Ahupua'a Project
He'eia
I am from the ahupua'a of He'eia, in the moku of Ko'olaupoko, on mokupuni of O'ahu.
O'ahu, known as the "gathering place" is the third largest of the Hawaiian islands.
Even though it is third largest, it is the highest populated island. The island of Oahu is made of two volcanoes: Waianae and Koolau. Waianae, the older of the two, makes up the west part of the island. Koolau makes up the east part of the island. Much of Koolau volcano was also removed by a big landslide.
O'ahu is split up into districts called moku. The moku on O'ahu are: Ko'olauloa, Ko'olaupoko, Kona, 'Ewa, Wai'anae, Waialua. Each moku was split up to have a source of fresh water for all the ahupua'a within the district, and access to each area of resource, from reef to coast to midlands and mountains. This means that each moku was split up to be equal and have the resources needed for everyone that district to be supported.
Ko'olaupoko receives the most rain of any moku in Hawaii. Only ¼ of Ko'olaupoko land has been urbanized. Above Ko'olaupoko is Ko'olauloa, and below is Kona.
Moku are then split up into ahupua'a, which are smaller land divisions. In ancient Hawaii, Chief 'Umialiloa created the ahupua'a system, which is a system of land divisions throughout the islands. Ahupua'a run from mountain to sea and cover everything in between. He'eia is an ahupua'a surrounded by Kahalu'u and Kane'ohe.
I reside in the ahupua'a of He'eia, in the moku of Ko'olaupoko, in the mokupuni of O'ahu.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~uhmalama/dhanaike/Ahupuaa_lesson/moku_oahu.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/Oahu_ahupuaa.gif
Past usage-
When King Kamehameha the Great conquered O'ahu in 1795, he chose to keep Kane'ohe and He'eia as his own personal property. The land was passed down through generations where it eventually ended up with Abner Paki.
In ancient Hawaiian times, He'eia was mainly a place for kalo and fish cultivation. Kalo was grown in the land above the fishpond and the water was filtered through systems of streams into He'eia fishpond. Hawaiians cleared the streams and 'auwai regularly so that flood damage would be kept to a minimum when there were heavy rains.
In the late 1840s and early 1850s, the Hawaiian population decreased and so did the demand for kalo. When He'eia stopped producing as much kalo, land was leased to private businesses for commercial production of sugarcane, rice, pineapple, and the pasturing of cattle. When sugarcane was introduced to Ko'olau poko in 1875, He'eia Agricultural Company built He'eia Kea Pier so that rail cars could take the sugar out to ocean vessels for transportation to Honolulu harbor.
He'eia was drastically changed by the dredging that occurred in the Kane'ohe Bay area between 1939-1945. This was done to accommodate small boat landings, piers, and wharfs. In total nine fishponds on the south side of Kane'ohe Bay (total area of almost 80 acres) were filled with dredged materials for urban development. This had a great impact on the He'eia we see today.
Photo of He'eia Kea Pier
http://state.hi.us/dlnr/dbor/images/heeia2_lrg.jpg
Current usage-
He'eia is like any other place on O'ahu now. There are houses and stores and buildings built everywhere. He'eia, like almost all of O'ahu, has become a place overpopulated with urban development. Even with all this development, there is still fishponds in Kaneohe bay and lo'i in He'eia, showing that the place still remains close to it's past and it's culture. Papahana Kuaola is a lo'i located in He'eia that is going strong and I actually had the privilege to volunteer working there for a day. Papahana Kuaola covers an area of 63 acres reaching from the right side of Haʻikū valley floor, up the north side of the valley wall and extending slightly into the next valley of ʻIolekaʻa. The lo'i is fed from the Ha'iku stream that flows through the valley.
The main fishpond of this area is He'eia fishpond. Run by Paepae He'eia, this fishpond was established in 2001 by a group of young Hawaiians, and works in partnership with landowner, Kamehameha Schools, to manage and maintain He'eia Fishpond for the community.
Photo of Papahana Kuaola Lo'i
http://www.frolichawaii.com/wp-content/photos/papahana-kuaola/papahana-kuaola-18_0.jpg
Future usage-
Projects are currently being done to conserve and protect important parts of He'eia. For example, in He'eia Fishpond, volunteers dedicate their times to help cleaning and maintaining the fishpond. Paepae 'O He'eia, a non profit organization, is also seeking grant funds to establish curriculum for students visiting the site. Papahana Kuaola is another non-profit organization that is working hard to preserve He'eia and the Hawaiian culture that goes along with the land. Their mission is to "create quality educational programs focused on Hawaiʻi's cultural and natural history, environmental restoration, and economic sustainability fully integrated with Hawaiian knowledge in order to exemplify a lifestyle respectful of kānaka, ʻāina, and ākua."
Photo of He'eia Fishpond
http://www.donahuelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/heeia_pond_CGG.jpg
Cultural Significance:
Winds and Rain-
The wind of He'eia is Ulumano. This is a strong wind that comes from the southeast.
The rain of He'eia is Ua 'Apuakea. This rain is said to be named for a beautiful woman, 'Apuakea, who was changed to a rain by the goddess Hi'iaka.
The average annual rainfall in He'eia is 74.75 inches.
November is usually the wettest month with an average of 9.46 inches.
Mo'olelo-
This ahupua'a was named after He'eia, who was the foster son of the goddess Haumea and the grandson of the demi-god Olopana, and uncle of Kamapua'a.
He'eia fell in love with a girl named Kaohelo, who was the younger sister of Pele. He met her in Ko'olau on O'ahu, and they were happy for a while. When Kaohelo died, parts of her body were divided and distributed among the volcano areas of the islands and became the 'ohelo plant, the fruit of which is sacred to Pele.
Meheanu is the mo'o that watches over He'eia. She guarded He'eia fishpond and could change into many things, like a lizard or a frog, but her favorite was an eel. She lived at Luamo'o, which was a small piece of land next to the fishpond. She either spent her time there or as an eel guarding the fishpond.
He'eia is where souls of the dead go into the sea. There are two parts to He'eia. He'eia-uli and He'eia-kea. He'eia-uli is the dark He'eia, and he'eia-kea is the white He'eia. The different He'eias are separated by Ke'alohi Point. When men died in ancient Hawaii, before they jumped into the sea they were passed under judgement. Bad souls were judged black, and jumped off at He'eia-uli. Good souls were judged white and jumped off at He'eia-kea. Black and white describes heaven and hell.
Personal Connection:
My main connection to He'eia is that I have lived here my entire life. This is the only place I have ever called home. I have a connection because it is all I know. I am so used to having the rain falling outside put me to sleep and waking up to dark gray skies. I'm used to looking out to the giant Ko'olau Mountains that wrap around He'eia. No matter where I go in life, I will always be "from" He'eia. It will always be home to me. I think that is what a sense of place means, no matter how far you get away from it, no matter how long you have been away, it will always be considered home to you. My kuleana to perpetuate my sense of place here is to remember that this is where I am from, where I grew up, my home.
Song about He'eia:
This song is called "Nani He'eia" and is written by Manu Boyd, and describes He'eia.
This song was actually written specifically for our class for our freshman co-ed song contest song. This song is just praising how amazing and beautiful He'eia is.
http://www.manuboyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Mele-Ailana-Manu-Boyd-CD-Book.pdf
Works Cited:
C. Pae 'Äina. E Nanea Mai I Ka Holoholo. Enjoy the Ride! (n.d.): n. pag. Mele 'Ailana. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.manuboyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Mele-Ailana-Manu-Boyd-CD-Book.pdf>.
"Kānaka." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://papahanakuaola.com/>.
"Kamehameha Schools Distance Learning." Kamehameha Schools Distance Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://ksdl.ksbe.edu/heeia>.
"Legends of He'eia Fishpond." Legends of He'eia Fishpond. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://ksdl2.ksbe.edu/heeia/pages/legends.html>.Rose, Roger, and P. Klieger. MYTHS, LEGENDS, AND TRADITIONS (n.d.): 15-51. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/cultstud/pdfs/WWHist/Chapter%202.pdf>.
Paepae O Heeia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://paepaeoheeia.org/>.
Their Kuleana to Malama – Protect – Their Natural and Cultural (n.d.): n. pag. Ahupua'a He'eia. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://koolaupokohcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Heeia.pdf>.
"Winds and Rains of Hawaii." Winds and Rains of Hawaii (n.d.): n. pag. Print.