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2.background
<br /> as "Kohala, from Honoke`a [a valley in the northeast of the district] to Keahualono [an altar constructed on the
<br /> district's southern boundary near`Anaeho`omalu]."Handy et al.(1991)provide the following description of Kohala:
<br /> The district of Kohala is the northernmost land area of the island of Hawaii. 'Upolu Point, the
<br /> northwesterly projection, fronts boldly out into the Alanuihaha [sic] Channel towards the
<br /> southeastern coast of Maui,and is the nearest point of communication between the two islands. To
<br /> the south,along Hawaii's western coast,lies Kona;to the east the rough coast of Hamakua District
<br /> unprotected from the northerly winds and sea.Kohala was the chiefdom of Kamehameha the Great,
<br /> and from this feudal seat he gradually extended his power to embrace the whole of the island,
<br /> eventually gaining suzerainty of all the Hawaiian Islands.(Handy et al. 1991:528)
<br /> The rugged central area of the district is formed by the mountainous remains(elevation 5,505 feet)
<br /> of the Kohala dome, the oldest of the island's volcanoes, now long regarded as extinct. The high
<br /> table land between Mt.Kohala and the vast northern slopes of Mauna Kea,known as Waimea,has
<br /> one of the finest and most salubrious mountain climates in the Hawaiian Islands, and also offers
<br /> excellent grazing for cattle. In post-European times it became the seat of the Parker Ranch, one of
<br /> the largest ranches in the world.(Handy et al. 1991:528)
<br /> Like the other districts,Kohala contains multiple land divisions, one of which includes the subject ahupua'a of
<br /> Lalamilo,whose name Pukui et al(1974:128)translates literally to mean the"milo tree branch."Maly(1999:27)offers
<br /> a different etymology based on information which he gathered from the mo`olelo(account)Ka`ao Ho`oniva Pu`uwai
<br /> no Ka-Miki:
<br /> The region of Lalamilo was named for the chief Lalamilo. Lalamilo was the grandson of
<br /> Kanakanaka, an expert lawai'a hi-`ahi (deep sea tuna lure fisherman) and Piliamo`o, a powerful
<br /> priestess and `olohe.Kanakanaka and Piliamo co were the parents of Ne'ula(a fishing goddess),and
<br /> she married Pu`u-hina`i a chief of the inlands.Ne`ula and Pu`u-hina`i were the parents of Lalamilo.
<br /> While Lalamilo is currently referred to as an ahupua'a,traditionally it was one of several 'di that made up the
<br /> kalana of Waimea.Pukui et al.(1974:226)translate the place name to mean"Reddish Water."As a kalana,Waimea
<br /> was treated as a subdistrict of the greater moku of Kohala and contained several other lands divisions(Maly and Maly
<br /> 2002). The lands subject to the kalana of Waimea were those that form the southern limits of the present-day South
<br /> Kohala District including the lands of`Ouli,Wai`aka,Lalamilo,Puako,Kalahuipua`a(Lahuipua`a), `Anaeho`omalu,
<br /> Kanakanaka, Ala`ohi`a,Paulama, Pu'ukalani(Pukalani),Pu'ukapu, and Waikoloa. Additionally, Puako, the coastal
<br /> portion of Lalamilo,was also identified as an 'di of Waimea. In ancient times,Lalamilo was referred to as Waikoloa
<br /> Iki (literally, little Waikoloa), while Waikoloa Ahupua'a proper was known as Waikoloa Nui (literally, great
<br /> Waikoloa) (Maly 1999). Bernice Judd,a former librarian at the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, describes the
<br /> extent of the kalana of Waimea:
<br /> In the early days Waimea meant all the plateau between the Kohala Mountains and Mauna Kea,
<br /> inland from Kawaihae. This area is from eight to ten miles long and from three to five miles wide.
<br /> There was no running water on Mauna Kea, so the inhabitants lived at the base of the Kohala
<br /> Mountains, where three streams touched the plain on their way towards the sea. . . The middle
<br /> stream,which was famous for wild ducks,was named Waikoloa,or Duckwater.This and the most
<br /> westerly stream,called Kahakohau,went towards Kawaihae,but neither reached the sea,except in
<br /> times of flood.(Judd 1932:14)
<br /> While the traditional name of this region is Waimea,the name Kamuela(Samuel)has been used since the United
<br /> States post office in Waimea was renamed in 1901 (The Hawaiian Star 1901). Although originally named after the
<br /> town,it shared this name with the Waimea post office on Kauai. The post office's practice was to avoid duplicate
<br /> names within a state or territory to avoid confusion.However,as the office's cashier Kenake said at the time,"Letters
<br /> come here marked `Waimea, Hawaii.' Under the old system this would be understood,but now it produces untold
<br /> trouble on account of the fact that mainland people cannot conceive of two offices of the same name in a Territory"
<br /> (The Hawaiian Star 1901).The new name,Kamuela,is said to have referred to the postmaster Samuel Spencer or the
<br /> famed rancher Samuel Parker (Pukui et al. 1974). For whomever this area is named after, most of the references
<br /> describing the Precontact history and the celebrated cultural landscape refer to this area as Waimea.
<br /> Celebrated Cultural Landscape
<br /> Nestled between the plateau of two shield volcanoes(Kohala Mountains and Mauna Kea),Lalamilo Ahupua'a along
<br /> with the greater South Kohala region boasts stunning views of its wind-swept landscape dotted with rolling and jutting
<br /> pu`u(hills).As noted by Plunkett(2018:76),"More than just aesthetically pleasing,the pu`u of Waimea[,]as landscape
<br /> 12 Historic Properties Assessment Study Waiaka Bridge and Roadway Project,South Kohala,Hawaii
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