Community Resources
The following weblinks are a basic set of online resources that will assist learners with a place-based historical research. Each repository houses certain elements of the cultural landscape and they are presented here in an effort to contribute to
He Moʻolelo ʻĀina
In the newspaper, Ke Alakai o Hawaii, an article authored by J.K. Kahele Jr. is published on 24 July, 1930, entitled, “He Moolelo no Molokini a me kona wahi i loaa mai ai ,” or, “A Story about Molokini and its origin.”(translations by author)
Kahele Jr. begins by introducing Molokini and grouping it among other islands of similar size as follows:
O Molokini, he wahi mokupuni uuku loa ia, oia no hoi kekahi heluna o na mokupuni o Hawaii nei, ua ane like kona nui me na mokupuni o Kaula, Nihoa ame Lehua, o lakou no hoi na mokupuni liilii loa o keia mau Paeaina o Hawaiʻi nei, aole kupono ke kanaka ke noho maluna o lakou.
Categorized amongst other small islands such as Lehua, Kaʻula, and Nīhoa, Molokini is acknowledged within the archipelago of Hawaiʻi. Kahele Jr. describes the environmental setting of Molokini as well as the reasons for why the research began in the first place:
O ka mea hoi nona keia moolelo, aia oia mawaena o Kahoolawe a me Makena, aia hoi ma Maui ma ka Hikina-hema mai o Lahaina aku, aka, o ka mea i makemakeia e imi i kona kumu i loaa mai ai.
He elua aʻu mau kumu nui e hoakaka aku ana i ke kumu a me ka mole i loaa mai ai o kela wahi mokupuni e lana nei ma ka moana me he mau aina hapapa ala.
EKAHI- No kona hanau maoli ia ana mai e kona mau makua
ELUA-Kona loaa ana mai mailoko mai o Haupu, kela puu e ku nei ma Molokai.
Kahele Jr.’s intent to clarify Molokini’s genealogy is a place-based example of acknowledgement of the moʻokūʻauhau of ʻāina. Not only is Molokini hanau maoli ia e kona mau makua, truly born (as a person is) by her parents, but she also has alternate genealogical ties to other places on Maui as well as Molokaʻi.
The moʻolelo continues by introducing Molokini’s parents, Puʻuhele her mother, and Puʻuokali, her father. Molokini is introduced as their daughter, Puʻuinaina. During the course of the story, Puʻuinaina becomes involved with Pele’s lover, Lohiau. Pele confronts Puʻuoinaina and utters an insult which overwhelms her with shame. After hearing the defaming insult of Pele, Puʻuoinaina leaves her dwelling and travels around the moku of Honuaʻula starting Kahoʻolawe and eventually meeting her demise in Mākena.
Noho mai la hoi o Pele i Kahikinui a aloha i ke kane, e noho ana ma Kealia ma Kamaalaea…
E moe ana mai Kahoolawe a hiki aku ma Makena, o ka hele ma ila no ia o ua Pele nei a oki iho la mawaena konu o kua moonei a kaawale ka hiʻu a kaawale no hoi ke poo.
O ka huelo o ua moo nei oia o Puuolai ma Makena, a o ke poo oia o Molokini…
Kahele Jr. finishes the story by connecting the story directly to the physical features of the landscape stating that Puʻu ʻŌlaʻi at Mākena is the moʻo tail, and the head is Molokini.
This moʻolelo attests to the interconnectivity of these wahi pana, or storied places, within Honuaʻula that contributes to the continuity of cultural value in the area surrounding the preserve and the ahupuaʻa of Palauea. Puʻu ʻŌlaʻi is one of many wahi pana along the ala of this huakaʻi. These resources are presented here to assist with re-membering moʻolelo of place on a subdivided, abstracted landscape.
Online Resources
Papakilo Database
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA’s) Papakilo Database, is the ongoing development of a cutting edge and comprehensive “Database of Databases” consisting of varied collections of data pertaining to historically and culturally significant places, events, and documents in Hawai'i’s history. This online repository of data will greatly increase OHA’s ability to preserve and perpetuate cultural and historical information and practices, thus providing an invaluable resource to educate other regulatory agencies, OHA’s Native Hawaiian beneficiaries, and the general public.
Ulukau
The purpose of Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, is to make these resources available for the use, teaching, and revitalization of the Hawaiian language and for a broader and deeper understanding of Hawaiʻi. Ulukau is a coined word given as the name of this web-based library. The word refers to unexplained supernatural interpretive powers. It is the hope of the authors of Ulukau that in the same way that unexplained supernatural interpretive powers can be divinely given to a person, so knowledge and understanding can come to the person who makes the effort to read the language and the words of this electronic library.
Kaniʻāina
Kaniʻāina, “Voices of the Land,” is an educational resource focusing on Native Hawaiian speech aimed at documentation and preservation of Hawaiian and seeks to encourage and enhance the learning and use of Hawaiian. As a growing digital corpus of Native Hawaiian speech, Kaniʻāina provides interactive access to Native Hawaiian speech and transcripts through a bilingual digital library interface.
Maps
Torbert Plantation Map1202
Linton Torbert was a whaling captain that took up sugar planting in the ʻUlupalakua and Mākena areas. This map portrays Palauea as a "Lava Tract." Although there are no other traditional place names, The Aupuni or government roads that run North to South and Mauka to Makai.
Makee Plantation Map 791
Makee was another captain that came to Honuaʻula. This map is a depiction of his plantation during the late 19th century. Prominent features of this map include the names of various puʻu (hills) as well as the "Mākena Road," which families living in higher elevtions would use to access the Mākena area for subsistence practices.
Historical Documents
Boundary Certificate 066 Palauea
This certificate of Boundaries from 1882 outlines the boundaries of the Ahupua'a of Palauea. A kamaʻāina by the name of Hopukahi (k) accompanied surveyor M.D. Monsarratt to verify the location of each section of the borders. This document contains place names that are not seen on other government survey maps.
Native Register 2500
A kanaka by the name of Ehupili submits a claim to a kuleana parcel in the ʻāina of Loaloa in Palauea. These documents are particularly helpful when further researching place names on a smaller scale as well as identifying native tenants as well as partial inventories of their agricultural practices.
Hawaiʻi Territory Survey Map 3073
This map that was completed in 1941 Identifies one of multiple loko iʻa (fishponds) of Honuaʻula in the Keoneʻōʻio region. Another feature that is also included is Puʻu Kanaloa. This map also includes land grants and was completed to identify remnant government properties within then ʻUlupalakua Ranch lands.
Historical Document Research
AVA Konohiki
AVA Konohikiʻs focus is on documents that were written and produced in the 1840s and 1850s, when lands in Hawaiʻi first went into private ownership. These land records, written by our ancestors, include detailed descriptions of land management practices. The great amount of work done to make these documents digital is our ho'okupu, or gift, to the Hawaiian people of today who eagerly seek this information.
Hawaii State Archives (HSA)
A division within the Department of Accounting and General Services, the Hawai‘i State Archives’ mission is to ensure open government by preserving and making accessible the historic records of state government and to partner with state agencies to manage their active and inactive records.
All Videos
All Videos
TAXED OUT!
Kaho`olawe Aloha `Aina - George Helm
Kaho'olawe Video Archive - Harry Kunihi Mitchell at `Iolani Palace, 1982
Kaho`olawe Video Archive - Noa Emmett Aluli at `Iolani Palace, 1982
Contemporary Resources
Nohopapa Hawaiʻi
Established in 2013, Nohopapa Hawaiʻi is a Native Hawaiian owned and operated cultural resource management firm. Nohopapa Hawaiʻi’s experience, passion, commitment, and motivation to document and honor Hawaiʻi’s wahi kūpuna extends over 20 years. Our platform is to increase awareness of our collective responsibility to document, preserve, and protect knowledge concerning historic properties and cultural resources. We research and gather this knowledge through integrated approaches rooted in historical land research and cultural understanding of place.
Huliauapaʻa
Growing Hawai‘i's communities through culturally based forms of innovative learning, leadership development, and collaborative networking in wahi kūpuna stewardship.
Mālama ʻĀina ma Honuaʻula
These sites are presented here as resources. Pending further collaboration, partnering sites, hui, and 'ohana will be identified and acknowledged.
Paniaka Restoration
Wetlands in south Maui historically served a significant cultural role for early settlements and an important ecological role for native flora and fauna. Beachfront development has drastically reduced both the number and size of south Maui wetlands. Environmental groups have offered to restore and preserve Paniaka Wetland, located near the southern end of Big Beach (Oneloa Beach).
The Paniaka Restoration Project seeks to re-establish the wetland as a significant cultural and ecological site. All restoration activities are being conducted under a curator agreement with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and carried out through the Oneloa Coalition, a group of community organizations and local residents dedicated to preserving Makena State Park.
ʻĀhihi Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve
The ‘Ahihi-Kina‘u reserve is located on the southwest corner of the island of Maui and was the first designated Natural Area Reserve in 1973. The 1,238 acres contain marine ecosystems (807 submereged acres), rare and fragile anchialine ponds, and lava fields from the last eruption of Haleakala 200-500 years ago. Native plant communities that include naio, wiliwili and native cotton exist in kipuka, or pockets, but are severly imperiled by the encroachment of weeds and feral ungulates such as goats. A coral reef survey done by the Division of Aquatic Resources in 2007 indicated that the reef community within the NAR boundary waters was the only reef from their test sites that was not declining overall. Preserving the integrity of the anchialine pools is a major management focus. All access to them is closed. Main threats to these wetlands include non-native invasives such as fish or prawns, algal mat formations, and human disturbance.
Leeward Haleakalā Watershed Restoration Partnership
The Leeward Haleakalā Watershed Restoration Partnership (LHWRP) is a coalition formed in June 2003, by 11 private and public landowners and supporting agencies.
The 43,175-acre partnership’s goal is to restore dryland forests on Maui island, on the leeward slopes of Haleakalā from Makawao through ‘Ulupalakua to Kaupō between 3,500 and 6,500 feet elevation.
Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana
The ‘Ohana is a grassroots organization dedicated to the island of Kaho‘olawe and the principles of Aloha ‘Āina throughout Hawai‘i. In our work to heal Kaho‘olawe, we strengthen our relationship with the land and pay respect to the spirits of the land. On our other Hawaiian islands, we work to protect the natural and cultural resources of our ancestral lands.
Here you will find information about Kanaloa-Kaho‘olawe, huaka‘i information, and updates on the ‘Ohana’s work on Kaho‘olawe and throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Eō Kanaloa!