Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 7, 1 July 2012 — Reconnecting with historic Ko Lonokilo Church ot Keomoku Village [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Reconnecting with historic Ko Lonokilo Church ot Keomoku Village

Trust.ee' s note: This month's eolumn is

written by Kepa Maly, executive director ofthe Lāna'i Cu.lture & Heritcige Cent.er. n ancient times Lāna'i's windward coast was home to thousands of Hawaiian residents. In the 1800s, the native populahon rapidly declined and the landscape was impacted by deforestation. In the 1890s, Fredrick and Talula Gibson Hayselden, who controlled large tracts of land on Lāna'i, developed the Maunalei Sugar Co. Ltd., with operations focused

at Keomoku. Keomoku Village heeame the island's populahon center and ' 'capital.' ' The plantation built houses, stores, an inn, sugarmill and hospital at Keomoku. Struggling with inadequate finances and water shortages, the plantation failed and closed in March 1901, and the population of Lāna 'i rapidly declined to around 1 25 . In 1903, the island's Hawaiian famihes joined an association of Hawaiian churches and began construction of this wooden church at Keomoku. The church, Ka Lanakila, was dedicated Oct. 4, 1903. The congregation included multi-generational members of famihes under such names as: Apiki, Kaenaokalani, Kahaleanu, Kahiki-wawe-Cockett, Kahoohalahala, Kalua, Kane, Kaopuiki, Kauakahi, Kauhane, Kauila, Kauwenaole, Keliihananui, Kukaloloua, Makahanaloa, Mano, Nakihei, Namauu, Ohumukini and Puulei. Services were done solely in the Hawaiian language and structured in three distinct Sunday services, Kula Euaneho, Hālāwai Haipule and Kula Sabah. Famihes arrived at church before 10 a.m. and remained there through 1 p m. In those early days, no work was ahowed on Lāpule (Sunday), so famihes prepared all food the day prior to service, and then retumed home for a quiet day of rest and reflection. By 1930, the population of Keomoku Village had mostly moved to the uplands with the development of ranching operations and the Dole Pineapple Plantahon. Ka Lanakila Church remained in regular use

until 195 1, when Rev. Daniel Kaopuiki Sr.

and his wife, Hattie Kaenaokalani Kaopuiki, relocated from Keomoku to Lāna'i City. Ka Lanakila was abandoned and decommissioned and the land was retumed to the owner. In the late 1980s, a restoration project on the church was begun, and large sections of the wooden structure were removed and replaced. Unfortunately, the work was left incomplete, and over the next 20-plus years, siltation buried the footings of the church, and posts and piers

helow the church rotted. Framing, wahs and roofing materials also rotted, and the floors began to sink. Fohowing lengthy discussions with kūpuna, it was decided that this historic feature should be cared for. The Agape Foundation Charitable Trust, OHA, community members and statewide partners offered support for the project, and Castle & Cooke Resorts LLC granted aright-of-entry agreement to the Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center to undertake the stabilization, whieh began October 2010. On lune 23, 2012, the last kūpuna, who as children grew up in the Keomoku area, and attended Ka Lanakila gathered with the conununity to celebrate the restoration of the old church. It is envisioned that Ka Lanakila will onee again serve as a gathering plaee for the people of Lāna'i, and as a plaee of weleome to guests who seek to explore and leam about Lāna'i's history. The building continues to hold a speeial plaee in the hearts and minds of the people. Several kūpuna and their 'ohana hope to onee again hold an occasional service at Ka Lanakila. This historic wooden church is a connection with an earlier time in Lāna'i's history and is the last physical structure of what was onee the most significant settlement on the island. For more information, eome and visit the Lāna'i Culture & Heritage Center or our website at lanaichc.org. ■

LEO 'ELELE V TRUSTEE MESSSAGES "

Edit.or's not.e: Beginning in Ju.ne. cert.ain t.ru.st.ees ' columns will not. appear in Ka Wai Ola. In accordance with an Office ofHawaiian Affairs Board ofTru.st.ees policy based on st.at.e et.hics gu.idelines, any tru.st.ee ru.nningfor re-elect.ion is su.spended from pu.blishing his or her regu.lar eolumn unt.il the elect.ions are complet.e, except.for t.hose t.ru.st.ees ru.nning u.nopposed. Tru.st.ees Haunani Apoliona and Robert.Lindsey havefiled nominat.ion papersforre-election and, as a resu.lt, t.heircohimns are su.spendedpending the ouleome oft.he elect.ion.

Cūlette Y. Machadū

Chairpersūn, Trustee, Muluka'i and Lāna'i