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April 21, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kāneiolouma

If there are sites across the state that are worthy of restoration, Kāneiolouma would be on the short list for most (and probably at the top.)

As noted by Henry Kekahuna in the late-1950s, “No such thing as a real, truly authentic Hawaiian village of ancient type exists anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands today. All attempts to produce anything of the kind have been merely superficial.”

“The island of Kauai should receive the honor of being the very first to produce the only true Hawaiian village of ancient character in the world … Such a project would keep old Hawai‘i, not only in inanimate form as at present, but as living reality.”

The “Po‘ipu Beach Park Mauka Preserve,” covering 11.04 acres, was created by the county in recognition of Kāneiolouma’s archaeological, historical and cultural significance to Kauai.

Kane-i-olo-u-ma translates as Kane-who-drove-and-pushed. Kāne is a principal god and associated with fresh water and it is his relationship with the other gods that brings forth life.

Lono, the god of agriculture, along with Kāne’s help, insures a life cycle and abundance to all animal husbandry and crops. Kanaloa, the god of the sea, also needs Kāne’s help in order to insure a life cycle for the fish. This is significant as these three components are represented at Kāneiolouma.

“The heiau was the principle medium through which all religious activities were manifested, and was therefore the most important representative of religion collectively in ancient Hawai‘i,” said Henry Kekahuna, a surveyor with more than 68 heiau to his credit, and a kahuna of note, in his presentation to the Kauai Historical Society in 1957.

“Such was the fundamental philosophy of the Hawaiians. All principle activities of their lives were necessarily parts of a whole, that whole being perfected in and through the heiau. Not merely was the heiau a place of worship. In the lives of the people, it also functioned as a mighty powerhouse of all spiritual life, human and non-human.”

As noted by Henry Kekahuna in his 1959 mapping of the Kāneiolouma complex, the Kāneiolouma heiau at Po‘ipu had three main sections (religion, agriculture and aquaculture (fish ponds.))

On the East side, there is a large sports arena where Hawaiian games such as forearm wrestling, or uma, wrestling, or hakoko, and deadly grappling, or lua, were carried on.

On the South side, there is a large fishpond where special fish intended only for the ali‘i were raised. The Waiohai spring is the center of this fishpond.

Extensive walled enclosures, alters, numerous bases for temple images, shrines, taro patches, irrigation ditches, a series of large fishponds, house platforms, extensive cooking areas, and terracing throughout make this complex ideal for rehabilitation.

Kāneiolouma is wahi pana, a storied place. It is considered sacred to the Hawaiian culture, as well as an important historic landmark for the residents of Kauai.

Within the complex, an intricate system of walls and terraces trace the architecture of an ancient way of life. Near its center, the complex contains what may be the only intact Makahiki sporting arena in the state.

The amount of monumental Hawaiian architecture represented here has the potential of yielding important information regarding ancient temple religion, agriculture and fishpond management.

The Kāneiolouma and agricultural site complex is part of a huge complex of agricultural and habitation sites ranging from Kōloa town to the coast of Poʻipū and ranging from the Weliweli area westward to Kukui‘ula Bay and the Kōloa Field System.

This site complex offers the only archaeological area that is not on private land. Eventually, this complex may be the only such accessible complex on the entire south shore of the Kōloa District.

Culturally, the heiau and agricultural site area could become a heritage place, a marker for the Native Hawaiians to identify with their prehistory and their ancestry; with clearing, preservation, restoration and maintenance it can serve as an interpretive park.

For more than a decade, Kauai locals have been working on stabilizing the Kāneiolouma complex. In 2009 they founded Hui Mālama O Kāneiolouma, an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

In July 2010 a landmark agreement with the Kauai County Council and Mayor Bernard Carvalho formally granted stewardship of Kāneiolouma Heiau Complex to the Hui under the County’s Adopt-a-Park program.

The agreement acknowledges the role of the Hui in the preservation, protection and enhancement of the complex, and for future development of the complex as an educational center for Kauai residents and the world.

Kāneiolouma is one of the featured Points of Interest on the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway and is an important part of the Byway’s Corridor Management Plan. We prepared the Byway’s Plan.

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Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions, Place Names Tagged With: Hawaii, Kauai, Kekahuna, Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway, Poipu, Kaneiolouma

June 18, 2012 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.
http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions, Place Names Tagged With: Royal Footsteps Along The Kona Coast, Hawaii, Ahupuaa, Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway

May 12, 2012 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.

Filed Under: Place Names, Economy, General Tagged With: Hawaii, Kauai, Historic Hawaii Foundation, Koloa, Hookueana LLC, Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway

March 30, 2012 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway – Preservation Commendation

I am honored and proud to share with you some great news we just received concerning a project we are working on.
Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway will be recognized with a Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawai‘i Foundation at its 2012 Preservation Honor Awards ceremony for outstanding efforts in preservation through planning and designation of the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway.
This award is being given to Kōloa Community Association, Mālama Koloa, Po‘ipū Beach Resort Association, HDOT Hawai’i Scenic Byways Program and Ho‘okuleana LLC.
Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway, recently designated a State Scenic Byway, is situated in the historic
Old Kōloa Town and runs down and through the Po’ipu Beach resort area on Kaua‘i’s South Shore.
This region is steeped in history and its various points of interest tell the stories of Hawaii’s people and its evolving socio-economic past.
Along this corridor are significant historic, archaeological, cultural, natural, recreational and scenic resources.
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 and natural beauty.
We have been assisting Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway in the State designation process, as well as preparing the Corridor Management Plan for the Scenic Byway.
This is our second Scenic Byway project.  We also prepared the Corridor Management Plan for the Royal Footsteps Along The Kona Coast.
Royal Footsteps also received a Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Preservation Commendation, as well as an APA-Hawai‘i Environment-Preservation Award and a Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Pualu Award for Culture & Heritage.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Historic Hawaii Foundation, Koloa, Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway, Award, Hawaii, Kauai

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