Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 7, 1 July 2023 — Hui o Kuapā: Restoring People and Loko I'a [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hui o Kuapā: Restoring People and Loko I'a

By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi Prior to Western contact in 1778, there were well over 400 seaside loko i'a throughout Hawai'i ranging from half an acre to 500 acres in size. Small or large, they all had kuapā (walls) up to six feet high that were excellent examples of dry-stack masonry, stones fitted together tightly with no mortar. Set in the walls were mākāhā, six-to-12-foot-wide sluice gates made of branches that kept out predators and enabled young fish to enter the pond to feed on limu. As the fish matured, they heeame too big to pass through the mākāhā's slats and could easily be harvested with nets. Under the watchful eye of kia'i loko, the caretakers, fishponds yielded 300 to 600 pounds of fish per acre per year. Over the decades, most of Hawai'i's loko i'a were either destroyed or damaged, the victims of erosion, lava flows, invasive mangroves, and runoff from ranching, development and agricultural pursuits. Sixty-eight fishponds onee lined Moloka'i's southern shore; on the west end, some of their walls are now under six feet of mud. With a paniolo background, Hanohano Naehu didn't know mueh about loko i'a prior to 2000 when his journey ffom pasture to pond began. He had held jobs in tourism and farming but was searching for work that would strengthen his ties to his Hawaiian roots. Coincidentally — or perhaps it was fate — nonprofit Hui o Kuapā was starting the restoration of 55-acre, 800-year-old Keawanui, the largest fishpond on Moloka'i, and Naehu was given the opportunity to assist. Well-known social activist Walter Ritte founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1989 to support loko i'a reconstruc-

tion, education and research. "Kalaniua, my best friend, is Unele Walt's son," Naehu said. "He had been restoring fishponds with Hui o Kuapā since 1994, and by 2000 he had heeome one of the best kia'i loko in Hawai'i. I was excited to work with him and learn from Unele Walt at Keawanui." Naehu and Kalaniua had occasional help from volunteers, but they wound up doing the bulk of the work

themselves. "Four mākāhā and the 2,000-foot wall had to be rebuilt," Naehu said. "We had no machines; there was only us.'" They finished repairing Keawanui's kuapā and mākāhā in 2004, and efforts to restock limu and fish were progressing well until March 11, 2011, when a magnitude-9.1 earthquake occurred off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan's main island, generating giant tsunami waves that sped more than 4,000 miles to Hawai'i. When they hit the south shore of Moloka'i, they demolished Keawanui's reconstructed wall. Onee again, Naehu and Kalaniua found themselves at square one but, with two helpers, they were able to rebuild the kuapā in a year and three months. Keawanui is now a fully functioning loko i'a — a model for other fishpond restoration projects in Hawai'i. In 2019, Ritte initiated steps to launeh a new nonprofit, Āina Momona, based at Keawanui. Instead of just loko i'a, its kuleana would encompass heahh, conservation, sustainability, food security, and Hawaiian cultural rights and practices. His intent was to wind down Hui o Kuapā in 2020 as Āina Momona was ramping up. "That's when my wife, Maile, and I asked Unele Walt if we could take over and continue the good work Hui o Kuapā had been doing for 30 years," Naehu said. "He thought it was a great idea. Maile is Hui o Kuapā's program director; I'm the head kia'i loko; and our son, Kahale Naehu-Ramos, is the photographer and film producer. Maile works closely with our administrator, Joe Farber, on funding, issues, and community and government relations. Although we are separate organizations, we partner with Āina Momona on some fishpond projSEEHUI 0KUAPĀ0N PAGE 13

Punohu Kekauūluū, Honohono Noehu ond Kohole Noehu-Ramos loke a breok during o workdoy of 'Ohalohala loko i'a. - Photos: Kahale Naehu-Ramos

Volunteers at 'Ōhalahala loko i'a move stones to help rebuild the kuapō. - Photo: Kahale Naehu-Ramos

HUI 0 KUAPĀ Continued from page 12 ects." Hui o Kuapā's current focus is 'Ohalahala, a half-acre loko i'a that's a five-minute walk from Naehu's home in the ahupua'a of Kūmimi in southeastern Moloka'i. To date, 140 feet of its 350-foot kuapā have been rebuilt. "Kalaniua and I could do it in four months, but no one else would learn," Naehu said. "It's not about finishing the project; it's about the journey. We want to share the journey with future kia'i loko. If people want to restore a fishpond in their ahupua'a, they ean train with us at 'Ōhalahala. Our goal is to restore the people who are going to restore the loko i'a." ■

Kōkua the Loko l'a Hui o Kuapā will be hosting four community workdays at 'Ōhalahala Fishpond in the coming months. They are scheduled on these Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: August 16, September 13, Octoberl8, and Novemberl5. lfyou would like to participate, RSVP to Maile Naehu at alohahaloa@gmail.com. Bring a towel and water, and wear a hat, leggings or Bermuda shorts and a long-sleeved shirt or rash guard. Learn more about Hui o Kuapā visit huiokuapa.org and @hui_o_kuapa. Email farber808@gmail.com to ask about arranging special programs and fishpond assessments.

'"•A » *" If. BvS, 1 '• i/B|l " Hanohano Naehu works on the kuapa af 'Ohalahala loko i'o.

Volunteers ot work ot 'Ohalahala loko i'a.