I follow Kumu Amy Stillman on FaceBook. She shares a lot of really interesting and informative stuff, and she is an awesome teacher and writer. Recently, she shared this article. That was followed by some discussion, so I decided to post my thoughts here.
I’ve never been to a gathering where people’s standards were so “low” they hired “Uncle.”
In my experience, the ʻAnakala playing music often had taught some of the musicians in the named band, and the band members were enjoying not having to work, but would jump in and jam sometimes.
But, yes, my ʻohana is VERY thankful that we have dear Japanese friends who help to support our work.
What I have noticed here, and it is mentioned somewhat obliquely in the article, is that the respect for education just does not seem to exist here in Hawaiʻi. Japan has a very high level of respect for education and educators.
My Japanese students are horrified if they see me schlepping gear or driving. They leap to help me so that I can focus on my role – teacher. During class breaks, they practice and check each other. They show up for class early, practice at home, and are prepared for class. My local students show up late, have been known to stroll along behind me as I carry all the gear in, seem to think that class time is so we all can practice together rather than learn new material, and during breaks they are on their cell phones. I shut down my local classes for a few years.
We in Hawaiʻi have adopted the service economy mentality of industrialized/consumerist cultures. “I paid you, so it is your job to feed me knowledge.” In Japan, the attitude I get from students is, “Please accept this financial gift as our thanks for sharing with us.” I think this may also address the issue of musician pay – the service economy “best bang for the buck,” plus least amount of work. If ʻAnakala is willing to do the job and set everything up, then no need worry. If ʻAnakala will give you a professional show for a plate of kalua pig and some beer, all the better.
Again, I’ve not personally seen this result in low quality music, but I DO see it result in low respect. Because some people forget that ʻAnakala did NOT perform for poke and beer or whatever. ʻAnakala and ʻAnakē performed for love of their ʻohana, and of their culture, and of their music. And THAT is what breaks my heart. That their aloha is disrespected.
It is truly heartwrenching to see them get more aloha and respect from an utter stranger than they do from their own ʻohana and neighbors.
Of course, this does not happen all the time, and there are people here who do honor our local entertainers and practitioners.
But, I see our culture changing from the aloha-based sharing, and honoring the sharing with gifts of food, drink, kōkua around the house, and kālā, to that service economy “best bang for the buck” attitude.
Lei are often associated with wahi pana, and so it is important to understand the place as well as the lei. At one time, the cinder cone of Hālaʻi, and the forests of Haili and Mokaulele were renowned for the beauty of their deep scarlet ʻōhiʻa-lehua, which were extolled in stories, chants, songs, and hula.
It is important that we understand the distinctions between these places. Today, many people call Hālaʻi, the puʻu, or cinder cone near Hilo Intermediate School, Haili Hill. It is not named Haili Hill. Haili was the forest at the base of the hill, which extended down toward where the Hilo Boys and Girls Club now stands. The hill is named Hālaʻi. “Hālaʻi” translates to English as “calm.” “Haili” is a sudden rememberance, or a ghost or spirit.
The lei lehua is the most famous lei of Punahoa and of Hilo. Many oli and mele honor this lei, and the environment in which it thrives.
The lei hala also is beloved in Hilo, especially in Panaʻewa. But it is usually associated with Puna and with Hiʻiakaikapoliopele.
Hālaʻi, Haili, and Mokaulele are part of the Punahoa ahupuaʻa, and their rains and waterways are critical to the plants and animals of this area. The upper portion of Punahoa shares the Pi`ihonua weather system, resulting in the “rain line” you may have noticed, which ends just above Lyman House, more or less at the Boys and Girls Club.
Rains of this area include:
Hukiheʻenehu, a fine rain which comes in from the ocean at early morning.
Lanipōlua, a fine rain with heavy dark clouds that settles in for the day.
Hālaulani, associates with the budding of the hala trees.
Palahīnano, associated with the blossoming of the hala trees.
Lehua, a chill, fragrant rain.
Kanilehua, a loud, drenching rain, and the most famous of Hilo’s rains.
You can learn more about the rains of Hawaiʻi in this excellent book:
Hāla`i [hah-LAH-ee] is the ancient name for the pu`u (hill/cindercone) across the street from Hilo Intermediate School. It is the home of Hinaikeahi [Hina-of-the-fire], a goddess of fire, and sister to Hinakuluua [Rain-drop-Hina], and Hina of the waterfall at Waiānuenue.
Hālaʻi was renowned for the beautiful deep red `ōhi`a-lehua which bloomed , and for the strength of its `ohe, bamboo, which was exceptionally long and strong. Unfortunately, when the hill was cleared for development, all of the beautiful `ōhi`a-lehua and the unique type of native bamboo was destroyed. The bamboo we see covering the mauka side of Hāla`i today is an invasive temperate region species which was planted on here in the late 80s.
Haili was an ancient `ōhi`a forest which no longer exists. Haili church was built from `ōhi`a timbers logged from this forest. The church was then named for the forest, a common naming practice at the time. The forest was pretty much logged out, and then what was left was made into sugar fields. What is now Haili Street was known as Church Street at first, and then when this area was developed, my understanding is that the Haili Church membership either paid for paving and extension of the street, or took a lead in accomplishing that, so the street was named for the church. Or, it may have been named for the forest, as the street terminates near where the forest edge once was.
Mokaulele forest still has remnants near ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, and extending ma uka of Komohana, but with continuing development, even this may soon be gone as well.
Back in the 90s, when
I was a cultural demonstrator at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park,
we sometimes used to enjoy mildly teasing visitors who asked us if there was a
place they could find traditional Hawaiian beverages. “Oh, yes,” we’d tell
them. “It’s even free! The water fountain is right over there!” Indeed, water,
wai, is the most widespread traditional Hawaiian beverage, and is so important that it is extolled in chants
and offered to the gods.
E ulu, e ulu kini o
ke Akua
Ulu Kāne me Kanaloa
Ulu ʻōhiʻalaukoa me
ka ʻieʻie
Aʻe mai a noho i kou
kuahu
Eia ka wai la, he wai
e ola
E ola nō e!
O, grow, O grow multitude of Gods
Grow Kāne and Kanaloa
Grow forest forms of of the gods
Dwell here in your altar
Here is the water, the water of life
Life, indeed!
Our bodies are 60%
water, and we use it in many ways. We use it to regulate our body temperature;
lubricate joints, tendons, and muscles; dissolve minerals and other nutrients
so they may be transported throughout the body, along with oxygen, to our
cells; carry waste products, toxins, and gasses from our cells to our lungs,
kidneys, liver, and skin for removal from the body; moisten tissues of our
eyes, lips, mouth, and digestive system; and remove waste products from our
digestive tract. We drink water, we clean ourselves and our environment with
it, and we even breathe small amounts of it as vapor in the air. Dehydration,
the lack of water, can lead to fatigue, impared thinking, and other problems. Human
life is dependant on water.
In ancient Hawaiʻi,
this dependance on water was recognized in a number of sayings. The folk
etymology that waiwai, “wealth,” is a
reduplication of the word for water is probably inaccurate, with the word being
more closely related to wai meaning
“retain,” as retaining goods or property. But it is a good memonic to remember
the importance of water to our kino, our bodies.
Mary Kawena Pukui
recorded a number of sayings about water in her book, Olelo Noeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings:
Ola i ka wai a ka
ʻōpua – There is life in the water from
the clouds.
Uē ka lani, ola ka
honua – When heaven cries, the land
lives.
Huʻea na kai i pihaʻā
moe wai o uka – Washed to the sea is debris
of upland streams.
Ka lepo ke kumu wai,
e huaʻi ana ka lepo kai – When the source
of water is dirty, the dirt is carried to the sea.
What lessons do these
things have for us today? Just as the earth must have adequite clean water to
maintain the health of the land, rivers, and sea, we must drink adequite clean
water to maintain the health of our bodies.
On the macro scale,
we must all work for the health of the land by supporting the health of the
water. On the micro scale, we can support our own health by drinking clean,
pure water.
Just as we can tell
the health of a stream by how much silt and contaminents are spilling into the
ocean from it, we can look at our own mimi (urine) to get some gauge of our
health. It should be clear or pale yellow. If it is dark or cloudy, we need to
adjust our intake of water, and if that does not clear it up, to see a doctor.
Just how much water
does a person need to drink? That varies a great deal. In general six to eight
eight ounce glasses of water per day are recommended for adults. But if a
person is doing activities that cause heavy perspiration, more water will be
needed. Pregnant and nursing women need more water. People who are ill need
more water.
While vitamin water
is popular, doctors are starting to express concers that we are overdosing on
vitamins, which can lead to a variety of symptoms, depending on the overabundant
vitamin. For example, overdosing on B1 (thiamine) can cause weakness, headache,
irregular heartbeat, and low blood pressure. Overdosing on vitamin E can cause
symptoms ranging from nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fatigue, weakness,
headache, blurred vision, rash, to bruising and bleeding. A bottle of vitamin
water every so often probably won’t cause problems, but frequent consumption,
especially when taking vitamin supplements, can add up. Many of these drinks
also have a lot of sugar, or have artificial sweeteners.
As long as
we eat a variety of foods, unless we are working our muscles to fatigue on a
regular basis, tasty as they are, we probably don’t need supplemented
beverages.
In celebration of International Day of the Midwife, Hawaiʻi becomes 35th state to regulate midwives
HONOLULU, HI – International Day of the Midwife “Midwives: Defenders of women’s rights” is being celebrated today all around the world, and Hawaiʻiis joining in by honoring midwives with a licensure law! Governor David Ige signed the bipartisan legislation to license midwives into law on April 30, 2019 as Act 32.
The law was introduced as part of the Women’s Legislative Caucus Package to regulate midwifery practice in Hawaiʻi, providing public health protections through adoption and implementation of global and national standardsfor midwives. Act 32 provides exemptions for traditional Native Hawaiian healing practices, as they are protected under the State Constitution; and birth attendants until July 1, 2023 if disclose they are practicing without a license. A task force is included in the law, which legislators have suggested be used by birth attendants to define themselves, their scope of practice and educational pathway for regulation by 2023.
Dani Dougherty, a certified professional midwife (CPM) on Hawaiʻi island who specializes in community based care, states “This bill has been a long time coming! Hawaiʻi families who choose community birth will have access to providers who are willing to prove their competency by meeting the appropriate educational, training and credentialing standards.” Dani Dougherty intends to apply for licensure in 2020.
Midwives were regulated in Hawaiʻi from 1931 through 1998 through the Department of Health. The midwifery law was repealed when nurse-midwives were placed under the board of nursing, resulting in a lapse of midwifery regulation. Certified nurse-midwives have continued to be licensed as advanced practice registered nurses. Act 32 recognizes and provides a pathway to licensure for certified professional midwives and certified midwives in Hawaiʻi after 21 years of legislative efforts.
“Recognizing midwives is critical,” says Leʻa Minton, Board President of Midwives Alliance of Hawaiʻi , “as they are part of the solution to our healthcare provider shortage, and they generally live and work in rural and neighbor island communities. There is a misperception that midwives only take care of pregnant women and deliver babies. This is definitely one aspect of their beloved care services, and midwives are also trained to provide well woman exams; pap smears; breast exams; counsel on reproductive life plans and some prescribe contraceptive methods; screen for sexually transmitted infections and some prescribe treatment; screen for depression, tobacco and substance use disorder, provide brief interventions and/or refer out as needed for treatment; and care for newborns in the first 4-6 weeks of life. Licensing midwives recognizes them as part of the healthcare team, and provides the opportunity for them to work to their fullest scope of practice, which is when Hawaiʻi gains the maximum benefitof midwifery care. We are so grateful to everyone who helped with this effort, to Governor Ige for signing Act 32 into law, and we are absolutely thrilled with the opportunities that lie ahead!”
Effective April 17, 2019, Hawaii law is changed to allow parties to a marriage or civil union to choose any middle or last name to use upon the marriage or civil union.
Chapter 574-1 Married persons; civil union partners. Upon marriage or civil union, each of the parties to a marriage or partners in a civil union shall declare the middle and last names each will use as a married person or civil union partner.
No person shall be required to change that person’s middle or last name upon entering into a marriage or civil union. Parties to a marriage and partners in a civil union shall not be required to have the same middle or last name. Every person may adopt any middle or last name upon entering into a marriage or civil union.
Award-winning storyteller Leilehua Yuen and her husband, musician Manu Josiah shares Stories of the Stars at this month’s Ma lalo o ka Pō Lani. This presentation is presented as part of the week-long global story-telling celebration which begins each year on the Spring Equinox with World Storytelling Day.
This year, the theme of World Storytelling Day is “Myths, Legends, and Epics.”
As in many cultures, the stars are Hawaii’s calendar, clock, map, and library. From ancient times, our navigators used the stars as a guide across the ocean. Farmers and fishers used them to as an almanac. By their movements, people told the seasons and the times. And the constellations illustrated the great myths, legends, and epics of the Polynesians who traversed the ocean for millennia.
Join Manu and Leilehua at 3 pm in the Presentation Room of the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy at the 9,000 ft elevation on Mauna Kea for an hour of sharing a brief glimpse into some of Hawaiʻi’s storytelling traditions, as illustrated by the stars.
For details, visit the Maunakea Visitor Information Station page for Ma Lalo o ka Pō Lani. Or phone: 1-808-961-2180
The
first Hawaiians to settle the banks of the Wailoa River found it a rich wetland
where the fresh waters spread out before mingling with the salt of Hilo Bay. As
they cultivated Piopio, they built loko ʻiʻa (fishponds) and loʻi (taro paddies)
which eventually would feed generations of chiefs who ruled the district of Hilo
from its bountiful heart.
The renowned chief Alapaʻinuiakauaua dwelt at Piʻopiʻo, and it was the final home of Keōua Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui Ahilapalapa, father of Paiʻea Kamehameha. Keōua died at Piʻopiʻo in the 1760s. Kamehameha himself would spend time at the royal compound while constructing the vast Peleleu Fleet. Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III visited Piʻopiʻo in his first trip of state as king.
Later, Ruth Keanolani Kauanahoahoa Keʻelikōlani, great granddaughter of Paiʻea Kamehameha, would be heir to the lands, and had a home that was located on the boarder of Piʻopiʻo and Kūkūau, what is now the grassy lawn near the Chevron gas station.
Ruth Ke‘elikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa
In the mid 1800s, Piʻopiʻo was luxuriant with
coconut trees, as referenced in this line from an 1864 chant:
“To the sands of Waiolama, to the coconut grove
of Piʻopiʻo.”
In
1885, the first large group of Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaiʻi to work
on the sugar plantations. By around 1900, they were starting to lease land to
farm. By then, many of the stone walls, temple platforms, and other structures
of Waiākea, including at Piʻopiʻo, had been dismantled for construction
projects, such as the new wharves and roadways of bustling Hilo.
Many
of the new immigrants had been farmers in Japan. They found the fertile lands
of Piʻopiʻo perfect for rice, taro, and other crops with which they were
already familiar. Soon, a thriving village grew, and was named
“Shinmachi,” “New Town,” by its inhabitants. Bon dances and
other festivals were celebrated by the tight-knit community on the banks of
Hilo’s great fishponds. But four decades later, in 1946, at 6:54 am on April
1st, a tsunami pulled the ocean away from Hilo, and then pushed it back over
the waterfront and Shinmachi. Across the island, 159 people died.
With
the resilience for which Hilo is known, people re-built. Hilo, and Shinmachi,
rose again. But, only 14 years later, in 1960, “New Town” was
destroyed by another great wave. The successive waves reached as high as 35
feet, and killed 61 people.
Instead,
the State of Hawaiʻi turned the area into a 132 acre green zone, creating the Wailoa
River State Recreation Area along Hilo’s bay front. An art center, tsunami
memorial, veterans memorial, and statue of Paiʻea Kamehameha now stand where
chiefs once lived. Instead of boardwalks zig-zagging across the watery
landscape, gravel and asphalt paths meander about the area. Many trees –
coconut, banyan and mango – which survived the tsunami remain. Tsunami
survivors tell stories of being saved when their homes were washed against the
trees, and they scrambled up the strong limbs to safety. Bridges now cross the
fishponds and river in graceful arcs, reflecting in the waters below.
Shinmachi
Tsunami Memorial, a wave-shaped lava amphitheater with a ceramic mosaic set in
the courtyard, honors the people of Hawaiʻi Island who were lost to tsunami.
The mosaic, titled “Submerged Rocks and Water Reflections” was
designed by Maui-born abstract expressionist artist Tadashi Sato.
The
Vietnam War Memorial was dedicated in 1988. Built by volunteers, with the
assistance of Fair Contracting and Fukunaga Electric, the 20ft by 20ft platform
is faced with black granite. An eternal flame flickers at the center of the
upper platform. A grove of 50 palm trees border the pathway, commemorating the
50 Hawaiʻi County men who lost their lives in the war.
Across
the Waiolama Canal from the Vietnam War Memorial is a statue of Paiʻea
Kamehameha. At 14ft (4.3 m), it is the tallest of the four statues of the mōʻī,
(sovereign). Originally commissioned by the Princeville Corporation for their
Kauai resort, the people of Kauaʻi objected to its being erected on that
island, as he had never ruled Kauaʻi. Through the assistance of the Kamehameha
Schools Alumni Association, East Hawaii Chapter, Princeville Corporation
donated it to Hilo, a place which figured prominently in the mōʻī’s rise to
power. Hilo was his capitol while he prepared his fleet to move northward, and
his highest ranking son, Kalaninui kua
Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani, also known as Kamehameha II, was born. Legend
tells that Kamehameha gave the town its name when a rope fashioned in the style
called “hilo” was used to prevent his canoe from being carried away
by the tide. Sculpted by R. Sandrin at the Fracaro Foundry in Vicenza, Italy,
in 1963, the statue finally was installed in its present location in 1997.
The Wailoa Center was designed by Oda & McCarty Architects and completed in 1967. Now a half century old, it retains the classic 1960s architecture. Then-governor John Burns shepherded the center’s construction as a mahalo to Hilo for supporting him, and placed Tadao Okimoto as its first director. Governor Burns asked Hilo educator Mary Matayoshi to help Okimoto set up the new center. The first exhibit was of sterling silver, which ran for four years. That was followed by a kimono exhibit which ran for almost two.
When
Okimoto was ready to retire from the center, Kathleen “Pudding”
Lassiter was asked to apply for the position. By 1999, it was time for some
refurbishing. The center needed new paint, inside and out. The asphalt floor
was cracked. The storage room was full of unused items, and the office was
cramped. Lassiter was given $6,000 for paint. “The whole community pulled
together,” she says. George Iranon at Kulani Prison brought 30 of the inmates
to the center, where they worked for three weeks. They cleaned the storeroom
and made it into an office, and turned the small office into a small gallery.
“I had no money to feed them,” Lassiter says. “I went to all the
okazuya and each one donated bentos. . . Safeway and KTA donated watermelons. .
. Pepsi donated sodas. . . So, they could eat and they had all the soda they
wanted for the three weeks.” After their release, several came back to
work at the center as volunteers.
Lassiter
recruited volunteers from all walks of life, including seniors from the county
RSVP program. Her oldest volunteer was Caroline Johnson, who began at the
center in her 90s. When she was 105, she told Lassiter she would need to
retire, as she could no longer hear the phone.
The
loving maintenance provided by a variety of entities has kept the building in
excellent shape for its age. Throughout the years, local businesses and
individuals have lent their time, talent, and other resources to mālama, to
care for, the center.
Codie
King, the current Wailoa Center director, says, “Without our supportive
community, without our volunteers, without individuals who find the value in
culture and art, Wailoa Center would not still be here 50 years later. I feel
the momentum growing for Wailoa Center to continue well into the future by celebrating
our community’s shared diversity, ideas and perspectives. We will grow, side by
side, with our many cultures, with our varied beliefs in our delicate
environment, hopefully to perpetuate a meaningful, positive lifestyle we can
share with the world.”
The
most recent refurbishment includes a series of murals, by Hawaiʻi island artist
and educator Emily Leucht, which enwrap the building. Each of the mural panels references
a different place-based story of Piʻopiʻo.
Lokelani
Brandt, whose master’s thesis is an ethno-historical study of Piʻopiʻo,
uncovered a list of place names recorded in 1925 by Mrs. Kaʻouli Kaʻai and
documented by Theodore Kelsey. It is these place names that are inspiration for
the imagery within the mural. Brandt says, “Recalling the old stories is
one part of maintaining a connection to our past. The history and heritage of a
place are realized when we retell and internalize its stories. As we move
forward and are required to make decisions about how we will utilize a place,
knowing the cultural history allows us to make informed decisions that are
founded on the generational layering of knowledge and wisdom that are place
specific.”
The
simple blocked out shapes – swirls, triangles, reticulations – contain the
essence of a complex and deeply storied past. While it would be impossible to
include all of the place names, each panel depicts carefully selected wahi pana
within the area that the panel faces. Most of names are within Wailoa or Piʻopiʻo.
The mountains of Maunakea and Mauna Loa also are included, as they are an
essential part of our water gathering systems.
Leucht
says, “I hope that the representation of these names in this visual and
public manner will encourage our community to question the history of Hilo that
they already know, and then to look deeper. I hope to honor those that have
come before, and that this peek into the past will give us a path towards the
revitalization of Piʻopiʻo, a central part of Waiākea, and Hilo.”
Included
in that revitalization of Piʻopiʻo is an ethnobotanical garden.
In
traditional Hawaii thought, plants have a genealogy that connects them to
humans. Urbanization and agriculture have removed many native plants from the
daily lives of people, severing this connection. The Piʻopiʻo Ethnobotanical
Garden, proposed in March of this year, seeks to honor and renew the
connection, and to revitalize the area by providing an interactive garden that features
food crops as well as plants for the making medicine, lei, dye and cordage. The
garden is planned to be a community resource of plants high in ethno-botanical
importance. As a centrally located space that curates these vital species, the
garden will provide a place where the public can interact with these plants,
form stronger relationships with them, and practice cultural traditions, all of
which will ensure that these “plant people” have a seat at our table for
generations to come.
Supporting
an ethnobotanical garden, providing space for teaching art, and hosting
exhibits throughout the year makes a busy calendar, quite a change from the
early days of the center when a kimono show once ran for two years. Over the
years, exhibits have changed from primarily cultural shows to more art type
shows and exhibits.
There
are eleven exhibits a year with the most popular being the Woodturners (March),
the MAMO (Maoli Art Month Show-in April), Woodworkers/Ukulele show (October)
and the Hawaii Nei Show (November –mid-December) which occur on a yearly
basis. People have been known to plan
their vacations around attending the Woodturners and Woodworker/Ukulele Shows. Another very popular show is the “Abstract
Only” show in August which has been a staple for 14 years. Many of the exhibits have ties with various
community groups, the University of Hawaii-Hilo and Art Galleries from all over
the island.
The
Wailoa Center is part of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division
of State Parks, and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. free of charge.
Hurricane Lane brought more attention than usual to our streams and rivers. Hopefully, we can learn from the flooding. One place to look for clues is in the ancient legends. One, associated with the Wailuku, has to do with the arrival of Paʻao.
When Pāʻao arrived in Hilo, he built his hale and planted pili on the rock called Maui’s Canoe. Locals told him that it was a poor place to build, as the islet was often awash when the river flooded. Pāʻao replied that as long as the pili grew there, the rock would not be covered.
It is said that many generations passed, and the rock was not covered, no matter how high the waters rose. Hurricane Lane, however, utterly covered the rock. Even Koloiki (Reed’s Island) was awash.
Re-examination of this moʻolelo makes me think that our kūpuna considered tending the riverbed to be an important part of flood control. We have not been tending the Wailuku river bed. It has become clogged with invasive trees and brush. When Lane came and washed logs and brush into the river, they were trapped by the invasive trees and contributed to the flooding of the island.
As Maui’s Canoe is really too small for a proper home, and I have seen it covered several times in my own lifetime, I wonder if the story originally was attached to Koloiki.
Aloha no! I would like to share a little history of Hilo’s soccer field area, as I learned it from my kūpuna and some others who have researched it:
Back when Paiʻea Kamehameha was building his Peleleu Fleet, the beach went all the way back to the canal. This is why this part of Hilo, from the Wailuku to the Wailoa, is named Hilo One, “Sandy Hilo.” Behind the beach, and throughout the area where Wailoa Park is now, were lush taro fields, as well as fish ponds.
The entire area between the Wailuku and Wailoa are Hilo’s natural floodplain. Waiākea is also part of this natural floodplain, as you can see by the name, “Broad Water.”
From Hilo One to mauka, and crossing where Komohana Street is now, were Haili Forest and Mokaulele Forest. The remnants of Mokaulele are above the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center.
This forest created a natural sponge which helped to absorb the famous rains of Hilo. Many ancient chants describe the heavy rainfall of Hilo, and how it fills the waterways and tears at the edges of the shore.
Paiʻea Kamehameha logged huge swaths of the forest surrounding Hilo One to build the Peleleu Fleet.
Later, more of the forest was logged to build Hilo Town. Haili Church is named for the forest that its lumber came from.
Later, when Sugar was King, railroad tracks were built on the beach. A berm was created to protect the railway.
Over the years, communities grew up along the railway and in the Wailoa Park area (most famouly, Shinmachi). Roadways were installed, in addition to the railways.
The communities were destroyed by the tsunamis of 1946 and 1960.
After 1960, the devastated areas were made into parks so that people could not rebuild there and suffer such losses again.
The Kaikoʻo area was created with fill, to elevate governmental and commercial areas above the worst of the tsunami’s reach.
By then, Hilo had grown so much there was no place to put a replacement for a major road to serve the makai areas, so the bay front road would have to remain, and because it is so close to sea level, it would have to be protected by a berm. Still, when the sea is rough, the road must be closed.
I often hear people say that the berm needs to be cut through and opened up to allow the water on the so-called “soccer field” to drain into the bay. The problem with that idea is that the “soccer field” is only 10 feet above sea level. If that berm were removed, there would be little difference between the floodplain and the bay. Rough seas would use the entire area for a beach.
Yes, there was poor planning, but the poor planning was done in the 1800s. The city should not have been developed makai of what is now Kinoʻole St. All of that area is part of the natural floodplain. But what is done, is done, and the current situation is the best possible solution taking into account the various needs of Hilo.
In 1994, plans were made to mitigate the problems through the Alenaio Stream Flood Control Project. Draining the water into the remains of the floodplain keeps it out of the rest of Hilo, and allows it to slowly seep away, rather than “bite the shore like an angry dog,” as the old chants describe.
Rather than be angry that the soccer field and park get flooded, I think we should be happy that enough of the floodplain was opened up to provide for much of the storm waters, and when it is not storming, we have a wonderful soccer field and park to use.
Just my manaʻo. If I have made any errors, please give me links and documentation, as I am passionate about the history of our town, and always seeking to learn more!
This may look like a lush tropical landscape, but there are ZERO native Hawaiian species in this image. Except for the avocado tree (a 20th century introduced food crop) buried under an aggressive philodendron, all of the visible species at this site are highly invasive. Philodendron, running bamboo, and thunbergia have created an almost sterile biome lacking in diversity. Left alone, they will kill the avocado tree. There are virtually no understory plants, resulting in significant erosion of topsoil. The only fungi are molds.
A healthy biome comprises diverse species which fill many niches. The Urban Kīpuka Project will explore ways to re-create ecosystems with healthy diversity for small urban/suburban environments.
Hawaiʻi has the unfortunate distinction of being “the extinction capitol of the world.” Many of our native birds are gone due to habitat loss and introduced diseases and predators. Many of our plants have been bulldozed away by development.
LeiManu Design‘s Urban Kīpuka Project seeks to find ways that individuals can create kīpuka, oases of native plants, in their own yards to provide habitat for native flora and fauna. We believe that if each of us creates a kīpuka, we can slow, if not stop, the rampant loss of native and cultural plants, and the native animals that inhabit them.
