Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua describes Palehua as a unique and special place that sits above the community of Makakilo. In his mana`o “If one wants to learn the significance of a place all one needs to do is look at the name.” “Pa” in Hawaiian refers to an enclosure. Most people today think of “Lehua” as a wahine or female name, however in ancient times “Lehua” was a kane or male name.

The town of Ho`olehua on Molokai in ancient times was a place of Nakoa training or warrior training. Before Kamehameha launched his assault on the island of O’ahu in 1794 he stopped with his men on the island of Molokai and they trained and prepared themselves for three months before leaving for O’ahu.

Likewise in the mana`o of Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua Palehua was a place of lua or warrior training. It sits above all of ‘Ewa with a panoramic view of the trail to Wai’anae and can observe any hostile canoes paddling in either direction off shore. It also sits a short distance from the moku boundary between Wai’anae and ‘Ewa and an ideal place to signal the presence of intruders.

This is the story of Palehua as it was once known…

The cultural landscape from Mauna Kapu to Lanikuhonua is an interesting one. There are few cultural landscapes today on the island of O’ahu that extend from mountaintop to the shore. Palehua is that special place today. It is a cultural landscape so well preserved under weeds and brush for centuries. Only a few homes at the higher elevations and a resort along its shores share its presence. It enters the sea at “Kakuhihewa`s Favorite Vacation Place – Ko Olina”.

Ida Von Holt was the wife of Harry Von Holt who was the first ranch manager of James Campbell’s Honouliuli Ranch. He was also the first manager of Ben Dillingham`s Oahu Railway and Land Company. It was a business relationship between James Campbell and Ben Dillingham where Campbell could transport his beef to the Honolulu docks for sale and shipment. This however is not a story of Campbell and Dillingham but rather a story of Palehua and those Poe Kahiko, the “people of old,” who shaped its past.

There are many stories of the Von Holts life in Palehua, however there is just one that I want to share with you. Ida wrote a book of her families experience working for James Campbell and she called this book “Stories of Long Ago.”

It started with her grandparents Elizabeth McHutchison and Captain Francis Sinclair of the Royal Navy courageous move from Scotland to the English colony of New Zealand or Aotearoa in 1839.

Her grandmother became a widow at 46 when Captain Sinclair was lost at sea when the ship he was traveling on sunk off of Aotearoa. In 1863 her grandmother and her mother Anne Sinclair and her brothers and sisters and others left Aotearoa to attempt to make a life for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. They spent a few days in Tahiti before departing again. They never stopped in Hawai’i, however they passed close enough to see the mountain peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

They did make it to the Pacific Northwest but their stay was short one. The constant rain and cold was more than the family could bear and ultimately the family’s decision was to make way for Hawai’i. They made a life for themselves on Kauai and Niihau. Her mother, Anne Sinclair, ultimately got married and young Ida was born. As she grew to become an elegant woman she met Harry and their life together filled the pages of Ida`s book.

Ultimately an opportunity arose for a manager on O’ahu for James Campbell`s Honouliuli Ranch and Harry was quick to apply for the job. And so the story of the Von Holts and their life in Palehua began.

Ida dedicated just the last chapter of her book to their lives in Palehua however those few pages may have not just provided some insight into the ancient past of this region but may have set the course of the future of Palehua and City of Kapolei.

During these years the Honouliuli Ranch extended from, as it was known then, the ‘Ewa Plain to the mountain peaks of the Wai’anae mountains. Cattle roamed freely throughout the entire region.

Harry was challenged with two problems when he started as Ranch Manager. He needed cowboys or Paniolo for one and he needed to find water. He hired Hawaiians from as close as Nanakuli and as far as Lihue or the area we today know of as Schofield Barracks. These Hawaiians were very familiar with the cultural landscape of the Wai’anae Mountains and it was from them that Ida was able to capture many of the stories that these Paniolo shared with her.

The stories were to include many of the ancient fresh water springs of the area. It was in the areas of these springs that the Poe Kahiko lived. These springs were not just at lower elevations of the valleys as one would expect but also at the higher elevations. It was at these higher elevations at the location of these springs where the story of these people begin.

There is one story that the Paniolo shared with Ida that intrigues many cultural thinkers. They shared stories with Ida of an “old stone school house.” Not a school house from a western perspective but a place for sharing information or the passing of information from one generation to the next. A place of identifying children for a talent of recall.

To appreciate the “old stone school house” we need to be reminded that the Hawaiian’s history was an oral one. It was told in stories, in hula and in oli (chants) and mele (song). They never had the advantage of taking notes. Never had pen and paper. They had to remember. The Kupuna will only say it once and one needed to remember.

Nainoa Thompson shared a story with me that I found interesting. He said Mau Pilung shared information with him regarding several stars that were important for him to know and he shared the names of these stars. Nainoa however said that he forgot the name of one of the stars and went to Mau to ask him the name again. Mau however seemed very upset and disappointed with Nainoa.

His response was that he already told him the name of the stars. Mau never again told Nainoa the name of the forgotten star. It was interesting though that upon viewing the “old stone school house” Nainoa`s impression was that of a compass rose seemingly attempting to draw ones attention to distant stars on the horizon.

I`m not sure if we today can appreciate this. We do not need to remember. We just need to know where to go to find information or we can create a computer file and simply store it. Whenever we need the information all we need to do is retrieve that file. There is no need to remember
today.

In the description of the location of the “old stone school house”, these Paniolo informed Ida Von Holt that it was just down the hill from her house. At this time Ida and Harry had built a house at Palehua. They so loved the area that Harry transported all the building materials along an old Hawaiian trail that ran along the Waianae side of Ka Loi Gulch all the way up to Palehua. The “old stone school house” as described by the Paniolo was short distance down the hill from the Von Holt’s home. Their home still stands today and is used as a retreat by the Campbell family and
lovingly referred to as “Hokuloa,” the long star.

It seems that the “old stone school house” is at the center of this cultural landscape at Palehua. It is a large stone enclosure approximately 100 feet on the mauka-makai running walls and approximately 90 feet on the other sides. It is a low wall, however no one knows how much of the wall is beneath sediment after 900 years of erosion.

It has two entrances, one on the mauka wall and one on the makai wall running diagonally to opposite corners. There is a central upright stone pointing in an approximately northerly direction. There is old growth ti leaf growing on three of the corners. It is believed that ti leaves may have grown on the other corner however may have since died. It is interesting to remember that ti leaves are planted from cuttings. No Paniolo planted these ti leaves. The base of the stump of these ti leaves seem to indicate that these plants may be well over several hundred years old.

Features that lend additional support to the notion that this structure was once a place for the passing and sharing of information are those unique structures on three of the corners and what once may have existed on the fourth.

On a mauka-east corner is an elevated platform with interesting stone boulders stacked in such a manner to have created compartments as if to store items from the weather. There is an obvious upright Pohaku that stands to the immediate left of where a speaker would stand on this elevated platform. Below the elevated platform on the outside corner of the larger enclosure is a small enclosure. When one steps back and takes a closer look at this structure on the outer corner of the larger enclosure it looks like a podium from which a speaker would stand addressing people sitting in the lower small enclosure.

On the makai-east corner is an interesting structure of large boulders with interesting shapes. Two large boulders look like a chair with the seat shaped like an arrow drawing ones’ attention to something off in the distance, perhaps to a distant star on the horizon.

Another Pohaku is shaped like an umeke or bowl to catch water or serve as a kukui nut oil lantern. There is also old growth ti leaves situated in the center of these boulders.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this structure is when one walks through the brush and Christmas Berry trees directly below the structure one finds numerous stones and boulders that mark a path to the edge of the top of Waimanalo Gulch, about 150 yards away where a waterfall may have once existed. It is a dry riverbed and the ti leaves and Pohaku mark the location of the source of a spring. The source of Kane’s water with the numerous Kane Pohaku serving as guardians of this sacred source of Kane’s water.

On the makai-Wai’anae corner is a very interesting stone enclosure. It is approximately 35 feet by 20 feet. It may very well have been another classroom at one point in our cultural history. It may have been a place where chiefs sat and discussed governance issues. It may be a totally separate heiau since it is not attached to the larger enclosure.

On the mauka most end is an elevated platform with a number of upright stones. At the makai most end of the enclosure is again old growth ti leaves. An interesting alignment of stones surround the ti leaves with a dry riverbed that extends from this enclosure to the edge of Waimanalo Gulch. Again this enclosure marks the site of a spring with the ti leaves marking its location - the location of Kane’s water. Scattered within the enclosure are stones that appear to be chairs. A stone quarry can also be found within the enclosure.

I will leave you here and will return for there are more to share regarding this very special place above Makakilo.

This essay was first published on myadvertiser.com in April 2007.