Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 8, 1 August 2000 — "Kalo kanu o ka ʻāina" [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"Kalo kanu o ka ʻāina"

Kalo planted on the land

By Claire Hughes Dept. of Health WE THINK of the Wai'anae area as one too dry to support wet kalo farming. However, that has not always been the case. In ancient times, Wai'anae Valley had extensive systems of kalo terraces whieh were watered by various streams. These terraces were very fertile and productive. Olohua Stream watered 14 distinct terraces. Kīko'o Stream watered four kalo terraces and Kūmaipō Stream watered another four. The Honua section was owned by the ali'i of the valley. A vast terraced area in the upper valley was highly productive and could feed a sizable population. The ingenious Hawaiian farmers of ancient times developed an extensive irrigation system that maximized the water from these streams to feed the lo'i. Onee sugar farming was introduced, the streams were diverted to the eane fields. Today, these streams are no longer. One of the peaks in the Wai'anae mountain range is known as Kawiwi. It has a deep scar on its pah. A

mo'olelo teUs of an elderly eouple that lived at the head of the valley near Kawiwi. Their beautiful daughter was desired as a wife by many, but the parents would not give their consent. They were waiting for a man worthy of their daughter. Mother and daughter occasionally went to the shore to fish, usually returning with a small catch. One day they met a man, handsome beyond belief, a stranger to the area. When he learned that they were going fishing, he offered to help the women. So successful was he, the two women returned home laden with mullet, moi and other fish. The father was surprised and they told him of the helpful stranger. Eaeh time the women went fishing, this man helped them. As time passed, the handsome man and the girl grew to love eaeh other. The old eouple was fond of the youth and allowed him to marry their daughter. The young men of the valley were jealous and circulated the story that this youth was a kupua with evil powers. Before long, the young woman became sickly and thin. Consulting a kahuna, the parents were told their daughter's husband was not a man, that he was an eel. They should look at his back when

he was asleep and they would see eel fins. Indeed, they discovered that he had the back of an eel. People of the valley were summoned to help. They gathered great piles of 'ōhi'a wood at the foot of Kawiwi, at a plaee called Ko'olina, to burn the husband and rid the valley of any evil he might do. He was then invited to a lū'au where he was surrounded and attacked. He quickly changed into an eel. The warriors cut off his eel head and tossed it into the fire, but the head jumped back onto the body and the fight continued. Many times, the head was severed and tossed into the fire, but it kept jumping back to unite with the body. Finally, an older warrior suggested that they hold their stone adzes against the body after the head was severed to prevent it from rejoining the body. Thus, the eel was killed by the people. The eel was called Puhinalo, the obliterated eel. The mark on the pali wall is known as Ka'oniapuhi, the writhing eel. It is too late to save the streams Olohua, Kīko'o and Kūmaipō, but we must mālama our precious remaining water to grow the food crops that ean sustain and nourish a healthy nation so we ean be more self sufficient and less reliant on mainland food sources. ■

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PHOTO: MANU BOYD