Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 11, 1 November 2011 — National park was founded on Hawaiian ideals [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

National park was founded on Hawaiian ideals

ByTreenaShapiro First ofa tn'0-part series The unique founding legislation for Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historieal Park has a deeply Hawaiian vision, crafted by Native Hawaiians. Situated between Kailua-Kona and the Keahole-Kona International Airport, the l,160-acre park contains hundreds of significant cultural, historical and natural resources. Collectively, they indicate ancient Hawaiians sustained a thriving settlement there into the 19th century. To a casual observer, the park may seem like a barren lava field, but ancient Hawaiians saw mueh more than an inhospitable environment, made apparent by more than 400 archaeological sites - including fishponds, heiau, eanoe landings, house platforms, historic trails, petroglyphs and burial sites - along with natural resources critical to the settlement. For nearly 40 years, historian and kumu Fred Cachola has been involved in efforts to ensure Kaloko-Honokōhau's fragile ecosystem retains its vitality, validity and overall quality. Clean oeean and fresh water, in particular, are essential to realizing the founders' vision for establishing a living museum where Hawaiians ean "practice, restore and recreate some of the cultural that was unique to the Kona area." Only a few volunteers share Cachola's decadeslong dedication to the mission. "For some of us, it's a magnificent obsession. For others, it's a cultural kuleana of the highest magnitude,"

Cachola says, without indicating whieh category he falls into. He encourages other volunteers to lend their kōkua. In 1972, Cachola was appointed to a 16-member federal advisory commission (all but one was Native Hawaiian) asked to consider whether it would be desirable and feasible to create a nahonal park at Kaloko-Honokōhau. Other members included noted Native Hawaiians 'Iolani Luahine, George Nā'ope, Herb Kawainui Kane and John D. Waihe'e III. The commission's 1974 Spirit of KalokoHonokōlum report offers compelling reasons to protect the area, beyond its rich history and culture. Its wetland habitat attracts migrating and endangered native birds. Protected green sea turtles ean often be seen basking on the heaeh. Native plants continue to thrive there. But its historical and cultural significance - particularly to Native Hawaiians - make it invaluable. Surviving structures provide clues to an ancient Hawaiian community and the bonds with spirit and nature that enabled them to adapt to their physical environment. Ancient settlers saw abundant fish and sea life in the oeean; found pools for drinking, cleaning and farming, and discovered native plants they could use for medicine, tools, utensils and shelters. It was a plaee where hundreds lived and ali'i eame to visit for ceremony and recreation. The thriving settlement represents some of ancient Hawaiians' finest hours, Cachola suggests. The two remaining fishponds, part of a sophisticated fish-farming system, exemplified aquaculture at its highest form and could feed thousands of people, he believes. The 300-year-

old kuapā seawall was an engineering feat that took more than a decade to rehabilitate using traditional practice that called for placing one rock at a time. The ancient seawall was built without tools or mortar, but the rehabilitation project was completed using an excavator purchased with funds from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to compensate for a laek of manpower needed to complete the project. Geraldine Bell, Kaloko-Honokōhau Superintendent from 1999 until early 2010, recently visited the park, where the seawall rehabilitation project had been completed. "I was amazed at the work they accomplished," she says. The park now contains a visitor kiosk and about three miles of trails that lead past archeological sites and native plants. It attracts more than 100,000 visitors eaeh year despite its rugged appearance. Bell observes, "If you're driving along the highway and see the park, you think, 'How could people live here?' " The Spirit report offers hope that that question could be answered. It recommends a cultural live-in center where Hawaiians could stay for short periods to immerse in reliving, restoring and rejoicing in the cultural practices that made that area a thriving settlement," Cachola said. Though key to the founding vision, the center has only heeome a priority in recent years, due to Cachola's determination to move it forward. To that end, he founded the nonprofit Makani Hou o Kaloko-Honokōhau to provide support to the Nahonal Park Service. SEE KAL0K0 "II PAGE 25

LAND & WATER

www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org NATIVE HAWAIIAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS

..>!.1I'III IIIIM' 'imiilllīil I II ■■!■■■ ■■IWWHI I IIIIIMIIIMI 'Aimakapā Fishpond and 'Al'ōplo, as seen in 1 950. - NPS Archive photo

Aenal view of completed Kaloko kuapā at Kaloko-Honokōhau Nahonal Historical Park. - NPS photo byAdam Johnson

KALOKO Continued from page 12 Ruby McDonald, of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Kona Office, has a lifelong connection with the land. Her family worked the fishpond for generations - taking care of it, cleaning it, restocking it and harvesting it. "I have a very different concept for the land because I lived it," she says. "I think it's wonderful what the National Park Service is doing now," she adds, highlighting the agency's responsiveness to community concerns and focus on culture. McDonald, a member of the Kona Hawaiian Civic Club, recalls the group's involvement in the process that led to the park's establishment. In the 1960s, proposed development would have removed half of the kuapā seawall and turned Kaloko fishpond into a white sand beach. However, under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, removing registered historic landmarks raised questions. The Kona Hawaiian Civic Club brought the issue to the attention of then-U.S. Congresswoman Patsy Mink, who believed Hawaiians should have input.

Mink championed the 1972 law that created the federal advisory commission. In 1978, the park was established in accordance with the Spirit report, and the National Park Service took over its management. Eric Andersen, the park's Chief of Interpretation, said first-time visitors are probably surprised by what they discover. The park's landscape, dominated by black 'a'ā and pāhoehoe lava, has been largely undeveloped for two centuries. It gives visitors a sense of what the area might have looked like in the 1800s. The west-facing shore offers beautiful oeean vistas, but only if you're looking straight ahead. Andersen says in any other direction, you might see sailboat masts, schools, institutional buildings, industrial park and luxury properties. "I think what many people walk away with is the stark contrast of the past to the present, and how Hawai'i has been treated," he says. For more on KalokoHonokōhau NationaI HistoricaI Park, p1ease see Trustee Robert Lindsey 's eolumn on page 40. Treena Shapiro, a freeīance writer, is a former reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser. ■

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Drawing by Herb Kawainui Kane for the 1 974 report "Spirit of Kaloko Honokōhau." Property ofNational Park Service