Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 6, 1 June 2016 — Imagine [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Imagine

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D. Can you imagine that Waiklkl was onee one of 0'ahu's largest and most productive kalo farms? Well, it was. Of course, that was before the lands were drained by a man-made ditch; before cement and asphalt crowded out oeean and mountain views; before thousands of people are crowded into the area every hour of every day, and before bus and automobile exhaust and noises filled the pristine atmosphere with airborne pollutants.

Back then, the land stretching from lower Pāwa'a, Mānoa and Pālolo to the shores of Waikīkī was one huge lo'i kalo. The expansive lo'i was irrigated primarily by Mānoa and Pālolo streams. It was built by an early O'ahu chief named Kalamakuaa Kaipūhōolua, who was well-known for his farming skills. The iniīial clearing of the land and lo'i construction was extremely difficult. And, many chiefs, commoners and some prisoners participated in the labors. Three productive lo'i named Ke'okea, Kūalulua and Kalāmanamana, and a few smaller ones, filled lands above Waikīkī's shores. After becoming 0'ahu's ruling chief in about 1400, Mā'ilikūkahi moved 0'ahu's governmental center from 'Ewa to Waikīkī, along with a large entourage of his supporters. The lo'i of Ke'okea, Kūalulua and Kalāmanamana generously supported Mā'ilikūkahi, his court, others who served him and a large and busy population. The Waikīkī lo'i remained in produc-

tion a decade after Kamehameha I conquered the O'ahu chiefs in the early 1800s. Kamehameha's court remained in Waikīkī until 1809, when it moved to Honolulu, Oahu's commercial center. Kamehameha and his ali'i established new living quarters on Kuloloia Beach on Honolulu shoreline. In 1792, Captain Vancouver wrote this description of Waikīkī: "the villages appeared numerous and in good repair ... the surrounding country pleasingly interspersed with deep . . . valleys, ... the plains near the seaside, presented a high degree of cultivation and fertility. ... the major part appeared divided into fields of irregular shape and figure ... separated from eaeh other by low stone walls, and were in a very high state of cultivation. These several portions of land were planted with the eddo or taro root, in different stages of inundation; none being perfectly dry, and some from three to six or seven inches of water. . . Near a mile from the heaeh was a rivulet five or six feet wide,

and . . . three to four feet deep, well banked up and nearly motionless, . . . some small rills only, finding a passage through dams that checked the sluggish stream, by whieh a eonstant supply was afforded to the taro plantations. ... judg(ing) from the labor bestowed on their cultivation, ... (the fields) afford the principal portion of the different vegetable productions on whieh the inhabitants depend for their subsistence. The soil, though tolerably rich and producing rather a luxuriant abundance, differs ... from that of... Otaheite (Tahiti)". [Exerpts from a description of Waikīkī by Captain Vancouver, in 1792. (Native Planters in 01d Hawai'i. Handy, Handy and Pukui. 1972, p. 481-2.)] Waikīkī was been blessed with both ample fresh water and a beautiful seacoast. It has always been highly favored for swimming, surfing, canoeing and fishing. Waikīkī provided an anchorage for the first foreign ships arriving to O'ahu in the late 1700s. Waikīkī's reefs have always produced an abundance of

fish, shellfish and large beds of limu, well into the 1950s. Today, canoes still land on the sands at Waikīkī. However, Waikīkī grows no food or kalo, not even, limu. Today, Waikīkī is definitely a tribute to American commercialization but it is no longer a tropical paradise. Green space is non-existent except for the lawns of the zoo and Kapi'olani Park. Today, Kalākaua and Kūhiō avenues are surrounded by cement with a few coconut trees. Tourists are the predominant focus, with ABC stores in every hloek, interspersed with high-end boutiques and stores selling touristy aloha shirts, heaeh towels and souvenirs. Kalākaua's broad sidewalks are bordered with a low, potted hedge and a few evangelists offering brochures. Tourists in pairs or small groups walk by, but no one is smiling or talking. Views of the Ko'olaus are blocked by cement towers... Kūhiō Beach ean be seen only at the zoo-end of SEE IMAOINE "II PAGE 13

j MO'OLELO ^ > HIST0RY /

www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org NATiVE HAWAiiAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS

IMAGINE Continued from page 12 Kalākaua and is completely covered by sunning tourists (and, recently, a church festival with music and refreshment stands). Limu-gather-ing is no longer possible and fishing is almost non-existent. A few loeal kids still boogie board at the Kapa-

hulu groin. But, on a recent visit, the sandy area at Kapahulu was ropedoff for beach volleyball games with some tented concessions and noisy loud-speakers. Waiklkl is truly a victim of progress. We have not been good stewards of Waikīkī. We need to pay better attention to Kaka'ako and Ala Moana as they are trending Waikīkī. They are our kuleana. ■