To bring back life to the land.
To bring back the ali’i
To bring back the makaainana
To bring back the fish of the sea
To bring back the birds of the heavens
To bring back the plants of the land
To bring back the life to the land…….

I warn those of you with an inquisitive mind. This is a lengthy story but one that we may never be able to share in its entirety. It will leave you with more questions and a thirst to learn more. One of the questions I have pondered with Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua is what does this “lady of the wood” look like. We all have a picture of Pele in our minds but how can we visually portray this “lady of the hula”.

I have had so many people ask me, of this elder sister of Pele, simply because of the reference to her in the name of Pu’uokapolei. Most of us are familiar with the stories of Pele and Hiiaka. Others may be aware of the stories of conflict between Kamapua’a and Pele. In the past I have always referred these inquiries to Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua. He however is no longer with us and rather than committing all of this to memory I try to write them down whenever possible. This is that opportunity. I know that there will be questions because the versions are as varied as the people who tell them. The more I learn of our ancestors the more I realize how little we know. Many of us try so hard to learn of their ancient ways only to walk away feeling more confused. I thought that maybe if I learned the Hawaiian language, and speak it maybe I would feel more comfortable speaking of these things. I thought that maybe if I learned how to oli and chant……..maybe then it would be a little easier to understand things. It is just that the more I learn the more overwhelming the climb becomes. I wonder at times if I am the only one…… Few of us know the fury of Kapo and gentleness of Laka…….it is a story of Kapu, sorcery, mystery and secrets. Few today have entered that realm……..few have returned………..I knew them…………..

I will share only that which I know of Kapo and her nature. All I have to offer you is a mystery with more questions. The secrets are for others to share. I do want to share enough in an effort that we all get a sense or feeling of the association between the goddess Kapo and the place name Pu’uokapolei.

Before you can even understand what is said of the nature of Kapo and the Pele family one first needs to understand the distinction between legends, myths and reality. There are Ohana alive today who claim descent from the Pele family. Kapo is the older daughter of Haumea and Kua-ha-ilo was the father. Don’t feel surprised if you find other names for this father and mother of Kapo. Kapo is the older sister of Pele. Hi’iaka was the muli loa or youngest sister.

One of the mysteries is the relationship between Kapo and Laka. I know that there are several thoughts on this relationship. Mana’o will vary when there are so many questions. Mine is one from a Kupuna who was gracious enough to share her mana’o. This is what was said. She spoke of her younger days as a hula dancer. She also spoke of prayers before the kuahu in a Pa Hula. The picture was quite different as today I have seen haumana or students of hula practice in many different venues. I am not a hula practitioner so I am quick to accepting much of what I see today. I am not an expert or authority on hula by any means but rather just an observer. She spoke of things in hula that was sacred (kapu) and not spoken of lightly. Things that are not meant to be voiced and not meant to be heard but by a few. These are things that she was taught and how she grew up within the Pa Hula. It was not a performance but a way of life and the manner in which she viewed her world as a practitioner of hula. But as………..she went on and said ……. that time has now passed. Much must be said or more will be lost. The days of the kapu have long since left us. All that is left is to save what we can still remember. If one speaks of these things in a kindly manner no evil will fall upon them.

There are few of us today who think of a Pa Hula as a heiau. We do not talk of these things and therefore become shrouded in mystery. We can call it whatever makes us feel comfortable today but it must be remembered …it was a place of worship. A Pa Hula may also be called a shrine since the gods were represented there during periods of study. Offerings, makana, ho’okupu from the forest, land and the sea were presented to the gods. These offerings were in their kinolau forms, “kinolau” meaning “many bodies” as the gods manifest themselves in the earth, land and sea. When these offerings were placed upon the kuahu or altar representing the gods of the Pa Hula and all the appropriate prayers were recited it was understood that they were present and stood amongst them at the kuahu. During the performance it was expected that the spirit of the goddesses of the hula, especially Laka, primary goddess of the dance, would enter into the body of the performer and chanter and become the goddess or god personified in the dance.

After having said all of this perhaps it is good to say a little of the priesthood with respect to their similarities and their differences. We speak of heiau, Pa Hula and Pa Lua as if they are separate and distinct. They are all heiau simply because the gods were present in them especially during times of learning. It is difficult for some of us to understand the hold that ceremonies, rituals and prayers had on our ancestors. It is also difficult to understand why some of these prayers have dropped from our memories and those of hula are helping us see how our world may have been like. The explanation may be found perhaps in the fact that the priests of the temple held a position by the sovereign’s appointment. They formed a hierarchy by themselves, whereas the position of the kumu hula, who was also a priest, was open to anyone who fitted himself for it by training and study and by passing successfully the ai-lolo ordeal. After achieving this high level of training he had the right to approach the altar of the hula god with the offerings and to present the prayers of the company to Laka and Kapo.

Amongst these prayers before the kuahu are those that were addressed to Kapo as the divine patron of hula. Kapo was the sister of Pele and the daughter of Haumea. She had other roles, like Laka she was a goddess of the forest and woodlands. It was in her woodland dress that she was worshipped by students of hula. There have always been questions of the duality of Kapo and Laka. Whether there were 2 distinct cults of worship, one devoted to Laka and the other devoted to Kapo.

Although Laka was the daughter of Kapo, as a patron of hula Laka stands first. She was worshiped at an earlier date though they are really one. It is as important to understand that she was not begotten in any ordinary manner, she “emanated” from Kapo. Kapo preceded her family in their migration from the south to Hawaii. They came by way of Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu, Moloka’i and settled on Maui. However on every island where she had paused, Kapo established a school for hula. Kapo had a dual nature. As Kapo’ulakina’u (Kapo-red-spotted) she was the Kapo invoked by kahuna when sending evil back upon someone. This Kapo was a goddess whose temper was violent and vengeful……But when worshipped by dancers and chanters, this same person was the gentle Laka, the spirit of the wild wood….

The halapepe, a plant used on the hula altar, was one of Kapo’s kinolau, or body forms taken by Kapo as Laka. Another kinolau of Kapo was the ‘ohe tree that she had entered with others and poisoned. The wood of these trees were later carved to create the Kalaipahoa god. A lengthy story, that may be associated with Pu’uokapolei, that we will save for another day. This ‘Ohe tree was associated with sorcery, of which art Kapo also became the patroness, due to her ferocious side. The fruit of the hala was so often worn in the form of a wreath by Kapo that it came to be looked upon almost as her emblem. It was anciently believed to be bad luck to see someone wearing such a hala wreath. If a fisherman on his way to the beach were to meet a person wearing a hala wreath it would be considered bad luck and he would normally decide to cancel fishing that day.

We have thus far identified Kapo as the elder of numerous brothers and sisters. She was the first to arrive in these islands from the south. Her sister Pele is the keeper of the fire and Hiiaka is their youngest sister. Laka is the daughter of Kapo. There is much more that can be said of the dual nature of Kapo and especially that of a sorcerer. We will speak of these things later. However it is the relationship between Kapo and this new city of Kapolei that we also find intriguing and a mystery. Why did our ancestors give it this name. That of a ferocious sorcerer and the gentle Laka. We do know that her youngest sister Hi’iaka spent time here at Pu’uokapolei in her trip to get Lohiau from Kauai and take him to her sister Pele on Hawai’i Island.
One of the people who have played a big part in shaping my understanding of our ancient past and ways of our kupuna was Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua. I live by the things he has taught me. Although he was 20 years younger than I, I gave him the respect of an elder. Much of what he shared with me he learned from his Kumu Kawahineheleikapokane. Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua shared an interesting story with me whose origins can be found in the Moloka’i hula traditions. Every year Moloka’i has its annual Hula Ka Piko at Ka’ana. It is here at Ka’ana on Moloka’i where hula had its start. It was Laka who was the teacher of hula on Moloka’i. After a while Laka became disappointed and frustrated about only teaching on Moloka’i. Laka wanted to share their teachings on every island and not just Moloka’i. Kapo was furious about her desire to spread the teachings of hula. Laka however ran away and started to spread all the teachings amongst all the islands against the wishes of Kapo. It was here on O’ahu at Pu’uokapolei where Kapo found Laka teaching hula. Today we have a hula mound at Pu’uokapolei that Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua helped design.
There are several ancient chants that make reference of Kapo residing at Pu’uokapolei. Kekuapo’i, who was the wife of Kahahana, the last Mo’i of the Island of O’ahu, wrote a kanikau in honor of her husband when he died as a result of injuries he sustained in battle with the Mo’i of Maui, Kahekili in 1784. In the kanikau she identified Kapo as the Akua Noho living at Pu’uokapolei. In another mele inoa or a place name chant written for Kuali’i, Mo’i of O’ahu in the 1600s identifies Kapo as the lady in a faded garment standing on top of Pu’uokapolei. It is obvious from these ancient chants that Kapo had a large presence in this area. However the more we learn the more puzzling it becomes and the question is why does Kapo have such a large presence in this area. Maybe the answer is much larger than we think. Maybe the answer looms overhead.
Several other aspects of our cultural past and beliefs serve to better help us understand the relationship between Kapo, the older sister of Pele, and Pu’uokapolei. Traditionally the god Ku is associated with a place on Hawaii Island that is referred to as the eastern gate of the rising sun. Its name is Kumukahi. In the oral traditions standing with Ku at Kumukahi is Kapo. Interesting enough the oral traditions further share with us that the western gate of the setting sun is at Pu’uokapolei. There is no question as to her relationship as it carries her name. Perhaps we need to look up to find the answer. This is further expanded by the fact that we already know that Pu’uokapolei served as a place of solar observation in determining the time of the year.
In conclusion, I want to quote a lengthy summary of research done by Rubilitte Johnson, a renown professor from the University of Hawaii. It is well worth reading and get an academic perspective on these things. It is the best explanation I have found in an attempt to define Kapo with respect to Pu’uokapolei. I do not want to dilute her work and feel that it is best served in her own words:

“While the available records have not been exhaustively combed, the published data collected in this study reveals that the name Kapolei is connected with the earliest migrations of Polynesians to these islands, especially in relation to migrations of the Pele family with Kapo, Pele’s older sister, and the Pahulu family carrying the Lo name, and probably the Lo’ewa titles of the Ewa chiefs. Among chiefly names, Kapolei is found in feminine names rather than in names of chiefs, and while only a few of the Kapolei compounds exist they are more prominent in names of chiefesses selected for marriages by high chiefs descending from Maui and Luanu’u in the Ulu genealogy.

The name of Kapo, perhaps in Kapolei, but most frequently in the names of Kapo-‘ula-kina’u, Kapo-kohe-lele, and Kapo-ma’i-lele are connected with the traditions of the Kapo migrations which are earlier migrations of the Pele family. Borabora, in the northern islands of the Society group in what is today’s French Polynesia, is the identified home of the Pele family, and since the Pele family claims descent from two gods, Ku and Kane, the Kane-Kapolei names of chiefesses reflects the relationship between Kane and Kapo worship described with respect to legends of the Pahulu (Lo) family and the heritage of Kane-ia-kama from Kane-kaulana-ula, god of Kaiakea, who inherited the worship of Kalaipahoa gods (Kane-kaulana-‘ula, Ka-huila-o-ka-lani, and Kapo) on Moloka’i where the trees which are the bodies (nioi, a’e, and ‘ohe) are called the grove of Kapo (Ka-ulu-i-Maunaloa). These trees provided the wood from which the war gods of Maui and Moloka’i were carved and which after conquest passed into the hands of Kamehameha. The titled Lo family of ‘Ewa, possibly descendants of the early Pahulu migration, may be by privilege able to confer title inasmuch as Hawaiian historian, notably Kamakau, associate the Lo of ‘Ewa with chiefs who preserved their attractive pedigrees.

So far as the hill Pu’uokapolei is concerned, thus far the writings of John Papa I’i showing how the hill was a sentinel and directional reference for the seaside coastal trails by which ancient Hawaiians tracked across ‘Ewa through Honouliuli to Wai’anae and Makaha give the importance of the hill as a landmark.

As for the best meanings, therefore, of Kapolei with respect to this particular location and its tradition, the sense of a venerable and valuable quality of the honored personage of the goddess Kapo in her kinolau associations with the verdure of the hula and with herbage used for ornamentation or medicinal revival of the sick or dead reflects this idea of providing adornment and relief from otherwise ordinary appearance. In definitions of lei as a ‘circlet’, as a ‘halo’ shape of light in the rainbow around the moon, this idea of a circumscribing of volcanic earth by the shape of Pu’uokapolei presents the appearance of a circular mound of earth, perhaps colored and wreathed by the foliage of flowering plants in Kapo’s favorite colors, red, yellow, and yellow with black spots, whatever those might be; the ‘ohai and kaunao’a have been named in the chants.

More seriously, perhaps, in applying the full range of Kapo and lei to an understanding of the meaning of Kapolei in the entirety one should call up the kinolau associations of Kapo in connection with feather adornment, not however ignoring other associations of welcoming and showing consideration to guest and people of renown or remembering our own. As for the reliability of Pu’uokapolei, it was a landmark giving hope to the traveler through assurance that by it the traveler could keep his way. This, of course, is the other and perhaps most important association, the reputation of the sun along its northerly/southerly course during the year, with consistent regularity, or dependability, as it were, expected by its presence on the otherwise arid coral plain of Kaupe’a. (Sterling/Summers, Sites of O’ahu)

Setting Sun at Pu’uokapolei

“When the sun reached the equator and began to move northward, it set right over (the islet of) Ka’ula and it moved on and set over Kawaihoa; and the Makali’I season when the sun set (kau) from Ka’ula to Kawaihoa was called Kau, and the Kau season was also called after the resting place of Kane (Kaulana-a-Kane)……

Thus, Kane-i-kaulana-‘ula, the god Kaneiakama and Kaiakea, who entered the nioi tree, in company with Ka-huila-o-ka-lani (i.e. lightning, the kinolau form of the god Kane-ka-uila-makeha-i-ka-lani) into the a’e tree, and Kapo into the ‘ohe tree at Maunaloa, is Kane-at-the-western-gate-of-the-sun or the summer solstice standstill when observing westward (i.e. toward Niihau). The solstice standstill point, called the tropic limit (Ka ala polohiwa a Kane or the Tropic of Cancer, was Kaulana-ka-la. We pause here to quote from the famous chant to Kane.

He Mele no Kane

He ui, he ninau:
E ui aku ana au ia oe,
Aia I ka hikina a ka La,
Puka I Hae-hae,
Aia I laila ka Wai a Kane.

E ui aku ana au ia oe,
Aia I hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia I Kau-lana-ka-la,
I ka pae opua I ke kai,
Ea mai ana ma Nihoa,
Ma ka mole mai o Lehua;
Aia I laila ka Wai a Kane……

The Water of Kane

A query, a question,
I put to you;
Where is the water of Kane?
At the Eastern Gate
Where the Sun comes in at Haehae;
There is the water of Kane.

A question I ask of you;
Where is the water of Kane?
Out there with the floating Sun,
Where cloud-forms rest on Ocean’s breast,
Uplifting their forms at Nihoa,
This side the base of Lehua;
There is the water of Kane…

(From Emerson, Nathaniel B. Unwritten Literature of Hawaii, 1964:257).

“When it set again at Ka’ula and turned south the season was called Ho’oilo. In the same way the people of O’ahu reckoned from the time when the sun set over Pu’uokapolei and it grew cold and the time came when young sprouts started, the season was called from their germination (oilo) the season of Ho’oilo. There was therefore two seasons, the season of Makali’I and the season of Ho’oilo.”]

Much like in Greek mythology where the sun is seen as Zeus riding a chariot pulled by 15 steeds or white stallions of fire across the heavens such is the description of the sun as it passes over Pu’uokapolei on the Plains of Kaupe’a. However……………it is during the cooler season, when the sun is in the south……when something extraordinary occurs. I am certain that we have all seen it ……..though…………not aware of its cultural significance. Over the years we have learned to pay close attention to the weather conditions off the leeward coast. This celestial event occurs most of the year however it occurs most often during the month of December. Most of the year one can see a clear division between the sea and the sky. However at the time of the winter solstice a low weather band obscures the horizon and makes it difficult to see the division between the sea and sky. As the descending sun passes behind this weather band, the sky explodes as its light is refracted and the band of weather turn to many hues of red, orange, yellow and yellow with black spots. These are the colors of Kapo. Her colors of luminosity.

These are the colors of our new city of Kapolei……….the colors of Kapo’s lei hala wreath.

Traditionally ‘Ewa is one of 6 Moku for the entire island of ‘Oahu. In defining the land area of Honouliuli we can start at the mouth or entrance of Pearl Harbor and travel along the coastline past Keoneula, Kalaeloa and Ko Olina all the way to Pili ‘O Kahi. Then follow the ridge of the Waianae Mountains up past Palehua, Mauna Kapu, Pohakea all the way to Pu’u Hapapa adjacent to Schofield Barracks. Then follow a line east beyond Kunia Road and then return to Kunia Road at a point where the Oahu Country Club is located. Follow Kunia Road past Village Park and Waipahu to a point at the top of Kaihuopala’ai or West Loch. Then continue your line bisecting West Loch to the start at the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Honouliuli is also the name of the flood plain in the area of West Loch Golf Course……….and this is where our story shall start……It is a story of exploration……settlement ……and growth………………….

A question our ancestors had to deal with constantly is how many people can an island support. I know it is something a lot of us think about often. If not, we should….. It is real…… One of the reasons our Polynesian ancestors came this far north is simply because their numbers became so overwhelming that they started to have the kind of problems you would expect as numbers of people grow. We have the same problems today and same question. It is no different although we are only separated in time. They lived a subsistence lifestyle which meant it was important for them to live in areas of resources. There were no refrigerators or grocery stores. Food and water need to be abundant and readily available. Fish had to be plentiful. One did not have time to cast a hook and line out and wait for a fish to bite as his wife and children were home waiting for a meal. As these numbers of people grew in the southern latitudes, food and resources became less readily available. It became a struggle amongst family members which resulted in conflict and famine. It was either die or risk the seas in search of a new home. Many cultural thinkers feel that it was this that brought about the age of exploration into the northern seas of our ancestors. To put this into a better perspective the Roman Empire was flourishing 27 BC. It is believed by some that the first settlers arrived in Hawaii around 100 to 300 BC. It took well over a thousand years in the evolution of a language where there are more differences than similarities. It was this distance not only in miles……… but time…..that gave rise to this unique culture who we today know of as the …………..Hawaiians.

When one compares the history of these Polynesian explorers it is no different from the explorations of other countries during the same period. It was a search for resources. There was however one major difference. The Hawaiians were the only ones out on the open seas. No other country ventured beyond the sight of land. There are many stories of such Navigators of Kapawa and Maweke having been to such places as South America, Central America and the Pacific Northwest. Maweke was exploring these foreign lands 150 years before the 1st Crusade into the Holy Land which had occurred around 1099 AD.

The sweet potato is South American in origin. It is also believed that our ancestors had a taste for salmon before western contact. In the early 1990s an article appeared in the “Smithsonian” magazine that identified human skeletal remains found along the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest as Polynesian in origin. What made this find extremely interesting is the Iwi Kupuna was dated prior to the Native American Indians having been in this region. A court struggle with Native American Tribes of the region resulted in further research being halted and the remains turned over to the Native American Tribes involved in the dispute. The Iwi Kupuna was subsequently reinterred by the Tribes. Few Hawaiians ever knew that this discussion was taking place.

Much like Mesopotamia and the Columbia River Valley they settled in areas of resources. Where there was rich fertile soil and an abundance of fresh water. Such is the story of…….Honouliuli………..

Honouliuli was one of the areas of the earliest settlement in all Hawaii. Although Honouliuli is the name of the entire ahupua’a it is also important to understand that the entire river system and drainage from Honouliuli gulch into Kaihuopala’ai took the name of Honouliuli. Traditions clearly connect some of the fishponds of Kaihuopala’ai and mullet productivity specifically with Honouliuli. It is probable that Honouliuli took its name, meaning “blue harbor” or “dark bay”, from its association with Kaihuopala’ai.

Ancient fishpond adjacent West Loch Golf Course.

Honouliuli was known for its kalo and fish ponds. When an archaeological survey was done a number of years ago signs of human habitation and farming was very evident. Carbon 14 dating of Midden or ancient archaeological trash associated with human habitation indicated that people were living in this area by 400 AD. The Saxons invaded England in 400 AD and Atilla the Hun conquered most of Europe around 450 AD. The first migration or the Nanaulu Migration from Tahiti arrived around 400 AD. This was the first migration of the Ali’i.

A model of the settlement of the ‘Ewa region indicates that it grew west from the Honouliuli flood plain along the alluvial fan elevations inland from the Ewa Plains perhaps in the area north of Farrington Highway at the fertile river basins of Kalo’i Gulch, Makakilo Gulch, Awanui Gulch, Pala’ila’i and Makaiwa Gulch.

These were areas of permanent habitation though difficult to test due to site destruction by recent agricultural efforts and ranching and more recently by residential housing developments. Another settlement direction would have been south along Kaihuopala’ai (West Loch) to Keahi Point or we know today as Iroquois Point then further southwest along the coastline through the areas we know of as Keoneula, Kualaka’i, Kalaeloa and Ko Olina.

There are signs of both permanent and temporary habitation structures, burial, heiau and signs of dry land and sinkhole farming such as growing uala (sweet potato) on coral mounds. There is also an indication from the traditions that water could be found in the sinkholes as evidenced by Kane bringing forth water from sinkholes at Kanehili with the strike of his ko’oko’o. Kanehili is the ancient place name of the region we today refer to as Kalaeloa. One can today find ti leaves and none growing in sinkholes in Kalaeloa (Kanehili).

Honouliuli as part of Keawalauopu’uloa (Pearl Harbor) had always been a place desired by the other island chiefs historically. The island of ‘Oahu had more inland fresh water than any other island. Much of that water was fed by the 13 ahupua’a of the Moku of ‘Ewa into Keawalauopu’uloa . Today it is also referred to as the Pearl Harbor aquifer although it does not have near the amount of fresh water it once had. It was this fresh water that gave the limu Lipoa of the Ewa shoreline its unique flavor. It was this fresh water that travelled within the porous coral substrata again unique to the Ewa region.

1825 map of O’ahu’s south shore by Lieutenant C. H. Malden

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb there was no need for whale oil to light Massachusetts homes. When the island economy shifted from whale oil to agriculture all attention turned to the island of ‘Oahu and the moving of the island capitol from Lahaina to Honolulu on ‘Oahu. It was this and the abundance of water in Honouliuli that spurned the interest of agricultural entrepreneuer James Campbell to purchase 43,270 acres of land in the Ahupua’a of Honouliuli. He moved his family from Lahaina, Maui, to ‘Oahu and drilled the first fresh water well in Honouliuli. This however is viewed by many as marking the end of a cultural landscape by widespread plowing over of a cultural landscape and also the loss of our river systems and native fresh water aquatic life.

I can still remember as a young boy in the back seat of my father’s car passing over many bridges with crystal clear water flowing beneath it out into the sea. That was a mere 55 years ago. We used to catch opai in these streams. I do not see them any more…. I used to catch O’opu in these streams. There are no O’opu to catch…………………..

James Campbell was not the first. There were others and these are their stories. Kamehameha was not the first to desire the riches of the island of ‘Oahu and the fertile river basin of Honouliuli. In ancient times the island of ‘Oahu was spoken of as being “momona”, fat. Fat in terms of its natural resources and abundance of fresh water, lo’i kalo and fishponds, especially those of Honouliuli.

The earliest invasion that we are aware of from the oral traditions and partly through the journals of Cook when he arrived on Kauai many years later was of a young and ambitious chief from Hawaii Island by the name of Kalaunuiohua. After uniting the island of Hawaii he launched and succeeded in defeating both East and West Maui. In defeating Wakalana, who was the Mo’i of East Maui he killed a warrior chief, and confiscated his interesting weapon that glistened in the sun (believed to be a steel sword). The name according to traditions of this field general of Wakalana, who was the owner of the weapon, was a man by the name of Kaluikiamanu. He and 2 other men and 2 women were befriended by Wakalana when their ship went aground off East Maui. According to traditions they all took on Hawaiian names and intermarried and had many children who have descendants living today on every island. There are stories of Kaluikiamanu and his magical ko’oko’o on how he was able to sever his enemy in battle with the strike of this magical staff that glistened in the sun.

After defeating and taking control of Maui, Kalaunuiohua had an easy time defeating both Molokai and ‘Oahu. He was defeated in Kauai and Kaluikiamanu’s weapon was confiscated by Kukona of Kauai and remained in the possession of the Kauai chiefs until Captain Cook saw it and described it in his journal as “saw a rusted piece of a metal sword in the possession of the Chief Kaeokulani” who was then chief of the island of Kauai. It is believed that this sword was Japanese in origin and not Spanish as one would think. The Japanese were here 500 years before the arrival of Captain Cook.

Many years later several chiefs from the island of Hawaii by the names of Hilo and Punalu’u amongst others launched an invasion on the island of ‘Oahu in an attempt to seek out and kill the Chief Mailekukahi. This was a period just before Columbus discovered America. Oral traditions have it that they had assembled a fleet of 3,000 canoes and at first landed at Waikiki.

Traditionally at this time there were 3 political capitols on the island of ‘Oahu; Waikiki, Mokapu and Lihue. Realizing that Mailekukahi and his army were not in Waikiki they decided to travel further west and entered Keawalauopuuloa (Pearl Harbor). They then entered the waters of Kaihuopalaai (West Loch) and landed their 3,000 canoes in the area today we know of as the shoreline of West Loch Estates and Shoreline Park and the Waipahu Business and Industrial area.

Traditions indicate that there were many homes on a high ground above the kalo and fish ponds. The area described could be where the West Loch Golf Course Country Club is located and the West Loch Estate and Shoreline Park. It appears that most everyone fled the area on arrival of such a large fleet of canoes. No mention is made of people in the homes or tending the Lo’i.

The invaders then marched north along a trail that may have been what we know of today as the Kunia Road or perhaps very close and parallel to it. Hilo and Punaluu may not have known it then but amongst the cultural sites discovered recently along that route on the high ground above Keahumoa and Kupehau (Del Monte Ag land along the slopes of the Waianae Mountains) are numerous habitation structures, walls, trails and heiau that would indicate a large population of people living in the area. They may have observed the approach of the advancing army and had time to inform Mailekukahi’s army further north at a place known as Lihue.


Trails of leeward Oahu as described by Ii. Map by Paul Rockwood.

As both Waikiki and Mokapu, Lihue was also a political capitol of ‘Oahu and served as a training area of Nakoa in ancient times. It was at a place known as Waikakalau where the first battle took place between the armies of Hawaii and Mailekukahi. It was a major defeat for the Hawaii chiefs and Nakoa. Warfare during this period in Hawaiian history was close up and hand to hand. From a short distance spears were thrown.

Spear throwing was generally from as close as arms length to as much as 10’ to 15’. The Nakoa would have to follow up with a hand weapon to retrieve his spear and fast enough so the adversary would not have time to return to spear. There were many strategies, formations and tactics. Many West Point graduates have learned Hawaiian warfare tactics and strategies. It was a situation of run, chase and fight. This battle was no different.

When Hilo and Punaluu realized that this was not going to be an easy fight they retreated in the makai direction from Waikakalau in the southerly direction back to Honouliuli. It was a series of running and fighting. A second major fight took place in an area we today refer to as Mililani Mauka. Large numbers of Nakoa lost their lives on both sides. The Chief Punalu’u also lost his life here and later it took his name and was refered as the “Plains of Punalu’u” before it was plowed over by Dole. Subsequent to this battle the Hawaii Island chiefs and their army took another major defeat in an area that took the name of this battle. It is known to us today as Kipapa, “paved with the bodies of the Hawaii Island Nakoa”.

The fighting took place all the way to Waimano where the Chief Hilo was killed and brought an end to the fighting. Nothing is said of how many Hawaii Island Nakoa and chiefs survived. In the end Hilo was decapitated. His head placed on a pole and carried to the intersection of 2 trails. The trail to Waianae by way of Pu’uokapolei and the trail north paralleling perhaps Kunia Road today. The pole with Hilo’s head was placed at the location of the where today can be found St. Francis West Hospital. It served as a reminder to everyone else who may have thoughts of invading ‘Oahu by way of Honouliuli. This place took the name of Po’ohilo…..the head of Hilo.

When Kamehameha defeated Kahekili for the island of ‘Oahu and thus unifying the Hawaiian Islands he awarded all of the Ahupua’a of Honouliuli to one of his leading war chiefs Kalanimoku, as panilaau or conquered lands. These lands then passed to his sister Wahinepio. In 1848 Wahinepio’s daughter Kekauonohi laid claim to all of her mother’s land as part of the great land division. When she died it passed to her husband Levi Haalelea and then his wife Anadelia Amoe and subsequently to her sister’s husband John Coney.

A portion of the land, Ili of Puuloa, was sold by Kekauonohi to Kamehameha III and Issac Montgomery who operated a salt works which sold salt to meat packers for export of shipment of their meat products. John Coney leased a portion of it to James Dowsett and John Meek for cattle ranching. In 1877 all of the lands of the Ahupua’a of Honouliuli with the exception of the Ili of Pu’uloa was sold to James Campbell.

Captain George Vancouver has also helped us shape our understanding of this area through observations he made on a visit during the 1790s. While anchored off of Pearl Harbor he identified the area between the Waianae and Koolau Mountains as being low or rather moderately elevated. The land also appeared to him to be unpopulated and of poor fertility. He also indicated that there was a place close to the shore (Honouliuli flood plain) that seemed populated and that the soil was fertile for cultivation. His ability to see that far from offshore is an indication that there were no obstructions along the shoreline which meant it had to be void of tall trees and plants. It also meant that the homes at Honouliuli were on high ground.


There is still a piece of an ancient wall that can be seen in the area of the number 6 hole at the West Loch Golf Course that appears in a taro map of 1873 (below).

Some of the old Hawaiian fishponds are still there …….though over grown in Mangrove. Most of the Lo’i Kalo have all been filled in to make way for a golf course, but you can still see an occasional wild kalo, growing in the narrow stream beds amongst the California grass. There is still a piece of an ancient wall that can be seen in the area of the number 6 hole at the West Loch Golf Course that appears in a map of 1873. Po’ohilo, or where the head of the Hawaii Island Chief Hilo once stood, may have been on the high ground above the golf course where the St. Francis West Hospital now stands. Where James Campbell’s Ranch once stood is now the West Loch Fairways Subdivision. Where the Kahua Slaughter House once stood will soon be developed by the Catholic Church. Where there were once small mom and pop stores along the old quiet Ft. Weaver Road will soon be taken down to provide room for a new development. So it is both exciting with new things to come yet sad as we see one generation pass before our very eyes. ………………this is where it all started…….here in the flood plains of Honouliuli. Perhaps it was these people who arrived in Hawaii around 100 to 300 BC.

It is difficult to see beyond the plantation and military past and that is ok. However we need to remember that there once was a canoe that passed this way …….and saw the fertile lands and many rivers of this broad coral plain and abundance of flightless land birds and fish. We are here today because they decided to stay.
…….this is our story……………..another story of Kapolei.

Click maps for larger view.

In defining the land area of Honouliuli we can start at the mouth or entrance of Pearl Harbor and travel along the coastline past Keoneula, Kalaeloa and Ko Olina all the way to Pili ‘O Kahi. Then follow the ridge of the Waianae Mountains up past Palehua, Mauna Kapu, Pohakea all the way to Pu’u Hapapa adjacent to Schofield Barracks. Then follow a line east beyond Kunia Road and then return to Kunia Road at a point where the Oahu Country Club is located. Follow Kunia Road past Village Park and Waipahu to a point at the top of Kaihuopala’ai or West Loch. Then continue your line bisecting West Loch to the start at the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Honouliuli is also the name of the flood plain in the area of West Loch Golf Course.

Honouliuli is one of 13 ahupua’a or traditional land divisions of the Moku of ‘Ewa.

Read about Kane’s own journey to find his roots, and how he came to be “driven to save and restore a Hawaiian cultural history that is at risk of being lost.”

He believes that “it is important that future generations come to know the true story of these islands that we have all come to love and call home.”

In this blog, Kane shares legends, pictures of old stones and paths, and the ancient significance of Kapolei, O’ahu’s second city.

Now that you have had time to thumb through the many cultural essays I have shared with you this might be a good time to share a little of how this cultural journey evolved and the role Pohakea played in shaping that life. The thing I dislike most is talking about myself, however in sharing these stories I think most of you who sacrifice your time to read them will see yourself in this story………it is a story about all of us.

In 1995 my wife and I were talking of moving to Portland, Oregon and I was about to complete 25 years in the Honolulu Police Department and would qualify to retire with full benefits. I went to a Community Policing seminar sponsored by the Portland Police Department and thought that I would love to work in Portland’s community policing effort. There were a lot of former HPD officers who were friends of mine working in Seattle, Vancouver and Portland and felt I would be right at home. After all Hawaii was only a short flight away. I filled in the applications, did well on the test and was just about to make the move. I had even filed for retirement and got a plaque from the A Watch Officers of the Kalihi Police Station which I had served as their Watch Commander. That retirement never occurred and the trip to Portland never happened………………however, I did keep the plaque.

When I graduated from high school back in 1964, like many of us I knew very little of our Hawaiian culture. All I knew of our Hawaiian culture was Kamehameha, Waikiki and the Aloha spirit. I was taught that it was in my best interest to assimilate into a western world. Being Hawaiian was not the thing to be. I learned the histories of other countries well. I learned the geographies of other places. I could recite all the Presidents of the United States in less than a minute and knew the capitol city of every state. I think I can still recite all Presidents today. In short I was open and vulnerable to accepting any culture as mine. I felt that there was nothing in Hawaii for me. Everything …………………was somewhere else.

We never had a TV until I was about 10 years old and when we got one I was always glued to that TV watching all the western shows. I grew up with such cowboys as Johnny Mack Brown, Sandy, Hopalong Cassidy, Lash LaRue and many others. I religiously watch Sheriff Ken’s Posse after school every day. Interesting though it was, I developed a sense of identity for the Indians. It seemed I always cheered for them……..it was that Native American culture that I was open to adopting as mine.

Eventually I got my own horse and that attachment to the Native Americans was still with me. It made a lot of sense to me…….horses and Indians. I learned many kinds of Indian crafts such as making full Indian Headresses, chokers, breast shields and even made my own homemade loom. I attended the annual PowWow at Thomas Square every year. My introduction into our Hawaiian culture grew out of this interest in the Native American culture. My wife could even tell you how I dreamed of riding out on the Great Plains chasing buffalo. I must have watched “Dances with Wolves” at least 15 times. It was in 1996 shortly after that eventful decision was made not to retire from HPD that changed my life forever.

Over the years prior to 1996 I read everything I could find on the Native American culture, specifically the “Horse Culture” or the Plains Indians. I read every book including the final battle at Wounded Knee in “Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee”. I became very familiar with all the “place names” of the great battles with the U.S. 7th Cavalry. It got to the point that during Thanksgiving time schools would invite me to speak on our Native American culture.

That defining moment took place in 1996 when my wife and I decided to take what I have always referred to as our “Western Vacation”. We wanted to visit all the places I read about and to stand on the sacred ground where all those great Indian battles took place with the U.S 7th Cavalry. We flew to Seattle, rented a car and started this epic journey. Traveled to Spokane, crossed the panhandle of Idaho, into Montana and spent a day at Big Horn Memorial down into Wyoming and eventually to the Black Hills, South Dakota or as it is better known to the Lakota as Paha Sapa. It was when I met a Native American elder in an Indian craft store in Rapid City, South Dakota when life took a turn. I think the name of that store was “Prairie’s Edge”. Most of their craft items were purchased from Native American craftsman from Pineridge Indian Reservation. This Indian elder was also from Pineridge Reservation. I think he must have been in his 70s at that time. We shared stories about the history of the Plains Indians. We talked of the different crafts as if we actually wore the feather bonnets, carried the spears, leather shields and rode off on horseback. He then asked me a very poignant question that I will never forget……..………….”what tribe are you from”. I immediately responded that I was Hawaiian…………..I think I must have said that many times in the past, however on this day……….in this place………….I actually heard myself. He then began to explain to me that even his own children and grandchildren knew very little of their cultural past. He found that so disturbing. It was extremely interesting to him that someone from as far away as Hawaii would know their story. That possibly was a day of change for him too.

It was on this day that I had set aside this Indian past of mine and found a new trail into our Hawaiian cultural past. I always find it interesting how a brief moment in our lives can change one forever. I learned on that day never to take for granted or fail to meet an opportunity of meeting someone even for a brief moment. The defining moment in the movie “Dances with Wolves” is when Kevin Costner in the final scene of the movie is explaining to a Lakota elder, a friend, a brother, that he needed to leave them for fear that the 7th Cavalry would find them in their attempt to find him. As sad as the Lakota elder felt about this sad news …….he understood and shared a final thought, “the only trail in life that matters……………is the trail of a real human being……….and that is all that matters………”

When my wife and I returned to Hawaii the very first thing we did was move our horses from the Barbers Point Stables to a place I was not too familiar with but knew of it as Pohakea. It was here at Pohakea where that trail started. Perhaps this story should have been the first to share. It was in the uplands above Keahumoa and just below Lihue on the Honolulu side of the Waianae Mountains. It is half way between Makakilo and Schofield. When driving along the H-1 Freeway from Pearl City to Makakilo it looks like a V shaped gap in the Waianae Mountains. It was also the subject of an alternative route out of Waianae several years ago.

I started to ride my horses in the Waianae Mountains from Makakilo all the way to Lihue or the area just makai of Schofield. I started to hike into those narrow valleys where my horses could not go. I did this for the most part all alone, just my horse and me. I started to find strange looking plants probably known to you but new to me. I started carrying a camera with me and taking pictures of these new found friends. I would look them up in different native plant books and learned their many Hawaiian names which I was not familiar with. I started carrying garden tools in my saddle bags and soon found myself pulling the weeds from around these plants that seem to be struggling in the dense non-native vegetation. I became somewhat attached to a lone koa tree that was only about 2 feet tall when I first saw it. I would constantly thin the weeds from around him and it got to the point where I was even carrying water with me to water him. It was exciting to suddenly notice that it was growing as a result of my efforts.

I have constantly asked myself what was it about these experiences that caused such a drastic change of direction for me. It came to this………….I saw myself in that young koa tree. It soon led from one discovery after another. The plants led to the discovery of many cultural stone structures to include Heiau, habitation structures, walls, stone mounds, Ahu, stone images and even probable burials. I became familiar with all the ancient place names of the area to include all the mountain tops and valleys.

The focus of these rides and hikes were, however, Pohakea Pass. There was something mystifying about Pohakea. I did not understand it in the beginning. According to Kumu John Kaimikaua it meant “White Rock”. I soon learned that Pohakea was anciently one of 3 trails into Waianae and that made sense to me as I always felt a strong sense of presence. One was by way of Kolekole Pass through Schofield and the other was by way of Pu’uokapolei along the trail that is now Farrington Highway. The location of that trail into Waianae through the Pohakea Pass became very obvious. I am certain that I have found that trail.

It is partially identifiable by upright stones at different points in walk mauka. At certain points along the trail it is marked by stones in the shape of an umeke. They are shaped like a bowl with a high side seemingly facing the winds that normally come across the island from the northern direction. There are many upright stones marking the trail.

The predominant tree in this area is the Kukui. One of the winds known in this area is the Kaiaulu wind which is a wind that makes a particular kind of sound as it blows through the Kukui……. I have heard it……………….The Kukui nut was used by the ancient Hawaiian to make oil for light. It is believed that the stone umeke along the trail served as stone lanterns to mark the trail into Waianae………They are still there…….standing in the weeds and grasses.

In my attempt to identify and learn a little of these cultural structures I soon realized that they all were undocumented. Few people have ever seen them or even heard of them. The many upright stones stand in amber silence beneath the shrouded shadows of the Kukui.

Pohakea is one of those places that appear a lot in ancient stories and chants. Not sure what that would mean but perhaps it lends support to it being a place that was frequented by many Po’e Kahiko. It is the subject of the “Legend of Kahalaopuna”. It is a story of a young and beautiful woman who lived in Manoa with her Na Makua (grandparents). She was promised by her parents to marry a man named “Kauhi”. In the story he appears to be a very respected man from the Ko’olau on the windward side of O’ahu. He sent her many gifts to impress her however there were people who did not like Kahalaopuna and told him that Kahalaopuna was seeing other men. He became so enraged that he planned to kill her. He then went to her and asked if she would go with him on a trip. They traveled throughout the Ewa region and through many small and narrow valleys, eventually coming to Pohakea. They found a spot beneath an Ohia Lehua tree. It is interesting since today there are no Ohia Lehua trees in Pohakea. But perhaps at one time there may have been. Kauhi told Kahalaopuna to lie down and it was then that she pleaded with him that she was innocent of all the accusations. He broke a branch from the tree and he beat her to death. The story has it that he placed her body beneath the Ohia Lehua tree and covered it with leaves. He then left. Her spirit then entered the tree and she chanted to passer- bys to inform her parents what had happened and where they could find her. They did this and her parents found her body. They chanted over her till she took a breath and life was restored to her. When Kauhi found out that she was still living he pleaded with her to take him back.

Stories such as this have a purpose. It is difficult for us today to understand because we live in an era of high speed communication. We struggle with them but what is important for us to understand is that these are the stories that our Kupuna shared for subsequent generations living in an oral tradition. We at times forget that it was an oral tradition. History or information was passed on to subsequent generations by means song, dance and na mo’olelo. It served as a documented historical account of a period when people passed through Pohakea between Ewa and Waianae. It paints a picture for subsequent generations in what it may have looked like. What types of trees and plants. There are other stories such as the legend of Kahalaopuna that I will share with you briefly. This is not a history lesson but rather an effort to help us understand what our ancestors world was like and paint a picture that subsequent generations will have.

When Hi’iaka went to Kauai to fetch Lohiau and take him to Pele they had paddled back to O’ahu and stopped at Pokai. It was at Pokai that Hi’iaka instructed both Lohiau and Wahinema’o to continue paddling by canoe to Kou (Honolulu) and not stop until she met with them in Kou. She then told them that she would travel alone by land for a while. She chose to travel along the trail through Pohakea. When she reached the top she was able to see a group of women along the shore in Ewa gathering crabs and limu. As she descended from Pohakea onto the Plains of Keahumoa she met with a group of women who were stringing leis of Ma’o. She offered a chant to them and when done they offered her their leis. Here is another example of a story that identifies Pohakea as an important trail that was frequently used by the ancients. It was also a place from which one could see long distances. There are also references of Kane and Kanaloa having stopped and rested at Pohakea identifying it as an important trail in ancient times. As Kane and Kanaloa stood on the ridge of Pohakea that separated the view of Kou from Waianae they commented on how beautiful the coconut trees and distant sands of Maili were.

Top of Pohakea Pass looking into Waianae. It is the view that Hiiaka and Kane and Kanaloa would have seen when standing at the top of Pohakea.

All the photos that are a part of this essay and some of the other essays that we have shared with you were taken by Jan Becket. Mr. Becket has taught English and photography at Kamehameha Schools for 21 years. Working exclusively in black and white, he has exhibited in one person and juried shows in Paris, Denmark, Honolulu , the San Francisco Bay area and many other places around the world for the past 34 years. One of his heiau images was included in “Collective Visions”, a major retrospective exhibition by the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Jan Becket has been a big part of our preservation effort. His photos have helped us share a part of Hawaii that few have seen or even aware of. These wahipana and wahikapu such as Pohakea are unique beyond mere value. His photos have brought us closer to these special places and help us understand what life might have been like. Through his photos he has helped restore that intimate relationship with the aina that we are only beginning to understand. He has been a special person to me…………The only trail in life that matters …………is the trail of a real human being……………….that is all that matters………

I think most of us today have developed a talent to ignore those things that frustrate us and dwell on that which comforts us. One can find peace in the past. When life was simple. I think we all feel at times if only we could go back to when we were young. When days were long and sunny. When we found pleasure in simple things. To dwell on how life once was. To see the O’o as he feeds on the Noni at Kanehili. To see Hi’iaka as she admires her reflection in the pond of Hoakalei. To see Namakaokapao’o as he seeks his father’s mahiole (feather helmet) and ahuula (feather cape) beneath the standing breadfruit tree at Kualaka’i. To see Kahai-a-Ho’okamali’i at Kualaka’i. Seeing is what these articles are all about. Our Kupuna had another way of sharing that thought, or that ability……or talent. I have heard it referred to as the “Makakolu”, or the “third eye”. To see what cannot be seen….to appreciate and embrace that which we cannot understand.

This is what this essay is about…..it is about those who have passed this way before us……before we came along. It is about choices. That which defines lives………even today. Maybe there is a lesson here…………………

I remember while growing up how my kupuna always told me that life was all about choices. She always made it seem so simple. We are the choices we make. One can define oneself in terms of these choices. I can hear those words as if it was just yesterday. This is a story I will share with you. This is another story of Kaupe’a and those who those who “eat spiders and moths” in an attempt to seek their aumakua and their way to the “Leiwalu ‘O Leilono”. Maybe it is they who are the shadows with no faces that we see……

I have shared in other essays the ancient beliefs of our kupuna regarding the two separate forces of energy that inhabited our physical body. Hawaiian Historian Sam Kamakau informs us that they called these two energies “Wailua”. One was referred to as a “dream spirit” and the other was that energy which sustained our lives and carried on the life-sustaining processes of the body such as the functions of the heart, brain, lungs and breathing. It was believed that life, death and sleep overlapped. When one went to sleep and dreamed this “dream spirit” leaves the body and travels. “Dream spirits” can resolve problems and visit departed family members. If one was a practitioner of the arts and he dreamed he met with someone who shared information he would take this advice seriously. If the person does not wake up, or in their beliefs the “dream spirit” does not return to the physical body that defines death. In death if this person lived a good life and was respectful of all the Kapu, he respected the wishes of his parents and basically lived a good life he would have the advantage of his aumakua or family guardians (guardian angels?) to help him find his way to a “Leina Ka Uhane” or leaping places into the next world. If however he was not a good person and was not able to find an aumakua or family guardian who would help him he would be banned and doomed to wander in desolate and barren places. He would wander and exist by eating spiders and moths in places referred to as an Aokuewa or “Places of Wandering Spirits”. So therefore there are two places, a “Leina Ka Uhane” and an “Aokuewa”. On the island of ‘Oahu the Leina Ka Uhane is at Kaena Point and perhaps also at Pu’uokapolei based on a kanikau by Kekuapo’i. Every island has an Aokuewa, Kama’oma’o on Maui, Mana on Kauai, Halali’i on Ni’ihau, Uhana on Lanai, Ma’ohelaia on Molokai and the wiliwili groves of Kaupe’a on O’ahu or as we know it today as Kapolei……..

In an effort to get an appreciation out of what we are sharing today there is one fundamental Christian belief that we need to understand. From this I will draw some parallels to bring some kind of clarity to this. In a Christian sense there are three places in death. There is a heaven, hell, and a third place known either as limbo, purgatory and which other cultures may have different names. This third place is where one’s spirit, soul or “dream spirit” goes to make up. It is his second chance. If you are not good enough to find your way to a better place or not so bad so as to be condemned to pain and suffering for eternity, it is purgatory where you would go to make up for past deeds or poor choices. However most of us believe that purgatory is somewhere else. In a Hawaiian cultural sense…………purgatory……….is here. In places known as an aokuewa.

These are the places whose stories we are all very familiar with. It is not to say that strange things do not happen elsewhere. Of course they do. However it is places such as Kaupe’a where they happen most often. I will share just a few from a personal perspective. I have had strange unexplainable things happen to me on other islands but these are just those that have occurred here in Kaupe’a…………Kapolei.

We lived at one time at the bottom of Makakilo at a relatively new subdivision named Kapolei. Not the Kapolei that we know today, but one that is just adjacent to Hawaiian Waters Water Park on the eastern slope to Pu’u Pala’ila’i. We had a perimeter house lot facing the H-1 Freeway. Our house was on Akaawa Street. The front door and back door was perfectly aligned such that you could see through the house out the back when standing on the front porch. You could see the kiawe and interesting rock walls in the brush. Many things happened there which is perhaps one of the reasons we moved to where we are living today. I will share only a few in an effort to keep this as short and brief as possible. It was a perimeter lot where the dry kiawe trees and dry brush at certain times of the year came right up to our house so there was always the concern of brush fires especially on New Years. To keep the brush back I kept my horse and a goat in the back. Hoping that they would enjoy eating the many different grasses growing out of the rock walls. There were many times when my horse would behave in a manner that led me to believe that children were playing in the area. As most of us would do I brushed it off as not meaning much since in most cases I could not see anyone. And as most of us know horses can be unpredictable. However I started paying a little more attention to incidents involving my goat whose name was “Blah”. I often found it strange that his 5-gallon bucket of water was often found empty. I assumed that he enjoyed drinking a lot of water. The empty bucket would be found still standing with the ground surrounding the bucket dry. It got to a point that it was happening too often to make much sense. After having stretched my garden hose over the wall one day to fill his bucket with water I returned to check the filled bucket immediately after I had rolled the hose back up. To my amazement the bucket was empty. The bucket was still standing and the ground surrounding the bucket was dry. A chill went up my back that I can still remember clearly to this day. This is a true story that I have never been able to explain. There have also been many occasions when in the middle of the night my wife would wake to see a shadow of a woman standing at the foot of our bed. At one time I had a dog, whose name was Ali’i, that I kept under my house directly beneath our bedroom. He was not an old dog but he was always a well mannered quiet dog. One evening in the middle of the night he kept waking us up with all the noise and running around. It got so bad I woke up and went to check. I got dressed, turned on the light under the house and walked and peeked under the house to see that it looked like he was playing. His tongue was hanging out and his tail was wagging excitedly as if he was playing with someone he knew. I dismissed the behavior of the dog as nothing unusual and went back to sleep until the next day. When I went to check on him in the morning I found him dead. Ali’i did not belong to me. His owner who was a family friend had passed away about a month prior. He and his owner an elderly Hawaiian man had lived in Punalu’u and had routinely walked almost daily together on the beach. That dog’s behavior had changed drastically since the day his owner passed and became very withdrawn. I personally believe it was his owner that he was playing with under my house on that night before he died. There are many more stories as the many stone walls between my house and the freeway. I think those walls are still there today and can be seen from the freeway.

When Hawaiian Waters Water Park first opened they had a difficult time keeping the same security guards. Guards frequently found themselves chasing what they thought were children but could never find them. When Barbers Point NAS first closed in 1999 it was the same situation with security guards. Security guards were chasing what they thought were children through the abandoned buildings but never finding them. Kapolei Middle School had incidents of unexplained shadows of children playing and of a woman who would disappear behind closed doors. Many office buildings in Kapolei were blessed by Hawaiian Kahu many times because of unexplained incidents. Many unexplained accidents along the freeway by Honokai Hale. Incidents of drivers trying to avoid what they thought was an individual standing on the road. Many stories of new home owners in Kapolei seeing shadows. One story was shared with me by a woman whose family recently moved from Maui to a new house in Kapolei. Her young son would wake up in the middle of night crying saying a man with something red on his shoulders and something red on his head standing at the foot of his bed staring at him. The boy was only about 3 or 4 at the time. I have been asked many times to help bless new homes in Makakilo, Kapolei and Ewa for similar reasons. The stories are many. The concern was real.

Those wandering souls may still be here. However the oral traditions hint that these lost souls may still have a second chance. There is a place where they could be saved. It was called the Leiwalu ‘O Leilono. A strange tree with only two branches. It is an endless search on their part to find friendly souls or friendly aumakua to help them seek the Leiwalu ‘O Leilono, the breadfruit tree of Leilono. It can only be found at Kapukaki.

Leilono is a place of reprisal. It is the place in the traditions or stories of old that the wandering spirits on the plains of the wiliwili groves of Kaupe’a need to seek in order to be saved. It is long trek from Kaupe’a to Leilono in their attempt to find some friendly aumakua who could help save them from falling into the endless night of Milu. Leilono is described as being at Moanalua. It is described as being on the northern side of Kapukaki at the boundary between the Moku of Ewa and the Moku of Kona. It is also explained as being right in line with a burial hill at Aliamanu. Kapukaki is better known today as Red Hill. Interesting enough it is also described as being on the right side of the North Star. It is said that the Leiwalu ‘O Leilono can be found here. It was a small hole about 2 feet in circumference. This is the hole that the wandering spirits from Kaupe’a have come to seek. If one cannot find a friendly aumakua to help save him, his only chance of being saved is to find the breadfruit tree of Leilono. It is known in the oral traditions as the Leiwalu ‘O Leilono. When one would peer through this ka puka o Leilono, this small hole he will find this tree. It had on it only two branches. It is here that those wandering spirits who had not been able to find a friendly aumakua would have to make a critical choice. He had come a long way from Kaupe’a to be saved. As he peered down into the hole he would see the breadfruit tree of Leilono. Of the two branches he would have to decide which branch would save him. If he chose the wrong branch it would break and he would tumble down into the hole plunging into the pit of total darkness and endless sleep. It is known in the oral traditions as the po pau ‘ole. If he grabbed hold of the correct branch that would hold and not break, it would bring him the help of the friendly aumakua. From that branch the soul would see the aumakua realm and his ancestors. He would thus be saved.

The Leiwalu ‘O Leilono at Kapukaki (Red Hill) however was guarded on the east by a giant caterpillar watchman. On the west it was guarded by a giant Mo’o watchman at the pond of Napeha. I have been told that Napeha was a swimming pond west of Kapukaki (Red Hill). It was a pond that got its name from the Chief Kuali’i who drank water from it. The name came from Kuali’i being out of breath and tired when he came upon this pond to refresh himself. These wandering souls had to get past these giant watchman in an effort of making a choice and thus either be saved or to perish forever in the po pau’o’e of Milu. A place of total darkness and endless sleep.

A last thought to leave you with. There are three realms for the spirits of the dead according to the ancients and we have spoken of all three today. There was first, the realm of the homeless spirits, the “Aokuewa”. Kaupe’a is that place…..limbo……….purgatory we know today as Kapolei. The second realm is the realm of the “Ao ‘Aumakua”. It is a good place that one day we all want get to and restore those acquaintances with our ancestors or those who have already passed. The third place has many names such as the realm of the “Milu”, of Kapokuakini, of Kapokuamano and perhaps that of Pu’uokapolei……….when Chief Kahahana died his wife Kekuapo’i wrote an oli kanikau in honor of his life. She wrote it around 1785 when her husband died from injuries he received from the assault of Kahekili on the island of O’ahu. He died at Pu’uloa or today Ewa Beach. His body was taken to Apuakehau Heiau in Waikiki and sacrificed by Kahekili. In this oli kanikau Kekuapo’i mentions all the names of places that were special to her husband. She however makes an interesting reference to Pu’uokapolei. She states that her husband’s “spirit” entered the Milu by way of Pu’uokapolei.

In addition to hula, Kapo, the older sister of Pele, was also known for sorcery. In some hula rituals and ceremonies……….it is Kapo……………who is summoned…………….it is she who is called to enter one’s body.

I have never questioned any of these stories from people who shared them with me. I only know that I need to share them. They are not mine to keep. We all struggle with them however they are never questioned. We may not understand but can only appreciate them simply because these are the stories and beliefs of our ancestors. They are not to be feared………but to be embraced………These are the stories of Kapolei.

This essay was first published on myadvertiser.com in February 2008.

Aunty Kala Holden at the hula mound

Those members who shared this story with me and were present on that day were Bob and Kala Holden, Melissa and Dan Lyman, Mike Kido, Jalna Keala, Annelle Amaral and Kumu Hula Olga and Noah Kalama. It is important to understand that the club knew very little of the cultural history of Kapolei but was driven to learn of its history and to identify that place that could best serve as the venue for that learning and sharing. With the little knowledge these members had of this new city Aunty Olga Kalama wrote a chant in a matter of minutes as ……if someone was whispering the words to her. It happened on this day 14 years ago…… on this very spot that I am standing on today. No one knew it but Aunty Olga would set the path for this young Hawaiian civic club. That path started here at Pu’uokapolei……..It was on a late August afternoon in 1994…….the sun was settling into Po (night). The distant sun seemed obscured by a haze. As the sun passed through this haze the sunset glow turned into all the colors of Kapo of different hues of red, yellow, orange with “black spots”………..can this be……………….the ”Lei of Kapo”?

Eo Mai E Kapolei Heed the call, O Kapolei
Ka Pu’u O Kapo, La Ea To the hill of Kapo
Ke Ala Mai Ka Hikina The path from the east
A I Komohana, La Ea Until the west

Napo’o’ana O Ka La The sun sets
I Pala’ila’I, La Ea At Pala’ila’i

Haku ‘ia Ka Lei Alaula The sunset glow creates a lei
I luna O Ke Ao, La Ea In the clouds above

Ha’ina Ka Puana Tell the refrain
No Ka ‘Aina Kapolei, La Ea About the land of Kapolei

La Ea, La Ea, La Ea

Immediately after Aunty Olga Kalama finished her chant the park sprinklers came on and everyone was drenched. Everyone who was present felt that it was a powerful “ho’ailona” or a sign of good things to come. From a cultural perspective that was a powerful sign even though it was triggered mechanically by the park irrigation. It gave everyone a feeling of having been “baptized”. It was a manifestation of embarking on a new life. Everyone could feel a sudden heart beat…….a sudden breeze………..or was it a breath…………………

Since that day we have learned how true this chant has become. Pu’uokapolei literally means the “hill of the beloved Kapo”. We have also learned that the oral traditions refer to it as the “western gate of the setting sun”. The “eastern gate of the rising sun” is at Kumukahi on Hawaii Island. At the time of the change of seasons on or about May 1 the sun sets in the “Mahinaona”. It is believed by most cultural thinkers that the “Mahinaona” is Pu’u Pala’ila’i. We know today that the celebration of May Day or Lei Day celebrated on May 1 of every year may have had its origins as a celebration of the “change of seasons” or …………..Pu’uokapolei Day.

The very first event subsequent to this day was the legislature’s passage of the Kapolei Hawaiian Civic Club’s bill to change the name of Barbers Point to the ancient name of Kalaeloa. Members of the Ahahui have made significant contributions in terms of restoring the ancient Hawaiian names of this region by suggesting new street names and project names many of which have been integrated into the area plan. A concerted effort has been made to educate all of us on all of the ancient place names with Pu’uokapolei as the “piko” of that learning. Aunty Olga’s Oli is no longer just words but a reality.

I have shared all the stories regarding Puuokapolei having served as a marker for the “change of seasons”, that it was home of Kamaunuaniho, that a heiau once existed here and that it served as a landmark to ancient travelers passing along the trail that we now know of as Farrington Highway. You can find details of these stories in other cultural essays.

It started here where today stands a grandest hula mound ever built in all of Hawaii nei in these modern times……but it is not just a hula mound. It is the manifestation of a history that has been restored and integrated into its construction. It is a story of the dual nature of Kapo and Laka and a celebration of the “change of seasons”.
Here is its story…….its design manifest the cultural significance of Pu’uokapolei as the marker for the “change of seasons”. This was done through the collective efforts and consultation between architects of Architects Pacific and Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua of Makakilo and Shad Kane of the Ahahui Siwila Hawaii O Kapolei. It was an extraordinary effort. Several models were considered. The final design was one that integrated the history of Pu’uokapolei and facilitated a multi-purpose of both hula and community activities.

There are two mounds. The elevated mound constructed of coral boulders is for hula only in keeping with proper hula protocol of Kapo and Laka and the wishes of Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua of Makakilo. The second mound is for community functions and also to serve as a seating space for all future hula festivals. Electric power is provided to both mounds for both lighting and sound systems. As a cultural component of integrating the surrounding cultural landscape into the hula mound the coral boulders forming the retaining walls for the elevated hula mound came from the ancient place known as Kanehili or today known as Kalaeloa (formerly Barbers Point NAS).

Anciently there was a powerful relationship between Pu’uokapolei, Kaupe’a, Kanehili and Ku’alakai. A trail once existed between Pu’uokapolei and Ku’alakai as it passed through Kaupe’a and Ku’alakai. In the story of Pele and Hiiaka when Hiiaka went to Kauai to find Lohiau and take him to Pele she stopped at Pu’uokapolei and met with Nawahinekama’oma’o. Kapo is the older sister of both Pele and Hi’iaka. The story has Hi’iaka leaving Pu’uokapolei and passing through Kaupe’a and Kanehili and arriving at Ku’alakai (Nimitz Beach). The coral boulders from Kanehili solidifies that relationship today and will be a part of every future hula festival in honor of Kapo.

Cultural Mound and Map Stone

The Pu’uokapolei Hula Mound is aligned with setting of the sun at the time of the “change of seasons” which is on or about May 1. Anciently Pu’uokapolei served as a marker for the change of seasons. Hawaiian Historian Sam Manaiakalani Kamakau identifies it in this way.

The people of O`ahu reckoned from the time when the sun set over Pu`u o Kapolei until it set in the hollow of Mahinaona and called this period Kau, and when it moved south again from Pu`u o Kapolei and it grew cold and the time when young sprouts started, the season was called from their germination (oilo) the season Ho`oilo. There were therefore two seasons, the season of Makali`i and the season of Ho`olio.” (S.M. Kamakau, Mo`olelo Hawai`i, Vol. 1, Chpt.2, p. 23.)

Kamakau then states that when the sun set over Pu’uokapolei in the Mahinaona that was the division of the seasons or the marker for the “change of seasons”. But where was the observer standing on May 1 in order to see the setting sun over Pu`u o Kapolei? A hint came from Hawaiian Historian Emma Nakuina Metcalf.

It was determined from the work of Nakuina that the observer would have made this observation from the Opunaha Kuahu which was in the area of where the present Waikiki Aquarium is now located. Every year on or about May 1 and 2 there is a joint celebration with Kumu Hula Keola Lake’s Halau at the Waikiki Aquarium and members of the Kapolei Hawaiian Civic Club at Pu’uokapolei celebrating the setting sun over Pu’uokapolei in the Mahinaona (Pu’u Pala’ila’i).

Puu Palailai as observed from the Waikiki Aquarium, May 2, 2007. Photo by Dr. Lynette Cruz

This alignment of the setting sun as observed from the Waikiki Aquarium was integrated into the design of the hula mound as it faces Pu’u Pala’ila’i. Attached is the architect’s drawing of the hula mound with the integration of that lineal view plane. If one were to draw a straight line connecting the Opunaha Kuahu (Waikiki Aquarium) and Pu’u Pala’ila’i (Mahinaona), that line would pass over Pu’uokapolei, the hula mound, cultural mound and map stone.

Sadly Aunty Olga and Noah Kalama are not with us today. Aunty Olga passed away within a year after this memorable day and Noah followed her shortly after. But make no mistake they are still with us. I hear her in the rustle of the leaves as the wind blows through the native garden. I hear her footsteps as I look over my shoulder. I smell the scent of the flowers in her hair. I see her smile as she stands on the hula mound in approval of all that we have done…………..…Aloha no Aunty Olga.

This story was first published on myadvertiser.com in January 2008.

Many of the stories and traditions associated with Kapua`ikaula seem to refer to Kapua`ikaula and Puuloa as the same place. We do know that it is in the Moku of Ewa. Puuloa is not just Ewa Beach but rather all of Pearl Harbor or as it is anciently known, Keawalauopu`uloa (the many harbors of Pu`uloa). Some felt that it was on the Honolulu side of the channel entrance to Keawalauopu`uloa and others thought from the stories that it was on the Waianae side of the channel upon approach from the sea. In all these stories there was a strong connection to Pu`uloa. From all indication it appeared to be a fishing village located along the shore. According to the oral traditions there are many references to it being a place of canoe landing and departure. So where in the Moku of Ewa did this interesting place exist.

Let`s start by sharing some interesting stories of this place. When Peleioholani, mo`i (ruler) of the island of O`ahu, Kauai and Molokai died his son Kumuhana assumed authority of these islands. Kumuhana however was not a respected Chief. Most people and other Chiefs and Kahuna saw him as self-serving with no sense of responsibility.

Shortly after his assent to mo`i he simply disappears from all stories and traditions. Little is known of him. The stories that immediately follow is a search for a new mo`i. That responsibility fell into the hands of Kahuna nui of O`ahu Kaopulupulu. He was the spiritual pillar and advisor to the Chief of this island. It was well known by all that Kaopulupulu was very disappointed in Kumuhana at the time he disappeared. Kaopulupulu felt that in filling the vacancy left by Kumuhana the nephew of Peleioholani, Kahahana was best suited for the position.

Although Kahahana was born on O`ahu he was sent to Maui as a young boy and was raised as a hanai son in the court of Kahekili. The relationship between Maui and O`ahu was strained during these years. This difficult relationship was the result of an assault on island of O`ahu by Kauhiakama of Maui some 200 years earlier. The Administrative Chief of the island of O`ahu at that time was Kaihikapu-a-Kakuhihewa. His grandfather was Kaihikapu-a-Manuia who built the huge fish ponds of Kaihikapu and Lelepaua at Kapua`ikaula. His father was the great O`ahu Chief Kakuhihewa. Kauhiakama’s warriors suffered a major defeat and Kauhiakama`s body was sacrificed and desecrated by Kaihikapu at Apuakehau Heiau at the present site of the Moana Hotel in Waikiki. His bones were used to make fish hooks and his skull was used as a receptacle for human excrement. This was something that Maui had never forgotten and swore that their descendants will one day take revenge. That day was soon arriving. Kahekili had never forgotten.

Kaopulupulu sought out the sister of Kahahana and asked that she go to Kahekili and ask that he allow Kahahana to return to O`ahu to serve as Mo`i. After she had arrived in Maui and submitted the request of Kaopolupolu, Kahekili met with his hanai son Kahahana. He informed Kahahana of the request of the Kahuna nui Kaopulupulu and gave his approval on condition that all of the land and ocean resources of Kualoa would be his. Kahahana agreed to these conditions not knowing the value of this gift. When Kaopulupulu and all the O`ahu chiefs heard of the agreement Kahahana made with Kahekili they all disapproved. This was the beginning of the decline of the Nanaulu geneaological line of O`ahu chiefs.

Kaopulupulu was a true prophet at the time that Kahahana became the Chief of O`ahu. He was respected by everyone and held in high esteem amongst both the Chiefs and Kahuna class. He was the Kahuna nui. He served Kahahana faithfully although he disagreed with the agreement he made with Kahekili. He made every effort to make Kahahana understand that his authority and rule relied on the sanctity of Kualoa. Kahahana`s arrogance and thoughlessness caused Kaopulupulu to return to his home in the Moku of Waialua in Waimea at the “Valley of the Temples”. His heiau known as “Kupopolu Heiau” still stands in silence somber beneath the weeds on the Haleiwa side of Waimea Bay mauka of Kamehameha Highway. It is on property belonging Kamehameha Schools.

Kaopulupulu had his knee tattooed as the word deaf and knee is the same. He did this so all would know that his chief was deaf to all sound advice. When the news of Kaopulupulu tattooing his knee got to Kahahana, he angrily ordered that Kaopulupulu be put to death. All the while Kahekili trying to convince Kahahana that Kaopulupulu was a traitor and to heed to the conditions of awarding Kualoa to him. Kahahana`s Nakoa sought out Kaopulupulu and found both he and his son Kahulupue at Kupopolu, Waimea Bay. The intent was to bring him to Ulukou (Waikiki) by way of Kapua`ikaula and sacrifice him at Apuakehau Heiau. The Nakoa however took him and his son Kahulupue to Waianae by way of Kaena. They stopped at Pu`u Kahea today in the area where the old plantation manager’s house used to be. It was at Pu`u Kahea where Kahahana’s Nakoa stabbed and fatally wounded Kahulupue. It was here that Kaopulupulu shouted out to his son and said, “make every effort to reach the sea, then the land shall belong to the sea.”

As a prophet in this reference Kaopulupulu is saying that the future of these islands lie in the sea. Kahulupue ran and made it to sea in the area of Mount Lahilahi at Makaha and swam out and was never seen again.

Kaopulupulu was then taken to Kapua`ikaula by way of the trail by Pu`uokapolei. He was taken pass Pukaua, Pu`uokapolei, Keoniae, Puainako and Poohilo and arrived at Kapua`ikaula, Pu`uloa. It was here at Kapua`ikaula that Kaopulupulu was killed. However before he was killed he prophesized that where his body would be laid in Waikiki so too would his chief, Kahahana’s body lie. He further prophesized that all the lands of these islands would one day pass into the hands of foreign power from across the sea.

His body was then placed in a canoe at Kapua`ikaula and taken to Ulukoa (Waikiki) and placed upon an ahu (altar) at Apuakehau Heiau. The year was 1784. Five years earlier Captain Cook arrived in these islands and subsequently killed at Kealakekua Bay. Kamehameha was a young man on Moku O Keawe, Hawaii Island. Word of these islands was spreading around the world.

With Kaopulupulu gone it was easy for Kahekili to launch an assault on Kahahana. Upon word that Kahekili had arrived with his Nakoa on O`ahu, Kahahana with his wife Kekuapo`i and one other friend fled into the forest to escape the wrath of Kahekili. Kahekili devastated the island of O`ahu and ruthlessly killed many men, women and children. He sought out many of the remaining O`ahu chiefs and their wives and children. He killed the last remaining descendants of the Nanaulu clan who were the first Tahitian arrivals who had arrived on these shores approximately around 400 AD. Kahekili and Kamehameha were descendants of the Ulu Clan who had arrived in the eastern islands of the Hawaiian chain some 500 years later. Although cousins to the earlier Nanaulu Clan of O`ahu it was time that divided these Tahitian cousins. Kahekili had fulfilled the death of his ancestor Kauhiakama who was sacrificed and whose bones were desecrated some 200 years earlier. Kahekili found Kahahana in Pu`uloa where he was killed and taken by canoe from Kapua`ikaula and laid upon the same altar in Waikiki at the Apuakehau Heiau also in fulfillment of the prophecy of Kaopolupolu.

Our cultural history is such an interesting one that some things are so hard to explain. It could be said that maybe some occurrences are just a matter of coincidence. Kaopulupulu knew that these lands would one day pass into foreign hands and they would come from across the sea. He also knew that the fulfillment of that prophecy would only happen with his death. It was not something that he wanted but knew it was destined. Years later when sugar blanketed our once pristine native landscape one of Hawaii`s largest sugar markets was the United States. The northern and southern states were in the middle of their Civil War. Shipment of sugar to the northern states was cut off by the south which created an opportunity for Hawaiian sugar. As the shipment of sugar to the United States increased so did the tax on exported sugar to the U.S. Eventually King Kalakaua made an agreement with the United States that by reducing the tax on sugar he would allow the U.S. exclusive rights of access to Keawalauopuuloa (Pearl Harbor). This was the Reciprocity Treaty. Thus Kaopulupulu`s prophecy had come true. The very first lands to pass into a foreign power was Keawalauopuuloa. It was here that Kaopulupulu was killed.

So…….where is Kapua`ikaula. Where in Pu`uloa is Kapua`ikaula? After much research it was learned that the Moku boundary between Ewa and Kona (Honolulu) has changed several times. Today the Moku boundary parallels the fence line dividing Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard from Hickam Air Force Base. However upon further investigation it was learned that anciently the actual boundary was 1 mile east of the fence separating the bases. It allowed both Ewa and Kona to share in the inland fish ponds of Lelepaua and Kaihikapu which were built by Kaihikapu-a-Manuia who was the son of Kalaimanuia and the father of Kakuhihewa. Those fishponds which were 332 and 258 acres respectively now lie beneath the tarmac of both Hickam AFB and the Honolulu International Airport. The auwai are still there today and exit Mamala Bay and Keehi Lagoon. You can still see them today on your occasional flights off island. Kapua`ikaula is Hickam Air Force Base. The ancient Moku boundary between Ewa and Kona used Kapua`ikaula as a description of that division. Today the center of Kapua`ikaula would be in the approximate location of Hickam Harbor Beach adjacent to the reef runway. Is it any wonder why there is a street name of Pu`uloa in Mapunapuna?

Since 2002 the O`ahu Council of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and the 15th Airbase Wing Commander of Hickam Air Force Base has been sponsoring an annual Makahiki at Kapua`ikaula. The Makahiki is an ancient, annual festival that was dedicated to Lono, the deified guardian of agriculture, rain, health and peace. For over two thousand years, the significance of Lono and his contributions to the beliefs and practices of the early Hawaiian people, influenced the celebration of events held during the Makahiki Festival throughout the Hawaiian Islands. According to the ancient lunar calendar of Hawai`i, the beginning of the Hawaiian new year began on the first night of the rising of the star constellation Makali`i (Pleiades). The four months following the rise of the Makali`i (from October to the end of January) was set aside as a time for Lono to give thanksgiving for the bounty of the land and sea.

Since Lono was the embodiment of all the characteristics of peace and welfare, all warfare was strictly forbidden during the time of the Makahiki. Since Lono represented the spiritual life-force that came out of all agricultural efforts, much feasting of every kind was done during the four months of the Makahiki. This focus on health and welfare made games of skill that tested a healthy body and mind a focal point of the Makahiki games.

It was here at Kapua`ikaula, some 250 years and earlier where the Makahiki Festival was celebrated. Other places in Ewa where the Makahiki games were played were Puuokapolei, Waikele, Waipio and Puuloa.

Let the games begin………..E Ho`omaka pa`ani……….

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

It was much different during those years. I can remember being the only car on the road for miles. Isn`t it interesting how life can be. I can honestly say that I never became aware of the name until it became a landfill. I find it interesting that it took trash to draw our attention to this once culturally significant valley. I will share some interesting aspects of Waimanalo that I think by the end of this story you will find it difficult to think of it as a heap of trash. Sadly, it may be trash that future generations will think of this once important place.

When Kamehameha won control of the island of O`ahu by defeating Kalanikapule he divided up the island amongst his leading war chiefs. He awarded the ahupua`a of Honouliuli to Kalanimoku as panilaau lands or conquered lands.

We are not exactly sure where he and his wife Kuahine resided during this period however we suspect perhaps in an area anciently know as Lepau. It was known as an area of chiefly residence.

John “Papa” I`i who is a source of the many stories I share with you is also from the area of Lepau. John “Papa” I`i and Kalanimoku served jointly in governance of these islands during those early years. Lepau was on the eastern point of Waipio Peninsula. A short paddle across Kaihuopalaai (West Loch) was Pu`uloa (Ewa Beach) another chiefly residence.

Stories have it that Kuahine ran away from her husband and hid in a village at Waimanalo. It is described as a community of people who lived along the trail to Waianae that we know of as Farrington Highway today. It was an area adjacent to the shoreline and entrance to Waimanalo where a river exited the valley. These homes appear in early maps drafted of the Ewa and Waianae shorelines. These friendly people were rewarded for hiding Kuahine by having their homes burnt down by the chiefs.

Although we today think of Waimanalo as a hot and dry area, it until recently had a permanent stream. During these early years Waimanalo Gulch was fed by numerous springs whose origins were at the higher elevations of Pa Lehua. There were also many sinkholes that provided fresh water for drinking. These sinkholes were providing fresh water as recent as the 1950s and 60s.

Kumu John Kaimikaua also shared a story told to him by a Kupuna of a spring by the name of Haulele. The spring came from a cave where the water fell from the roof of the cave. Today this spring and cave lies beneath tons of municipal solid waste. Today there are places where some of these ancient springs return after periods of rainfall. The water however would only travel a short distance then return into the permeable soil. One spring in particular after 3 months of steady rainfall last year had water running for about 6 months after the rainy season.

In order to understand the larger role that Waimanalo may have played anciently we need to take a look at similar places on other islands and weave that into how Ewa was perceived by the ancients. Waimanalo is in the Moku of Ewa. There are similarities associated with the geography of every island. Some islands are more eroded than others. Nevertheless these similarities can still be seen.

Keep in mind our Kupuna were the greatest navigators this world has ever seen. Their world was a series of parallel and intersecting lines that extended across all the islands and beyond the horizon to distant stars and constellations. It followed the path of the sun and the moon. It crossed intersecting points on land along ridges, cut the apex of mountain tops and it cut across the top of a mountain with bottom of a valley much like how a shooter would line up the rear site of a gun with the front site. Lines that connected Kumukahi on Hawaii Island with Pu`uokapolei. Lines that connect Mauna Kapu on O`ahu with Hualalai on Hawaii Island. The line that connects Mauna Kapu with Hualalai also strikes the tip of Kaho`olawe at the Kealakahiki Channel. Building a hale such that the door is facing the setting sun at a certain time of the year. Or lining up the walls of a heiau with the setting sun at solstices or equinox. This is the story of ……….Waimanalo.

The similarities of the islands are convincing. On O`ahu, the Ko`olau Mountains separated from the Waianae Mountains by a “saddle”. Maui, Haleakala separated from the west Maui Mountains by a “saddle”. Hawaii Island, Maunakea separated by Mauna Loa and Hualalai by a “saddle”.

We are in the same kind of location. Pa Lehua on O`ahu is situated above Waimanalo and Ko Olina at the bottom. The oral traditions and stories associated with the region makes no distinction between Ko Olina and Waimanalo. They seem to be referring to the same place. This is important to grasp. Three place names along this coastline, Kaupea, Ko Olina and Waimanalo seem to be drawing our attention to points on the horizon.

The stories associated with Ka`u (South Point) on Hawaii Island make reference to it being a point of departure to the southern latitudes. It is also considered by the Maori of Aotearoa as their homeland.
Ukumehame on Maui, likewise is considered a place of landing and departure through the Kealakahiki Channel between Kaho`olawe and Lanai. Waimanalo on O`ahu is in the same kind of location. Ewa in the traditions is referred to as the “celebrated lands of the ancestors”. They are not referring to our ancestors here but to our ancestors to the south. At the time of the winter solstice, when the sun is in the south, the sun sets on the long walls of the Pa Lehua Heiau simultaneously on an upright Pohaku (shall we call this a navigational Pohaku?) on the high ground above Waimanalo Gulch as it sets in the very bottom of the apex of the valley much like the rear site and front site of a gun.

I was recently invited with other cultural practitioners from both Waianae and Ewa to view several upright stones identified by archaeologists which are within the area of the proposed expansion of Waimanalo Gulch Landfill. These uprights stones are being referred to as “Navigational Stones”. They are without question important from a cultural perspective. However there is still more to learn of their significance. What are they trying to draw our attention to? Is there a relationship between these Pohaku and the upright stones mauka of the valley?

The mauka Pohaku can be seen from the lower level of Waimanalo because of it’s substantial size however the makai Pohaku are difficult to see. However when you stand on the mauka Pohaku, the makai navigational stones are on that line. You just cannot see them, however you know that they are there. To remove these navigational stones and preserve them somewhere else would be a mistake. Unless they can be preserved in their original location they would lose their sense of importance. They would just be another bunch of stones.

I think most of us are aware of the stories surrounding the discovery of what some people refer to as the “pueo” stone of Waimanalo when the initial construction of the landfill was taking place. There were a lot of accidents occurring with the construction project. Equipment was breaking down and workers were getting hurt. Kupuna Emma DeFries was contacted and helped locate the source of all the accidents when she identified this Pohaku. She indicated that it was a sacred Pohaku and suggested that a protocol be established for its removal and placed in a safe place. To this date we do not know if accidents or equipment damage have stopped. We do know that the landfill operations have been plagued with problems since it first opened. We also know that beyond the proposed expansion area are more “pueo” stones. However…..this is not what this story is all about.

It is the same story that I have shared repeatedly. It is a story of our efforts to piece a history back together and preserve it for future generations. Stories alone are not enough. In our world of today we need scientific proof that our Kupuna were the greatest navigators this world has ever seen. A piece of that proof is in Waimanalo Gulch. Perhaps there is a reason why these navigational stones have made their presence known to us today. Things happen for a reason. There are no mistakes. The only mistakes…… are the choices made by people.

I doubt that anyone can say with certainty what this all means. I think that we can say with certainty though that there is something important to be learned here. The message is if we lose any more of this traditional cultural landscape we may never learn what it all means. It comes down to choices. But ……isn’t that the defining aspect of life………….choices. Are we capable of making ………………right choices?

Mahalo a me Aloha no……

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

Let us however take a step back in time and see how life once was. When we were once hunters, fishermen, growers of kalo and uala and gatherers of bird feathers. A time when we were once warriors. The oral traditions to most cultural thinkers today are more than just stories. It is a history of people and places few of us know today. It was told and passed on in a manner that would help us remember. Such are the stories of Käne and Känaloa. They are not just gods but our Kupuna who traveled the seas and land. Käne of fresh water, “wai” and Känaloa of the seas “kai”. It is a voyaging story. A story of their travels from the islands of the southern latitudes to these jewels of the northern seas. It is a story of how Käne brought forth life to this land. It is a story of places and names. A story of water and people and the places where they lived and thrived. Such is the story of Känehili……….

H. David Tuggle and his wife Myra Tomonari-Tuggle of International Archaeological Institute, Inc. at the request of Belt Collins Hawaii in 1994 conducted an inventory of all cultural resources through mid-1994 of the entire Ewa Plain. It was an inventory of all previous archaeological surveys. It was done to satisfy the requirements of an Environmental Impact Statement part of the closure of the Barbers Point Naval Air Station and the cleanup and reuse of the former naval air station. This “Synthesis of Cultural Resource Studies was ultimately intended to serve as a cultural resource management plan.

Jan Becket photographing paved trail in Kanehili

No one knows the exact geographical area of Känehili however Dave Tuggle identifies the area once occupied by the Barbers Point Naval Air Station as Känehili. Its location and size was determined by the oral traditions. When one walks from Pu`uokapolei to Küalaka`i he would pass through Kaupe`a and Känehili before he reaches Küalaka`i. The oral traditions identify Känehili as the place where Käne brought forth water from the sinkholes with the strike of his ko`oko`o. It is also identified as the place where bird-catchers caught the O`o as they fed on the None fruit.

The oral traditions is an important source of information in an effort to understand our ancient past of Hawaii nei. They tell us a lot. The simple poetic references to places by name is an indication that our Kupuna lived there. If there were people there would be water a short distance away. One would find all the necessities of life; food, shelter and resources for clothing. There would also be places of leisure, for gathering and enjoying each others company.

In a song by Hi`iaka, Pele`s younger sister, to Lohiau and her companion Wahineoma`o, Hi`iaka says this:

Ku`u aikane I ke awa lau of Pu`uloa
Mai ke kula o Pe`e Kaua ke noho `oe
E noho kaua e kui, e lei I ka pua o ke kauno`a
I ka pua o ke akulikuli, o ka wiliwili
O ka ihona o Kaupe`e (Kaupe`a) I Kanehili,
Ua hili au, akahi no ka hili o ka la pomaika`i
Aohe moewa`a o ka po, e moe la nei
E lohiauipo, e Wahineoma`o
Ho`e `a mai ka wa`a I a`e aku au

This poetic reference, “O ka ihona o Kaupe`e (Kaupe`a) I Känehili” (The descent of Kaupe`a to Känehili) is an indication that Känehili is directly makai of Kaupe`a and Pu`uokapolei. This is consistent with Dave Tuggle`s reference that the entire geographical area of the former naval air station is the cultural landscape or Ili of Känehili

The following reference to Känehili appears in a Kanikau by Kekuapo`i to her deceased husband Kahahana, the last ruling Mo`i of the Mokupuni of O`ahu.

I walea wale i ke a Contented among the stones
I ka ulu kanu a Kahai Among the breadfruit planted by Kahai
Haina oe e ka O`o Thou vast spoken of by the O`o
E ka manu o Känehili By the bird of Känehili.
I kea ae la hoi kuu lani My chief also was seen
Iluna ka ohu Kanalio a ka manu e Above the dense Kanalio fog by the bird
Kela manu haule wale I kauwahi That bird dazed by smoke
I hapapa I loaa I ke kanaka Falling to the ground is caught by men
Honi I ka manu hunakai o kai The bird scents the sea spray
Aia ka I kai kuu lani There indeed by the sea is my chief,

It is easy to understand from this reference that Känehili is where bird catchers caught the O`o as the bird fed on the None tree of Känehili. It is also interesting in that the None can still be found today growing among the kiawe trees and weeds. It was the yellow feather of the O`o that the bird catchers sought to adorn the ahuula (feather capes) of the O`ahu chiefs.

Much of the place we know of as Kalaeloa today has been disturbed by military construction. However in every place where there were no disturbance, no military construction, no ground disturbing activities one would find signs of ancient Hawaiian culture. It is an indication that all of the former naval air station was a community of people. Along the shoreline were temporary habitation structures for fishermen. Just inland could be found many permanent habitation sites with trails and sinkholes that served as a water source and agriculture. Today in Kalaeloa one can easily find sinkholes with Ti leaves and None growing in them. So…..where is Känehili today. Signs of Känehili can be found in and amongst the kiawe and weeds along Coral Sea Road, It can be found in the area of the Barbers Point Stables. It can be found amongst coral rubble mauka of White Plains Beach. It can be found mauka of Tripoli. For although the “waters of Käne” have long since left the sinkholes of Känehili……….for although the O`o no longer feeds on the None fruit of Känehili………..for although much have changed in the last 500 years……….there still exist many signs of an ancient past amongst the weeds and kiawe of Känehili……..….

Structure built in Tahitian fashion at Kanehili

Why don`t we go back in time to the period of around 1500 A.D. The place is……. Känehili. The celebration ……….is the Makahiki. It is a time of peace and joyous celebration for Lono has come to Känehili on his annual trip around the island of O`ahu. We are all at the Päone at Känehili. It is a place today still hidden amongst the kiawe and weeds close to White Plains Beach. It is a large enclosure approximately 1 ½ acres entirely filled in with sand. The Nakoa from Palehua have come down from the waolani with gifts and makana of pua`a for Lono. The farmers of Kalo`i have brought kalo and mai`a (banana). The birdcatchers of Pukaua have brought feathers as Makana to show their loyalty to the Mo`i and Lono. The fishermen of Küalaka`i have brought i`a (fish), limu lipoa and lobster. Today there will games played to test the käne`s skills at Makaihe (spear throwing) and hakamoa (wrestling). Some käne and wähine will perform some hula while the games are being played. Food will be plentiful for everyone. There will be much awa drinking. When the games are over and the sun begins to set over Pu`uokapolei some of us will walk home along the paved trail back to Küalaka`i. Those from the uplands of Hanalei, Palehua, Puu Kuua and Keahumoa will stop for a while at Keoneai and Puainako and refresh ourselves before going further mauka. It has been a good day…..a day of thanksgiving and celebration for a bountiful harvest………

The sad reality of all the previous archaeological work done in Känehili (Barbers Point Naval Air Station) and all the Ewa Plain is they were merely done to satisfy requirements environmental impact statements and cultural assessments. The work was budgeted. Dave Tuggle’s “Synthesis of Cultural Resource Studies of the `Ewa Plain” which is the source of much of what I have shared with you was intended to ultimately serve as a “Cultural Resource Management Plan” with the closure of the former Naval Air Station at Barbers Point. It was intended to serve as a source of cultural resource information toward its preservation and future study. Perhaps Dave Tuggle`s last few pages of his “synthesis” best explains what is our responsibility today, what is our kuleana. What must we do as contemporary people of this new city of Kapolei. In short he says the work is not done. Much more needs to be done in terms of gathering data. M