HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0258.010 2008-2010
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Why=amwe:,woeking-'to save the North!KohalaiCoast?
Preserving Kamehameha's Source of Power
The-pivotal-point-in Hawaiian history, came in the.late-,,17
Kamehameha I united the islands; into a ,single monarchy. ,A central and
highly cultured rule allowed,the Hawaiian-people to.face the onslaught of,,,. . J;
western,colonial expansion.that crushed,and;overran, indigen, ous cultures§(
around.the.world. For..a,century Hawaiians were a world power and,,,,,,.,.
respected widely. Without unification-history of.the.islands;would have been
vastly different.
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Soihow..was,it that.Kamehameha was able to .war:and,'triumph;over,the,
rulers,o1his,ownHawaiiiIsland and, the. other islands hundreds-of ocean
miles away, Behind ,Kamehameha was a strong, healthy population,of
warriors and support people-who.,could,grow,:preserve; and.;pack! food for the;
long campaigns,of his,army and navy:;,,When; Captain James-Cook first saw:,;i
the future ruler's home, 4distri_ct of Kohala he;described it as "a-series of,
plantations as far as the eye can see." The district utilized the three basics
of Hawaiian food prod(jction='wet land `cultivation-( 'i)`dry land field'- '
planting and ocean harVesting,, By preserving and packing'the'bounty-of the'
district Ka'mehameha'was',able''to' co'ntindally'supporthis'army on"the 'moveP'
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The cultivation and preserving methods used were so sophisticated
that`scientistsand~anthropologistsare)studying the remnantsof=the_Kohala
food system' s'today',iThey are 'hoping to-find'cluesth'at"will helptnot'only!-J-`
other indigenous people>to su'NiV&caridlthrive; but:to'help modern orgahic=zi-
agriculture to=understand the relationships between the'elerrients that'
prOdUCe'fOOds r, 1.wr
<I Fortunately, remnants of.the,thriving,population.thattpeopledthe ,z .
Kohala district`from-the 1200s to the early 1800s still exist-in. profusion on
the ground from the Kohala Mountain to the leeward coast. Fifteen miles of
shoreline, left>open':and'u'ndeveloped~since the flourish of ancient'prosperity,
are peppered with archaeological and cultural sites. Atiovethe'coa"stay ;a
settlements the'Vast'fieldsystems~withyingenious windbreaks to=capture~
moisture-for'crops~hiaVe-mostly s'Mved'the'cattle grazing pasture's.=TK& '
pastures replaced`the`forests of sandalwood freesstripped for'ezport from"`
the mountains in the 1800s. The deforestation led to the dry conditions
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along the; coast..that eventually contributed to;the coastal:;people; moving to 4'
the northern populated areas of Kohala today.
What they left behind can be a classroom for modern Hawaiians to
understand 'the' tF e` sophisticated agricultural"and fishing 'technologie§,'ihe
food preservation techniques,thatcreated`the'flourishing'Hawaiian'c'uiture,as
it was'knowffworldrwide-through'the Kamehameha dynasty'.'•What th'e
scientists`are findi'ng`iri;t6rrentstudies istthat evidence of habitation-and
agricuIture'go rriuch dieeperin'th'e ground'than-previously'explored 600 '
years!6f°fruitful,living"pile'd'layer upon layer
Today those lands with their historic treasures are threatened by
modern 1devefopmenf a's?infrastructure such' as water and electricity'are'
being broughfto'the'fringe-s -of the3f6rrner flourishing' la`nd'of the',leeward 4~1'`-
coast. Pre'vious'studies=of-coastalI viIlage'completes at, apakah'i and•'v"i Mahukona did `n`ot`approach the' sopfiistication'of the; science-now'a"vailable '
to study thes&,k' V areas:' Allowing grading and cohstruction on top~of these `
sites limits the°'knowledge'avail6ble~to-future gene`r'ations''
People in,the•North Kohala, District have,.been_working,for fortyFyearst
to,preserveathe,coast,intact, not,only,for,historic-and-cultgral.,Tasons,,but
for the fishing and gathering4Kohala-people have. used. since, they can-
remember and for the recreational use of swimming, boating and hiking.
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,;,This means speaking out,against,development;of.resorts;;golf_courses,,:
subdivisions,and,oceanfront.mansions that would, erase ;the remnants•of
historyand destroy the natural pristinenatu-re;ofthe;ocean;waters;andi.
reefs. It,means the community-,workipg.Xogether<,to encoyrage~the .county;
and state and private land trusts to purchase the few remaining private ;l;
coastal parcels for permanent protection. Five of the parcels have already
been named on,priority'li'st§'for puFrcfi6§e' by-thelcounty~and four are singled
out by tFie-corrimurnty forpurchase in'th'e-newly passed'Nortli'-Kohala-CDPJ'-~~"'
-The,sitory_9f,Kamehameha,islegendary; His-,influence,yon.;the;
perpetuation,of;the_Hawaiian culture is monumental; ,Evidence;;of,howtand ,
why he succeeded •still;lies burled,in,the}gcound,of North~;Kohala ;The
messages it,carries for,sustainable living in Hawaii and-aroundrthe; world
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needs•to be fuIly,expiored andshared,.with future._generations
Toni` with ington; Kamakani lb'Kohala OHana -Kako'o