Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 3, 1 March 2011 — AHUPUAʻA MARKERS POPPING UP ON OʻAHU [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AHUPUAʻA MARKERS POPPING UP ON OʻAHU

OHA grant helps civic club identify traditional Hawaiian boundaries

By Francine Murray Do you know whieh ahupua'a you live in? With the help of a grant from OHA, the Ko'olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club began an initiative to raise puhlie awareness of different ahupua'a located on the Windward side of O'ahu. "We noticed that many people here on the Windward side - Ko'olaupoko - do not really know

the name of their ahupua'a," says Mahealani Cypher, project coordinator. "We have 1 1 tradihonal ahupua'a in this moku, and knowing where we live ean enrich our lives and help us understand how we ean mālama, care for, the resources in our communities." Traditionally, an ahu, a stack of rocks, marked the boundaries of an ahupua'a, a land division usually stretching mauka to makai, from the mountain to the sea. Eaeh of these land sections provided everything needed for people to thrive. The residents would leave tribute to the chief on

the ahu, often in the form a pig, or pua'a. This is where the name of the land divisions, ahupua'a, comes from. As the civic club's grassroots effort grew, it partnered with Kailua, Waimānalo and Maunalua Hawaiian Civic Clubs, neighborhood boards, the State and city highway officials.

The combined effort eame to fruition with several Windward community organizations, particularly Native Hawaiian groups, in a ceremony on Jan. 28, when Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle unveiled the first ahupua'a boundary marker at the corner of Mōkapu Saddle Road and Kāne'ohe Bay Drive. A two-sided-sign as you head into Kailua near 'Aikahi Shopping Center, it reads "Ahupua'a Kailua," and the other side says, "Ahupua'a Kāne'ohe." "I commend the staff of the City

Transportation Services and the State Department of Transportation for demonstrating the effectiveness of working with large and disparate community groups on a positive puhlie awareness program like this," Carlisle said. "Let's hope this initiative leads to more community involvement in caring for natural resources in these ahupua'a, helping government agencies to ensure the heahh and well-being of every community." The civic club used an 1876 Kingdom of Hawai'i map in their research, whieh helped it to select the 16 locations for the new signs. Cypher

said it was "the last traditional ahupua'a boundary map recognized by the ali'i of the Hawaiian government prior to the 1893 overthrow." The Office of Hawaiian Affairs provided a grant of $47,200 to Hawai'i Maoli on behalf of the Ko'olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club to support three unique cultural projects for the area: the first being the Ko'olaupoko Ahupua'a Boundary Marker Project, the second is a book on distinguished people of Kāne'ohe, and the third would include a directory of cultural practitioners of the Ko'olaupoko moku. Harold K.L. Castle Loundation matched funds for the ahupua'a boundary signs project. "Signs like this will be going up at every boundary in Ko'olaupoko. They are also starting an initiative in Wai'anae," said Kevin Chang, the Land Manager at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. "Ultimately, it will be eool to see them across the State." The Wai'anae Hawaiian Civic Club has started a similar ahupua'a marker project working with the high schools in the area to help educate and raise puhlie awareness. They also worked with the State Department of Transportation, and are planning to hold an event on the Wai'anae Coast in March. "We are looking forward to helping our eommunities understand where their traditional boundaries lie, what their kuleana, or responsibilities, are to care for their ahupua'a, and how good stewardship ensures a better future for everyone living and working in these ahupua'a," says Gege Kawelo, President of the Wai'anae club. Chang, OHA's Land Manager, said: "This positive grassroots effort has created partnerships community-wide and has heeome a very meaningful land management initiative brought forth by the people. That's what it's all about." ■

CULTURE

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Mayor Peter Carlisle unveils the first of 1 6 planned Ko'olaupoko Ahupua'a Boundary Markers in the project on Jan. 28 as onlookers applaud. I

The members of the Ko'olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club on Jan. 28 at the unveiling of the first ahu boundary marker.

Ko'olaupoko Ahu Marker. - Courtesy of the Ko'olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club