Kaawaloa | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

November 14, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Captain Cook Monument

Between 1768 and 1778 England’s maritime explorer, James Cook, made three expeditions to the Pacific. Cook’s third (and final) voyage (1776-1779) of discovery was an attempt to locate a North-West Passage, an ice-free sea route which linked the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. (State Library, New South Wales)

In the dawn hours of January 18, 1778, on his third expedition, British explorer Captain James Cook on the HMS Resolution and Captain Charles Clerke of the HMS Discovery first sighted what Cook named the Sandwich Islands (that were later named the Hawaiian Islands.)

On the afternoon of January 20, 1778, Cook anchored his ships near the mouth of the Waimea River on Kauai’s southwestern shore. After a couple of weeks, there, they headed to the west coast of North America. After the West Coast, Alaska and Bering Strait exploration, on October 24, 1778 the two ships headed back to the islands.

“When Cook’s ships, the HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery entered Kealakekua Bay in January 1779, they had already paid brief visits to the Hawaiian islands of Kauai, Niihau and Maui and had sailed along much of the coast of Hawai‘i itself.” (Orr)

After a short stay, Cook got under sail again to resume his exploration of the Northern Pacific. Shortly after leaving Hawaiʻi Island, the foremast of the Resolution broke. They returned to Kealakekua.

“Upon coming to anchor, we were surprised to find our reception very different from what it had been on our first arrival; no shouts, no bustle, no confusion … but the hospitable treatment we had invariably met with, and the friendly footing on which we parted, gave us some reason to expect, that they would again have flocked about us with great joy, on our return.”

“… there was something at this time very suspicious in the behaviour of the natives; and that the interdiction of all intercourse with us, on pretence of the king’s absence, was only to give him time to consult with his chiefs in what manner it might be proper to treat us.” (‘The Voyages of Captain James Cook,’ recorded by Lieutenant James King) On February 14, 1779, Cook was killed.

“The bodies of Captain Cook and the four men who died with him were carried to Kalaniʻōpuʻu … and the chief sorrowed over the death of the captain. … Then they stripped the flesh from the bones of Lono. The palms of the hands and the intestines were kept; the remains (pela) were consumed with fire.” (Kamakau)

“The bones were preserved in a small basket of wicker-work, completely covered over with red feathers; which in those days were considered to be the most valuable articles the natives possessed, as being sacred, and a necessary appendage to every idol, and almost every object of religious homage throughout the islands of the Pacific.” (Ellis)

Among Cook’s officers were George Vancouver, who would later lead a four-year survey of the northwest coast of America, and William Bligh, destined to be made famous by the storied mutiny on the Bounty. Also on board were Nathaniel Portlock and George Dixon.

“Vancouver and other noted English voyagers touching at Hawaii visited the fatal spot, but it was nearly fifty years before the event was commemorated in any tangible form. This first effort is to the credit of Lord Byron, commanding HBM’s ship Blonde (that brought from England the remains of Kamehameha II and his consort), during his visit at Kealakekua in July 1825”. (Thrum HAA, 1912)

“Lord Byron, Mr. Ball, Davis and [Andrew Bloxam] laid the first four stones of a pyramid to form the base of a monument to his memory. A large post was fixed in the middle of this, and on the top was nailed a brass plate, with the following words engraved upon it:”

“‘To the memory of Captain James Cook, R. N., who discovered these islands in the year of our Lord 1778. This humble monument was erected by his fellow countrymen in the year of our Lord 1825.’” (Restarick)

Later, as noted by Mark Twain in his visit to Kealakekua in 1866, “Tramping about … we suddenly came upon another object of interest. It was a cocoanut stump, four or five feet high, and about a foot in diameter at the butt.”

“It had lava bowlders piled around its base to hold it up and keep it in its place, and it was entirely sheathed over, from top to bottom, with rough, discolored sheets of copper, such as ships’ bottoms are coppered with. Each sheet had a rude inscription scratched upon it – with a nail, apparently – and in every case the execution was wretched.”

“It was almost dark by this time, and the inscriptions would have been difficult to read even at noonday, but with patience and industry I finally got them all in my note-book They read as follows: ‘Near this spot fell Captain James Cook The Distinguished Circumnavigator who Discovered these islands A.D. 1778. His Majesty’s Ship Imogene, October 17, 1837.’” (Mark Twain, Sacramento Daily Union, August 30, 1866)

Other remembrances Twain noted that different sheathing on the stump were, “This sheet and capping put on by Sparrowhawk September 16, 1839, in order to preserve this monument to the memory of Cook.”

Another noted, “This bay was visited, July 4, 1843, by HMS Carysfort, the Right Honorable Lord George Paulet, Captain, to whom, as the representative of Her Britannic Majesty Queen Victoria, these islands were ceded, February 25, 1843.”

More said, “This tree having fallen, was replaced on this spot by HMS V Cormorant, GT Gordon, Esq., Captain, who visited this bay May 18, 1846.” “Parties from HM ship Vixen visited this spot Jan. 25 1858.” “Captain Montressor and officers of H. M. S. Calypso visited this spot the 18th of October, 1858.” (Twain)

Then, a more permanent memorial was built; the unveiling of what is the present Captain Cook monument in Kealakekua Bay took place on November 14, 1874.

The monument was constructed by Robert Lishman. “Mr. [Lishman], superintendent of public works, is now preparing material for a monument to the memory of Captain James Cook … The monument will be built of concrete stone, on the spot where the celebrated navigator fell at Kaawaloa, Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, Oct 31, 1874)

(“In 1871, [Robert Lishman] was summoned from Australia where he had been living for many years, by King Kamehameha V to come to Hawaii to superintend the construction of Aliʻiolani Hale, and now known as the Judiciary building.” (Independent, May 13, 1902))

(Later, in 1876, Lishman designed and built the gothic style Royal Mausoleum for King Lunalilo on the grounds of Kawaiaha‘o Church. (HHF))

“The erection of a suitable and durable monument to the memory of Captain James Cook has been often proposed and more than once attempted, but has now been happily accomplished under the direction of Mr Wodehouse, the British Commissioner, with the cooperation of Captain Cator of HMS ship Scout …”

“… who kindly conveyed the architect and his men and materials to the spot in Kealakekua Bay, where the circumnavigator fell, and where now, nearly a century later, a fitting monument is at last dedicated to his memory.”

“It is a plain obelisk, standing on a square base, the whole being twenty-seven feet in height, and constructed throughout of a concrete composed of carefully screened pebbles and cement, similar to tie material of which the fine public buildings in this city are built.”

“It stands on an artificially leveled platform of lava only a few feet distant from and above the highwater mark, and fifteen or twenty yards from the shore or lava slab on which the great seaman stood when struck down.”

“The site is thus the most suitable that could have been chosen, and is the gift of Princess Likelike, wife of Hon. AS Cleghorn. The expense of the erection is partly borne by subscribers in England …” (Hawaiian Gazette, November 25, 1874)

“At that time, the cannon and chain were not set up, Mr Lishman had nothing to do with that work. They were later put up by Lieutenant Robinson of the British sloop of war Tenedos.” (Hawaiian Star, May 13, 1902)

On January 26, 1877, a 5,682 square foot parcel of land was conveyed (for $1) by Her Royal Highness Princess Miriam Likelike (sister of Kalakaua and Lili‘uokalani) and Likelike’s husband Archibald S Cleghorn (parents of Ka‘iulani) “in Trust” to James Hay Wodehouse “Her Britannic Majesty’s Commissioner and Consul General for the said Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands (hereinafter designated Trustee)”.

The land was conveyed “for the following uses and purposes and for none other that is to say in trust to keep and maintain on the granted premises a monument in memory of Captain Cook”. (Coulter)

“The site of Cook’s death is marked by a small plaque set in the stone at the water line.” (Orr) “The original plaque’s history dates to 1928 and disappeared in 1956. Another plaque was installed by the British Consulate in the Hawaiian Islands, but was damaged in an attempted theft in 1985.”

“A new granite plaque was installed in 1990 after donations from private individuals. That plaque had been removed from its location after it became dislodged during an episode of high surf.” In 2018, “A new plaque that memorializes the spot where Captain James Cook was killed … is back on the historic Captain Cook memorial Awili landing at Ka‘awaloa.”

It reads: ‘Near This Spot Capt. James Cook Met His Death February 14, 1779’. DLNR’s Division of State Parks and others drilled and bolted a 260-pound concrete block and plaque in the original place. (DLNR Release, July 20, 2018)

(Contrary to urban legend, the monument site is not owned by the British Government; ownership has been in the name of the British Consul General (the individual) – a representative would check in with DLNR, from time to time. And, lately, real property tax records note the owner of the land is ‘Captain Cook Monument Trust’ (others note that is a British non-profit).)

July 21, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kuapehu

Pukui translates Ka‘awaloa as “the distant kawa,” and explains “runners went to Puna or Waipio to get kava for the chiefs”. The archaeological sites of Ka‘awaloa reflect the occupation of this coastal flat from pre-contact times until approximately 1940.

At the time of Captain Cook’s arrival in 1779, Ka‘awaloa was one of the seven chiefly residential compounds in Kona and home to some of the island’s most important ruling chiefs. At least two (2) heiau are recorded on Ka‘awaloa Flat, as well as Puhina o Lono Heiau on the slopes above. (DLNR)

Kalokuokamaile recorded that “When Keawe-nui-a-‘Umi lived at Kaawaloa, he was known as the awa drinking chief and would send his runner to Waipio and Puna to get awa”. In Judd’s dictionary, Hawaiian Language, he translates it as “Ka awa – the harbor). Rev. Paris is cited as translating Ka‘awaloa means “the long landing place”. (Maly)

“It has been said that Ka‘awaloa means something like ‘Awa gotten from far away,’ and this was because the people of Kona had to go all the way to Puna to get their ‘awa.”

“This isn’t true. Kona always had plenty of ‘awa. Old Charley Aina always said that Ka‘awaloa described the ‘Long, or distant canoe landing’ of the area.” (Billy Paris; Maly) Ka‘awaloa is recognized as the site of Captain James Cook’s demise.

The missionaries arrived in Hawai‘i in 1820 and the first Kealakekua missionary settlement was established at Ka‘awaloa Flat by Reverend Ely in 1824. The missionary records indicate that a church and several missionary houses were built at Ka‘awaloa. (DLNR)

Because of the heat, the missionaries moved the mission upslope to Kuapehu in 1827. Kuapehu was “A place belonging to Naihe where he raised taro. His wife, Kapiolani, allowed missionaries to build there, over the ruins of her house.” (Place Names)

“The distinguished chief woman, Kapiolani, built a fine stone house near by the old meeting-house, and resided there for some time, living decently and in order to the day of her death, ap ornament of religion, and a wonderful trophy of the grace of God.”

“She interested herself in the missionary’s American friends, shared with them the pleasure of foreign letters, and was in all things the sympathizing mother and friend.” (Cheever)

“On the first day of the new year, I met the assembled chiefs and people at Kaawaloa, and to our mutual joy opened to them the Scriptures.”

“An attempt was made for the permanent establishment of the Kaawaloa station at Kuapehu, Naihe and Kapiolani removed and built there, and others gathered round them; but the people of the district chiefly preferred the shore station as more convenient to them.” (Bingham)

“But Kaawaloa, at the landing-place on the north side of Kealakekua bay, however conveniently accessible to the people of the district, who live much along the shores, was cramped and rocky, being composed almost exclusively of lava.”

“It was hot, dry, and barren, affording neither brook nor well, nor spring of fresh water, nor field, nor garden-spot for plantation, though a few cocoa-nut trees, so neighborly to the sea, find nourishment there.”

“Kuapehu, about two miles inland, east of the bold and volcanic cliff at the head of the bay, is, in many respects, preferable as a place of residence.”

“It is elevated 1500 feet above the sea; is airy and fertile, fanned agreeably by the land breeze from the cold Mauna Loa by night, and the sea breeze by day, making the temperature and climate about as agreeable and salubrious as Waimea.”

“Scattered trees around, and the forest a little further in the rear, the banana, sugar-cane, upland kalo, potatoes, squashes, gourds, and melons, which its soil produces; its high grasses, flowering shrubs, and wild vines, all contrasted finely with the dry and sterile shore north of the bay.”

“Besides the ordinary productions of the country, Mr. Ruggles, Naihe, and Kapiolani had a variety of exotics – the grape, fig, guava, pomegranate, orange, coffee, cotton, and mulberry, growing on a small scale, which is the most that can be said, as yet, of these articles at the Sandwich Islands.” (Bingham)

“An honorable woman, a hoary-headed Hawaiian convert to Christianity, Kekupuohi, who had been one of the wives of Kalaniopuu, the king in the days of Capt. Cook, but now a member of the church at Kailua, visiting at the thatched cottage of Mr. Ruggles, in the midst of this scenery …”

“… and having her attention agreeably attracted by a prolific grape vine, which spread its fruit and foliage over the door, and by the various flowers and fruits of the garden-like court”. [Bingham] translated:”

“It may be proper to say here that the church and mission-houses of this station, some time after Mr. Ruggles, through loss of health, left the field, were located on the south side of Kealakekua Bay, a position which was supposed to accommodate the people connected with the station better than the north side, or Kuapehu in the rear.” (Bingham)

In visiting the area, Sereno Bishop notes, “Our nearest missionary neighbor outside of the town of Kailua were the Ruggleses, who lived at Kaawaloa, twelve miles south. Their dwelling was at Kuapehu, two miles up the mountain, a most verdant and attractive spot.”

“It later became the residence of Rev John D Paris. Kaawaloa proper was a village on the north side of Kealakekua Bay.” (Bishop)

In 1852 the Rev Paris, who had been at Waiohinu for ten years, was assigned to the Kealakekua district. He wrote that the name Ka‘awaloa was used, by the Hawaiians, more often than Kealakekua. Paris built Kahikolu Church that served the Ka‘awaloa and Kealakekua area; it also was as the Mother Church for the South Kona Area. (NPS)

“We often visited Kaawaloa, probably twice a year, going by water in a double canoe, generally starting two or three hours before daylight, so as to carry the land breeze a good part of the way.” (Sereno Bishop)

“Following the Path of the Gods, Kealakekua; dotted for miles by heathen temples great and small, I found Kuapehu. A grass house, built by Keike, Brother Ruggles, and a cottage built by the beloved Forbes, where the mission families used to spend a few weeks for a change as a health station”. (Recollections of Paris)

There was a road “built above the shoreline flats in the late 1850s to connect Kailua to Ka‘awaloa. Its starting place at Kealakekua was the Paris house at Kuapehu.”

“Government documents of the time describe this road as the “Road from Kealakekua pali”. Samuel Clemens travelled it in 1866 and described the occasional “great boughs which overarch the road and shut out the sun and sea and everything, and leave you in a dim, shady tunnel.” (DLNR)

The Paris family dominated the life of the ahupua‘a from its purchase in 1859 to the death of Rev. John Paris, Sr. (a Congregational minister) in 1892. The son, John Paris, Jr., retained much of his father’s interests.

“Here for five or six years the veteran missionary [John D Paris] continued in his Master’s work. On the marriage of his son John, in 1880, the old home at Kuapehu was sold to him. and the elder Paris family, Father and Mother Paris with their daughter Ella, moved again to Honolulu, expecting never to return.” (The Friend, June 1926)

His only son, John, Jr. became a stock raiser of both cattle and goats, kept at Ka‘awaloa and other nearby lands. He was also the recipient of his father’s most choice land. The Paris’ daughter, Ella, ran a boarding house on the site of Kapi‘olani’s mauka house referred to as the Paris Hotel. (DLNR)

Billy Paris in an oral history noted, “my great-grandfather, with his second marriage, he had two children. His daughter was Ella Hudson Paris.”

“The home I was telling you about, he first built, was down in Mauna-alani, where my sister’s living now. Up on the hill–directly on the hill there above the junction, where the deep cut is on the upper side of the road–the home is still there. (The house site name is Kuapehu.)”

“It’s quite in pretty bad shape today [1981]. My cousins have just recently sold that property to someone. And I see they’re starting to clear the lot now next to Kamei’s Cleaners there–Shiraki’s Cleaners or whatever it is.” “Well, you’ll see a roadway on the left going up. The hotel is on top of the hill.”

(Kuapehu is above “the Captain Cook junction, where you go down to Napoopoo” – “that is where Princess Kapiolani [once] lived.”) (Paris; Social History of Kona)

June 27, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Nāpō‘opo‘o

“The Towns of the Natives are built along the Sea side. At Cari’ca’coo’ah [Kealakekua] Bay there were three, one [Kealakekua-Nāpō‘opo‘o] on the SE-tern side of the Bay which was very large extending near two miles along the shore, another [Kaawaloa] upon the NWtern side which was not so large, and a small Village [Palemano] in the cod or bottom of the Bay.”

“At the back of the villages upon the Brow of the Hill are their plantations of Plantains, Potatoes, Tarrow, Sugar Canes &c, each mans particular property is fenced in with a stone wall …”

“… they have a method of making the Sugar Cane grow about the walls so that the stones are not conspicuous at any distance, but the whole has the appearance of fine green fences. These Plantations in many places they carry six or seven miles up the side of the hill”. (Cook’s Journal, Clerke, March 1779)

At the time of Cook’s arrival in 1779, high chief Kalani‘ōpu‘u had his chiefly residence at Ka‘awaloa while the priests associated with this chiefly complex had their residences across the bay at Kekua (Nāpō‘opo‘o). Kamehameha I was also residing at Nāpō‘opo‘o in 1779.

Nāpō‘opo‘o and Ka‘awaloa represent the two major settlements along the northern and southern sides of Kealakekua Bay with continuity in occupation from the pre-contact period, around 1600 and earlier, into the 20th Century.

Ka‘awaloa and Nāpō‘opo‘o are situated on gently sloping land around the base of the cliff called Pali Kapu o Keōua. Beyond the pali, the land slopes upward in a moderately steep fashion toward the summit of Mauna Loa, about 20 miles due east of Kealakekua Bay.

The pali is a steep, 600-foot-high sea cliff, approximately 1.5 miles long, and the most imposing geological feature in Kealakekua Bay. Above the bay, the vertical cliff edge of the northern portion of the pali above Ka‘awaloa is marked by numerous lava tubes. As the pali turns inland at the south end, it is less steep and is referred to as Pali o Manuahi.

Nāpō‘opo‘o Beach is covered entirely with basalt boulders and coral cobbles during most tide conditions. Up to and during much of the twentieth century, the beach was sand-covered. The transformation of the beach may have been due to multiple factors, including subsidence, tsunami, and earthquake events.

The priestly compound at Nāpō‘opo‘o consists of Hikiau Heiau, Helehelekalani Heiau, the Great Wall, the brackish pond to the north of Hikiau Heiau, and the housesites of the priests, including Hewahewa, high priest to Kamehameha I.

Hikiau Heiau was the state-level religious center for this chiefly complex at Kealakekua Bay. The Great Wall marks the mauka (eastern) boundary of this priestly compound. The annual tour of the island associated with the Makahiki season began and ended at Hikiau Heiau. (DLNR)

Vancouver arrived at Kealakekua in 1793 and also noted the priest’s settlement around Hikiau Heiau and the pond. He recorded 200 houses along the ½-mile of beach at Nāpō‘opo‘o, as well as, the residence of Kamehameha I located behind the pond.

The missionaries arrived at Kealakekua Bay in 1824 and established a mission at Ka‘awaloa Flat. Because of the heat, the missionaries moved the mission upslope to Kuapehu in 1827. (DLNR)

“Besides my schools and all the concerns – you see I have but little time to make tours with out neglecting important work… The consequence is I seldom get as far as Honaunau, which I might visit and return the same day …”

“… nor do I get so much among the people at Napopo & Kei [Napoopoo and Keei] as I wish. I suppose there are, something like 2000 inhabitants on that side of the bay in the villages of Kealakekua, Napopo–Keii [Napoopoo & Keei].” Forbes; Maly, 1835)

Many of the Hawaiians continued to live along the coast and Rev. Forbes decided to move the mission station to Nāpō‘opo‘o in 1838 and constructed the first Kahikolu Church in 1840. (DLNR)

In 1852 the Rev. John Paris, who had been at Waiohinu for ten years, was assigned to the Kealakekua district. He wrote that the name Ka‘awaloa was used, by the Hawaiians, more often than Kealakekua. Ka‘awaloa means the long landing place, and this bay does afford more landing space than others on the Kona coast.

In the mid-1860s, Mr. Logan purchased the ahupua‘a and developed a sugar plantation while the makai lands and 5 coconut trees were leased by S. Kekumano, the jailer. Pineapple and sugarcane were planted and cultivated by the prisoners. The prison was used until around 1875. (Restarick)

By 1875, the ahupua‘a had been bought and sold a number of times. JD Paris, Jr was the owner of the ahupua‘a, leasing the flat around the bay, the pali, and coconut trees to H. Haili, grandson of konohiki Nunole. Jailer Kekumano still held the pond lease, even though the prison was seldom used by this time.

While Ka‘awaloa remained a fishing community with a small wharf for loading cattle, Nāpō‘opo‘o was part of the larger market economy because of the more substantial landing/wharf built at Nāpō‘opo‘o in 1912. (DLNR)

“(It) is a regular steamer landing, and the village is quite a large and important one, with the largest store in South Kona. At the north end of the village is one of the very finest sand bathing beaches on the island.”

“Hackfeld & Co. branch moved into the largest and finest business block in Hilo …Hackfeld & Co., Ltd., also have branch stores at Kailua and Nāpō‘opo‘o, in the Kona district.” (Kinney, 1913)

Ships arrived here regularly to both load and unload goods. Coffee and ranching were integral to this economy in the early-1900s with coffee beans and cattle being shipped out from the Nāpō‘opo‘o landing. Unloaded at Nāpō‘opo‘o were lumber, gasoline, mail, and other goods for the Kealakekua area.

There were 3 coffee mills in the Nāpō‘opo‘o area. One was the Hackfeld/Amfac Coffee Mill operated by John Gaspar. This mill was along the lower portion of the Nāpō‘opo‘o (Government) Road and the foundation is still present within Kealakekua Bay.

The Hawaii Coffee Mill was built along the Nāpō‘opo‘o Beach Road to the south of the landing. The Captain Cook Coffee Mill is located mauka on the Nāpō‘opo‘o Road. This mill is said to have started as a pineapple cannery. The Captain Cook Coffee Mill is still operating with a museum and visitor’s center.

There were at least 3 stores in the area. One store was located on the southeast corner at the intersection of the Nāpō‘opo‘o (Government) Road and the Nāpō‘opo‘o Beach Access Road.

This store was first owned and run by a Japanese family named Arima. The store was later bought by Machado. Another store was in the vicinity of the former County park. This store was converted to a bar owned by a Korean man in the 1950s. The third store was owned by Hackfeld and located at the landing. These latter 2 stores were destroyed by the 1960 tsunami.

There were also 2 churches in the town, one Catholic and one Protestant. The Catholic church and cemetery, called St. Joseph’s, were located to the east (mauka) of the Amfac Coffee Mill.

This church was torn down sometime after 1970. The Protestant church is Kahikolu, which was first built in 1840 and built again in 1854 by Reverend Paris when the original structure was destroyed by an earthquake.

The Nāpō‘opo‘o schoolhouse is located just makai of Kahikolu Church. This one-room stone masonry structure still remains but was replaced by Konawaena School in Kealakekua town in the early 1900s. (DLNR)

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Kealakekua Bay-Henry Roberts with Cook expedition-1779-portion

Cattle Pens-Napoopoo-early 1900s-DLNR

Loading Cattle-Napoopoo-early 1900s-DLNR

Lumber floated ashore at Napoopoo-1920s-DLNR

Aerial view of Napoopoo-PP-30-5-027-1935

Ukulele player on the beach at Napoopoo-PP-30-5-028-1935

Napoopoo-PP-30-5-010-1931

Napoopoo-PP-29-11-021

Aerial view of Napoopoo-PP-30-5-021-Jan 24, 1925

Gaspar Coffee Mill-1930-DLNR

Lauhala weavers, Napoopoo, Hawaii-PP-33-6-003-1935

Napoopoo-Stoke’s Map-early-1900s-DLNR

March 17, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kākua

“Karakakooa (Kealakekua) Bay is situated on the west side of the island of Owhyhee, in a district called Akona. It is about a mile in depth, and bounded by two low points of land, at the distance of half a league, and bearing south south-east and north north-west from each other.”

“On the north point, which is flat and barren, stands the village of Kowrowa; and in the bottom of the bay, near a grove of tall cocoa-nut trees, there is another village of a more considerable size, called Kakooa …”

“… between them, runs a high rocky cliff, inaccessible from the sea shore. On the south side, the coast, for about a mile inland, has a rugged appearance; beyond which the country rises with a gradual ascent, and is overspread with cultivated inclosures and groves of cocoa-nut trees, where the habitations of the natives are scattered in great numbers.”

“The shore, all around the buy, is covered with a black coral rock, which makes the landing very dangerous in rough weather; except at the village of Kakooa, where there is a fine sandy beach, with a Morai, or burying-place, at one extremity, and a small well of fresh water at the other.”

“This bay appearing to Captain Cook a proper place to refit the ships, and lay in an additional supply of water and provisions, we moored on the north side, about a quarter of’ a mile from the shore, Kowrowa bearing north-west.” (Captain King’s Journal)

“There is no locality in the Hawaiian Islands which has so many associations with its early history as Kealakekua Bay and its surroundings.”

“The two villages on its shore, Kaawaloa, and Kakua, now called Napo‘opo‘o, are mentioned in nearly all the books and journals written by explorers and traders, from the death of Captain Cook in 1779 onward, but as far as I know there has been no collection of historic data relating to this district.”

“On the north side of the Bay was the village of Ka‘awaloa, where the chief of the district lived. At this period the “r” was largely used where we now use the “I,” so that Cook and those who followed him spelled the name of the Bay, Karakakua.”

“When the missionaries reduced the language to writing they spelled it Kealakekua. This is undoubtedly an abbreviation for Ke-ala-ke-akua, which means the pathway of the gods.”

“Early navigators called the village on the south side of the Bay, Kākua, which is now Napo‘opo‘o.”

“I consulted Joseph S. Emerson and Thomas G. Thrum about this name and they agree that Cook and the rest in spelling Kakooa (Kakua) used the long sound of “a” in the first syllable, so that they pronounced the word Ke-kua, as we do. This word means a place of worship.”

“No doubt the word Ke-ala-ke-kua originated from the fact that on the pathway from the Bay to Kailua, there were many heiaus. Ellis, who went over this road counted nineteen heiaus, and Thomas G. Thrum has listed forty on the same route.”

“The Rev. John Paris writing in 1852 wrote, ‘The road mauka from the Bay is dotted for miles with heathen temples.’”

“So the district was well named, though it really belonged at first to a large division of land, which, though of no great width, ran from the Bay far up the mountain.”

“Now the name is commonly applied to the section of country whose inhabitants receive their mail at the post office with the name Kealakekua.” (Restarick)

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Kealakekua Bay-Henry Roberts with Cook expedition-1779-portion

View_of_Houses_at_Kealakekua,_William_Ellis-1779

A sketch of Kealakekua Bay in 1864, by Missionary Rufus Anderson

Kealakekua Bay from the village of Kaʻawaloa in the 1820s, from Hiram Bingham I’s book

Kealakekua-John Webber art-1779

Cook-Kealakekua_Bay-Webber-1778

Kealakekua Bay-PP-29-11-010-1926

Kealakekua Bay-PP-29-11-018-1935

Lualiiloa Pond – Kealakekua-Napoopoo-Jackson-Reg1324-1883 (portion)

Lualiiloa Pond – Kealakekua-Jackson-Reg1324-1883 (portion)

September 28, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kona’s Royal Centers

The ‘Peopling of the Pacific’ began about 40,000 years ago with movement from Asia; by BC 1250, people were settling in the eastern Pacific. (Kirch) By BC 800, Polynesians settled in Samoa. (PVS)

Using stratigraphic archaeology and refinements in radiocarbon dating, studies suggest it was about 900-1000 AD that “Polynesian explorers first made their remarkable voyage from central Eastern Polynesia Islands, across the doldrums and into the North Pacific, to discover Hawai‘i.” (Kirch)

“(I)n the earliest times all the people were alii … it was only after the lapse of several generations that a division was made into commoners and chiefs”. (Malo)

Kamakau noted, in early Hawaiʻi “The parents were masters over their own family group … No man was made chief over another.” Essentially, the extended family was the socio, biological, economic and political unit.

Because each ʻohana (family) was served by a parental haku (master, overseer) and each family was self-sufficient and capable of satisfying its own needs, there was no need for a hierarchal structure.

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.

Eventually, a highly stratified society evolved consisting of the aliʻi (ruling class,) kahuna (priestly and expert class of craftsmen, fishers and professionals) and makaʻainana (commoner class.)

Most of the makaʻainana were farmers, a few were fishermen. Tenants cultivated smaller crops for family consumption, to supply the needs of chiefs and provide tributes.

The aliʻi attained high social rank in several ways: by heredity, by appointment to political office, by marriage or by right of conquest. The first was determined at birth, the others by the outcomes of war and political process.

Power and prestige, and thus class divisions, were defined in terms of mana. Although the gods were the full embodiment of this sacredness, the royalty possessed it to a high degree because of their close genealogical ties to those deities.

The kahuna ratified this relationship by conducting ceremonies of appeasement and dedication on behalf of the chiefs, which also provided ideological security for the commoners who believed the gods were the power behind natural forces.

With the stratified social system, it was important to retain the division between aliʻi and makaʻainana. This was done through a physical separation, such as the Royal Centers that were restricted to only the aliʻi and kahuna.

Royal Centers were where the aliʻi resided; aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities, with good surfing and canoe-landing sites being favored.

When working on a planning project in Kona, we came across references to “Royal Centers.” In the centuries prior to 1778, seven large and densely-populated Royal Centers were located along the shoreline between Kailua and Hōnaunau.

The compounds were areas selected by the ali‘i for their residences; ali‘i often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities, with good surfing and canoe-landing sites being favored.

The Hawaiian court was mobile within the districts the aliʻi controlled. A Chief’s attendants might consist of as many as 700 to 1000-followers, made of kahuna and political advisors; servants which included craftsmen, guards, stewards; relatives and others. (NPS)

Aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. There was no regular schedule for movement between Royal Centers. In part, periodic moves served to ensure that district chiefs did not remain isolated, or unsupervised long enough to gather support for a revolt. (NPS)

Kamakahonu – At Kailua Bay, this was occupied by Kamehameha I between 1813 and 1819. This was Kamehameha’s compound after unifying the islands under single rule. The first missionaries landed here, just after the death of Kamehameha I.
Hōlualoa – Three major occupation sequences: Keolonāhihi, A.D. 1300; Keakamahana (mother) and Keakealaniwahine (daughter,) A.D. 1600; and Kamehameha I, A.D. 1780. It was split into two complexes when Ali‘i Drive was constructed in the 1800s: makai (seaward and west) designated Keolonāhihi State Historical Park; mauka (inland and east) is referred to as Keakealaniwahine’s Residence.
Kahaluʻu – Complex of Lonoikamakahiki ca. 1640-1660, and the oral histories specifically note its use by Alapa‘inui, Kalani‘ōpu‘u and Kamehameha — successive rulers from mid-1740s. The focus of this center was Kahalu‘u Bay, a sand fringed bay, with a complex of multiple heiau (many recently restored.)
Keauhou – Noted for the largest hōlua slide in Hawai‘i (the volume of stone used in its construction dwarfs that of the largest known temple platforms, making it the largest surviving structure from ancient Hawai‘i.) This is also the birthplace of Kauikeaouli; stillborn, revived and went on to become Kamehameha III (ca. 1814-1854), last son of Kamehameha I to rule Hawai‘i.
Kaʻawaloa – Home of Kalani‘ōpu‘u, ruling chief in power when Captain Cook sailed into Kealakekua Bay. Between Ka‘awaloa and Napo‘opo‘o is Pali Kapu O Keōua, a 600′ pali (cliff). Named for the ali‘i Keōua, who ruled in the mid-1700s, the pali was kapu (off limits) as a sacred burial area.
Kealakekua – Hikiʻau Heiau was dedicated to Lono (god of agriculture and prosperity.) Kamehameha rededicated Hikiau, “the most important heiau in the district of Kona.” This is where Opukahaʻia had trained to be a kahuna after being orphaned in Kamehameha’s wars. Opukahaʻia fled Hawaiʻi, spent nine years in New England and inspired the first missionaries to come to Hawaiʻi (he died before being able to return with the missionaries to Hawaiʻi.) When Captain James Cook landed in Kealakekua, he was received by the Hawaiians and honored as the returning god Lono.
Honaunau – Early in the area’s prehistory, a portion of land on the southwest side of the bay was declared a pu‘uhonua (sanctuary protected by the gods – almost every district in the islands had at least one pu‘uhonua in it.) There kapu breakers, defeated warriors and criminals could find safety when their lives were threatened if they could reach the enclosure before their pursuers caught them. This way of life began disappearing with Cook’s arrival in 1778 and, ultimately, Liholiho (Kamehameha II) abolished the kapu system in 1819.

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