KC3 FINAL DRAFT: History of Hawaiian Land

   From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States. This vast tropical land is full of interesting history and culture. The native Hawaiians treasured the "aina" (land) and used its resources very wisely. They used sustainable resources to live and survive. They learned to become one with the land and everything on it.

    The native hawaiians created a system called "Ahupua'a". It divided the whole island into subdivisions, each subdivision consisted of a part of land from the mountains to the sea. Ahu means heap of stones and Pua'a means pig. The boundary markers for ahupuaʻa were traditionally heaps of stones used to give offerings to the island chief; the offerings were usually pigs. Each ahupua'a was like its own community or district. Everyone was treated like family. An “ali’i” or chief ruled every ahupua’a. The natives used the resources with in their ahupua'a to live. Sustainability was controlled by the ali'i's to ensure a lasting supply of resources. The balance in this Ahupua'a land system kept the Hawaiian race alive.

    Farming was much more different during this time. Hawaiians lacked tools and machines; everything was done with hand. The main crop Hawaiian’s farmed was taro. Taro is an edible green root vegetable that hawaiians grew. Taro was more than just a plant to the Hawaiians. Taro was very versatile, it wasn’t only a starch food; it was also used as medicine and in rituals. Taro was also cooked and pounded to make poi (taro mashed into a paste like consistency). Only men cultivated, cooked and prepared taro. The native Hawaiians grew more than 300 types of taro. Over time taro farming developed into a more sophisticated, complex system. The island climate provided an abundant amount of sun, soil and water. This made their harvests rich and plentiful. Ancient Hawaiians divided their year into two seasons: kau, the warmer summer months with reliable trade winds (generally May to October) and ho'oilo, the colder wetter months with less trade winds (November to April). Hawaiians were experts of the land and its resources.

   Water during this time was a symbol for prosperity and life. It was their greatest resource. Water meant wealth for the hawaiians. Wai = water, Wai Wai= wealth. Water was life for everything. They used water in many different ways such as; Taro, (the main crop grown in ancient Hawaii) grew best with water. Hawaiians also used water for fishponds. Hawaiians were experts on aquaculture. Ancient Hawaiians were the first islanders in the Pacific to make use of ponds and fish farming. Fishponds held the captured fish from the ocean. It was basically storage; it also allowed fishes to grow fatter and larger. Fishponds were more than a source for food; shrines were built on the end of the ponds for worship. Fishponds were sacred and kapu (prohibited). In a culture that honored the earth's abundance, fishponds symbolized the connections Hawaiians created between themselves, the aina (land), and the akua (gods).

    Hawaiians used the land to their benefit. They learned how to live and survive on the land and with one another. They used systems to sustain their resources and they became experts of the land. They also created a culture of love, care and respect. Their culture is like a hibiscus flower delicate and beautiful. Imagine if all this knowledge was gone and no one knew about the hawaiian culture, what would become of this land and its people?