The sacred island of Lahaina: Mokuʻula

Mokuʻula was the island of royalty in Hawaiʻi many years ago. Archaeology confirmed the existence of Mokuʻula, the royal residences, mausoleum, and a large spring that fed natural wetland containing taro patches and fishponds. Carbon dating has revealed some of the earliest evidence of human habitation in Mokuʻula and I believe much more is yet to be discovered. Many environmental and spiritual influences as well as historical events have made Mokuʻula a sacred symbol and religious center. Wai (water) gives life to all existence and implies life, health and is considered sacred by Hawaiians. Areas that contain an abundance of water are considered ʻāina that will bring great wealth and are prized above all others. Consequently, the land which contained the ponds of Mokuhinia and the sacred island of Mokuʻula became the chosen home for nā Aliʻi. While the new Christian churches were being built to replace heiau, Mokuʻula continued to be a traditional sanctuary for the King. As the private residence of Kamehameha III and his court, and a capitol for the Hawaiian Kingdom, the kapu was held at Mokuʻula. But by 1845, the capitol at Lahaina was moved to Honolulu due to all the pressures from missionaries and foreign businessmen. And by 1860, the waters of Mokuʻula were already declining because of all the diversion of fresh water to all the developing sugar cane plantations. It was made into Malu ʻUlu O Lele park; there was a baseball field, basketball courts, jungle jim, and bathrooms for the public. Despite all the efforts of restoration, it sadly now looks like an old broken down ballpark. When Mike talked about the process of making their final presentation (which was on Mokuʻula), he said that he could smell the stench of human wastes from a distance away, up-wind, from the leaking pipes of the bathroom there. I was so disgusted; to hear that a once powerful and sacred place to Hawaiʻi is now being disrespected and tainted right before our eyes. What happened to respecting ones’ culture? What happened to the common courtesy shown to places of great significance to a certain people? I’m so saddened by the lack of respect shown to the Hawaiians’ history and former places of royalty. To the Hawaiians, this place still has GREAT significance and definitely should still be considered a sacred place to everyone. Although there are no more waters in Mokuʻula, I believe that the return of water to that area is very possible. I think that full restoration of the original state of Mokuʻula and Mokuhinia is reachable and actually will be reached in the very near future. Of course, every little contribution of time or money helps and would hopefully speed up the process. Now that I know about this issue, I definitely will be more involved in the efforts to restore this historical site. The heart of Lahaina remains at Mokuʻula, the spiritual and political power center of the Hawaiian Kingdom. “E hoʻi ka nani i Mokuʻula!” (-Tonis group)

References:

http://www.mokuula.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4j-ZVpz9Co&feature=share

http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/552456/-Spoonful-by-spoonful---Moku-ula-slowly-returns.html

Back to the Roots

Today the class Hawaiian Studies 290V: Maui Aloha ‘Āina presented all of our final presentations. They were all videos that had to be put up on youtube and they were all wonderful!! I really liked one of them because in the video, there was a part where there were keiki speaking in ‘ōlelo hawai‘i, saying how we should mālama ‘āina. To see children probably not even four years old yet speaking Hawaiian fluently made me so proud and happy. Though, at the same time kind of sad because; here these small kids are speaking the language when most of us adults that lived in Hawai‘i our whole lives cannot keep a conversation going. I wish there were more ways that the native Hawaiian people could go and learn how to speak without having to have to pay so much for tuition at colleges. Cause I know so much of my family that really can’t afford to pay the tuition and all the fees that colleges charge. My family doesn’t know how to apply for all the FAFSA, financial aid, and loans stuffs. Most of them are all local average Hawaiians that are akamai loa when it comes to the ‘āina and working hard and ‘ohana, but for filling out all those piles of paperwork; just no can! And I think they really shouldn’t have to. These are the Hawaiians’ land that we live on and that the schools are on, why should anyone conform to the westerners’ ways of doing things? Why can’t Hawaiians learn about their culture and language without having to have to pay an unaffordable price? If there was a way to make classes free for Hawaiians, I would be a supporter all the way! That is why I appreciate all the kumus that teach the Hawaiian language and culture/way and everything they do. I’m grateful for the leaders teaching us the pono way of doing things and basically “going back to our roots,” rising up a new generation of leaders and teachers to educate the people even when we’re all no longer here. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us Hawaiians. We all need to keep the Hawaiian way thriving! E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i! 

References:

http://maui.hawaii.edu/student/PDFschedules/schedule_spring12.pdf (page 36, Tuition & Fees)

Final Video in HWST 290V by Chaz, Kahalehau, and 'Tita'

‘Aha Pūnana Leo

Humans have one life to live, so does the ‘Āina

We need to take care of the ‘āina, not just leave it in the hands of the next generations to care for. I mean honestly, the generations coming up now days does not even care about the land, taking care of it, and revitalizing it. We live on an island, which makes it even more crucial to treat it more cautiously. There are so many toxic messes, indecomposable crap and just plain dangerous rubbish being put into the ‘āina right now that will end up fatal for the islands. It is up to us right now, in this life, to do something about. Whether big or small like recycling aluminums and plastics, it is still DOING something about it. We need to spread the word about taking care of the land and doing what we can right now to everyone; our families, friends and acquaintances. I’m not sure how we can help to make this island healthier besides recycling and not littering, but I will now research to find out. And I hope I do find something out. Just as we only have a short-lived life here on Maui, these islands only have their one life to live and grow and thrive on this earth. It’s up to us, the islands’ population, to do all we can do to mālama the land. We must do our part and also teach the younger generations that are coming up to do theirs when we are no longer here. Continue the efforts to reuse, reduce, redeem, recycle, and e-cycle for the islands! E ola ka ‘āina!

References:

http://www.mauiweekly.com/page/content.detail/id/502123/Maui-s-Recycling-Programs-Update.html?nav=13

Paul Kaiwi Jr., (Father)

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/agriculture/index.htm

Hawaiian Cordage

When I took the Hawaiian Ethnobotany class in the spring of 2011, we learned how to make cordage just like how the Hawaiians of old used to make them. We learned how important the cordage and ropes were for them for everything that they did. They used rope daily. For temporary binding, the Hawaiians used vines, unmodified strips of bark, leaves, or grasses. For durability they used cordage, kaula, which they twisted or braided out of plant fibers. Before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, the Hawaiians fastened things with cordage; they had no nails, bolts, or screws. They used cordage to bind the parts of their houses and canoes, their two-piece fishhooks and hafted adzes, to mend cracks in wood and gourd articles, and so on. The strongest fiber to make cordage with is Olona. We used Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) when we made some in class. We spun and braided the hau to make cordage, usually made for lashing; I made a small bracelet to wear. Kaula was a foundational part of many of the tools and operations of daily life. It was a means of obtaining food, being woven into ‘upena (fishing nets), hīna‘i (fish traps), and individual aho (fishing lines). ‘Aha cords marked the sacred boundaries of ali‘i dwellings. It was essential to the creation of the ‘ahu ‘ula (feather capes) worn by the Ali‘i Nui, providing the material for both the thin, yet strong nets treasured by the bird catchers and the naepuni (cord netting) that held the feathers of these magnificent capes. Cordage protected the warrior in battle, binding the sharp teeth of the manō to a wooden handle and providing a base for the woven mahi‘ole that deflected blows to the head. I really appreciated learning how to make kaula like our ancestors did. I had the privilege to learn to do something the way the Hawaiians did them in the wā kahiko.

References:
http://mauinow.com/2011/07/19/maui-cordage-workshop-explores-hawaiian-use/

Lāʻau Hawaiʻi by Isabella Aiona Abbott

Hawaiian Cordage by Catherine C. Summers 

Introduce biocontrol insect or allow spread of strawberry guava in Hawaiʻi?

On November 8, 2011, a news article was posted on Maui Now stating that a final environmental assessment was released for the introduction of a small scale insect to control the spread of the invasive strawberry guava plant in Hawaiʻi’s native forests. I was surprised to read this because I was not even aware that there was a problem with the strawberry guava in Hawaiʻi, I wasn’t even aware that it was invasive plant. So, I read on to learn more about the issue, and it continued to say that strawberry guava is a non-native plant that is to blame for overtaking hundreds of thousands of acres in Hawaiʻi since its introduction in 1825. State wildlife biologist, Dr. Fern P. Duvall, said “I am certain it is one of the very worst of habitat altering, invasive weeds to ever get a foothold in Hawai‘i.”

The first question I could think of was, is the spread of these invasive strawberry guavas bad enough to have to introduce a foreign insect to Hawaiʻi? How do we know that this insect won’t cause even greater damage to our native forests? The article continued to give information on the insect by stating that the small scale insect or the Tectococcus ovatus (T. ovatus) would provide natural control of the strawberry guava, according to the US Forest Service. The agency has determined that it will not harm any other native or beneficial plants or insects if introduced in the state. The determination was made after more than 15 years of tests by the agency to find a natural control insect for the strawberry guava plant. If they were trying to push to solve this issue for 15 years, they must have done all the research needed to conclude that this insect is what’s best for the strawberry guava problem. The article also said that when the biocontrol insect is released, strawberry guava will still be able to grow, but will be naturally controlled, which will lead to it being less invasive to the forest.

After being fully educated about the problem and solution that was came about through the news article, I’m in full support of the introduction of this small scale insect to Hawaiʻi to help the invasive spread of strawberry guava trees. I saw pictures of how widely spread the trees are throughout the islands and the dense amount of them in the areas, and I was shocked. I never realized that there was so much growing, even throughout ʻIao Valley, here on Maui. I do think that this insect would help to stabilize the rapid spread and growth of the strawberry guava. I just hope that the researchers’ conclusion will come out accurate and that the introduction does not wipe out the guavas completely, because they’re so ʻono loa!

References:

http://mauinow.com/2011/11/08/biocontrol-to-begin-against-strawberry-guava/#more-45951

http://mauinow.com/files/2011/11/Current-and-future-infestation-map.jpg

http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/ipif/strawberryguava/strawberry_guava.shtml

Kūlanihākoʻi

On October 15, 2011, my friend and I went to watch a theatrical Hawaiian performance named Kūlanihākoʻi. It showed the story of the twins, Manawainui and Hauola, and what they had to learn and go through before and while returning to the place where they were born, Kūlanihākoʻi. Ultimately, the story was overall about the living waters and the significance of it. I never did hear this moʻolelo, so I was very happy to learn about it. It did reinforce what I was taught before, which was that water is the source of all life and it is very important, especially to Hawaiians. The performance gave me plenty of insight into the story of Manawainui and Hauola and even the older Hawaiian ways as told down through generations. For example, it was interesting learning that the siblings both had knowledge in the particular area of water, but had different specific specialties. Manawainui trained in the earthly water resources while Hauola trained in the elemental forms of water, like the rain, mist, and clouds. I also didn’t know that the water deities are born again and again in successive generations and that at Kūlanihākoʻi, siblings are born, one being male and one female. I was so happy to learn all these new things about the Hawaiian culture because I love learning more and more about my cultures history and traditions. I was also glad to find out that I had learned some of the terms that were used in the show. We discussed in class that an ʻūniki was a learning of a cultural practice which leads to a formal graduation, and in the story, the siblings had to undergo an ʻūniki ceremony which took place at Haleakalā to begin their journey back to Kūlanihākoʻi.

            Overall, I feel I was truly blessed to have been able to watch that amazing performance by many gifted hula dancers and chanters. I felt like I was doing just a small part in supporting and showing my appreciation for the Hawaiians’ art of hula. I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to learn more about the Hawaiian way and learn more about Hula. It makes me feel stronger as a Hawaiian, every time I gain more knowledge of it.

References:

http://www.mauiarts.org/imagez/KulanihakoiStudyGuide2011.pdf
http://www.pitchengine.com/mauiartsculturalcenter/worldpremierehuladramakolanihakoilivingwatersatmacc