Images of Old Hawaiʻi

  • Home
  • About
  • Categories
    • Ali’i / Chiefs / Governance
    • American Protestant Mission
    • Buildings
    • Collections
    • Economy
    • Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings
    • General
    • Hawaiian Traditions
    • Other Summaries
    • Mayflower Summaries
    • Mayflower Full Summaries
    • Military
    • Place Names
    • Prominent People
    • Schools
    • Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks
    • Voyage of the Thaddeus
  • Collections
  • Contact
  • Follow

March 30, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

‘Upena Poepoe

“Ua akamai kekahi poe kanaka Hawaii I ka lawaia, no ia mea, ua kapa ia lakou, he poe lawaia. O ka makau kekahi mea e lawaia ai. O ka ‘upena kekahi, a o ka hinai kekahi.”

“Some of the people of Hawaii were very knowledgeable about fishing, and they were called fisher-people. The hook was one thing used in fishing. The net was another, and the basket trap, another.” (WE Kealaka‘i, Ka Hae Hawaii, 1861; Maly)

“Not one kind of net only was known here in Hawai‘i in ancient times, there were many, large ones and small ones, according to the kind of fish desired to catch, such was the net.”

“These are some of them: Akule net, Opelu net, Weke net, Malolo net, Uhu net, Amaama net. Koki net and Papa was another kind of net, and so on.” (Hoku O Hawaii, 1912; HawaiiAlive)

“Fishermen, or those skilled in the art of catching fish, were called poe lawaiʻa. Fishing was associated with religious ceremonies, or idolatrous worship. The heiaus or altars, at which fishermen performed their religious ceremonies, were of a class different from all others.”

“There were many different methods of fishing: with nets; with hook and line; with the pa, or troll-hook; with the leho, or cowry; with the hina’i, or basket; the method called ko’i; and with the hand thrust into holes in the rocks.” (Malo)

“The olona and the hopue were plants from whose bark were made lines and fishing nets and a great many other things. … Cordage and rope of all sorts (na kaula), were articles of great value, serviceable in all sorts of work.”

“Fishing nets (‘upena) and fishing lines (aho) were valued possessions. One kind was the papa-waha, which had a broad mouth; another was the aei (net with small meshes to take the opelu) ; the kawaa net (twenty to thirty fathoms long and four to eight deep, for deep sea fishing) ; the kuu net (a long net, operated by two canoes) ; and many other varieties.”

“Net-makers (poe ka-‘upena) and those who made fishing-lines (hilo-aho) were esteemed as pursuing a useful occupation. The mechanics who hewed and fashioned the tapa log, on which was beaten out tapa for sheets, girdles and loincloths for men and women were a class highly esteemed.” (Malo)

“Cordage and rope of all sorts (na kaula), were articles of great value, serviceable in all sorts of work. Of kaula there were many kinds. The bark of the hau tree was used for making lines or cables with which to haul canoes down from the mountains as well as for other purposes.”

“Cord (aha) made from cocoanut fiber was used in sewing and binding together the parts of a canoe and in rigging it as well as for other purposes. Olona fibre was braided into (a four- or six-strand cord called) lino, besides being made into many other things. There were many other kinds of rope (kaula).” (Maly)

“… Our ancestors said “Mai uhauha” (Don’t be greedy)! Because the ocean is our ice box. You take what you need for today, you come back tomorrow. There is still some for tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after and next week. So, take what you need just for the day.”

“But sometimes, when you throw the net, you get more fish in the net, you think of your neighbors, share with them, help them.” (Kāwika Kapahulehua; Maly)

“The cast net (or, throw net – ‘upena poepoe, also ‘upena kiloi) is a comparatively recent introduction in the islands, having been brought in by the Japanese about ten years ago, so it is reported, although this is somewhat doubtful.” (Cobb, 1903)

“The Japanese, like most immigrants, were contracted to work on Hawai’i’s sugar cane plantations. When their plantation contracts expired many Japanese who had previously been skilled commercial fishermen in the coastal areas of Wakayama, Shizuoka, and Yamaguchi Prefectures remained in Hawai’i and turned to the sea for a living.” (Schug)

“Some local Japanese fishermen coined their own slang for throw nets, calling them nageami, a term derived from nageru, ‘to throw,’ and ami, or ‘net,’ while Hawaiians called them ‘upena ho‘olei, ‘nets are thrown like a lei.’ A poetic description of the nets’ circular shape in flight.” (Clark)

“The early Japanese fishermen used throw nets and poles. The fashioned throw nets like they had used in Japan ands introduced throw-net fishing to Hawai‘i.” (Clark)

“‘In spite of the fact that it is one of the most photographed of all Hawaiian fishing techniques, throw net fishing is not a native sport. It was brought from Japan about 1890 and quickly adopted by the Hawaiians because of its effectiveness along Ilsnad Shores.’” (MacKellar; Clark)

“Fishermen in Japan call throw-net fishing toami, which literally means ‘to cast a net’”. (Clark) “The to-ami or throw-net is used over every pool, as nearly every boy in Japan learns to throw it, and we got our first lesson in the art.”

“The net is generally circular, of a diameter of about twelve feet; the outer edge has leaden weights attached to it all round, at distances of eighteen inches to two feet. These sinkers are made of different shapes, according to the nature of the ground over which they are to be used.” (Dickson, 1889)

“Unlike the fishermen in the United States, the Japanese hold no part of the net in the mouth, but manipulate it entirely with the hands. About two-thirds of the outer edge is gathered up and the net is thrown with a sort of twirling motion, which causes it to open wide before it touches the water.”

“The leads draw the outer edges down very rapidly, and as they come together at the bottom the fish are inclosed in a sort of bag.”

“The net is then hauled in by means of a rope attached to its center, the weight of the leads causing them to hang close together, thus preventing the fish from falling out as the net is hauled in. The fish are shaken out of the net by merely lifting the lead line on one side.” (Cobb, 1903

Follow Peter T Young on Facebook 

Follow Peter T Young on Google+ 

Follow Peter T Young on LinkedIn  

Follow Peter T Young on Blogger

© 2019 Hoʻokuleana LLC

shorefishing-throw net
shorefishing-throw net
ThrowNet
ThrowNet
Throwing net at Keauhou Bay 1915
Throwing net at Keauhou Bay 1915
Throw_net-DMY
Throw_net-DMY
Fisherman in malo with throw net-UH-1940
Fisherman in malo with throw net-UH-1940
Fisheman-Throw_net-Kealakekua-1919
Fisheman-Throw_net-Kealakekua-1919
14-3-9-19 throw net-ksbe
14-3-9-19 throw net-ksbe
14-3-9-17 =throw-net=williams studio -ksbe- 1882-1922
14-3-9-17 =throw-net=williams studio -ksbe- 1882-1922
14-3-9-15 =throw net-lahaina-ksbe-1914
14-3-9-15 =throw net-lahaina-ksbe-1914
14-3-9-2 =maui fisherman taken at paia beach-ksbe-c1912
14-3-9-2 =maui fisherman taken at paia beach-ksbe-c1912
Throwing net
Throwing net
'Hawaiian_Fisherman',_woodblock_print_by_Charles_W._Bartlett,_1919
‘Hawaiian_Fisherman’,_woodblock_print_by_Charles_W._Bartlett,_1919
'Fishing_in_Hawaii',_hand_colored_etching_by_Charles_W._Bartlett,_c._1923-27
‘Fishing_in_Hawaii’,_hand_colored_etching_by_Charles_W._Bartlett,_c._1923-27
'Hawaiian_Fisherman',_watercolor_on_paper_by_Charles_W._Bartlett-1917
‘Hawaiian_Fisherman’,_watercolor_on_paper_by_Charles_W._Bartlett-1917
Throw-net-Bowden
Throw-net-Bowden

Filed Under: General, Hawaiian Traditions, Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Japanese, Fishing, Throw Net, Upena Poepoe

Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

Info@Hookuleana.com

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
  • Symbolism of Central Union Church
  • Waikiki Toboggan
  • Decoration Day
  • Luau Diplomacy
  • Carlos A Long
  • Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians

Categories

  • General
  • Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance
  • Buildings
  • Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings
  • Hawaiian Traditions
  • Military
  • Place Names
  • Prominent People
  • Schools
  • Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks
  • Economy
  • Voyage of the Thaddeus
  • Mayflower Summaries
  • American Revolution

Tags

1846 Albatross Anne Sullivan Battery Salt Lake Blue Men Carl Carlsmith Charles II Christmas Tree Collegia Theatre David Howard Hitchcock Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Diamond Head Francisco Coronado French H-4 Hale O Lono Hana Pier Honolulu Streets James Hay Wodehouse Kalama Tract Kamanawa Kamehameha V Keahiakahoe Kona Field System Kukaniloko Kukuihoolua Kuleana Lunalilo Home Mao Merchant Street Merrymount Mitchellism Na Pali Nu Kaliponi Ogura Yonesuke Itoh Paul Payne Picture Bride Resolution Robert Dollar Samuel Damon Ship Trap Socialism Tot William Reed Witch Trials

Hoʻokuleana LLC

Hoʻokuleana LLC is a Planning and Consulting firm assisting property owners with Land Use Planning efforts, including Environmental Review, Entitlement Process, Permitting, Community Outreach, etc. We are uniquely positioned to assist you in a variety of needs.

Info@Hookuleana.com

Copyright © 2012-2021 Peter T Young, Hoʻokuleana LLC

 

Loading Comments...