use whatever grew wild in that ahupuaʻa.  But a resident of one ahupuaʻa could not take anything from another ahupuaʻa. Boundaries were important and people carefully learned their locations.
In ancient Hawaiian times, relatives and friends exchanged products.  The upland dwellers brought poi, taro and other foods to the shore to give to kinsmen there.  The shore dweller gave fish and other seafood.  Visits were never made empty-handed but always with something from one’s home to give.
Ahupuaʻa contained nearly all the resources Hawaiians required for survival.  Fresh water resources were managed carefully for drinking, bathing and irrigation.
Wild and cultivated plants provided food, clothing, household goods, canoes, weapons and countless other useful products.  Many land and sea creatures utilized for food also provided bones, teeth, skin and feathers for tools, crafts and ornamentation.
Trees for canoes, house building, idols, etc came from the forest zone.  Below the forest, in the Upland area, bamboo, ti and pili grass for thatching houses and were collected.
Within the coastal area and valleys, taro was cultivated in lo‘i; sweet potato, coconut, sugar cane and other food sources thrived in these areas.  The shore and reefs provided fish, shellfish and seaweed.
(Image: Ahupua‘a model after Luciano Minerbi 1999, slightly modified.  (Mueller-Dombois))  In addition, I have placed older USGS maps (each noting ahupua‘a on respective islands) on my Linked In page (you may have to sign in to LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/peter-t-young/25/868/649 – go to the bottom of the Profile for the folders to see/download respective maps.)
In preparing the Corridor Management Plan for the Scenic Byway on Aliʻi Drive, we recommended that ahupua‘a markers be placed along the corridor to note the historic land divisions.  We are recommending the same at Kōloa, Kaua‘i for the Plan we are working on there.
In addition, I posted some recent attempts of modern representations of ancient ahupua‘a boundary markers in parts of the State (primarily Ko‘olaupoko on O‘ahu and Keauhou on Hawai‘i Island.)  These are in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway – Wins Historic Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawaii Foundation

We are proud and honored that the Local Scenic Byway Committee, Mālama Kōloa, Kōloa Community Association, Poʻipū Beach Resort Association and Hoʻokuleana LLC were awarded the 2012 Historic Preservation Commendation for the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway project from the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation.
Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway is situated on the South Shore of the island of Kauaʻi (in the Old Kōloa Town, running down and through the Poʻipū Beach resort area – out through Māhāʻulepu.)
Here, there are many scenic, natural and recreational qualities that travelers along the Byway may experience and enjoy.  Along the coastal area of Poʻipū there are popular beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba or sunset watching. 
But the focus of interest along the Holo Holo Kōloa corridor is the region‘s history and the role this area played in helping to shape Hawaiʻi‘s socio-economic past, present and future.
As noted in Carol Wilcox’s book, The Kauaʻi Album, “The history of Kōloa is in many ways Hawai‘i’s history in microcosm.”
Holo Holo Kōloa gives the traveler a look at the historic and socio-economic evolution of the Hawaiian Islands.  Here many “firsts” took place that ultimately guided this transformation.
This is a corridor with many stories to tell, under the backdrop of its impressive scenic beauty.
Last year, the State Department of Transportation designated Holo Holo Kōloa as a State Scenic Byway.
We assisted in the designation process and are now working with the community in preparing the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the project.
The CMP is prepared to address issues related to management of the corridor, but, more importantly, is used to submit the application to Federal Highways for National designation.
State and National Scenic Byways designations recognize roads that exhibit one or more six core intrinsic qualities – scenic, natural, historic, recreational, archaeological or cultural – contributing towards a unique travel experience.
Overall, the Scenic Byways Program is for:
  • roads that tell a special story;
  • roads with outstanding intrinsic qualities that need recognition or protection; and
  • roads that will benefit from a coordinated strategy for tourism and economic development

 There are over 20 primary Points of Interest along the corridor, including Tree Tunnel, Kōloa Sugar Monument, Old Kōloa Town, Kōloa Sugar Mill, several Churches, National Tropical Botanical Garden, various Puʻu and Bays.
Archaeological and Historic sites include Kāneiolouma, Kōloa Field System, Luahinealapiʻi (Hapa Road,) Prince Kuhio Park/Hoʻia Heiau, Kihahouna Heiau, Makauwahi Cave, Waiʻōpili Heiau and Keolewa Heiau.
This is our second Scenic Byway and Corridor Management Plan assignment.  We previously prepared the Plan for Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast, on Ali’i Drive on the Big Island (the first CMP to be approved in the State.)
We are also very proud of that project; Royal Footsteps received several awards, including Historic Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawaii Foundation; Environment/Preservation award from the American Planning Association-Hawai‘i Chapter; and Pualu Award for Culture and Heritage from the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing some of the highlights on some of the Point of Interest sites that are included in the Scenic Byway.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kāne‘ohe Bay – UH SOEST Image

 This image accompanies the story of dredging in Kāne‘ohe Bay.
The attached image generally shows Kāne‘ohe Bay as it is today.
The Marine Base is at the bottom/right, the “Ship Channel” runs from there, all the way to the top of the image, past Mokoli‘i (Chinaman’s Hat) across from the Kualoa Park.
Zoom in and you can follow the channel from the Base, weaves through the Bay, to the entrance/exit at Mokoli‘i.
Notice the patch reefs with discernible straight edges … that’s the result of the dredging operations.
               
Likewise, you can see areas that have clear cuts in reefs that look submerged (almost like shadows between untouched reefs and deeper water) – these were the areas dredged to lesser depths.
(Here’s a link to download a high resolution of the UH SOEST Kaneohe Bay Poster:

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Mokulua Islands, Lanikai

Mokulua (meaning, “the two islands”) are two islets off the windward coast of O‘ahu.
They are also commonly known as “The Mokes” or the “Twin Islands.” They are about a mile off Lanikai.
The larger island is also known as Moku Nui, Big Moke and Two Humps (13-acre land area.)
The smaller island is also known as Moku Iki, Baby Moke and One Hump (9-acre land area.)
The Mokulua islands are part of the summit caldera of the Ko‘olau shield volcano that slid into the ocean in one or a series of massive landslides more than a million years ago.
In what scientists call the Nu‘uanu Debris Avalanche, a landslide sheared off a third of O‘ahu and swept material more than 140 miles north of O’ahu and Moloka’i.
These old offshore islets (as well as many others off O‘ahu and around the Neighbor Islands) form the Hawai‘i State Seabird Sanctuary, created to protect the thousands of seabirds who seek refuge in and around the main Hawaiian Islands.
The sanctuary, administered by DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, exists to protect not only seabirds but also endangered native coastal vegetation.
Mokulua are primary nesting sites for ‘Ua‘u kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) and ‘Ou (Bulwer’s Petrel.)
The Wedge-tailed Shearwater is a dusky brown bird with white breast feathers, long and thin wings, a hooked bill and a wedge-shaped tail.
The wailing sound made by these birds at their burrows at night inspired the Hawaiian name, which means “calling or moaning petrel.”
The Bulwer’s Petrel has long pointed wings, a long pointed tail, a black bill and pale short legs.  Adult males and females are overall sooty-brown, with a pale bar across the proximal half of upper wings.
Access is restricted to areas below the high water mark, around the perimeter of the island to minimize disturbance to the birds.
You cannot go onto the island without a special permit; access is restricted to daylight hours, between sunrise and sunset.
Overnight camping, alcohol and dogs are prohibited on the Mokulua Islands
The sandy beach at Moku Nui is a destination for thousands of (resident and visitor) kayakers, surfers, and boaters every year.
Multiple commercial operations cater to the Mokulua-bound kayakers and provide equipment rental and guided eco-tours.
Because of growing public use and associated concern for water safety, last summer the city quietly set-up an undercover state-of-the-art camera surveillance system.  The city installed the camera on the smaller island.
The camera faced its sister island and monitored what was going on using a wireless satellite connection to transmit video back to the lifeguard headquarters.  Having monitored the situation, the City removed the camera to use at another undisclosed location.